Background

SMWS has been on a bit of a summer hiatus with events here in DC, the last one having occurred in June. This means there's a hole in my heart where the outturn tastings normally are, I figured why not review a trio of Speyside offerings from the Deep, Rich, & Dried Fruits taste profile! Here we have:

• 37.138 “After the Party” (Cragganmore)

• 95.53 “Boozy Basket” (Auchroisk / Singleton)

• 18.45 “Hola!” (Inchgower) 

With each review below, I’ve included any relevant details on the casks utilized during maturation. Let’s get right into the notes!

37.138 “After the Party” (Cragganmore) (19 Years, 56.4%)

Maturation: 15 years in ex-bourbon, remainder in first fill ex-PX hogshead.

Nose: Orange marmalade, the citrus is pronounced and it comes across as sweet and syrupy. Brown sugar and hints of lightly toasted oak.

Palate: That same orange marmalade alongside some old, worn leather. It has a velvety texture, not quite syrupy but you definitely pick up the influence the PX cask leaves on the mouthfeel. There’s an occasional floral note that pops up every now and then and mingles nicely with the citrus.

Finish: Toffee, tobacco, and some pure cinnamon-inspired heat. It leaves an excellent mouthwatering, tannic pull that really draws you into another sip.

Great (7/10)

Overall: I love the bunches of sticky sweet dried orange notes I’m getting here. It’s fruit forward with a great texture that’s not excellent oily, but not exactly syrupy, more of a gentle caress that builds to a sweet heat finish.

95.53 “Boozy Basket” (Auchroisk / Singleton) (15 Years, 57.0%)

Maturation: 13 years in ex-bourbon, remainder in first fill ex-PX hogshead.

Nose: Raspberry chocolate- rich, luxurious with syrupy raspberry layered in.

Palate: Bread pudding and a bit of raspberry compote, and this does play a bit more syrupy than 37.138. There’s also a cinnamon forward sweetness, like the filling of an apple pie.

Finish: Alright I’ll admit it- I Googled “croissant with chocolate” because I was drawing a blank on the fancy name. Pain au Chocolat! But it leaves a melt in your mouth buttery sensation layered with delicious chocolate.

Excellent (8/10)

Overall: This is just my jam, almost literally since it’s littered with jammy fruit notes and hints of fancy chocolate. It’s also a little elusive in that each time I revisit it, I feel like a different note jumps out to me. Sometimes I pick up a ton of chocolate, others a healthy dose of sticky fruits.

18.45 “Hola!” (Inchgower) (11 Years, 57.3%)

Maturation: 8 years in ex-bourbon, remainder in first fill ex-Oloroso hogshead.

Nose: Toffee syrup, and I need to type rich juicy plums, because that’s the note I get, but then I giggle and think of Ashley Shaffer’s plums in Eastbound and Down. Sorry for being a child. Anyways, plums and toffee.

Palate: Rice pudding, plum wine, and maybe I’m just blurring those two and my brain goes “sake” but the combination does lead me in a more Japanese direction than Spanish weirdly. Caramel chews and orange extract.

Finish: Some tasty orange/citrus kicks in, and it’s ever so slightly waxy. Hints of cloves and dark chocolate.

Very Good (6/10)

Overall: Honestly this is just a nice, mindless sipper. Pour a glass and just let the rich flavors wash over you. That for me, cuts both ways. On one hand, it’s wonderful to just sip and let it melt any troubles away. On the other, it doesn’t necessarily match the other two in terms of complexity. It’s for when I’m in a mood not to be challenged, and that’s OK! But the challenges are a little more fun 🙂.