From something very new last time to something which has been kept on a dusty shelf for years. The 1997 single cask from one of my favourite bottles Wemyss was bottled in 2012. As with all their single cask bottles it was bottled at 46% ABV with natural colour and no chill filtering. Weymss’s single casks tend to be premium special occasion but this one I think was only a mere 60 odd pounds from Kingsbarns distillery shop many years ago when I visited.
The 331 bottles were yielded from a hogshead according to the label which also includes extended tasting notes.
This hogshead is like an extinguished beach bonfire, with a lingering sweetness.
Billowing Embers 1997
Tasting Notes
Colour – pale yellow lemon juice
Nose – strongly brined and thick woody smoke. There is a touch of lemons as well
Palate – Easily drowned by water so be careful here. Without water the texture is not weighty really either. Sweetened wood smoke flavour prevails though.
Finish – The smoke is thick and lingers on the tongue for ages. Actually though it isn’t all about the smoke. There is mint and something of a fruity boiled sweet just hinting in the background when you pull the flavour apart with some water
Final Thoughts
This is a single cask which combines a fairly large number of years with a fairly old cask. There is the mellowing of spirit with little wood influence to give lots of peated flavour but without heat or youth. Given the years though the peat hasn’t mellowed too far like many Islay’s you see at this age. Quite a conundrum all in all really from a bottle which has been around since before I even started drinking alcohol never mind whisky.
Malted 