Review by: The Muskox

This is review 6/6 of the SMWS’s December 2023 outturn, which I tasted alongside my man rye_am_legend at the venerable Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington, D.C. We tried these whiskies blind, so all my notes and my score are pre-reveal. Apologies for briefer notes than usual – we tried quite a pile of whiskies that evening!

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Distillery: Glenturret.

Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Region: Highlands.

ABV: 62.8%. Cask strength.

Age: 9 years. Distilled July 4th 2013. Bottled in 2023.

Cask type: Recharred hogshead.

Price: N/A, tasting.

Color: Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Whoa, a huge blast of savoury and earthy peat smoke. Loads of barnyard and smoked briske, as well as leather and black pepper. There’s a wine cask of some kind here, too – red grapes, chocolate cake, vanilla, even a little bubblegum.

Palate: Medium-thick texture. Arrives with rich peat, but not as brash as the nose. There’s dark fruit, dark chocolate, and sweet orange. The smoke intensifies as the whisky develops – here’s Lapsang tea, sticky barbeque sauce, grilled mushrooms, and roasted nuts.

Finish: Medium, deep and earthy. Barnyard, peanuts, grape jelly.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Bessie’s last birthday party”

Conclusion: This is great – super earthy and rich peat smoke, but well-balanced by sweetness. It’s a straight-ahead bruiser of a dram, but the depth in the peat is so good that it’s wonderfully satisfying to drink.

We were given five options for which distillery this whisky could be – Ledaig, Caol Ila, Ruadh Maor (peated Glenturret), Ardmore, and Bunnahabhain. This seemed too funky to be Caol Ila or Ardmore, but not funky enough (or, not in the right way) to be Ledaig. I didn’t think this was a peated Bunnahabhain either, as I’ve never gotten quite this level of farmyard from a Staoisha. I guessed this was a Ruadh Maor despite never having had one before, and I was right! Time to find some more of these.

Final Score: 86.

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Scoring Legend:

• x95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.