A lightly peated 11-year-old single malt scotch whisky, finished for 12 months in white port casks. Released to celebrate the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2023.
Appearance: Honey gold. A thin film forms around the glass with plenty of thin to medium trails. The thin swirl mark is chaotic and beaded, with lots of droplets.
Nose: A nice ABV wave. Rich aromas of sugar-covered dark fruits, toffee, honey, cinnamon and red apple skin.
A very distant beach bonfire, hardly noticeable to me.
Harbour air, old salty rope and a subtle rubber boot sole note arrive next.
Some light eucalyptus and pine. The rich toffee note grows a little as time passes, along with the apple, so toffee apple!
A faint funk is a constant undercurrent here. It’s a very nice nose Indeed.
Palate: A pleasing viscous mouthfeel and immediate rich sweet caramel-covered apple pie hit first. Black pepper and cinnamon dusted blackberries and sweet BBQ sauce-doused burnt ends.
A slight drying emerges after a few sips, as does a gentle tingle from the higher ABV.
Smoked orange segments appear after a time.
Finish: Medium to long, with a good chest warming. Spicy and fruity, with a very faint smoke. The orange underpins the other notes.
Overall: Very nice. It’s a lovely balance of flavours with that GS harbour funk.
