SMWS 53.208 Old bagpipes under a bed in Islay

SMWS 53.208 Old bagpipes under a bed in Islay, 17 YO, 57,1 %

I recently visited Islay, and strangely enough (maybe) I decided to bring whisky to  the island. The reason for this rather odd behavior was that we happened to find a bottle at SMWS in Edinburgh with the very cool name SMWS 53.208 Old Bagpipes under a Bed in Islay. The whisky was tasted at the SMWS venue in Queen Street, and of course I had to bring a bottle to Islay.

This whisky was distilled on 1996-03-16 and bottled 2013. It was matured in an ex-bourbon refill hogshead, and the outturn was 285 bottles.

As usual I present here the "tasting notes" from the Society:

Our piper pipped it. Fishing tackle, golf bags, and tarry boxes. Roasted ham and prawns. Citrus rind on an ashy hearth. Damp wool and moth balls, TCP on lint. Iberico ham with cornichons. Walnut pesto with pine needles. Sweet, salty, smoke.

Nose (23/25): Soft and appealing. Sweet peat, vanilla flavoured crackers, white pepper and sea salt. A bit dusty, like a mix of an old wardrobe and dry sawdust. After a while in the glass I also detect citrus and bacon notes.

Taste (23/25): Pepper-smoke! This is like warm and dry ashes, with a few hot coals in the mix. Sweet lemons, rolled in sea salt and ash. Licorice as well, but rather mild.

Finish (22/25): Medium long, but quite warm. Ashes, fudge, lemon and more licorice.

Balance (23/25): Yay! Almost as balanced as my bank account! A fantastic dram. Perfect for enjoying outdoors, on Islay.

Score (91/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas