THE FIRST RELEASE FROM DISTILLERY 18 FOR SMWS CANADA

A pure, punchy and wonderfully naked example of this underrated and charismatic distillate. The nose showed initial notes of fresh paint, metal polish, soot coal scuttles and more fragrant notes of soft waxes, gorse bushes, balsa wood and oily canvas. Water brought out chalky notes, pithy lime zest, herbal medicines, dried mint, camphor and white mushrooms with a petrichor earthiness.

The neat palate was superb upon arrival. Full-on rich, fatty, oily textural distillate driven whisky. Buttery cereals, sweet grains, caramelised oatmeal, camphor, lamp oil, lanolin, medical vapour rubs and lemon cough drops. With reduction, we got sweeter medical notes, bacon frazzle crisps, burlap, pumpkin seed oil, white truffle and umami paste. Superb!