Review #578 - SMWS 64.149 'A Cake Walk in the Black Forest' - Mannochmore 17 Year
While the vast majority of Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottlings are single casks, they do occasionally marry casks or create small batches. This release, a 17 year old Mannochmore from the Speyside region, combines 2 casks: they both started as ex-bourbon hogsheads, and then half of the spirit was finished in a Spanish oak Oloroso sherry hogshead, while the other half went into an American oak Oloroso sherry hogshead. That dichotomy of oak types could give us a nice mixture of sweet and spicy flavors.
Mannochmore isn't seen in single malt form too often. The most well-known version is a Flora & Fauna 12 Year Old bottled at 43% ABV; otherwise, we generally need to look to independent bottlers to try this malt. Even then, it isn't particularly common, but the SMWS has done a number of bottlings, most of them in the teenage years in terms of age statement.
This 17 year whisky was bottled at a cask strength of 56.6% ABV, and because this is a combination of two casks, we get a higher yield: an outturn of 488 bottles.
SMWS 64.149 'A Cake Walk in the Black Forest' - Mannochmore 17 Year
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Price: USD 195 (2025)
Age Statement: 17 Years
Strength: 56.6% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon hogsheads, finished in Spanish oak and American oak Oloroso sherry hogsheads
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled September 15, 2006; 488 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 3 months; bottles at 90%, 80% (blind tasting), and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Warming, sweet, and savory - we start with musty raisins and black cherry, a bit of blackberry, and then beef jerky and teriyaki sauce. A combination of mushrooms and dark fruit adds an almost Campbeltown-like funk; strawberries and cherries bring back more red fruit. There is a bit of sulphur in the background, as well as leather and dried prune.
Palate: A medium-thick mouthfeel; wow, this is full of old cigar smoke, strong old wood notes, and perfume; then it's syrupy red fruits of cherry and pomegranate, as well as peppery jerky. A dry, ashy smoke note comes through - peat? Wood smoke? Then cooked prunes, very musty, and more savory notes. Orange and a more tart cherry build, and leather adds to the oak dimension.
Finish: Wood oils, Malbec wine, a hint of cigarettes, and smoked agave; even more cigar smoke, a surprisingly smoky finish, actually. Red fruits are still a strong theme with mellow Luxardo cherry and sweet grape juice; it's a long finish.
Final Note: Wow, where to start? This is a very interesting (and good) whisky. Tons of character, and while it had a couple of common traits with other Mannochmore whiskies that we've tried, it seemed very off-profile for the most part. This had a lot of funk and savory notes - honestly, it tasted a lot like a high-strength Springbank 15 Year during our tastings, which should be a compliment itself. Lots of rich sherry and fruits up front, but lots of depth to dig into with more time - this is complex and ever-changing.
Most sources point to Mannochmore using unpeated malt for their production, and we typically don't get much (or any) smokiness or peatiness in their whiskies. This bottle is definitely an exception - in every tasting session, we found a wood smoke or peat note on the palate, despite the fact that we are occasionally a bit peat-blind at this point in our journey.
Charlie Maclean's book 'Whiskypedia' does point to the use of lightly-peated malt at Mannochmore, though; perhaps they previously used peated malt, and no longer do? The spirit in this bottle was distilled back in 2006, so it's certainly been long enough for a slight change in production style. Or perhaps Mannochmore still has some soft peat, but it was just much more prominent in this bottle? We're not sure, but either way, we really enjoyed the addition of the subtle smoky element.
This bottle also seems to be evolving with time, and those funky and smoky notes are growing more prominent. We think that, if we were to rate this bottle a few more times over the course of its life, our ratings might even drift a bit higher.
Onto value - because SMWS bottles tend to be quite pricey, the value on them isn't always great; this bottles ends up on the higher end of the value scales for their bottles, at least for those that we've tried recently. This single (double) cask has since sold out, but we'll definitely be looking for more Mannochmore bottlings from the SMWS, especially those with some sherry influence.
Our Average Rating: 8.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.68
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Mannochmore reviews:
Review #250 - SMWS Distillery 64 Rare Release 'Luscious Velvet' - Mannochmore 15 Year
