Review #873 - SMWS G10.32 'What's for Afters?' - Strathclyde 15 Year
Strathclyde distillery isn't a single malt distillery, but instead a grain distillery; based in Glasgow, it's owned by Pernod Ricard and produces a huge amount of grain whisky which is destined primarily for blended Scotch. With the two column stills used in production, they're able to distill up to roughly 40 million liters of spirit each year, far more than any malt distillery can manage.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottles single malt Scotch whiskies predominantly, but to a lesser degree, they also venture into other categories of spirit, including single grains. At the time of writing, they have 15 different codes for single grain whiskies; Strathclyde is denoted as code G10 on the bottle.
This specific example was aged for a total of 15 years. The first 11 years of maturation took place in an ex-bourbon barrel, after which this was moved to a second fill HTMC (heavy toast, medium char) hogshead for finishing. The strength was still a lofty 62% at the time of bottling, and SMWS categorized this whisky in their 'Deep Rich & Dried Fruits' flavor category.
SMWS G10.32 'What's for Afters?' - Strathclyde 15 Year
Scotland - Single Grain
Price: USD 115 (2022)
Age Statement: 15 Years
Strength: 62% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon barrel, finished in a second fill HTMC hogshead
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled July 12, 2005; 163 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times (once blind) over 6 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Caramel, butterscotch, creamy, a hint of acetone - classic grain whisky notes. It's sweet to start, but then we get leathery oak and some grain, along with cinnamon. Red berry fruits, especially raspberry and cherry, are accented by orange. Clove and arroz con leche build over time.
Palate: Oranges, strawberries, lots of caramel and butterscotch. The texture is medium-thick, quite velvety, and the strength makes this a bit hot. Peppery oak and leather build, and in the background, there are lighter notes - coconut, honey, oatmeal.
Finish: Both light and dark flavors linger - vanilla, coconut, and creamy banana are offset by syrupy raisin, raspberry, and maraschino cherry. The oak becomes more drying, and we get accents of leather and menthol in the aftertaste. This is a medium-long finish.
Final Note: The previous contents of this second fill HTMC hogshead aren't specified, but considering how much red and orange fruit we found throughout each phase of the tasting experience, we would be surprised if it wasn't some sort of sherry cask or wine cask previously. Plenty of berry tasting notes, but the oak dimension is also relatively strong, adding both a sweet baking side and a wood spice element.
This does show some of those classic grain whisky notes as well - sweet, creamy, a bit of actual grain flavor, especially in the palate. Overall, it's good, but this isn't necessarily the type of whisky that we gravitate toward.
Value is okay, just a little bit below average. That's partly due to the high pricing that we generally see from SMWS, although this grain whisky is actually one of the more reasonable examples in their pricing scheme; for the age and complexity, we think it's fine at this price point, but we lean toward the Society's single malts when we are buying.
Our Rating: 7.0 / 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: 5.76
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 Scotch single grain whisky reviews:
Review #809 - Douglas Laing's Old Particular Cameronbridge 28 Year Single Cask
Review #806 - Brave New Spirits North British 13 Year Single Cask
Review #669 - Cadenhead's Girvan 33 Year (1991) Single Grain
Review #612 - Claxton's Cameronbridge 30 Year Single Cask
Review #596 - Signatory Vintage Port Dundas 16 Year Single Cask
