Review #874 - SMWS G10.37 'A Jolly Good Dash' - Strathclyde 16 Year
In our previous review, we looked at our first Strathclyde single grain whisky, one bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Here we have another, and these two single casks actually share a lot of characteristics. They were distilled on the same day in 2005, and both started their maturation in an ex-bourbon barrel. After 11 years, both whiskies were moved into second fill HTMC (heavy toast, medium char) hogsheads for finishing.
This is where they begin to differ, though. This cask we're looking at was aged for an extra year: 5 years in the HTMC hogshead, instead of 4 years. Conversely, it comes out at a lower strength of 57.7% ABV. SMWS also put this into a different flavor profile, their 'Spicy & Sweet' category this time.
SMWS G10.37 'A Jolly Good Dash' - Strathclyde 16 Year
Scotland - Single Grain
Price: USD 130 (2023)
Age Statement: 16 Years
Strength: 57.7% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon barrel, finished in a second fill HTMC hogshead
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled July 12, 2005; 144 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: Fruit-forward with juicy fruits of banana, strawberry bubblegum, and oranges; behind that, we get white chocolate and a hint of lactic/creamy yogurt. Milk chocolate, caramel, and some rum-like notes mix with buttered popcorn, oats, and honey.
Palate: Lots of honey, apples, grain, and brown sugar - sweet, but quite mellow. The mouthfeel is medium-thick; we get creamy vanilla, cake batter, and banana cream pie next. At the end of the palate, a bit of oak arrives: peppery, drying, some cinnamon spice.
Finish: Vanilla, brown sugar, lemon cake, soft pepper - lots of baking notes. Candied pears combines with passionfruit and a hint of tannins and glue; it grows more rounded and subtle, and this finish is medium-long.
Final Note: Quite creamy and juicy, with some unusual notes on the nose, such as that buttered popcorn and white chocolate combination. This was a solid whisky, but wasn't really our preferred style. It did change quite a bit between our tastings, too - the first time, it was more baking-spice focused, but in the second tasting, we found more of those fruit notes. This might be one to dig into and spend some time with to pull out all of the nuances.
Value here is mediocre for us; it's on the more affordable side of the pricing spectrum for SMWS, but that's a higher range of prices in general. We think that there are other bottles in their release outturns that could offer a bit more value and heft.
Our Rating: 6.5 / 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: 5.13
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 Strathclyde reviews:
Review #873 - SMWS G10.32 'What's for Afters?' - Strathclyde 15 Year
