Ledaig 9 Years Old 2004 42.14 Hot water bottle (60.1%, SMWS, Refill Bourbon Barrel, 100 Bottles, 2014)

• Single malt scotch whisky
• 60.1% ABV, £43.60
• Score: 78/100

What they say:

Cask No. 42.14

Available to buy from 9am Friday 14 November

At first, on the nose neat, a mossy woodland, fresh tree barks and cut grass with a garden bonfire in the distance. In time sweeter and fruity aromas arrive; ripe pear, toffee apple, autumn fruit salad and crunchy nut cornflakes. The taste was sweet and citric like a chewy vitamin C orange flavoured tablet as well as the hot and cooling sensation of ‘Deep Heat rub’. Water brings out more sweetness; cooked apple strudel with warm vanilla custard, caramel whipped cream and rhubarb and custard sweets. The taste is now creamy and buttery with a light peppery heat in the finish.

Drinking tip: Take to bed instead of a hot water bottle

Date Distilled: 3 March 2005 Colour: Autumn sunset Age: 9 years Flavour : Spicy & sweet Cask Type: Refill ex-bourbon barrel Whisky Region: Highland Island

100 bottles

What I say:

Single cask whisky from Tobermory distillery (SMWS distillery #42), distilled 2009 and bottled at 9 years old by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour:

Refractive champagne gold with full/heavy tears

Nose:

Vanilla and coconut, spicy, fresh linen, rice wine vinegar and sweet honey

Taste:

Vanilla, hot vanilla custard, toffee oak, neither sweet nor bitter, neutral honey, butterscotch, tablet (without the sugar!) and light aniseed and liqourice

Finish:

Medium, oak, cereal barley and vanilla bean pods

Overall:

Unusual and not an expression I would immediately call to mind as from Tobermory. There was an unusual neutral balance in this whisky that despite all the sweet flavours, never actually tasted sweet. There was a little spice and liquorice that wasn’t to my liking but not strong enough to upset the balance in this dram. In the end this lacked the chocolate nature from the official bottlings of Tobermory that I love so much. Then again that is the nature of the SMWS single cask bottlings.