SMWS 107.24 “Oven-Ready Moomin”

I’ve decided that in the spirit of Spring Cleaning, I’m going to make this Bottle Kill Week where I focus on the random assortment of bottles that I have saved just a wee bit of whisk(e)y to eventually do a review.  I have a few of these bottles on my shelves and to be quite honest, they are taking up valuable real estate that needs to be reallocated towards new bottles.  We all have to do our part to keep the economy going!

Since my last review was on, what I would essentially refer to as, an independent bottler for Bourbons and Ryes, I will continue this trend and do another SMWS review (that and I have two newer ones that I want to open!).  This is bottle 107.24 called “Oven-Ready Moomin”, a nice little Speyside 8 year old Single Malt.  The “code” on this tells us that the barrel was procured from Glenallachie.  I have never had Glenallachie before, so I do not have a baseline to compare it against the core product range.   

ABV: 59.8%

How it smells….prunes, fruit cake, honey, caramel….with water, you get more of the same but you can really whiff it whereas at full blast, you need to be gentle with your whiffs or else you’ll fry your nose.  That said, for near 120 proof, it doesn’t smell boozy.

How it tastes….fruity and nutty, like black walnuts to start followed by some earthy peat in the middle and ending in some cocoa maltiness with a sweet sugary linger….with water, it starts a bit fruitier up front with more cocoa and bready characteristics.  The finish is still sweet but instead of sugary sweet, it’s more of a balanced sweet and savory sensation.

Price…$105

Rating...🥃🥃🥃

Final thoughts….Overall, I liked this bottle and it was a nice introduction to Glenallachie…whether it’s true to the Glenallachie core product taste profiles, I have no clue.  But I’m intrigued enough to snag a bottle next time I see one on the shelf.  Not going to lie, I struggled with this when I first opened it (more about that on the website), but as I drank more I enjoyed it more.  This last tasting, I really liked it.  Pre-dilution, it was more earthy and sugary sweet with an almost port-like flavor to it, despite this being aged in ex-Sherry, not port.  With water, it became more of a sweet/savory combo, caramel and bready.  I thought the flavors on this were worthy of a 3x 🥃 as I do not regret the purchase….

As I always state, value is hard on these SMWS (and other independent bottlers) releases as by definition, they are unique bottles in their own right and they are all cask strength, so you are getting more spirit and thus you are paying a premium for it (math tutorial: 750ml of 59.8% ABV is the equivalent of ~1120ml of a standard 40% ABV).   Another thing that I try to keep in mind is to not focus too much on the age statement.  This is an 8 year old, so $105 for an 8 year old is a tough mental hurdle to get over….but I trust the SMWS people to pick good barrels and so I’ll trust that this 8 doesn’t drink like most 8 year old Scotches I may get at my local store.  As this is a bottle kill, I had many bouts with this bottle and did my official tasting notes on the last bit of it.  However, looking back at some previous notes I jotted down (or rather, emailed to myself, this one with a 1:34am time stamp):

First sip:  I hated it

Second sip:  I didn’t mind it

Third sip:  It wasn’t bad

Fourth sip:  It was pretty good

Fifth sip:  I liked it

Sixth sip:  Ok fine, I gotta try more of this Glenallachie stuff

This 107.24 release was under the “Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits” category in SMWS’s sorting, which is a departure from the “Juicy, Oak & Vanilla” category that I tend to gravitate towards.  That, and it’s an 8 year old so a double departure from my normal buying habits.  That said, that’s what’s good about SMWS, the exploration. 

As you can see, it was an interesting bottle.  I didn’t really care for it at first, but it grew on me – and not just because I was 6 sips deep on a 120 proof bottle.  At subsequent tastings, including the official one, I probably started at the 4th/5th sip level.  What’s the lesson?  Some whiskies you are going to love instantly, others will have to grow on you…

SMWS 107.24 Oven-Ready Moomin Bottle Kill

Label advice….noted.