48.180 Delicate Tongue Dance

Scotch Malt Whisky Society cask 48.180, Delicate Tongue Dance, is a single cask single malt from the Balmenach distillery in Speyside (SMWS distillery code 48). It was distilled on 10 June 2013 and spent 12 years in a first-fill ex-bourbon barrel before being bottled at a cask strength of 59.4% ABV, with an outturn of just 228 bottles. The Society files it under its Ripe fruits & honey flavour profile, and the Tasting Panel describes a dram that plays honeyed, dessert-wine sweetness and juicy fruit against peppery, herbal and woody notes, becoming creamy and mouth-coating once water is added. As with every SMWS bottling it is presented at natural cask strength without chill filtration, and the label carries the Society's cask code rather than the distillery name.

Nose: Heather honey and dessert-wine sweetness with exotic woods - laurel, gorse flower, sandalwood, pencil boxes and ink sticks; water adds waxed canvas, wheat beer, butterscotch, banana smoothie and cream soda

Palate: Orange fondant, tinned pear and tutti frutti set against white pepper, tobacco, rosemary, mint tea and eucalyptus; reduced it turns creamy and coating with waxy fruit, frozen yogurt and lemon sherbet

Serve: Neat, then with a few drops of water; at full cask strength it opens up noticeably with a little dilution.