53.498 All The Feels

Scotch Malt Whisky Society cask 53.498, All the Feels, is a 15 year old Islay single malt from the Caol Ila distillery (SMWS distillery code 53). Distilled on 5 March 2009, it matured in a first-fill ex-bourbon hogshead and was bottled at a cask strength of 57.2% ABV, producing 268 bottles. The Society classes it as Peated, and the Tasting Panel called it a classic, comforting example: medicinal and coastal on the nose with antiseptic cream, peat, seawater and brine, and a creamy, thick palate of iodine, kelp, soy and salt-cured fish that rounds out with water into tar, pine smoke and umami. The Panel also felt it showed a maturity beyond its years. Like all SMWS bottlings it is unchill-filtered at natural cask strength.

Nose: Antiseptic cream, gelatinous peat and medicinal gauze and bandages with seawater and pickling brine; water brings aniseed, thick peat smoke, cider apple, a hay loft and iodine

Palate: Creamy, thick and peaty with iodine, phenols, kelp, soy sauce and salt-cured fish; with water rounder, adding tar, pine smoke, salty pasta water and umami seasoning

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