64.162 Adventurers Around A Campfire

Adventurers Around A Campfire is Scotch Malt Whisky Society cask 64.162, a single malt Scotch whisky from the Mannochmore distillery (Society distillery code 64) in Speyside. Distilled on 25 September 2007 and bottled at 17 years old, it is a small batch built from two ex-bourbon hogsheads: one was moved at 12 years to a first-fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead, the other at 13 years to a refill charred wine barrique that had previously held peated spirit from distillery 66, and the two were married before bottling. Like every Society release it was bottled at natural cask strength, in this case 53.5% ABV in 700ml bottles, with no chill filtration, and the cask yielded 421 bottles. The Society's tasting panel places it in the "Old & dignified" flavour profile. SMWS labels carry a number rather than the distillery's name, because a single cask often tastes quite unlike the distillery's usual house style.

Nose: Candied fennel seed, burnt raisins, hickory chips, petrol-edged riesling, orange juice and bouquet garni; water adds orange travel sweets, riesling-poached peach, funky cider apple, camphor, dunnage and beeswax.

Palate: A restrained peat note with dark ale, malt, toffee apple, cranberry and sloe; water brings earthy old-style sherry, cherry liqueur, nettle, triple sec and burnt orange peel.

Serve: Taste it neat first, then add a few drops of water; at 53.5% ABV a little dilution opens up further aromas, as the Society's panel found.