72.118 Bubble Gum Buns

Bubblegum Buns is Scotch Malt Whisky Society cask 72.118, a single malt Scotch whisky from the Miltonduff distillery (Society distillery code 72) in Speyside. Distilled on 28 September 2011 and bottled at 11 years old, it matured in a first-fill ex-bourbon barrel. Like every Society release it was bottled at natural cask strength, in this case 57.3% ABV, with no chill filtration, and the cask yielded 237 bottles. The Society's tasting panel places it in the "Juicy, oak & vanilla" 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: Apple, toffee, blackcurrant, cotton candy and lemon juice; water adds heather honey, pear bubblegum, white bread and salt crystals.

Palate: Chewy malt loaf with a chilli-flake crust, pine resin and plaster of Paris; with water, coconut, sour plum, brioche and gentle wood spice.

Serve: Taste it neat first, then add a few drops of water; at 57.3% ABV a little dilution opens up further aromas, as the Society's panel found.