SMWS 122.64 Smoke Devil Marries a Delicate Sweet Thing Croftengea 2006 17 Year Old

SMWS 122.64 “Smoke Devil Marries a Delicate Sweet Thing” is a 17-year-old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Croftengea, the heavily peated style produced at Loch Lomond Distillery. Distilled on 21 March 2006, it spent its first 14 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a second-fill Spanish oak Oloroso sherry hogshead. Bottled at 54.4% ABV with an outturn of just 260 bottles, it balances smoky, ashy Highland peat with chocolate, honeyed sweetness, dark fruit and warming spice. 

Food Pairing: Pair with smoked trout, barbecue pork, roast duck, dark chocolate, honey-glazed meats, charcuterie or rich chocolate desserts.

Tasting Notes: Lightly peated but richly layered, contrasting bonfire smoke, soot and savoury notes with chocolate, dark fruit, honey, confectionery sweetness and aromatic spice.

Nose: Chocolate, candy floss and caramelised custard sweetness meet dying bonfire embers and smokehouse aromas. With water, tarred driftwood, coal-cellar notes and roast duck emerge. 

Palate: Chocolate honeycomb, floral sweetness and sugar-coated fennel lead into blackcurrant, lemongrass, aniseed and ginger, with smoked trout and tarred wood adding savoury depth. 

Finish: Long and warming, with lingering peat smoke, soot, honey, dark fruit, aniseed and sherry-influenced sweetness.

Serve: Enjoy neat first, then add a few drops of water to reveal more dark fruit, herbs, tarry smoke and sweet-spice character.