Smögen 12yo 2011/2024

Smögen 12yo 2011/2024

Coasts and Shores, Berry Bros & Rudd
Single malt - Bohuslän
Pale gold
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, vitamin C tablets, wet stones, honey, peat, driftwood smoke, hints of kippers. With water, lemon zest, wet stones, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Honey, vitamin C tablets, fish sauce, peat, driftwood smoke, malted grains, hints of kippers. With water, leather, honey, lemon zest. 
Finish: Long. Wet stones, kippers, vitamin C tablets, driftwood smoke, leather. 

Comments: 

Cask 402011. Quite saline and peaty, with whiffs of kippers and fish sauce. There’s also something tart, maybe even slightly chalky, and overlaid with salty smoke. Water brings out sweeter, more citrusy notes.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Smögen 10yo 2014/2024

Smögen 10yo 2014/2024

Decadent Drams, Decadent Drinks
Single malt - Bohuslän
Amber
57.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, pears, raisins, cloves, fresh cut grass, smoke, hints of fresh baked bread. With water, peat, smoke, pears. 

Mouthfeel: Heavy body, volatile, loosens, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peat, smoke, tarry rope, raisins, cloves, pears, malted grains, hints of vanilla, hints of fresh cut grass. With water, peat, smoke, lemon zest, fresh cut grass. 
Finish: Medium. Peat, smoke, malted grains, pears, hints of tarry rope. 

Comments: 

Quite fruity, but of course it’s laden with huge layers of pear and smoke. But the fruit still comes through alongside some cereal. Water brings out more citrus and grassiness.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Smögen 10yo 2013/2023

Smögen 10yo 2013/2023

Selection, Adelphi
Single malt - Bohuslän

Amber pink 
58.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pine needles, grapefruit, lemon zest, wet stones, malted grains, leather, smoked bacon, hints of smoke, hints of red grapes. With water, farmyard, fresh cut grass, wet stones, grapefruit. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, volatile, astringent, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Germolene, caraway seed, lemon zest, pine needles, wet stones, hints of smoke. With water, grapefruit, lemon zest, wet stones, pine needles. 
Finish: Medium. Pine needles, caraway seed, lemon zest, red grapes, hints of rhubarb and custard sweets.  

Comments: 

Cask 58. Very nice and complex Smögen, loads of pine and caraway over a good layer of smoke. It’s also the oldest Smögen I’ve ever had. Very good indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Smögen 10yo 2012/2022

Smögen 10yo 2012/2022

Nordic Casks #2, Berry Bros & Rudd 
Single malt - Bohuslän
Green gold
59.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Driftwood smoke, peanuts, leather, pine, dried apricots, apple juice, hints of smoked bacon. With water, honey, apple juice, golden syrup, smoked bacon. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, volatile, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Pine, leather, driftwood smoke, coffee, smoked bacon, apple juice, lemon zest, walnut skins, hints of dark chocolate. With water, lemon zest, walnut skins, peanuts, apple juice. 
Finish: Medium. Dark chocolate, coffee, smoked bacon, apricots, driftwood smoke. 

Comments: 

Cask 34. Herbal and smoky, with a meaty backbone. It’s a bit unbalanced for my liking though, despite the rather interesting fruity notes underlying that smoke. Too much bacon perhaps (probably the first time I’ve ever thought that).

Verdict:

I like this.

Smögen 8yo 2012/2020

Smögen 8yo 2012/2020

Official bottling 
Single malt - Bohuslän
Pale copper 
59.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, white grapes, smoke, peat, orange peel, toast, hints of cinnamon. With water, fresh baked bread, white pepper, hints of cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Salty sour. White grapes, dried apricots, peaches, sea salt, peat, ginseng, white pepper, toast, hints of lemon sweets. With water, lemon sweets, white pepper, sea salt. 
Finish: Medium. Oats, vanilla, white grapes, toast. 

Comments: 

I think this is one of the few occasions where a whisky is perhaps bottled at too high a strength. It’s got promise, rich stone fruit underneath bitter smoke, but it’s rather harsh neat. Water smooths out the rough edges, also bringing a cereally bite to the surface. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Smögen 4yo 2011 Sherry Project 1:3

Smögen 4yo 2011 Sherry Project 1:3

Official bottling
Single malt - Bohuslan
Amber brown
53.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, hazelnuts, blackcurrant cordial, pears, hints of soy sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loose, tingly, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, peat, blackcurrant cordial, pears, cream. 
Finish: Long. Sea salt, black tea, soy sauce, raisins. 

Comments: 

An unusual whisky, peated Swedish spirit matured in a sherry butt for 14 months. It starts out as one would expect, nutty and peaty with hints of fruit. But there's something unusual underneath, a savoury salty note that is reminiscent of Caol Ila. It's covered by the sherry influence on the nose and on the tongue, but it bursts out in the finish, clear as day.

Verdict:

I like this.

Smögen 3 yo 2011/2015 (Cask 20/2011)

Smögen 3 yo 2011/2015 (Cask 20/2011)

Official bottling
Single malt - Bohuslän
Golden
60.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, smoke, blueberries, toffee, vanilla, hints of orange peel. With water, lemon zest, stewed apples, blueberries.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, oily, warming. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Orange peel, chocolate, toffee, vanilla fudge, peat, hints of stewed apples. With water, sweeter, chocolate, salt caramel, blueberries. 
Finish: Long. Stewed apples, vanilla, tamarind, hints of lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Oof. This is pretty uncompromising, and to tell you the truth I wasn't looking forward to it. But it's quite good, with notes of orange peel and blueberries wreathed through with smoke. Quite a sour finish though.

Verdict:

I like this.

Smögen 4 yo 2011/2015 (Cask 7/2011)

Smögen 4 yo 2011/2015 (Cask 7/2011)

Official bottling
Single malt - Bohuslan
Amber
57.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, leather, peat, vanilla, hints of marzipan. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, slippery, astringent, thickens. 
Tasting:  Sour salty. Red grapes, peat, leather, tamarind, lemon zest, hints of marzipan. 
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, lemon zest, leather, tamarind. 

Comments: 

I always feel maturing peated whisky in wine casks is hit and miss. There's experiments that go well, and experiments that don't, and this one is one that doesn't. A longer maturation, and perhaps the harsher edges of the peat and leather would have been ameliorated by the sweetness. But it's still a bit young for that. Oddly, water doesn't help.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Smögen Primör 3 yo 2010/2013

Smögen Primör 3 yo 2010/2013

Official bottling
Single malt - Bohuslan
Amber rose
63.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, leather, pears, peat, peaches, smoke, hints of tamarind. With water, overripe peaches, tamarind, chocolate, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, astringent, burning, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sour salty . Peaches, pears, lemon zest, peat, smoke, tamarind, hints of mint. With water, more sour, lemon zest, peanuts, overripe fruit, peat. 
Finish: Short. Chocolate, peanuts, peat, tamarind. 

Comments: 

A new distillery on Sweden's west coast. This is very promising whisky, peaty, with huge fruit notes that show through that wreath of smoke and peat. Excellent nose, needs quite a bit of water, but opens up a lot. Still sour, more notes of peaches and other overripe fruit.

Verdict:

I like this.