After the last days heat wave we can definitely say: Summer is here! And that calls for summery drams.
The great news is we have a taste of genuine tropical climates with our first release of whisky from the biggest distillery on the subtropical island of Taiwan.
Our bottlings from distillery 139 are the first we’ve ever released without an age statement. That’s in agreement with the distillery, which itself never includes an age on its whiskies, instead emphasising flavour and quality over age. We wanted to support that approach, and are more than happy to let these whiskies speak for themselves – whatever age they are.
What we do have is a variety of casks, from the familiar bourbon barrel to the STR (shaved, toasted and recharred) casks pioneered by the late Dr Jim Swan, whose work as a consultant was instrumental in setting up this distillery in 2005. Cask No 139.3: Forest phantasmagoria has been matured in bourbon. Described as some exotic forest after rain with plenty of toffee sweetness, polished antique writing desks and with a couple of drops of water fruit jellies, dark rum and spices emerge. A typical Juicy, Oak & Vanilla flavour profile. Cask No. 139.4: Spellbindingly sublime is from our Spicy & Sweet flavour profile, matured in a first-fill red wine barrique made of American oak, which was dismantled, the staves shaved by hand, reassembled, toasted and recharred. Bursting with fruity notes and exotic pot pourri. A truly exquisite and beautiful whisky.
Only downside, we have just 30 bottles per cask! I wish you a good summer with some amazing drams.
Cheers,
Patric Lutz
SMWS Switzerland llc