Review #294 - SMWS 16.56 'Distill My Peating Heart' - Glenturret 12 Year

Heavily peated Glenturret spirit - something seen occasionally in their official bottlings, though they also produce a lot of unpeated whiskies. This single cask example from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society was matured for 12 years in a re-charred hogshead - in fact, this is the cask choice for quite a large number of their Glenturret releases. Like the other SMWS bottlings, this is not chill filtered, it's natural color, and this is cask strength: a whopping 61.1% ABV, in this case.

This cask was chosen as a USA exclusive for the Society's celebration of the Global Gathering 2022, and it was named by actor Neil Patrick Harris, an avid single malt Scotch fan. Based on the Society's tasting notes, we should be in for a powerful smoky experience.

SMWS 16.56 'Distill My Peating Heart' - Glenturret 12 Year

Scotland/Highland - Single Malt

Price Paid: USD 145 (2022)

Age Statement: 12 Years

Strength: 61.1% ABV

Cask Makeup: Re-charred hogshead

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled December 16, 2009; 192 bottles

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 16 months; bottles at 90% (blind tasting), 70%, 60% (blind tasting), and 40% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Rich, deep, with all sorts of intense flavors. Strong peat, lots of barbecue - this is a barbecue monster. Tangy barbecue sauce, savory meats, charred oranges, lots of peat smoke and wood smoke. Dark chocolate follows that wood smoke, and then we get fruits: cherries, rotten strawberries. It becomes quite funky and old school - tons of character; spices, a damp cellar, mahogany, and sassafras are accent notes.

Palate: The mouthfeel is thick; powerful peat, oak, and fruit flavors. Lots of wood smoke and char, along with a rich peat smoke; charcoal, salty driftwood, sassafras, and hints of funk add nuance. Orange oil and charred orange are the fruit side; there's a decent amount of milk chocolate and dark chocolate developing, as well. Barbecue flavors, along with nutmeg, black pepper, brown sugar, and caramel add a food side, along with an interesting meaty note.

Finish: The finish is long - still very smoky, with peat lasting a while. Spiced chocolate becomes the main flavor - quite chocolatey, actually, with some wood smoke to complement the sweetness. Spices of chili powder and cayenne, some oily sausage, and dry meats add savory notes, and there's a dark fruit medley of plum, blood orange, and prune.

Final Note: Wow, what a whisky. Multi-dimensional in the nose, palate, and finish, and the high strength allows the whisky to convey those flavors with a punch in each tasting. A great mix of savory, sweet, and spicy, and while the peat flavor was strong, it didn't cover up all of the other types of flavors.

A pricey bottle, but for whisky so good, this is a decent value. Bottles like this make the SMWS membership worth it - it's great to try new distilleries that aren't easy to access in OB form.

Our Average Rating: 8.6 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.57