SMWS Douro Cruise
Blended Batch 14| 50% ABV
Score: 4/10
Some Promise.
TL;DR
Too much Port me hearties! Yo Ho!
Port Ahoy!
A quick straw poll backstage at Dramface confirmed our collective experiences with port casks are far from positive. I touched up on this topic previously in the Glencadam 17yo Reserva De Porto article, where I was taken back to Lisbon and some fond memories.
Whisky can unlock memories merely by basking in its presence. An identifiable bottle that immediately takes you back to when you last experienced its contents. Perhaps the aroma that unlocks a distant family adventure or memories of a loved one that is no longer with us? A unique taste that revives a fondness and opens the door to the past. These are all qualities a dram can provide us with, arguably the scars of port casks run much deeper and seemingly never heal.
Seemingly, our collective memories are littered with port that has overstayed its welcome. One of the first things I felt was necessary here at Dramface when we were laying the foundations, was the ditching of colour in reviews. We are collectively too obsessed and swayed by colour. The red hue that port injects into a whisky is a key example. It’s almost as if we are chasing the colour scheme rather than the aromas and flavours that can materialise. Classic marketing to shift a few bottles in an ocean of ex-bourbon matured casks, or should I say ex-bourbon matured casks from the Speyside region?
Port brings a basket of sweetness and a sickly-sweet risk factor if left to mature for too long. If you have a sweet tooth, then it might meet with favour. Interestingly in my own case, you’ll have noted my confectionary themed tasting notes at times if you’re a regular reader. Being Scottish, we do have an inbuilt natural addiction for all things sweet and sugary, even so, the port comes in and it can take over proceedings.
All this chat about sweetness got me thinking more than usual. I know this Scotch Malt Whisky Society has been received to mixed reviews amongst my circle. Even the neighbour who kindly loaned me a bottle, was fairly non-plussed about it. A couple of others enjoyed and highlighted the fruity aspect. The core feedback was that the liquid is just too port influenced, but why the variations on the theme amongst a sugary sweet Scottish residency? Research is required!
The University of Nottingham are delving into this sugary world in a research project entitled Understanding the relationship between different sweet liking pattern and sweet taste perception, which is happening this year. They suggest that:
“It is in a human’s innate nature to enjoy sweet foods. In the modern world, when people do not face the risk of food crisis, individuals have started to show variations in their preferred sweetness levels in foods and beverages. Research have shown there is a group of consumers prefer much sweeter food, who were classified as High Sweet Likers (HSL), and a group of consumers prefer much lower sweet food, who were classified as Low Sweet Likers (LSL). This summer school project will explore whether there is a more effective way to classify Sweet Liking Status and how this taste phenotype impact on sweet perception for a range of different type of sugar (natural vs artificial sweetner).”
This makes sense, doesn’t it? Proving it will be another matter. However, in food terms, I’m also reminded of the chilli eating contests that some enjoy for entertainment. Participants are seen to train their palates and senses by digesting copious amounts of chillies on increasingly hotter scales. So, what might seem fairly hot to you or I, is extremely mild to these ravenous eaters of all things on the Scoville scale. Could the same exposure to sweetness prompt a similar outcome?
Parking the bus for a moment to reflect. I wouldn’t say that I’m a hugely typical sweet-tooth Scots-person. Yes, I grew up fuelled by the occasional liquid refreshment of Irn Bru – and I’m not talking about the current full-fat version that is a result of Scotland’s sugar tax rules. No, I’m from the generation of Barr’s bottlings (including Irn Bru) which never even considered such themes as diet, low sugar or artificial sweetener. You could feel the sugar rush hitting your veins with each sip. The original version of Irn Bru was king and helped create generations with a palate that enjoyed the sweeter side of things.
After 8 years these ex-bourbon casks from Speyside were decanted into 1st fill ruby port casks. Appropriately named, as ruby is one of the cheaper styles of port, prized for its colour, which makes it very attractive to whisky companies looking to finish their wares. Casks are more available than other styles of port. It also brings a degree of fruitiness. Ruby is by definition, young. These aren’t the ports that you see with impressive vintages scrawled across a black bottle. No sadly for us, ruby is cheap and plentiful. On average just a couple of years of age, which means a limited array of bold flavours.
Any finish is an attempt to balance the new host with the existing contents. Very few distillates can cope with a full maturation in port, so the emphasis is on finishing and whether the cask is first fill or refill. Timing is everything. Too often time flies and the iron grip of the port cask has taken hold. There are no guarantees and I expect many underestimate just how quickly a port cask can work. I can recall a Kilkerran cask that was made available on the Cadenhead’s warehouse tour several years ago. Initially a port cask maturation, it had to be re-racked into an ex-bourbon cask for a couple of years to try and save the contents.
A dram poured, there are no surprises with the radiant colouring, let’s jump in.
Cruising for a bruising?
Review
8 year old Speyside single malt 2nd fill ex-bourbon casks, then matured for 2 years in 1st fill ex-Ruby port pipes, out-turn 1900 bottles, 50% ABV
£49.90 from SMWS (membership required) or ask a friend who is a member…
Nose
Rose petals, an old doormat, golden syrup and nutmeg. Red apples, the classic Wham bar and pink peppercorns. Sandpaper, fresh popcorn and brown sugar follow. Bacon fat? There’s something roasted and savoury within. Plain scones, pencil shavings and dried coconut. A splash of water brings out orange oil, milk chocolate and hazelnuts.
Palate
Cloying, woody, sticky and drying. There isn’t any room for the whisky to breathe or show life. Red liquorice, raspberry jelly, strawberry jam and tanginess. Some tobacco towards the end, pink candy floss and also the presence of used rubber bands. The limited flavours of ruby port have washed over proceedings. Water loosens up the texture, bringing out more glazed cherry sweetness on the finish and curry powder, but otherwise it’s flatter and uneventful.
The Dregs
The nose isn’t too bad, I’ll give it that. It sets you up for the fall in reality, drawing you in and then bang! The port pipes have quelled and subdued the aromas. Only on the palate do you realise that things have gone too far with the finish. There’s sweetness, a touch of redness and some damp woody notes. The youthful vibrancy of this style of port has been lost and the classic notes of Speyside cast adrift. Leaving you with something that might have been a good idea on paper – or at least an interesting concept – but the end result is a heavy-handed deployment of a finish that utterly lacks balance.
In my mind, you’d be better off buying a ruby port if you’re seeking that flavour profile. One of the main supermarket chains in the UK will gladly give you change from £10 for an award winning ruby port expression.
Score: 4/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. DM
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