As the temperature rises, the temptation to escape to somewhere cooler grows… So how lucky were we to have a Whisky Ladies weekend getaway to Satara Mahabaleshwar! Our most amazing hostess spoiled us with brilliant meals, experiences, and more.

Her A, B, C whisky theme was inspired! However, when her hubby pulled out a duo from the previous year that I missed – how could I resist?

Last year featured a trio of SMWS;

• SMWS 10.284 Bunnahabhain “Ginger Rollmop Sushi Phantasmagoria” 11 year (17 Oct 2013) 1st fill American Oak PX hogshead and 2nd fill oloroso hogshead (Islay) 59.1% (Two to One range)
• SMWS 44.128 Craigellachie “Fit for an Emperor” 17 years (d. 25 April 2006) 1st fill ex-oloroso hogshead (Speyside) 58.2%
• SMWS 73.173 Aultmore “Malt and Tonic” 13 year 55.2% – The other ladies tried this in 2024. Alas, it was no longer available as I suspect this would have been up my preferred profile

Whilst I missed the experience with the ladies, I sat down to consider the two on offer! Interestingly, the first was part of SMWS’s new “Two for One” range. What is it all about? Here’s how the folks at SMWS describe it:

Two to One is the combination of two casks of single malt from the same distillery that are married before bottling. Each one of the Two to One bottlings demonstrates the Whisky Team’s skills in experimentation, flavour creation and innovation, with the whisky in each bottle coming from a different maturation journey through a range of cask types to create something unique and delicious.

What did I find?

SMWS 10.284 “Ginger Rollmop Sushi Phantasmagoria” 11 year (17 Oct 2013) 1st fill American Oak PX hogshead and 2nd fill oloroso hogshead (Islay) 59.1% (Two to One range)

• Nose – What fun! Ginger is very much there, together with peat. Sweet too – like teriyaki salmon bake, joined by a lovely seaweed and seabreeze, then quite mineral, roasted sesame and dry wood sauna
• Palate – Peaty cinnamon burst, lots of ginger too, yet has some umami also, smoked almonds, unique and engaging
• Finish – Lovely lingering, truly quite fabulous
• Water – Is it possible? Even better! The delicious aromas and savoury palate simply kept rewarding

What a whisky! I absolutely loved this one. It was distinct, different, and delightful. I’m not always a Bunnahabhain fan, but this one was spot on. Perhaps it was the Oloroso sherry or something else in their “Two for One” approach, but this just worked.

As for the inventive SMWS official tasting notes? Here you go!

Treacle scone topped with hot-smoked salmon: that was the first impression of the Panel! This quickly evolved to include raw ginger cake batter, sauna wood, smoked almonds and shellfish broiled with seaweed. Water brought pickled sushi ginger, smoked sea salt and a sharp, mineral edge, plus lots of Asian vibes such as soy sauce, eel sushi, bonito flakes and wasabi. The neat palate detonated with wakame, balsamic, smoked prawns, ginger biscuits, barbecue-charred plums and seared beef. Water made it really fantastic, with brined herring, toasted sesame and a lovely, drying waxiness. The starting point for this small batch was two bourbon hogsheads of single malt Scotch whisky. They were each transferred to new casks at five years old. One cask was a first fill American oak PX hogshead, while the other was a second fill oloroso hogshead. The casks were then married together before bottling.

The notes absolutely rang true. Yes to the Asian vibes and even the balsamic. It was not your typical whisky, which is exactly what made it so interesting!

Next up was a rather fancifully named whisky – “Fit for an Emperor” harkens something rich, indulgent, a bit over the top. What did I find?

SMWS 44.128 Craigellachie “Fit for an Emperor” 17 years (d. 25 April 2006) 1st fill ex-oloroso hogshead (Speyside) 58.2%

• Nose – Curious – it had spice, toast, roasted meats, something a bit off or peculiar
• Palate – Leather, strangely flat and a bit unbalanced
• Finish – There…. but nothing that really stood out

It was a bit disappointing. Not a bad dram, however, after the remarkable Bunnahabhain, the Craigellachie just didn’t even come close.

SMWS Official Tasting notes for this expression:

We Panellists came face to face with a powerful nose featuring olives with chilli and black pepper, roasted chestnuts and crispy-skinned chicken. The taste was even more powerful; a wasabi spiciness tickling our noses, with tannins to the fore, as we licked a charred stave. Water rode to the rescue, releasing a warming scent of sunshine on leather, a smoking jacket in a humidor and granola bars with fruits and nuts. And what a change on the palate as we enjoyed a kaiserschmarrn: caramelised fluffy shredded pancakes with rum-soaked raisins, sprinkled with icing sugar and served with apple sauce and raspberry compote. Following 13 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead.

And there you have it! Totally worth taking a wee taste – one was brilliant, the other not – however that is all part of the experience!

Curious about other Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) tasting experiences? Read on….

• 1.208 “Long Conversations by the crackling log fire” (1997) 54.3%
• 29.216 “Moonlight night at the beach” 20 year (26 Nov 1996) 51.9%
• 29.229 “Harmonious balance” 19 year (13 May 1998) 55.2%
• 30.94 “Riding a duck bareback up Mount Etna” 9 year (6 June 2007) 64.5%
• 37.85 “Eastern Promise” 14 year (1 Oct 2002) 56.8%
• 46.74 “Orchard perambulations” (1997) 54.4%
• 76.131 “Totally Tastylicious” 15 year (30 Sep 2001) 57.8%
• 134.3 “Hello Flavour” 56.9% (Paul John)
• G10.10 “Busy buzzing bees” 38 years (23 Nov 1977) 49.6%

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