Smogen 2012 9 Year Old Whisky Sponge Edition No.41 Third Fill Barrel ABV 57.1% 70CL

An unashamedly naked, natural and pure 3rd fill barrel of 9 year old Smögen! 

This is the long-awaited follow up bottling to our first Smögen cask, which we released many thousands of years ago as Whisky Sponge Edition 19. 

For this release we managed to get our hands of the most knackered, inactive, neutral bit of tatty old wood in Smögen's warehouse. A 3rd fill barrel of 2012 Smögen matured for 9 years and bottled with a fair few degrees of reduction at our beloved 57.1% (100 proof). 

The result is total purity! A distillate-forwards, crisp, swooshing blade of raw peat smoke, seawater and citrus juices. Farmy, coastal and funky. A no-nonsense celebration of whisky nudity that should delight all fans of ice-cold skinny dipping. 

Nose: Solera lollypop, agave vegetalness, brackish water and damp smoke are joined by hot house vines, bell peppers and wet hay. A seafood bisque and barnyard round things off. The addition of water offers apple turnover, hessian sacking and straw. Fascinating.

Taste: Pickle juice and Tepeztate mezcal (mineral and vegetable - no animal) sit with chalk, brine and wood smoke. Freshly squeezed lemon and lime juices erupt through the development into sweet glazed doughnuts, white pepper and part medicinal wipes, part floor cleaner. Reduction offers a less extreme, but equally as thought-provoking composition of smoked pears, pancake batter and muster hay lofts.

Finish: Long with medicinal/coastal smoke rolling into salted antiseptic, cooling mint and sweeter notes of baked goods.

Possibly the most left-field whisky I’ve sampled this year – the palate in particular is alchemical madness. And yet, whilst arguably on the more extreme side of whisky there’s greatness here. The Sponge description implies that there’s a degree of underdevelopment here – I’d argue that – the spirit has simply not been over-exposed and therefore shines brightly. Less naked, more scantily clad as it were. Lowering the ABV does offer a somewhat less perverse outlook – but I have to say that this is pretty great straight out of the bottle. Put your seatbelts on for this one.

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