SMWS 93.58 A Manly Adventure

We had our first SMWS tasting for the year (and my first since joining) here in Melbourne a few weeks ago where we had ten different malts from the recent Outturn on tasting. The format was a stand up affair where you'd wander over to one of the five different stations - each with two different whiskies - hand over your 'passport' for a stamp, and in turn receive a 15ml pour to taste.

Now, this format, in my opinion, isn't particularly conducive to a decent tasting environment, particularly when the room is rather full of people and there are constraints on time, space, etc. It becomes more of a social/drinking session as opposed to a tasting one - which doesn't necessarily bother me, mind you, but left the whisky geek in me longing for more.

Some of the whiskies I had hoped to taste weren't on offer, unfortunately, but there were plenty of other interesting ones to try - a fantastic Karuizawa (132.5), and a huge, awesome Aultmore (73.62) being the picks for me.

In the end, I ended up coming home with this bottle which wasn't even on tasting (I don't know why, exactly - I had heard good things about it and was very keen to try it, I guess).

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 93.58 A Manly Adventure (Glen Scotia) 
14 Years Old (Distilled 1999), 60.4%

Colour: Sauternes

Nose: A fairly intense hit of peat, but with some really interesting pangs of bbq sauce, Lee & Perrins, and leather lurking around the edges. Some sweet notes wrap around lashes of iodine.

Palate: As with the nose, the peat is readily apparent, and comes coiled in some really quite nice honeyed sweetness. Mint rushes to the fore.

Finish: Spicy, tingly menthol fumes rise up from the lower palate, coating the tongue and roof of the mouth. While I wouldn't call it super long, this sweetly numbing freshness leaves a great impression.

I've had a number of goes at this bottle with a couple of mates and it hasn't yet failed to please. It appeals to a number of different palates, I think.
It's also just so damn drinkable.