Sampling The SMWS 29.266: “Converting Vegetarians” – Punchy But With A Longing To Go Back For More!

SMWS 29.266: “Converting Vegetarians”

Sampling The SMWS December Outturn
– Just In Time For Christmas!
– Ho! Ho! Ho!

It’s that time of the year again! No, not time to disassemble the sprouts into their molecular component parts by over-cooking.

Yes, it’s The Scotch Malt Whisky Societies’ selection of recently released drams!

The outturn is released today and I’m going to be sampling each one in turn – my own mini-advent calendar! This particular sample of the SMWS December Outturn is their 29.266: “Converting Vegetarians”.

The 29.266 is an Islay dram with 249 bottles being released – but remember – SMWS bottlings don’t hang around for long – I guess a lot of people are waiting to jam their Xmas stockings with these beauties!

The SMWS (@SMWSUK) has very kindly sent me a sample to try – thanks SMWS!

So, what did I think? Well here you go!

Tasting Notes – SMWS 29.266: “Converting Vegetarians” (60.9%)

A Islay Dram (Laphroaig Distillery) 8 years old, distilled on 7th. April 2011. Matured in a 2nd. fill ex-bourbon barrel.
First released: 6th. December 2019.
249 bottles.

Nose: Peated smoke, sweet white wood with coastal aromas and that familiar antispectic aroma – so Laphroaig! Charred wood comes through after moments in time …

Palate: Intensely sweet with a firm peat overtone that swiftly mutes the sugar and pushes forth a peppery spice that takes your taste buds away!

Finish: Savoury and morish with a long, long finish – longer than an Island coastline. It leaves a warming spice at the back of your throat. There’s a touch of tannin and a longing to go back for just one more sip…

It’s punchy but with kid gloves on. Adding water smoothes it out no end but your senses will still know it’s been there!

Overall: If you like Laphroaig you’re gonna’ love this!

If you don’t, then maybe you should give this classic peat another try – and give it time, after all you’ll have time-a-plenty while the sprouts are cooking – it’s well worth the effort!

Buy SMWS 29.266: “Converting Vegetarians”
£75.00 to Members

About The SMWS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other.

As well as being a place to connect with other like-minded whisky lovers, they are also internationally renowned for their mission: “to provide our members with an adventurous and fun journey of discovery of the world’s widest collection of single cask whiskies.”

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally. The Society has a selection of over 500 casks every year, each cask yielding a few hundred or less whisky bottles which are unique to that cask.

Rather than name their Whiskies after the distillery, the Society has a coding system. The Society also creates fantastic tasting notes summaries for their Whiskies and other bottles. The whiskies are straight from the cask single malt, undiluted, without chill-filtration or colouring at cask strength.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.