THE CHESHIRE CAT

If you know, you know. There are two distilleries in Taiwan making incredible single malt whisky, and this is an older, peated, single cask expression showcasing the best on offer here. Not all peat is created equal, and sometimes you crave that boggy mossy Islay style. Sometimes you crave the clinical and clean highland style. But sometimes you might crave the style such is distillery 138, so expect layers of thick black miso, umami, fermented soybeans and smoked olive oil. Insanely complex and rare, don’t snooze on this.

Alice Through The Tasting Glass

PEATED

CASK NO. 138.8

$260

REGION Taiwan

CASK TYPE 1st fill barrel #3 char level

AGE 6 years

DATE DISTILLED 15 January 2016

OUTTURN 208 bottles

ABV 55.8%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

We were surprised by the subtlety of this one. An initial nose with ethereal wafts of herbal smoke, then precise, sharp salinity and eventually sour cherries and balsamic vinegar. This evolved towards tarry rope, smoked sea salt and squid ink. Reduction brought more umami savoury vibes of black miso, soy sauce, cured game meats and pork scratchings flavour with five spice. The neat palate was initially all on sour red fruits, umami paste, fermenting soybeans, natural tar extracts, hessian and smoked olive oil. With water it became more delicate showing notes of smoked rosewater, peated gewürztraminer, dried seaweed, charred fennel, marmite and dark chocolate with sea salt.

Sometimes, the delay in receiving bottlings from the UK means we get bottlings well after they’ve picked up some of the biggest accolades overseas. Cask 53.389 Goodnight and joy picked up a whopping 94 points in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge just recently, so we’re doubly glad to have picked up a small allocation to share around with members this month. Aged for 30 years exclusively in refill sherry, this special Vaults Collection release showcases a blockbuster of a bouquet combining classic Islay notes of smoldering campfire, salt-crusted stony seashores, worn saddle leather, and preserved citrus with a comforting dollop of sweet cream and baked orchard fruits.