SMWS 7.124 Makes your heart sing

SMWS 7.124 Makes your heart sing, 11 YO, 58,8 %

It has been about a year since last I reviewed a whisky from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS). Now I finally have something new to write about, though. On Friday last I spent six hours at their London venue, thoroughly enjoying a few drams from the latest outturn.

First off we have the 7.124 Makes your heart sing, which is a whisky from Longmorn Distillery. This is a Speyside distillery owned by Pernod Ricard. The 7.124 Makes your heart sing was distilled on 2003-09-22 and bottled in 2015. The total outturn was 209 bottles. The whisky was matured in a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel.

Here are the tasting notes from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society:

Enticing aromas of caramel wafer biscuits, milk chocolate Hobnobs and Rocky Road marshmallows crunch bars, whilst the taste was that of a Havana cigar; sweet, spicy and woody. Diluted, toasted brioche with butter and strawberry jam and double vanilla meringue cookies.

The 7.124 Makes your heart sing is available to buy as part of a package deal with one other bottle (1.198 Night nurse in carpenter's overalls) at a combined cost of GBP 119.

Nose (23/25): Dark, full and rich sweetness. This is powerful stuff. red berries and mild fruitiness. Given a few minutes in the glass I get a wave of vanilla, milk chocolate, marshmallows, and powdered sugar. Makes me smile, not sure about my heart - but I'll happily settle for this.

Taste (23/25): The sweetness is balanced with soft spices on the palate. Rich, full and oily mouthfeel. Mild caramel and vanilla.

Finish (22/25): Loooong and warm finish. Rich all the way. More fruity now, and a touch of oak. Unsalted nuts and vanilla.

Balance (22/25): A dream of a Longmorn.

Score (90/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas