A few months back, The Speyside Distillery launched its first ever peated single malt Scotch whisky as part of a twin release of new limited edition expressions from the SPEY range. I had the chance to receive a sample, so let’s taste it together!
Fumare – which translates from Latin as smoky – will add a different dimension to the portfolio created by the boutique distillery, being their first ever peated whisky release!
Mr McDonough says: “We’ve never before released a malt using our peated barley. We have kept our peated malts sleeping quietly in our maturisation warehouse and have now awoken them to create the beautifully smoky Fumare.
“This is something which is absolutely unique. Because peated whisky is not something that we are known for, it has been interesting to hear the very positive reaction from those who have tasted it.
This new expression is bottled at 46%
Nose: Gently Peaty/smoky and rather coastal with dried apricots, pineapple jam, Calissons d’Aix (I know you hate me with my stuffy French references), wet leather and something of a “damp soil” note. This nose is actually a bit like going for a walk on a wild unspoilt beach the morning after a rainy night.
Palate: a pleasant cloud of peat first hit the palate, but the peaty notes aren’t overpowering the sweeter aromas of brown sugar, salted caramel, toasted marshmallows and sweet spices. Also some more herbal tones with bay leaf, rosemary honey and a subtle saltiness in the very background.
Finish: Medium with the ashy tones slowly going away, revealing more wood spices and medicinal aromas.
Pssst! Find the recipe here!
Pic sources: Spey Twitter Account, Whisky.de
