This whisky is one of the bottlings released as part of the December 2024 outturn from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Each month a series of single cask bottlings are revealed covering all styles of Scotch whisky and beyond. Warm-Reekin’, Sausages …! is a heavily peated single malt from a Highland distillery. It was distilled in April 2016 and has been bottled at eight years of age. Initial maturation was in a re-charred American oak ex-bourbon hogshead, before a final long five-year secondary maturation in a second-fill ex-Moscatel wine hogshead.
The SMWS was established in 1983 and bottles whiskies exclusively for its members, who pay an annual fee. Most are single cask single malts and bottled at natural cask strength – roughly 150-200 casks per year are released. They use a unique numbering system for their bottlings and do not reveal the distillery identity – the first number is the distillery where the spirit was produced and the second is the number of casks released by the SMWS from that distillery – in this case the whisky is from distillery number 122 and it is the 72nd cask bottled from there*. Each bottling also has a creative name that reflects its characteristics.
The SMWS 122.72 Warm-Reekin’, Sausages …! is bottled at 60.2% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. There are just 291 bottles available and these can be purchased directly (although, you have to be a valid member) from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society website. Each bottle will cost £59.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is a gentle bright gold and the nose is expressive and very smoky. There is a distinct sweet vs. savoury thing going on. Aromas of earthy and ashy peat smoke mingle with grilled bacon and maple syrup on pancakes. Then comes juicy sultana and some candied lime with further hints of molasses and fresh thyme.
On the palate this whisky is big, bold and punchy. The high alcohol strength carries plenty of weight and allows the expressive flavours to shine. The savoury, earthy peat smoke hits first and hardest – this lingers throughout and binds the other notes together. With time, the smoke gains a little minerality and this gives a pleasant dryness that also lingers. Hints of grilled bacon and barbequed sausage are also evident.
Some much needed sweetness soon appears. This comes in the form of sugary vanilla fudge, heather honey and those plump, juicy sultanas from the nose. There is also a suggestion of toasted marshmallow and cream soda that sit in the background. Hints of fresh mint and candied angelica stem, plus a hefty pinch of white pepper round things off superbly.
The finish is long and increasingly ashy. The sweet and fruity elements slowly fade and this allows the drying peat smoke to dominate. This drags out the finish superbly with a late peppery warmth adding to the mouthwatering quality. A distinct late note of malted cookies is a nice touch.
What’s The Verdict?
This is a big, bold and brash whisky that is great for fans of heavily peated Scotch single malts and not for the faint hearted. The combination of the soft yet elevated level of smoke with the sweetness introduced by that lengthy secondary maturation in ex-Moscatel casks is delicious and they balance each other well. The high ABV is also well integrated. We were delighted to secure our bottle. This is perfect for this wintery and cold time of year – we are thinking of a long walk across Hampstead Heath with a hipflask full of this. That should keep us warm!
* You can easily search to find these distillery numbers, and there are many sites online that list them. However, we respect the anonymity of the SMWS and will not reveal the distillery.
