By Richard Thomas
Rating: B+
(Credit: Wemyss Malts)
Part of the Wemyss Malts’ Summer 2013 Single Cask release, Salted Caramels is from that little heralded scotch region, Campbelltown. Located on a peninsula in southwestern Scotland and once home to 28 distilleries, Campbelltown is now down to just three: Springbank, Glen Gyle and Glen Scotia. Prohibition did the other 25 distilleries in. Campbelltown scotches used to be referred to as “the deepest voice in the choir” for their full-bodied character, noted for being pungent and salty, on the dry side, and often a little peaty.
Salted Caramels is a Glen Scotia spirit, distilled in 1991 (22 years old). The single cask yielded 279 bottles in this instance, delivered at the customary 46% abv.
The Scotch
Salted Caramels’ appearance in the glass is in line with the Campbelltown description: a full-bodied gold with a shiny, lustery character. The scent has a velvety, dried fruit sweetness with a splash of sea salt, underlaid by notes of cinnamon, barn-dried tobacco, and a little hoary leather. It’s just a lovely, complex nose.
The flavor goes a bit awry from there. The taste of Salted Caramels is that of a sweet and salty Christmas cake, with a hot cinnamon and ginger bite coming on fast. I say it’s a bit awry because contrasting the nose to the palate gives a very good example of the difference between being complex and complicated. The whiskey has a swirl of big, full-bodied flavors, so much so that the spirit seemed confused about what it was trying to be. The finish left a lingering warmth with an aftertaste of cinnamon and sweet tobacco.
I like Salted Caramels, but it’s got heft in just one too many places, leaving it a bit unbalanced. Even so, if as a drinker you prize big and bold first and foremost, take a look at this one. One thing is for sure: Salted Caramels doesn’t make you chase it.
Price
Wemyss Salted Caramels should cost you about $150, the standard price for their 2013 Single Cask releases.