I had a great opportunity to cover an event for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in NY. The event was at the NY Distilling Company, owned and run by Allen Katz. The society brought 6 unique bottles for the tasting. All at different casks, years and regions. Tasting through all 6 of the casks, I came across this one in particular that really stood out for me. It’s name “Getting Fruity at the back of the Church”. Very peculiar name, but after tasting and liquid goodness and swirling it around in my mouth, I kind of had an idea how the name came about.
Although the distillery name is not provided on the bottle, each bottle does have on it the tasting notes. Now these tasting notes, were provided by a panel of whisky aficionados and professionals that work with the SMWS. As we all know everyone has different palates, so what is written on the bottle will not necessarily always link up with your own profiles. A lot of what I tasted does not show up on the description.
Name: 36.104 – Getting Fruity at the back of the church
ABV: 57.2%
CASKTYPE: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
Nose: Campfire and firewood and dusty old books. That initial smell you get when you wander into an old bookstore. There’s almost a waxy light fungal smell peering through as well.
Palate: Lots of apricots, citrus and red apples. Nice sweetness and warm mellow spice. Slight burn on the front of the palate, the dissipates into pure sugary sweetness. Butterscotch, caramel and toasted nuts dance lightly on the palate. The mix of the sweet and the spicy, give it a nice character. Sometimes the sweetness overpowers the spices. If you let it sit for 5-7 minutes, the sweetness subsides drastically.
Finish: Medium and warm. Lingering syrup like sweetness hangs there for a few seconds, before transforming into a fresh apricot finish. Warm mouthfeel overall.
