Smoking Buffalo 5th Edition

Whisky Import Belux and The Bonding Dram have just released their 5th edition of the Smoking Buffalo. After the Bowmore 1999, Highland Park 1998, Islay Blended Malt (Laffie teaspooned with Bowmore) and the Ledaig 2005, they now offer something rather special in honor of the local football club AA Gent. This is a 9 Year Old… Speyside single malt with an Islay Cask Finish! The distillery will remain anonymous on the label, but if you say Ghent First Class with a hot potato in your mouth, you will come pretty close. I heard from the horse’s mouth that this distillate from 1st May 2004, bottled at 22nd November 2013, got a finish on a cask that previously had held Laphroaig. This is quite a daringly peated combination!

I need quite some time to start to appreciate the nose. The combination of the very fruity Glenfar… err… Speyside single malt and the peat and silt from the Laffie cask initially seems at odds. Take it from me: this needs fifteen minutes to work. Granny cookie with apple and pineapple go into headlock with seaweeds and cod oil. Salty edge. Amusing. It even becomes a bit creamy and a lot sweeter after a few minutes. Toffee, banana, vanilla. Patience is rewarded. The aromas interweave nicely. Adding water adds sugared lime.

Arrives genlty on the palate without scorching, but heavy on the spices. Black pepper, ginger, mustard seeds and salt. A lot of salt. Brackish, in fact. The sweetness does not stand a chance in those first few seconds. A little fruit, same as on the nose, is completely drowned out by the peat. Something of green banana, lemon grass and even grapefruit struggle to get through. Nicely smoky, living up to its name. Can take quite a bit of water, so that is a bonus.

The finish is like the extra time in a football match, lasting very long. Wonderfully smoky and spicy. The glass is long empty while I still enjoy this.

A great addition to the sporty series and quite unique in fact. The Grants from Ballindaloch are probably not amused, but we certainly are. As far as I know, this is almost sold out. I opened up bottle 266 of 267 and put bottle 267 of 267 in my whisky vault.