SMWS G8.2 Cambus 23yo Cambus Distillery - Cambus, Clackmannanshire. SMWS bottling. SMWS reference page

Tastes & Smells
From nose to mouth, this is a kind of surf n turf some initial seaside aromas (old seaweed, scallops) followed by a kind of sweet & sour pork thing in the mouth. Theres a consistent sweetness before the finish, starting off as fudgey and sherbet dib dabs with the dib dabs disappearing in the mouth. The sweet & sour tastes are mirrored somewhat by the addition of sour citrus (grapefruit?) as you get close to the glass. A good swill gives some grassy, almost hoppy flavours served with a glass of Fraoch (heather ale). There are definitely corn flavours in there too although the addition of water brings out salmon eggs and basil. As it nears the end, a surge of chili heat rises, blanking out almost anything else it might be offering.

Any good?
I was expecting more from this, Ill be honest. At 23 years, it doesnt seem to have had long enough to mellow out its too raw, especially towards the end it was too spicy and gives a burn after youve finished, affecting your feelings towards it. It wasnt bad elsewhere with some interesting flavours, but it was let down at the end. Id happily give it another go with another 10 years under its belt in the cask.

Reminiscent of...
Due to the imbalance, sweet beginnings and slightly aggressive end, it gave me an uneasy feeling, best summed up by how a piece of toffee would feel below a toffee hammer it doesnt know whats going on entirely, but as time passes, things get progressively less fun and the sweetness dissipates.

Tasted on: 03/02/13 Bought: Just tasted. From: SMWS Control: SMWS G4.3 6.8 3.8

Too youthful and spicy, but still showing some promise.

In summary:
Too raw, too young, but some signs of an interesting dram in the making. I decided it would be worth a visit with another 10 years maturation, but Ive a feeling it will need a bit longer. My first Cambus, but Im sure there are better examples out there.