Wemyss Smooth Gentlemen 8Yr Scotch

In the glass, The Smooth Gentleman looks like a glistening cup of mid-gold apple juice. Taking a sniff, the scotch is malty and musty, plus a little fruity, with underlying notes of woody caramel (from the bourbon casks, no doubt). The taste of this scotch is mildly oaky, just as the name promises. The old bourbon casks make their contribution again, with a slight caramel sweetness trailing the oaky flavors, along with hints of a spiced, fruity sweetness. Its elusive, so I found it hard to put my finger on, but the dash of cinnamon and fruity sweet note made me think baked apples, although that might be just because I made some bourbon baked apples two weeks ago.

With The Smooth Gentleman, Wemyss Malts steers its vatted malt line away from the lighter side of Islay malt whiskey and spicy concoctions, and towards mellow Highland malts matured in first-fill bourbon casks. Like everything else Wemyss Malts does, The Smooth Gentleman 8 Year Old is blended and bottled, but not actually made by the company. Wemyss is instead a negociant, or an outfit who chooses select casks of whiskey from the distilleries, making them a solid example of why the term whiskey-maker and distillery are not interchangeable. Wemyss also has a 12 year old expression of this whiskey, whichThe Whiskey Reviewer will tackle in the near future.