Scallywag The Chocolate Edition 2023 is the sixth bottling in The Chocolate Edition series from the independent bottling and blending company of Douglas Laing & Co. For this special bottling only whiskies that have been matured in ex-Oloroso or ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks included. As with all expressions of Scallywag, of which there are now several, only Speyside single malts have been used. The new whisky is bottled at 48% ABV and is both non chill-filtered and of natural colour.
Scallywag forms part of Douglas Laing's Remarkable Regional Malts range of blended malts. All feature only single malts from distilleries located within a certain region. In addition to Scallywag and its Speyside flavours there are Big Peat (Islay), The Epicurean (Lowlands), Rock Island (Islands) and Timorous Beastie (Highlands). Scallywag was first launched in 2013 with the inaugural bottling of The Chocolate Edition appearing in 2018.
Scallywag The Chocolate Edition is a limited edition and there are just 4,200 bottles. These will be available in selected whisky retailers in selected markets within Asia and Europe. It was released in July last year to celebrate World Chocolate Day, but several websites have stocks remaining. A bottle will cost £60/ €68.
Our Tasting Notes
This colour is deep coppery gold and the nose is laced with sweet, rich aromas. The first sniff reveals an image of the best liqueur chocolate that you have ever tasted. This is backed up by caramel, cinnamon and toasted nuts - think of walnut and hazelnut in particular. There are further aromas of dried fruit (especially raisin and prune), cocoa powder and decadent garnache with a hint of dark cherry.
On the palate this whisky feels rich, viscous and sumptuous. Almost Christmas-like actually with a plethora of festive flavours - think of dark raisin, juicy sultana, brandy-soaked prunes and caramelised clementines. These are supported by sweet caramel and golden syrup plus a good helping of brown sugar and cinder toffee. A hint of black treacle or molasses lurks in the background.
Underneath sit the toasted nuts from the nose - walnut and hazelnut again, plus a hint of brazil. These are accentuated by a lovely warming hit of baking spice (cinnamon, mace and the merest scratch of nutmeg) and a hint of bitter orange oil. This evolves with time and comes through very nicely. Other lovely notes that develop are of cocoa powder, milk chocolate and a hint of old cigar box.
The finish is generous and long. The excellent balance between sweet and fruity plus savoury and nutty characteristics bind together beautifully and drag out the length. With time, the sweet and fruit notes fade to leave the savoury warming spices and nutty elements to take hold. A very late woody dryness adds even more depth.
What's The Verdict?
This whisky is superb. We had never tried Scallywag The Chocolate Edition but liked the sound of it, so decided to purchased a bottle. And we are so glad we did. The balance between all of the aroma and flavour characteristics is excellent and how a good ex-sherry cask whisky should be. Everything works together and compliments each other. A fine whisky that is worth searching out if you can still find a bottle and one that is a decent price for the quality.