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Skeleton Key from Duncan Taylor & Co, the family-owned Scotch whisky specialist.
One of Brewdog’s Boilermaker series, with bold peat smoke to complement their Jet Black Heart stout or Zombie Cake porter.
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It has been said that this is a combination that shouldn’t work, but does, and I’d have to add that of all the Boilermaker Series, this is the one I’d choose to drink solo.
Tasting notes
The 46% ABV in no way overpowers the smooth, smoky, peaty and sweet flavours.
The Nose: Dry smoke first, peaty, then a slight saltiness before a cooling freshness.
(I’ve heard it becomes sweeter with the addition of water, but I can’t attest to this.)
The Palate: Acidic salt nuts and smoke with a balancing sweetness to the peat. A subtle complexity.
The Finish: Salty and sweet. Slips down easy with no lingering aftertaste.
As a Boilermaker I found it wrestled valiantly with both the Jet Black Heart and the Zombie Cake.
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As a solo it’s the sweetness and chunky mid-palate that made it my favourite of the Boilermaker Series to drink on its own.
Roadtested in the Doghouse, Glasgow, Scotland.