ABV: 56.4 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. A big hit of ashy and vegetal peat, with the ashy notes on the outside and the vegetal notes in the center, is the first thing to come through. There’s a vanilla and oak sweetness in the center which contrasts the rowdy exterior. There is a coastal side to it as well with notes of the ocean and just a hint of seaweed. It feels young but settles nicely in the glass. There isn’t much of a journey to talk about in this one, it stays nearly the same throughout. The maltiness do move forward a bit and a tiny hint of lemon breaks through now and again. This is a solid nose but it could offer a broader variety in sensations.

Mouth: It starts out with a a sour lemon note in the the back and a black pepper spicyness up front. In between, the peat and the vanilla are joined by a beer-like maltiness. It almost feels like an IPA with an ashy peat layer surrounding it. All the flavours seem to move forward and increase in intensity as a whole. It’s not as vegetal and coastal in taste as on the nose. The lemon note in the back sort of shift towards other cirtus fruits like grapes and oranges, but never as much as needed to keep the notes in focus.

Finish: The spicyness sort of rolls through the palate as the citrus notes fills the background. It takes a few seconds before the beery maltiness returns in the middle. The vanilla is still in there but it’s less detectable in the finish. The peat is now a top note and it’s once again more of a vegetal peatiness. The oak arrives at this point, mostly because the other flavours start to subside. It’s a so-and-so oakiness which neither impresses or deminishes the overall journey. This is a very good whisky. It’s a lot more interesting in taste than on the nose though.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2007 and aged in refill ex-bourbon barrels for the whole maturation period.