Etikettarkiv: Islay whisky review

Finlaggan, Islay

Finlaggan Batch Strength

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ABV: 50 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and very peaty. At first there’s a big hit of wet and fresh peat. It soon gets an ashy layer surrounding it as well. There’s a sweet core with malt, toasted vanilla and honey but it gets downplayed by the peatiness. It feels young and spirity and quite lively. A thin note of assorted apples can be found far in the background but it takes quite the hunt to find it. This is a young, straight forward nose with a nice mix of peat and sweetness.

Mouth: It starts out with toasted oak, vanilla and honey in the center and an ashy and wet, earthy peat in an outside layer. A spicyness is slowly crawling up in the back of the palate. The toasted oak gets more pronounced with time as well as the honey sweetness. There’s a chalky texture to it after a while. The fruitiness is nowhere to be seen at this point except a sour note coming through from the back.

Finish: A mild peppermint cloud spreads out over the palate before the center part with toasted oak, vanilla, honey and the same earty and ashy peatiness returns early in the finish. When it starts to fade, toasted cocnut flakes comes through as well as the sour note from the back. It’s soon all about the virgin oak casks though. It’s fresh and toasted oakiness and a hint of peat. It almost gets unpleasant after a while. It becomes slightly astringent as well. This is a great whisky but it feels a bit unbalanced and chewy.

Additional information
The Finlaggan is made from whisky coming out of two southern islay distilleries. It has a PPM value of 40 and it’s aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels for ~5-6 years. It’s unchillfiltered.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore The Devil’s Casks Limited Release III – Double the Devil

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ABV: 56.7 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and fruity. At first there’s a mild menthol layer sitting on top of a very homogenous fruity, sweet and peaty base and center. It feels very mild and approachable and there’s a nice array of flavours and complexity. The fruitiness is a mix of dried tropical fruits and darker black and red berries. The sweetness is mainly attached to the fruitiness but there are both honey and vanilla notes to be found. The peat is very much a leather and tobacco peatiness which feels a bit subdued behind the fruitiness but creates a nice frame. The whole feels quite young behind the heavy cask influence. This is a great nose which is nicely balanced between the casks and the house style.

Mouth: It starts out with a peat kick with tobacco, leather and a slightly herbal note. It mainly shows up on top but also on the outside edges. It feels a bit hot and the spicyness is producing an immidiate impact on the palate. The sweetness sits on the outside and the fruitiness and a black coffee note resides in the center. The fruitiness is still tropical and darker fruits and berries all mixed up in one big fruit bowl. Everything do seem to be a bit shallow at this point and it feels like it’s lacking some depth.

Finish: The spicyness continues at the same pace but the darker fruit note with raisins, overripe plums and a splash of coffee takes over and hides the tropical fruits at the start of the finish. It takes a while before the tropical fruitiness once again shows up as well as the sweet vanilla notes. There’s still not a big depth to this whisky. It takes a long time for the oak to be a part of this whisky and when it does, it’s nice enough but way too anonymous. This is a great whisky but it feels a bit rushed. It still produces very nice flavour combinations all in all.

Additional information
This is the last release in the Devil’s Casks series. It’s aged in first fill ex-Oloroso and first fill ex-PX sherry casks for an undisclosed amount of time. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 15 YO Laimrig Batch 2

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ABV: 54.4 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and fruity. At first there’s a mix of heavy dark fruits and vanilla. There are raisins and overripe plums mixed with tobacco and spices. It feels very powerful and rich. After a few seconds notes of oak and baking spices break through as well as a tropical fruitiness. It’s quite sweet overall with honey notes nestled within. It slowly changes and gives new subtle notes over time without compromising the initial character. Notes of leather and lemon pops up as well. This is a great nose. It leans heavily towards the oloroso sherry casks without it being top heavy.

Mouth: It starts out with honey and a swift nod to the tropical fruitiness the leather and the tobacco notes before the dark fruitiness takes over. It’s spicy and a bit dusty which fits the heavy character perfectly. There’s a slight bitterness, maybe a black coffee note, in the back as well as vanilla and a drizzle of honey. The oak shines through every once in a while which creates depth together with the tropical fruits which now resides in the back. It’s a very balanced, yet very powerful experience.

Finish: The finish starts with a dusty and complex center with the dark fruitiness now moving out towards the edges of the palate. This leaves room for the leather, tobacco and the tropical fruitiness to shine through. It still has a very rich and powerful character. It stays like this for quite some time before the oakiness finally breaks through. It’s a nice oakiness but it really never gets to shine. The dark fruits never leave its side. This is an amazing whisky. It’s powerful yet balanced and has a nice journey through and through.

Additional information
This whisky is first aged in undisclosed casks and then finished in ex-sherry casks. This was bottled in 2011 and is limited to 15000 bottles. The bottle reviewed is 05033/15000. It’s unchillfiltered.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 12 YO – Enigma

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is ripe fruits and leathery peat. At first there’s a big bucket of raisins, overripe plums and liqueur-soaked berries with a tropical fruitiness peeking through from behind. A toned down peatiness creates a surrounding layer of leather and tobacco. The whole thing is very sweet and it’s like the fruits are coated with a tiny layer of vanilla and icing sugar. This is a very pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out very mild with a lot of the ripe fruits coming through, but it seems a little fresher than on the nose. Black liquorice start to emerge, and after a few seconds it takes over together with the darker overripe fruits and the raisins. The peatiness is there and it’s still leather and tobacco, but now with a hint of burning wood. It suffers a bit from the low ABV and that hurts the impact.

Finish: At first, vanilla, tropical fruits and red berries arise and expand from the center and out. The peat is still surrounding the edges and it stays there and never becomes the main attraction. The ripe fruitiness then once again takes over, but now with a base of honey. It takes a long time for the oak to show up and there’s a shift in the fruitiness towards the tropical fruits just before it arrives. It’s an anonomous oakiness without character. This could have been a fantastic whisky, but it lacks some power to deliver its best side.

Additional information
This expression was a part of Bowmore’s former travel retail range that was discontinued around 2014. It’s aged in both american ex-bourbon barrels and european ex-sherry casks with a heavy emphasis on the latter.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Small Batch

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is honey, peat and tropical fruits. At first there’s a big bucket of tropical fruits covered in vanilla and honey. It’s surrounded by a layer of tobacco and worn leather. In the background there’s a lemon sourness and a hint of salty ocean air. With time, a savory peat note comes up somewhere in between the layers. This is a very pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and salty. The honey note is up front and the tropical fruits have moved to the back of the palate. It takes a second for the peat to show up and now it’s leaning heavily towards the tobacco side. There’s also a medicinal side to it and it comes through together with the saltiness.

Finish: A big burst of menthol and tropical fruitiness fills the mouth. It’s now a clear mango note. The tobacco peatiness and the medicinal notes comes shortly after. It takes a while before the oak appears and when it does, it’s a quite nice oakiness. It’s wet planks and walnuts and it stays a long time before fading. It’s salty all the way through. This is a good, albeit young, version of Bowmore matured in very good casks. It’s not their best, but it offers a lot of flavour even though it’s low strength.

Additional information
This expression was released in 2014. It’s aged in first and second fill american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was discontinued in 2017 and replaced by Bowmore No.1.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Legend

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is lemon fresh and fruity. A layer of peat, mostly leather and smoke from a hot campfire, is sitting in between the fruitiness and the sweetness. The fruitiness is mostly lemon and star fruits and the sweetness is a classic mix of honey and vanilla. There is a thin layer of mint sitting on top. This is mild and easy on the nose.

Mouth: Bitterness hits the mouth directly and then it turns to the peaty notes and they are leaning more towards leather now. It’s salty and the fruitiness is still the same as on the nose but with some pinapple and grapefruits added. There’s a small hint of a dry oakiness in the back. The vanilla and honey is nowhere to be found. It’s still very mild.

Finish: A spike of fruitiness passes by and then the mint and peat takes over. The lemon note stays for a long time and surrounds all the other flavours. The oak starts to push through and brings a big bag of tropical fruits with it. The oak itself is dry and a bit muted. The last part of the finish is all about the fruitiness. This is not especially complex and it’s a bit too mild. It’s still a decent dram though.

Additional information
There’s not much information to be found on this bottling. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak casks.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Gold Reef

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is tropical fruits in a leather pouch. It starts out very fruity with pineapples, mangos and a hint of ripe bananas. The leathery peat notes are subtle and sits with some honey and vanilla in the back. There is a savory, quite complex center behind everything else, which gives it a nice depth. This is very pleasant on the nose.

Mouth: A spicy note sort of slingshots in before the whole thing turns very fruity and quite dusty. It really shows some age with some dusty leather-bound books. The tropical fruits are still the main focal point and they are joined by some ripe red apples and lemon zest. It’s salty and got a small note of seashore residing in the back. It’s very mild and easy on the palate, yet still quite rich and with an oily texture. The oak do show up, but it takes quite the patience to find it and when it finally shows up it comes with a bitter note and a piece of milk chocolate.

Finish: A big burst of tropical fruits sets the pace. There’s smoke coming from a warm burning campfirein the back. It also still got a hint of leather. The oak comes slowly and settles down around the tropical fruits. It’s a very nice oakiness with a small bitter note to it. It’s a dusty, slightly astringent oak with notes of chalk, hazelnuts and old grey wooden planks. The salty note is still in there and the fruitiness stays for a long finish.

Additional information
This was released in 2014 as a travel retail exclusive. It’s primarily aged in first fill american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was discontinued in 2017.

Independent bottlers, Islay, Port Ellen, Signatory Vintage

Port Ellen 1979 (Signatory Vintage)

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a rather pointy and fresh fruitiness up front with a mild vanilla surrounding it. It’s fresh orchard fruits as well as assorted dried berries. In the background there’s a slight paint thinner note which becomes more medicinal as time passes in the glass. There’a also a light peatiness and a touch of salt and sulfur sitting beneath the fruitiness. This is a great and accessible nose with a complexity to keep the explorers occupied for a good while.

Mouth: It starts out with vanilla and a hint of coconut in the center and a very complex mix of medicinal peat, minerals and rubber on the outside. After a few seconds there’s almost a mix of white wine and pilsner coming through which at first comes off as a bit weird but when it merges with the vanilla becomes rather interesting. It’s less fruity and more peaty than on the nose but the fruitiness in there now comes through as orange peel. The whole thing has a sprinkle of dust on top.

Finish: A mild peppermint cloud spreads across the palate as the other flavours try to settle on which one should go first. The white wine and beer notes moves up a bit as well as the vanilla and orange peel. The fruitiness is now residing on the edges of the palate. The peat notes have once again taken a big step back and never really affects the palate in much in the finish. This makes the oakiness come through clearer. It’s a nice oakiness but it kind of brings up the paint thinner note once again. There are some assorted nuts and a hint of orange peel left in the late finish. This is a great whisky with a pretty quirky character. This makes it more fun to explore but less of a balanced High quality dram.

Additional information
This is aged for 22 years in a refill ex-sherry cask (Butt no. 5536). This is bottle no. 612/738. It has natural colour.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Black Rock

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and fruity. At first there are tropical fruits mixed with raisins and dark chocolate. Honey, vanilla and black liquorice sits in the back and create a nice rich backdrop. A brigther note of red berries with some raspberries sort of comes and goes on top of the dark fruitiness. The peat manifests as a leather note and sits in between the layers of sweetness. The focus lies on the heavy sherry overlay.

Mouth: At first honey, red berries and a slight bitterness turn up. It then slowly changes into black liquorice, vanilla and raisins. There’s a lemon note surrounding the other flavours. The oakiness comes through together with leather and tropical fruits. It’s a nice oakiness with a slight bitterness that sits well with the other flavours.

Finish: A thin note of menthol passes by before moving directly into a big bowl of assorted tropical fruits. The oakiness comes through as well as the darker sherry notes and the leather, but the main focus is all about the pineapples and mangos and a slight hint of grapefruits. There’s a chalk note sitting on top of the oak in the finish and the oak is somewhat dry and bitter with some coffee and hazelnuts. There’s no astringency until after a few sips. This is very good for an entry level NAS travel retail release.

Additional information
Black Rock is the entry level of the travel retail exclusive range released in 2014. It’s primarily aged in ex-sherry casks. It was discontinued in 2017.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 18 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is leather and dark fruits. A mellow peatiness with leather and tobacco notes sits in the middle of a dark fruitiness with overripe plums and raisins. A row of old books and a tropical fruitiness (with a twist of lemon) sit in the background. The contrast between the dirrerences make this a complex nose. All flavours seem integrated and they fit nicely into the whole. The dark fruits become more pronounced over time and they bring a black liquorice sweetness. This is a fantastic nose.

Mouth: It starts out mild yet flavourful. It’s very sweet with the dark fruitiness up front. A lemon note shoots through the dark fruits and, together with a saltiness and the peat, it creates a complex sensation. The old books still sit in the back and after a few seconds the tropical fruitiness return. The peat is now leaning towards tobacco with a hint of burning charcoal. It becomes spicier with time. The oak is not yet present.

Finish: At first, it becomes very dusty and the age is coming through clearly. The darker fruitiness is immidiately toned down to make room for a brighter tropical fruitiness with pineapples as the main flavour. Within this fruitiness the oak slowly emerges. It’s a dry oak with a hint of walnuts and black coffee, but it still got a freshness to it. The bitter notes never really take over, they just seem to add another layer. In the late finish the leather returns. The tropical fruitiness stays in the mouth long after everything else has subsided. This is well made, and a great dram. It is a bit too mild, but still delivers complexity and a lot of flavours.

Additional information
This was added to the core range in 2007. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and ex-sherry casks separatly and then mixed together.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 17 YO – White Sands

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is Lemon and leather. The fruitiness soon turns into assorted tropical fruits and the leather note expands to include smoke from a warm burning campfire. There’s a layer of honey, vanilla and butterscotch, but it stays in the back seat. It shows some age with a somewhat elusive note of dusty old books. The fruitiness grows clearar as time passes and there are mango and pineapple found together with the lemon note. It grows sweeter and gets more of the vanilla with time in the glass.

Mouth: It’s very mild and honey sweet at first. The leather note comes through and creates a nice layer around the palate. In the center the fruitiness is even more pronounced than on the nose. It’s still a tropical fruitiness with mango, pineapple and lemon. It’s got a nice backbone of vanilla and a hint of butterscotch. The spicyness is lacking in intensity and never really picks up speed.

Finish: A whiff of the old books passes by before going back to the tropical fruitiness. It grows even fruitier and sweet over time and when the oak arrives it adds to that sensation. The oak is very pleasant and interacts well with all the other flavours instead of bringing a contrasts. It feels very well balanced all the way through and just about every flavour follows along to the now slightly bitter end.

Additional information
This was released in 2014 as a part of the distillery’s travel exclusive series. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was discontinued in 2017.

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg 21 YO Committee Release 2001

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ABV: 56.3 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
This is fruity and peaty. It’s a very complex whisky with a lot of different sensations and flavours. It’s a lot fruitier than later releases from the distillery. It was tasted in a big Ardbeg blind test which means there are no detailed tasting notes taken. It won against 17 other Ardbeg releases.

Additional information
This Ardbeg was released in 2001 and was limited to 2500 bottles. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels and it’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Bruichladdich, Islay, Port Charlotte

Port Charlotte 10 YO Heavily Peated

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ABV: 50 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a very round and gentle honey and vanilla sweetness with a savory note mixed in. It’s surrounded by a dry and earthy peatiness which gives it a nice contrast between sensations. There’s an ocean spray saltiness, as well as mixed fruits, floating around somewhere in between the other layers. They sort of act like a cohesive between everything else. The fruitiness is coming through as fresh, leaning towards green apples and pears with just a hint of ripe plums. This is a fantastic nose with a lot to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with a rich maltiness together with honey and vanilla as a core. The peatiness is somewhat subdued and lets the fruitiness come through towards the edges. It’s overripe red grapes and blueberries and the fruitiness is a lot different compared to the nose. With time a mild spicy black pepper note arrives together with a dry smoke and earthy peatiness. The backbone has a complexity to it with a salt and savory character.

Finish: The finish starts out with the ripe fruitiness on the edges and in the back while the peatiness and the sweetness sort of dips down for a few seconds. When they once again increase in intensity it’s the peatiness that picks up pace and takes over. The sweetness creates a caramel note in the center though. It moves along together with the oakiness which shows up fashionably late. At first it’s a rather anonymous oakiness but in the late finish it shifts towards a nice walnut nuttiness. This is a great whisky for the explorer and there are tons of small things to discover.

Additional information
The Port Charlotte 10 YO is aged in a mix of 65 % first-fill and 10 % second-fill ex-bourbon barrels together with 25 % second fill french ex-wine casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 15 YO – Mariner

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and tobacco. At first there’s a ripe plums and raisins center and a peaty outer layer with notes of tobacco and leather. There’s also smoke from a burning hot campfire coming through. In the background there are seashore notes with salt and ocean air together with some assorted tropical fruits. It feels somewhat dry on the nose. With some time in the glass the sweetness moves forward and notes of vanilla and honey appear. This is a nice nose, with a nice dark fruity character.

Mouth: It starts out with an outer layer of lemon sourness and a very mild and sweet center part. It’s ashy and the peatiness is very different from the nose. There’s still a leather note and a dark fruitiness coming through, now together with black liquorice. There’s also the tropical fruitiness coming through and it moves forward after a few seconds. This gives it a nice transition from dark to bright. The oak is also noticable in the background, but it doesn’t intrude on the other flavours.

Finish: The tobacco notes return and show up together with a hint of the ashes and the raisins and plums. It changes rather quickly towards the tropical fruitiness once again and the salty background notes also reappear. It takes a short amount of time before the oakiness start to shine through and when it does it’s a nice oakiness but it doesn’t bring much to the table. The tropical fruits linger together with a mellow peatiness and a touch of seasalt. This is a great whisky which delivers a lot of flavour even though it lacks some power.

Additional information
This is a discontinued travel retail exclusive release from Bowmore. It’s aged in both american ex-bourbon barrels and european ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 25 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is tropical fruits and leathery peat. The smoke is dry and feels like it’s coming from a hot, burning campfire. Within the smoke the age shows with old leather and dusty old books. It’s a sherry driven nose with dark fruits, such as raisins, dades and ripe plums, liquor soaked cherries, sugar and liquorice. There’s also a big bowl of tropical fruits coming through, with mangos, pineapple and peaches.

Mouth: It’s a mild and very fruity start with all the tropical and dark ripe fruits creating a very nice mix. There’s leather and dust, but the smoke notes are otherwise toned down. A maritime feel is lurking in the back (which mainly brings a hint of saltiness). A spicyness comes through after a couple of seconds.

Finish: The tropical fruits are dominating, which makes it feel younger than its age. It’s very vibrant and it takes a while, but when the oak finally shows up it’s like old grey planks that bring quite bitter notes with walnuts, espresso and toasted coconuts. It’s dusty and astringent. The smoke is still in there, but toned down as a nice base flavour throughout the experience.

Additional information
This 25 YO expression of Bowmore sits at the top end of the distillery’s core range. It’s aged in both american ex-bourbon oak barrels and european ex-sherry casks.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 10 YO – Inspired by the Devil’s Casks

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and new leather. The cask influence is extreme and seems to sit on top of everything else. There are raisins, figs, sweet liquorice, black grapes and a thick brown syryp and it almost feels like they are attacking the nose. Behind the dark fruity wall notes of new leather and smoke coming from a warm, burning campfire. It’s got a salty touch and a hint of lime is peeking through. There’s a cool mint piercing the thick sweetness.

Mouth: It starts out very thick and sweet. Almost immidiately a dusty oak note shows up together with leather. A black pepper spicyness arises slowly. There are dark notes of raisins, anise and liquorice within the dense sweetness. It’s slightly bitter and the mild leather and smoke note has taken a step back. The cask influence is still a bit too close for comfort. A bitter note and some salt is sitting around the edges. The brighter fruitiness normally found in Bowmores is nowhere to be found.

Finish: A big burst of red and dark fruits and some spicyness. The sherry notes are still very much the focal point and the same notes come marching through once again. The red wine with black grapes and a hint of blueberries are coming forward a bit more in the finish. It takes a long time for the oakiness to break through. It’s slightly astringent and very mild and never really steps up in front. A black liquorice note is left in the mouth long after everything else is gone. This is a very good whisky, but the previous cask content is a bit over the top.

Additional information
This is a limited release that was released in september 2016 as a travel retail exclusive. The main part of the maturation is done in first fill european ex-Oloroso sherry casks and then for a finishing period in ex-red wine barriques. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 18 YO – Deep & Complex

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: A very thick dark fruitiness with raisins, plums and ripe berries creates a thick layer covering everything on approach. Smoke coming from a warm burning campfire creates a nice setting together with a salty seashore note. A tropical fruitiness with pinapple and mangos sits in the middle with vanilla, lime and sweet black liquorice. The oak peeks through but it’s not pronounced. There’s a hint of menthol creating a freshness to the whole. It’s a pleasant nosing, but it feels like there’s a distance between the sherry overtone and the rest of the dram.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet and the vanilla steps forward at first. The texture is thick and oily and it shows its age with a hefty dustiness. There are both ripe and dried fruits together with fresh red berries and a lot of tropical fruitiness. It’s salty and somewhat astringent. The oak is old, grey and weathered. There’s almost no peat flavours, just a hint of leather in the background.

Finish: The finish starts out with a big bowl of tropical fruits and the campfire smoke finally returns. The oak is dusty and got some astringency to it. It’s still grey and weathered and there’s a hint of bitterness with walnuts within. The very long and pleasant finish carries all the fruity flavours all the way through. The menthol returns in the tail end and creates a veil over all the fruits and the oak.

Additional information
This expression was released in 2017 as a part of Bowmore’s travel retail range. It’s matured in a combination of ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry and ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

Islay, McClelland’s, McClelland’s (Islay)

McClelland’s Islay Single Malt

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: At first, there’s a savory and grassy peat note coming through, but it’s quite thin on the nose overall. Some fruitiness can be found but it’s so feint it cannot specified. There are also hints of vanilla, honey and butterscotch.

Mouth: This a thin maltiness swimming in water together with vanilla and butterscotch notes. It almost feels like there’s grain spirit in it which can be connected to the presumed young age. An assorted fruit note comes through with a hint of cinnamon. The peat smoke is a bit toned down and it’s very mild.

Finish: Surprisingly, there are nice tropical fruit notes appearing, but they disappear quite quickly and leave a bland oak note and some ashy leftovers from the peat. Overall it’s not a bad array of flavours, it’s just muted, like listening to music through a wall.

Additional information
The content in this bottle isn’t disclosed, but the brand McClelland’s is owned by Morrison Bowmore, so it’s a good bet that the content comes from the Bowmore distillery.

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Big Peat, Independent bottlers, Islay

Douglas Laing’s Big Peat

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Blended Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: It starts with a heavy and dense smokiness with honeyglazed bacon and the ashy notes of a campfire just about to die out. When the first impact subsides there’s lemon juice and a whiff of the sea (like being on the shore on a cold, windy day) in the back.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet and ashy. It’s savory with a nice honey and vanilla touch to it. It’s surprisingly mild but still manages to give a big bold array of smoke flavours. Some spicyness arrive late and it’s not a big part of the experience.

Finish: The smoke notes change slightly towards tobacco and a hint of rubber. It’s still savory and ashy though. This is very much a peaty fanfare with just a touch of salt and lemon. The oak note is very well hidden, but shows up as a slight astringency in the tail of the finish.

Additional information
Big Peat is part of Douglas Laing’s ”Remarkable regional malts of Scotland” series. It’s a blend of malts from distilleries located on islay. Douglas Laing mentions Caol Ila, Bowmore, Ardbeg and Port Ellen as components. It has natural colour and it’s unchillfiltered.

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Islay, Laphroaig

Laphroaig 25 YO (2017)

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ABV: 48,6 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded.

Additional information
This is the 2017 release of Laphroaig’s cask strength 25 YO. It’s aged in a combination of american ex-bourbon barrels and second fill european ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered.

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