Isle of Islay

Aged in oak casks for at least sixteen years, this much sought-after single malt has the massive peat-smoke that's typical of southern Islay - but also offering a dryness that turns it into a truly interesting dram.

Nose - A thick coating of peat isn't enough to cover a soft, oaky background. Iodine appears alongside a pear-fruity sweetness. Delicate for a whisky so big.

Palate - Continuous gentle waves of dry peat lap upon the taste buds but are balanced by a sweet malt middle and the most hesitant of vanillas. 

Finish - Long and peaty, the shy vanilla now begins to show as the oak adds a certain dryness. Comment A gentle giant.

Source Jim Murray

Caol Ila is one of Islay's best loved distilleries and this 12 year old is their entry level bottling.

This expression is light and fresh with that distinctive Caol Ila smoke and notes of zesty limoncello. A perfect introduction to the joys of Islay malt and the mercurial qualities of peat smoked whisky.

From Ardbeg...

Ardbeg, on the windswept Isle of Islay, to the west of Scotland, is renowned as a producer of peaty malts. Think salt and iodine and bonfires, and all sorts of good outdoorsy things. This is one of those drams that you can keep coming back to and always raises a smile - pure peat driven indulgence.

TRIPLE CASK FINISHED
Ardbeg BizarreBQ has been matured in a combination of double charred oak casks, Pedro Xim?nez sherry casks and our unique BBQ casks. Together they ignite a feast of aromas in hickory smoked ham, grilled artichokes, flamed steak and cinnamon dusted espresso.

Introduced as the flagship Port Charlotte expression produced by Bruichladdich in 2018, this 10 year old single malt from the Isle of Islay is a lip-smackingly smoky number indeed. It's peated to 40ppm, and drawn from a combination of first-fill American whiskey casks, second-fill American whiskey casks and second-fill French wine casks.

Nose: Salted caramel brownie, flamed orange peel, a hearty whack of seaweed.

Palate: Oak-y smoke and salty sea air, paired with sweeter notes of Custard Cream biscuits and white grape.

Finish: Ginger snaps, rye toast, drying peat smokiness.

Created by Jim McEwan from whisky matured in a multitude of different American oak casks, and chosen to represent the classic, unpeated distillery style. Bruichladdich's new signature bottling is made with 100% Scottish barley.

Nose: Elegantly sweet with honeyed barley, boiled sweets and orange petals. Wafts of sea air and a splash of sulphur.

Palate: Red apples and white grapes, with touches of sweet cinnamon and brown sugar. Still softly coastal.

Finish: Mineral-rich malt, with toffee and more honey.

One of the best examples of unpeated, sherry cask aged whisky available. Super complex, concentrated and balanced. Absolute magic.

NOSE: Fruitcake, toffee, chocolate, rich, preserved cherries, leather, brown sugar, tamarind, salty raisins, sherry, maple, caramel, vanilla nuts, tobacco.

PALATE: Dark chocolate, rum balls, bitter/sweet, apples, prunes, peat, sherry, banana, cr?me brulee, lovely balance, malt, a little smoke and peat.

FINISH: Salty air, smoke, sweet, rich, burnt forest, saddlery, chalk, medium.

Islay is mostly known for big, peaty, smoky whisky. Well, Bowmore is a little more dialled back, making it a balanced whisky featuring all those things you love about Islay, just in a more subtle way.Drink with: A splash of water if required.Established in 1779, Bowmore is the oldest legal distillery on Islay and one of the earliest in all Scotland. Located geographically and stylistically between the gentle whiskies to the north and the more powerful malts to the south of the island, Bowmore possesses a balance that ever-intrigues whisky aficionados. The malt is peated for a shorter period than with the stronger Islays, and the use of around a third of the casks for maturation being oloroso sherry contributes to its aromatic complexity and finesse. The past few years have seen Interest in Bowmore grow astoundingly.?

At just 5 years old, this feisty and intensely powerful smoky whisky, is untamed by age.

From elusive sea creatures to eerie hillside half-breeds, the Ardbeg Distillery has a history of exploring inexplicable legends in their bottlings. However, this next unearthly expression is said to have emerged from the peat bogs of Islay themselves. Ardbeg Wee Beastie has been described as a ?monster of a dram?? with a formidable bite. 

Matured in ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, Wee Beastie bristles with intense aromas of cracked black pepper, sappy pine resin and sharp tangs of smoke. An explosive mouthfeel bursts forth with chocolate, creosote and tar. As savoury meats sink into the palate, the long salty mouth coating finish slinks away.

Aroma: Very fresh, herbal, with hints of vanilla, pear, freshly cracked black pepper and
honey-glazed ham. Rich Turkish coffee, sappy pine resin. With water, more herbal notes like vetiver and fennel, along with aniseed, green apple and leather.

Taste: A rich, explosive mouthfeel with lots of chocolate, tar, creosote and smoked bacon,
followed by a burst of antiseptic lozenges, eucalyptus and more aniseed.

Finish: A long, salty and mouthcoating finish with hints of cocoa, fudge and savoury meats.

Casks: Ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry

Ardbeg An Oa is singularly rounded, due in no small part to time spent in our newly established bespoke oak Gathering Vat where whiskies from several cask types - including; sweet Pedro Ximenez; spicy virgin charred oak; and intense ex-bourbon casks, amongst others - familiarise themselves with each other. The result is a dram with smoky power, mellowed by a delectable, smooth sweetness. Hallmark Ardbeg peat, dark chocolate and aniseed are wrapped in smooth, silky butterscotch, black pepper and clove, before rising to an intense crescendo of flavour.

Non chill-filtered with a strength of 46.6% ABV.

Source - Ardbeg

Kilchoman - Machir Bay, named after the isle of Islay?s most spectacular beach, is a vatting of Kilchoman whisky matured in both bourbon and sherry casks. The high proportion of bourbon barrels creating a distinct balance of classic Islay character and fresh floral complexity.

This single malt Scotch whisky is sourced from an undisclosed distillery on the Isle of Islay, presented for the Finlaggan range. Absolutely fabulous value for money if you're after that genuine Islay peat hit.

The Monsters of Smoke trio pack includes 3x20cl bottles of whisky from
Ardbeg?s Core Range. They are: Ardbeg Ten Years Old, the original giant
which has stalked the whisky world for decades; Ardbeg Wee Beastie, a
feisty young creature with a formidable bite; and Ardbeg An Oa, a complex
whisky that sits in a web of flavour notes.

The biggest and peatiest of Ardbeg's "core" range. The nose is creamy and a little fruity - then the peat bursts through in a massive cloud of iodine and smoke. The palate starts out sweet, with with hot-buttered, toasted sultana bread, bittersweet caramel and burnt honey. It dries out towards the finish, ending with salty ash, dried beef and szechuan pepper.

This expression offers an irresistible doubling of flavour due to the double maturation in two casks made of American oak.

Still-maturing whisky from our standard ex-bourbon barrels is transferred to quarter casks and left to rest in our warehouse just a stone?s throw from the Atlantic shore.

This process represents Laphroaig breathing new life into a once-defunct tradition: the use of the smaller cask size, which ensures increased contact with the oak, creating a soft and velvety edge to complement Laphroaig?s distinctive peatiness.

On the nose the sensation is toffee and caramel, caused by the vanillas and tannins of the American oak, plus a dryness from the wood oil.

The finish is long and alternates between this sweetness and smoke.