Isle of Islay

SAMAROLI ISLAY
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

Our eye - or better our nose - dwells on this youngster, allowing us to bottle yet another iteration of our philosophy of Islay, the queen of Scotland. We stand before a young, arrogant and daring Caol Ila. Despite its youth, the mastery conferred by wood presents us with a slightly peaty note. In addition, we sense shy hints of yeast, butter and smoked meats reminiscent of our hearth after last night?s fire is spent. And now almond, hazelnut and candied fruit. 

The saline plane surprises us in terms of equilibrium and harmony. Suggestions of herring and anchovy, a classic marina scent with flashes of the mineral. Those caper bushes descending towards the Sicilian sea are now evoked. To the right the Pillars of Heracles. To the left, the mysterious and intriguing East. There is a narrow border between the ocean and the sky which is lighter and therefore easy to identify. Some may say that Brittany is where we can best learn to distinguish this.

A.W.B. 

COMPOSITION: 3 casks of Caol Ila 2013 - Hogshead - Refill Bourbon
BOTTLES PRODUCED: 1104
ABV: 45%

Elements of Islay Sherry Cask is part of the new core range trilogy alongside Cask Edit and Bourbon Cask. It is matured in first fill and refill Sherry butts and hogsheads and is bottled at a higher strength of 54.5% to fully showcase the whisky’s natural personality.

Islay single malt from north and south coast distilleries bring flavours of dried fruits and dark chocolate, while a distillery on the north coast contributes notes of lemon oil and Arbroath smokie.


Tasting Notes
Nose: The lingering scent of tobacco remains in an empty sandalwood cigar box. Arbroath smokie sits alongside aromatic notes of lemon oil, ginger root and a hint of menthol.

Palate: Rich and unctuous. Dark-chocolate-dipped candied orange slices and chunks of crystalised stem ginger. Muscovado sugar syrup provides a sticky, dark drizzle over date-studded ginger cake. Sweet smoke and dried autumn fruits sit in the background.

Finish:
Treacle toffee and smoky black tea, sweetened by dark brown sugar. A long, sweet, rich and spicy finish.

About the Producer

Elements of Islay is a range of iconic, small-batch, independently bottled whiskies. The range celebrates the diversity of whiskies that make Islay special, with a focus on the medicinal, smoky, elemental character of the island's whiskies. To maintain their personality, they are not chill-filtered and no colouring is added, allowing us to present the best whiskies that Islay has to offer in an authentic yet contemporary style.

Single cask Islay whisky bottled to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Belgian independent bottler the Nectar. After initial maturation in American oak, this distinctive single malt was filled into dessert wine casks from Monbazillac. A great combination of sweet wine cask influence and coastal peatiness.

52.7% ABV

This is the 2011 vintage of Bruichladdich's Bere Barley single malt Scotch whisky, distilled using... Well, bere barley, of course. Bere is a heritage variety of barley that doesn't quite have the sizable yields as other varieties, and thus its popularity waned, but thanks to a resurrection mission by the Barony Mill and Orkney College, it's back in the game for whisky making! This whisky is made with bere barley from Orkney grown in 2010, and matured in first-fill American oak bourbon casks for 10 years before being bottled up at 50% ABV.

Nose: Orange and lime, with herby freshness bringing some savoury balance.

Palate: Toasted nuts, banana chips, milk chocolate, a splash of green apple acidity, sponge cake.

Finish: Hints of sea breeze stick around, with a touch of lemon.

The Finlaggan range features single malt Scotch whisky from an undisclosed Islay distillery, bottled by the Vintage Malt Whisky Company. The range has seen a few expansions in recent years - this early 2016 release has enjoyed a finishing period in port casks, resulting in yummy, wine-like sweetness blending with the smoky, coastal peat.

The Vintner's Trilogy from Bowmore showcases the impact of lengthy wine-cask-finishes on the terrific Islay single malt. The 26-year-old expression began its maturation in ex-bourbon barrels for 13 years, before being moved over to French oak barriques (that previously held wine) for the remaining 13 years.

Nose: Bonfires on the beach (with some grilled pineapple) leading into earthy smoke. Fruity coffee, too.

Palate: Chewy raisins and smoked oak, with a whiff of brandied cherry. A coastal tang develops.

Finish: Salted chocolate and quince jam.

The Bowmore 27 Year Old Port Cask of the Vintner?s Trilogy is meticulously double matured with a luxurious balance of sweet, spice, salt and peat smoke from the home to the world?s oldest Scotch maturation warehouse, the legendary No. 1 Vaults.

Double matured, first for 13 years in ex-bourbon barrels, then for 14 years in port pipes resulting in a deep mahogany and perfectly balanced liquid with notes of sweet, spice, salt and peat smoke.

Non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength to preserve the full flavour.

48.3% ABV l 700mL

The newest, oldest whisky to join the core range. This supreme expression proves unequivocally that age cannot tame Ardbeg's smoky power. But it can yield some of the most complex and majestic flavours ever to burst forth from Ardbeg Distillery.

Bottled from incredibly rare casks filled during some of the Distillery's darkest days, this is Ardbeg at its most intricate, balanced and beguiling.

Majestic aromas of smoked cream and earthy bonfires are masterfully interwoven with layers of pine and fragrant candle wax. Hot pepper rises on the palate, twisting around lemon sherbet sweetness, while hints of carbolic soap and tar flow into a long aftertaste characterised by delicate aniseed entwined with lingering cream and fudge.

Non chill-filtered with a strength of 46%

A wonderfully balanced expression from the core Caol Ila range, this 18 year old is malty and thick with notes of Caol Ila smoke and phenols, a lovely Islay single malt without extreme levels of peat.

Nose: Aromatic, darkness. Herbal, vegetal. Grassy, creamy malt.

Palate: Big, refined sweetness, leafy. Well integrated oak, smoke, oily, peat. Barley.

Finish: Long, herbal notes, gentle smoke, soft peat. Oily wood.

Named after the most spectacular beach on Islay, Machir Bay is the flagship of the Kilchoman range. Machir Bay is a unique and complex combination of ex-bourbon barrels and oloroso sherry butts. There is a predominantly ex-bourbon influence on this release which is indicated in the cask influence graph on the front of the carton.

source- Kilchoman

Like all Octomore .3 editions, the 13.3 is distilled from 100% Islay barley. The barley is grown  on Octomore farm, around two miles south of Bruichladdich Distillery. The name for the  Octomore range originated from this farm, and the .3?s are generally matured in a mixture of  ex-American and ex-European oak casks. 

Octomore 13.3 is matured in a combination of exAmerican whiskey and second fill ex-French oak casks. 13.3 distillery notes: Distilled in 2016 from the 2015 harvest of 100% Octomore Farm, Islay grown, Concerto barley Malted to 129.3 PPM Matured in a combination of first fill ex-American whiskey and second fill ex-French oak casks Matured entirely on Islay for five years Bottled at 61.1% Bottled unchill-filtered and colouring free at Bruichladdich Distillery Key tasting notes: vanilla and brown sugar counterbalanced with fresh green fruit notes.  Gentle and dry smoke building to a long finish with hints of creosote and sea spray

Laphroaig has fashioned this whisky using malt from a number of different types of cask, including Oloroso Sherry butts, white American oak, Pedro Ximenez seasoned hoggies, Quarter casks and first fill bourbon casks. 

This does sport the hallmark medicinal Laphroaig qualities we all love so much but it's not packing a massive peat punch and so is a great entry whisky to the joys of Islay for someone just starting the Islay journey.

THIS ITEM WILL SHIP FROM OUR HAMILTON WAREHOUSE.

In just a fraction of a second, this bottling takes us to Laphroaig to breathe in the particularly invigorating salty sea air. Next, acting as a link between the peat and the other ingredients of the aroma and flavour palette, incredibly smooth dark chocolate brings us irresistibly towards the malting floors filled with the utterly divine fragrances of germinating barley.

Nose: clean, complex. On the first nose, traces of rubber, intense smoke and gentian root dig furrows into an anthracite-coloured peat. Allowed to breathe, this peat becomes more oily and medicinal (band-aid, merbromin), salty and even hot (cayenne). Gradually, the gamy character takes over (smoked fish and bacon). At the same time, the aromatic palette is undeniably jaunty, spring-like and bright.

Palate: powerful, lively. On the attack, blocks of chocolatey peat roll across the palate. Immediately after, iodine tincture and mustard seed bring lots of vitality. The mid-palate is a subtle mixture of herbaceous (hay, malted barley), fruity (pear, Golden Delicious) and vanilla sequences. At the end of the palate, a subtle liqueur of acacia honey and roasted pineapple unctuously floods the entire palette of flavours.

Finish: long, generous. In archetypal Laphroaig style, the start of the finish is peaty/chocolatey, fruity, iodine and phenolic (hydrocarbon, sleet). Rooted in its terroir (gentian, ginger), in a mineral-rich soil. A handful of dried fruits (almond, walnut) and citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit) dominate the very dynamic end of the palate. On the retro-nasal olfaction, coconut milk, ash and aromatic plants (sage, verbena) stand out for their intensity. The empty glass is vegetal (Havana cigar) and chocolatey.

Bowmore Legend is matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels, enhancing the fruitiness, mellow peat, maritime saltiness and honey of Bowmore, while adding an extra layer of deliciously sweet vanilla and gentle spice. A fine introduction to this legendary Islay distillery.

Ardbeg Grooves was released in celebration of Ardbeg Day 2018, and as ever, the Islay-based distillers have created a most intriguing expression. Part of the whisky that makes up Grooves was matured in red wine casks that were very well-charred, resulting in heavy grooves in the surface of the wood. A mellow though flavoursome dram.

Nose: A thick, spiced aroma of iodine, seaweed and golden syrup leads among a herbal note of lavender. An earthy funk from damp bonfire wood, old oak and dried grass is complemented by lighter touches of butterscotch, stone fruits and a little marzipan icing.

Palate: Vanilla fudge, toffee popcorn and tarred orchard fruits rise through a big, salty opening. Savoury BBQ notes of cured Italian meats are percolated by paprika, green chilli and scorched herbs. Antique leather and damp oak form an interesting backdrop.

Finish: Seaside bonfire and smoked salts percolate through a mellow sweetness.