Tasting Notes
An immediately robust and distillate-forward example of this Islay make, one which gives the lie to the idea that it is a 'gentle' malt. The nose was brimming with wet gravel, plaster and fat slabs of halloumi grilling on a barbecue. We gathered impressions of mechanics' overalls, tug boats, cheese curds and a farmyard, plus burning heather and old wooden malt bins. Reduction brought out wet grains and buttered toast, dried nettles, lemon thyme, cuttlefish and scallop ceviche with tangy citrus juices. The palate was wonderfully oily and satisfyingly rich, delivering big notes of hessian, freshly kilned malt, hay bales and kippers with barbecue sauce, with a lovely saline and mineral character. Adding water teased out more playful notes: lemon bonbons, hazelnut oil, lapsang souchong tea leaf, waxed jackets and horse saddles, yet it remained superbly oily and fat in the long and coastal finish.