Whisky Search Results

	Cask no. 53.140 - $258
	Swelling, crashing waves of flavour	$258.00

The teasing side of the nose had light perfume fragrances, candied angelica in ice-cream and lemon and lime; the other side had coal tar soap, Germolene, smoke and sea-water. Swelling, crashing waves of flavour pounded the palate – smoke, tar, liquorice allsorts, popcorn husks and Fisherman’s Friends; also some lemon, mint and hay, with a sweetish finish (sugar-coated fennel seeds). The reduced nose had even more citric sharpness, joined by shampoo, shoe polish and astringent bark aromas. The reduced palate had leather, dry grass and liquorice-flavoured jelly beans with endless whorls of sweet light smoke. From the biggest distillery on Islay.

Local Panel Comments:

Another classic from one of our favourite distilleries, only this time there is less of the usual malty sweetness, and instead there is some nice oak in the picture instead.

Age	% Alc	Allocation
18	55.9	$258

	Cask no. 53.137 - $247
	NEW! Pepper and chipotle lava flow	$247.00

What imaginations we had! The nose inspired “flat-pack furniture,” “Sobranie cigarettes in a tin,” “white cotton in a wooden drawer,” and more besides, from distant smoke to crème brûlée and prawn cocktail crisps. The unreduced palate was eye-watering; schnapps, pineapple and orange pirouetting in the wake of a white pepper and smoked chipotle chilli lava-flow. The reduced nose still had us firing into different pockets; waxed canvas, a goatskin drum, a toaster tray, vanilla ice-cream, sherbet, chocolate truffles – astonishing in its complexity. The palate now had lavender, salt, lemon – and immense presence. From the distillery by the ‘Sound of Islay’.

Local Panel Comments:

Many members tell us that SMWS bottlings from this distillery always seem to deliver distinctive characteristics that are lacking in the OB bottlings. This is another great example, and fans of previous bottlings from No. 53 will adore this. It's no

Age	% Alc	Allocation
17	56.2	$247

	Cask no. 3.155 - $283
	Speed bonnie boat	$283.00

We collectively constructed an aromatic landscape – on the machair, a boat-house, wicker baskets, a blanket, a peat fire – smoked mackerel, smoked almonds, perfumed red apples and pears – a beach banquet! The palate was sweet and juicy, with plentiful tar, charred stir-fry, aromatic duck – violet perfumed soap; “excellent balance” and “quite delectable”. The reduced nose freshened and softened – more perfumed – lemon and lime sharpness against barbeque chilli crisps. The reduced palate had honey fondant sweetness, with sea-spray and citric, floral perfume – we imagined a rowing boat leaving the machair at dusk – “Speed bonnie boat…” The distillery is the oldest on Islay.

Local Panel Comments:

The peat is refined and sophisticated, and the oak plays a strong hand yet without ever dominating. A must for fans of this distillery, and also for anyone wanting to try an Islay malt with a few more years under its belt.

Age	% Alc	Allocation
21	49.1	$283

	Cask no. 23.66 - $248
	NEW! First of the day	$248.00

A dry nose overall – salty beaches, coarse dune-grass, bleached stones – and even the fruity notes are dry – under-ripe pineapple, and hard melon, with a trace of virgin olive oil. The last comes through in the finish, when tasted straight, after a sweet and slightly salty start, but the overall flavour remains dry. Water introduces breakfast cereals – fruit n’fibre muesli, hazelnuts, Shreddies – and this sweet, nutty, cereal theme continues in the taste, although now much more creamy: “Milka with hazelnuts”, nougat, perhaps dried raspberries. A typical example of the make from Islay’s proudly independent distillery, whose cheeky motto is ‘The Dogs Bollocks’, in Gaelic

Local Panel Comments:

This is a tremendously complex dram that keeps you entertained and attentive with each twist and turn. Above all else, it is immensely satisfying and fulfilling. Hard to pigeonhole, so just enjoy it!

Age	% Alc	Allocation
17	53.5	$248

	Cask no. 23.64 - Last one!
	Potent and assertive	$166.00

We thought the nose very unusual, with lots going on; charred apricot, delicately cured ham, machair (cotton grass, flowers, salty, fresh), oaky white wine, honey, barley sugar – seemingly endless. The palate, a highly potent kick in the diaphragm, drew expletives. Flavours included cayenne, gooseberries, green apple, butterscotch, Tabasco; “like biting an orchard bench” or “licking a sword”. Spectacularly drawing in the mouth, water hardly tamed it at all. The nose still reverberated across the spectrum from juicy fruits to oil and steel; the palate remained hugely assertive – lemon, sherbet, seaweed, Fisherman’s Friends and ginger beer. From the oldest Rhinns distillery.

Local Panel Comments:

Despite the very high alcohol, there is no heat or aggression to this, and it's wonderfully smooth and sweet. It's fragrant, sweet, and scored much higher than these notes might lead you to think! A great quaffing malt.

Age	% Alc	Allocation
7	62.8	Last one!

	Cask no. 33.87 - Sold Out
	NEW! Mossy mohito	$181.00

The nose was balanced, multi-layered and full of flavour collisions: soot with fresh peach and elderflower; damp moss, grilled trout and lemon; pine needles, patchouli and ash. The neat palate fused sweetness and smoke – fresh tobacco leaves, hot spices and soot; earthy and perfumed smoke. Addition of water revealed more sweetness with juicy peaches and zesty limes. Then, the contrasts of birch tar, plasticene and clean ash appeared to provide smoky depth and intensity. The reduced palate became juicy, salty and herbal – Kendal mint chocolate with mossy lime mohito, and coal dust lingering in the background. From the ‘little head-land’ distillery, near Kildalton.

Local Panel Comments:

A delicious combination of malt and smoke, making this a multi-dimensional experience instead of just a garden-variety Islay.

Age	% Alc	Allocation
10	57.6	Sold Out

	Cask no. 29.88 - Waitlist
	NEW! What a magnificent and handsome nose!	$178.00

First impressions were smoky barbecued pork, hot shellfish, beach-dried seaweed, expensive balsamic vinegar and rock pools on a hot summer’s day. To taste we found salty char, caramelised sweet-cured bacon and lots more smoke; one Panellist was licking hot stones and charcoal. With the addition of water we found empty lobster pots, lemon wedges and boiled ham, lobster thermidor hot and bubbling from the grill, Jammy Dodgers, old-fashioned cloth bandages and caramel. Creamy Cullin Skink, clam chowder and salty fudge greeted us on the taste as barbecued cod & king prawns mingled with more smoke. You can become a Friend of this distillery.

Local Panel Comments: TOP SCORING DRAM

The aggregate scores for this whisky make it the fourth-highest scoring dram since our current panel format started in late 2005. An exceptional malt for something so relatively young. This won't last long, so get in fast.

Age	% Alc	Allocation
9	60.9	Waitlist

	Cask no. 127.2 - Sold Out
	NEW! On the beach	$175.00

Are we in a barber’s shop or at the dentist? Mouthwash is first apparent, then bath salts followed by that clean Bay Rum and shampoo barber’s shop scent. No smoke… until you taste it. Intensely and surprisingly sweet to start, then very salty, then Boom: big smoke, and a long smoky aftertaste. Bold and intense, but drinks well at full strength. With water the smoke becomes more billowy to start with, with burnt marshmallows, then warm wood washed with faded creosote and smells from the sea. The taste remains big and sweet, with masses of smoke; refreshing overall; mouth-cooling, but warming in its effect. There are plans to revive this distillery; currently it is made at Bruichladdich.

Local Panel Comments:

A dram of two halves…the nose offers a gentle and teasing peat; the palate is a big thump of Islay goodness! Notwithstanding the above, this dram unravels and reveals itself slowly, so give it time to let it shine and impress you.

Age	% Alc	Allocation
8	66.3	Sold Out

	Cask no. 33.81 - Sold out
	Vanilla slice in a medicine chest	$183.00

The nose had plenty to discover – we found peat smoke, log-piles, barbequed lamb, vanilla, ripe bananas and a medicine chest (including coal-tar shampoo). It tasted sweet (vanilla custard slice) – until swallowed; then came an explosion of smoke, tar and menthol cigarettes, with charred meat and tarry ropes in the finish. The reduced nose had toasted vanilla pod, barley sugar and herbal elements, reminiscent of mint and Vic rub. On the reduced palate, we thought the oaky, vanilla sweetness stood up reasonably well to the powerful impact of the medicinal character and the smoke. From the ‘little head-land’ distillery, near Kildalton.

Local Panel Comments:

A joy to sip. It offers a degree of refinement, smoothness, and sophistication that not many other bottlings can claim.

Age	% Alc	Allocation
10	56.7	Sold out