Islay Whisky

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 Vintage_Y2K 23 Years Old is the first in a series of highly collectible limited releases. Each Y2K vintage will be a one-off whisky creation, with a different age, maturation cask and ABV. The unique characteristic of each vintage will be revealed with each release, alongside a new, never-before-shared ?secret? about Ardbeg from the year 2000.

A COMBINATION OF OLD AND NEW
With the renovation of the Ardbeg Distillery underway, the whisky creation team used their magic on this serendipitous rare stock. Combining old and new, it merges modern, innovative whisky techniques, while still using the old Ardbeg stills.

A TASTE OF THE FUTURE
Distilled during a time of revival and regeneration for Ardbeg, Vintage_Y Y2K 23 Years Old perfectly encapsulates the optimism and excitement surrounding Ardbeg in that momentous year.

This rare millennium spirit is characterised by bright, zesty notes, intensely sweet and sooty flavours and a vibrant effervescence.

COLOUR Pale amber

AROMA - Herbal and sweet, with a subtle perfumed smokiness. A zesty note
like lemon balsam emerges, with a hint of linseed oil and candied walnuts. With water the fragrance intensifies, emitting heather honey, a touch of creosote and a tiny trace of tent canvas.

TASTE - The texture is fizzy ( with a vibrant effervescence on the tongue. At first the flavour is intensely sweet, then shifts as aniseed, toffee, digestive biscuits, peppermint, menthol, tar and coffee grits burst through.

FINISH
The sooty flavours keep building, until they finally dissolve into
a long, lingering aftertaste of antiseptic lozenges, bitter oranges
and oak tanninstannins.

Douglas Laing's Big Peat is a feisty Islay character with a sweet side. This is a small batch bottling, without colouring or chill-filtration and only contains Islay Malt Whiskies, including Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore and (even the elusive) Port Ellen, to name but a few! 

One per person please.

The Red Snake range by renowned indy bottler Blackadder is bottled next to their Black Snake range. This particular Blackadder Red Snake 20PPM Raw Cask is very peaty, with 22ppm. It comes out of a first-fill ex-bourbon hogshead that was lovingly named ?Redneck 107?. It had a turnout of 192 bottles. It was not filtered, hence the Raw Cask statement on the Blackadder label. Expect a lot of lovely floatiness in this Blackadder Red Snake 20PPM Raw Cask! There are yellow fruits on the nose, but also ginger and walnuts and of course those lovely peaty campfire notes. Peatiness does not overrule the laste. You can expect a good balance of spices and yellow fruits.

One per person please.

This Raw Cask comes from hogshead Redneck 108 and was bottled in July 2021 at natural cask strength of 57.4% ABV, non chill filtered and with no added colour, as a limited single cask release of 208 bottles. It is from un undisclosed distillery.

Nose: sweet with fruit salad, milk chocolate, freshly baked bread, warm oak and some traces of truffle

Palate: first sweet with Christmas spices followed by more oaky aromas

Finish: round and pretty sweet

One per person please.

HEAVILY PEATED RAW CASK RED SNAKE -RED NECK #126, ONLY 213 BOTTLES WORLDWIDE

Peated Red Snake, Red Neck #126, derives its unique taste from its first-fill ex-bourbon raw cask. There are only 213 bottles available worldwide.

This Red Snake peated single malt whisky comes from one single cask, numbered 126. This unique cask number can be found on the front label of each bottle. The cask has been tested and quality controlled in our warehouse in order to find just the right time for bottling.

Red Snake #126 is a Raw Cask bottling and therefore retains all of the oils, fats and sediments of its unique cask. Red Snake is the sister to Black Snake whisky. As with its older brother, Red Snake only comes from top-class, first-fill ex-Bourbon casks. However, unlike its brother, each Red Snake comes from just one single cask.

Originally released for the Travel Retail market, this 10 year old Bowmore single malt is a marriage of Spanish oak Sherry casks and hogsheads, resulting in a fine balance between classic coastal Islay smoke and Sherried sweetness.

Nose: Salted pretzels, fruitcake and a pinch of cinnamon.

Palate: Flamed orange peel, sea salt, Cadbury Bournville.

Finish: Spiced rum warmth, with layers of toasted malt.

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.?

A quarter-bottle each of the Bowmore 12yo, 15yo Darkest and 18yo. Not just a great starter set, but also the perfect gift for anyone looking to explore the charms of Islay's oldest surviving distillery. 42%

Please note that this product ships from our Hamilton warehouse and will take 2-3 days for delivery and for click and collection. 

Aged in first-fill bourbon casks and hogsheads, this dram is about the interplay of vanilla and toffee with generous Islay peat. Citrus undertones swell around a smoked kipper or two leading to a smokey finish.

This 15-year-old single malt, spends its final three years in oloroso sherry casks (prior to 12 in bourbon) and is elegantly balanced between the sherry influence and the distillery's fruit and peat characteristics. Breathe in delicious dark chocolate, sun-dried fruits and a tell-tale wisp of Islay smoke. On the palate sip wonderful cedar wood and a rich treacle toffee and savour the robust and complex finish with a hint of sherry tannin.

A 25 year old from the Bowmore distillery aged in American bourbon and Spanish sherry casks. The sherry influence combines wonderfully with the coastal, smoky distillery style to create a sublime aged single malt.

Nose: Dark fruits and coastal smokiness. Slightly herbal.

Palate: Characteristic peat smoke, cocoa and dry, creamy nuttiness.

Finish: Gentle smoke, oak, mocha, hints of prunes.

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