Islay Whisky

This expression was matured in ex-bourbon barrels before transferring it over to casks which previous held Ruby Port. The combination of Laphroaig's classic coastal peaty gorgeousness with the elegance of the Ruby Port finish make Brodir a very handsome dram indeed.

First released for the Travel Retail market, Laphroaig Four Oak features a marriage of whisky matured in a quartet of casks, namely ex-bourbon barrels, quarter casks, virgin American oak barrels and European oak hogsheads.

Created by Distillery Manager John Campbell, Laphroaig Lore is said to be the richest ever Laphroaig! Named after the skills passed down over the generations, this permanent addition to the range is matured in a combination of casks including first fill Sherry butts and quarter casks and is said to contain some of their "most precious stock".

Nose: Rich and smoky with seaside minerals with a hint of ash and bitter chocolate drops. Vanilla follows with oily unroasted chestnuts and a hint of fudge with a malty sweetness. A drop of water adds a creamy clotted cream note with fruit appearing in the form of unripe citrus in a flan glaze.
Palate: Richly peaty with a spicy chilli bite.
Finish: Short dry finish and a long sweet aftertaste.

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

This whisky is all about big wood and big peat thanks to triple maturation in ex-Bourbon barrels, quarter casks and finally European oak Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. There's vanilla from the bourbon casks and big robust dark fruit flavours from the PX which all balance the distillery's big, phenolic peat style nicely.

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.

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 is the third release in Laphroaig's The Ian Hunter Story; a 33 year old Islay single malt, which enjoyed its lengthy maturation in ex-bourbon casks. The series honours and celebrates the impact that Ian Hunter, the last member of the Johnston family to own and manage Laphroaig, had on the distillery. It comes in a beautiful presentation and the whisky fits into the pages of the book.

Subtitled 'Source Protector', this 33 year old ex-bourbon cask whisky comes with the story of how Ian protected the water source and peat fields of Laphroaig.

Nose: the signature Laphroaig peat is certainly there, but it’s rounded by age. Seawater, elegant charcoal ashes, hints of lemon candy and bright peaches. Maybe some pineapple. Sweet almonds and whiffs of vanilla pastry. Menthol and embrocations, evolving to floral honey. A little polished wood, old leather and sheepwool as well. Quite excellent.

Mouth: somehow there’s a rather weak onset, staying silent for a while. After that it shows lots of beautiful fruity notes. Mango, pineapple and creamy papaya. However these are held back a little by a wave of oak, which also brings along peppery notes and ginger. It struggles to show its feathers. Subtle iodine and wax towards the end.

Finish: good length, slightly drying, with mint, cold ashes, hints of white pepper and tobacco leaves.

Macleods 8 yo Islay Single Malt 40% Score 7.68 at our Dram For Your Buck tasting May 2011:;Islay nose burning leaves, cheese, rubber smoke, bacon, charcoal, creosote, horse hair, marmite sandwhiches, big, rich, caulking, glue, airoplane luggage, old books. Palate like the nose but with fish, dry tar, smoke, diluted octomore ash, astringent but smooth, match head, sea saws. Sweet finish, dry perfume, vinyl record, bitter, charred, smoke, BBQ snarler, medical tannins, seaweed crackers, mediumish length.;RWS/DMM

The flavour of Islay untamed

No more than 60 casks will make up each batch. Each cask is selected for the notes it will bring to the whisky. Each batch will have a unique code and shows the cask breakdown which enables the recipient, each year, to contrast, compare and explore the different notes that the wood and blending brings to this Islay Scotch Whisky. #01-2023 uses the cask selection to create layers of sweetness, zest intertwined with the classic smoke of Islay.

TASTING NOTES

Bursts of zesty citrus and black pepper, evolving to toasted bread, marmalade, and smoke. On the palate, it’s fresh with salt, lime, and spices, while the finish lingers with spice, smoke, and toffee-like richness.

NON CHILL–FILTERED | NO ADDED COLOURING

Gentle, Floral and Untainted

Annual Release of an Aged Limited Edition.

In 2023 Port Askaig releases a 17 year old matured in traditional American oak casks, chosen for its quality and age, blended and bottled at 50.5% to capture the best taste experience. Approximately 9000 bottles will be available each year. Aged Islay whiskies are sought after for their taste, maturity, and limited nature.

TASTING NOTES

The nose offers a charcuterie board with melon, ham, and grapes, intertwined with bonfire smoke and citrus zest. On the palate, dense smoke and minerality unite raspberry leaf and chocolate, culminating in red fruits and a hint of medicinal smoke with a herbaceous finish.

NON CHILL–FILTERED | NO ADDED COLOURING

As the very limited mature stocks of whisky on Islay dwindle, we see fewer and fewer expressions of old whisky from the Island, which makes this 28 year old from Port Askaig that more special. Filled from a small number of refill ex-bourbon casks, the smoke and peat flavours are tamed and mellowed by time. It is both sweet with soft white fruit like lychee, and nutty with almond flakes. The peat offers a gentle medicinal smokiness, and on the palate there is an abundance of mouth-filling oils, carrying smoky, salty cured meats and contrasting citrus peel. A lengthy dry sweet & smoky finish carries a herbal tone and the unmistakable character of the Isle of Islay.

Where land meets Sea

This intriguing, gentle but definitively Islay whisky was created by the skilful blending of Single Malt Whisky that was been matured in a selection of Bourbon barrels, Toasted American Oak barrels, Sherry butts, refill Hogsheads and American Oak casks.

TASTING NOTES

Charcoal smoke, lemon oil and pine contrast with a rich palate of heather honey, grilled grapefruit, and sweet ginger snaps. Dark chocolate soften into melon and prosciutto with a warmth of chilli spice.

NON CHILL?FILTERED | NO ADDED COLOURING

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%

Staoisha is a heavily peated expression from Bunnahabhain distillery on the Isle of Islay. This one is a vatting of four seven year old dechar/rechar hogsheads and shows nice rich colour.