When it comes to whisky, some people want mystery and intrigue. Others prefer to know where they stand. To drink whisky that does exactly what it says on the bottle.
Whisky Bombs creates single malts for the latter camp. A pair of Scotch whiskies that don’t muck about. Each one champions a single, bold flavour profile and runs with it. No riddles, no romanticised blather. Just sherry or peat, delivered with precision and plenty of punch.
What you’d prefer out of Sherry Bomb 8 Year Old vs Peat Bomb 8 Year Old is something you can probably answer right now. Which is kind of the point, right? But as these two drams have gone rather under the radar, let’s dig into each a little deeper.
Sherry Bomb 8 Year Old
Sherry Bomb 8 Year Old
Style: Speyside single malt.
Main character: All-out sherry goodness.
Flavour: Sherry Bomb by name… This one explodes with dried fruit, sticky dates, cinnamon sticks, and a generous helping of milk chocolate. Matured for eight years in sherry casks, it leans hard into those classic winter-warmer notes. Which makes it nutty, spicy, and sweet with a rich, round body.
The ideal drinker: Fans of GlenDronach or Aberlour, but looking for something less ‘highland grandeur’ and more ‘sherry me timbers’. Doesn’t that work? Does it scan? You get where I’m going.
Drink it when: You’ve skipped pudding but still want something that tastes like a boozy Terry’s Chocolate Orange just drop-kicked you into Christmas.
Peat Bomb 8 Year Old
Peat Bomb 8 Year Old
Style: Islay single malt.
Main character: Smoke – lots of it.
Flavour: If the Sherry Bomb is all festive cheer, the Peat Bomb is a windswept beach bonfire at midnight. This smoky beast hails from Islay – but the distillery remains a mystery, like many a good indie bottling. The emphasis here is on big, earthy smoke. It’s medicinal in places, meaty in others, with plenty of sea spray, charred oak, and a slow-building chilli heat.
The ideal drinker: Devotees of Lagavulin, Laphroaig, or Ardbeg who want their smoke untamed.
Drink it when: You’ve had a day of life admin and want to taste something that fights back.
Which one do you prefer?
The Verdict
They’re both 8-year-old single malts. They aren’t shy drams. They march across your palate with heavy boots, trailing ash and iodine or Christmas cake behind. Yet, for all their brute force, there’s structure here too. The sort of balance that comes with proper cask time.
This isn’t a battle of better or worse – it’s a matter of taste. Do you want smoky chaos or sherried comfort? Bonfire or Bake Off? It’s a flavour fork in the road. One path leads to dark peat, sea spray, and firewood. The other to dried fruit, melted chocolate, and festive spice. Follow your cravings, not the crowd.
But as someone who has had both, I can give a preference. For me, it’s Peat Bomb.
I’ve always found great value in young Islay whisky. There’s plenty out there that delivers rich peat reek, brine, and unapologetic smoke – but also a surprising streak of elegance. Think tropical fruit, brown sugar, caramelised nuts… all wrapped up in a dram that still kicks like a mule in steel-toe boots. That’s what this is.
Have you tried either of these whiskies? Which do you prefer?
