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Winner of 1 award
C.S. James and Sons Ltd.
An Islay single malt from a secret distillery, Islay Storm has loads of peaty character.
Winner of 1 award
I love young Islay malts but this isn't good. Better of spending an extra $10-15 and get yourself a Quarter Cask.
First of all, I like smokey scotches, more than anyone I know personally. My first sip and impression, without any ice or drops of water, was like drinking intense, concentrated liquid smoke. Smokey, peaty nose, flat palate, and a long smokey, almost burnt finish. I couldn't tell if it was smooth or not, since all I had was smoke in my throat, but at least it wasn't a cheap, burning sensation. I sort of had a physical reaction of surprise, verging on coughing due to the intensity. After a few minutes, a second sip proved that I had acclimated a bit to the intensity, but the scotch was still not very complex, although I could start to pick out the peat notes from the smoke. Adding one ice cube and letting it sit for a few minutes helps make it palatable, if only to have not wasted my money and actually drink it. You may also like it (or dislike it less) mixed with 2/3 ginger ale, 1/3 Islay Storm. This may be your cup of tea if you like the sound of that description and like smoke more than I do, but it wasn't for me. If nothing else, this scotch proves that I prefer more of a smokey finish, rather than smoke on the whole ride down, such as Johnnie Walker Double Black. Then again, it was only $20 for this bottle at Trader Joe's.
I like the smokey rawness of this whiskey
I get more wood ash smoke than peat smoke. Its quite young and lacks much complexity. There are better options out there if you want a peated malt in this price bracket.
For those who do not know, Islay scotch should taste like smoke, some even say rubber or diesel exhaust. This is a characteristic of Islay and this scotch does it wonderfully. It is a fantastic strong Islay, not the best as a first Islay, leave that to something a little older. This scotch hits hard with smoke which fades to a wonderful peat flavor that lingers with a hint of ocean air. It has a healthy heat and spice as it is most likely a younger scotch. This scotch is not for one used to blended whiskey, leave this one for the adventurous.
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