The Reference Series grows a little larger with the release of II.2, which takes the exact recipe of II (a balanced blended malt of youthful and well-aged whiskies) and then introduces 10% heavily peated Islay single malt. The reasoning behind this is that you can compare II.2 to the 'control' whisky, Reference Series II, and see for yourself how this peated influence impacts on your experience in the glass.
This is the very crux of the Reference Series - it gives insight into how changes in composition or techniques used can affect a whisky's flavour profile by allowing you to always refer back to the unchanged 'control' expressions. Neat, eh?
Juicy and honeyed with a hint of blue cheese that develops as both the meatiness from II and more elemental coastal notes including harbour ropes and seaweed. Well rounded with an almond cake note too.
Quite meaty again but with less overt Sherry influence than II. Dried apricots and mixed nuts are far more prominent than cherries and chocolate, but they are still there.
Slightly smoky, nutty oak goes on and on with just a hint of cherry ice cream.
Blenders always tell us that a little peat goes a long way and the 10% of peated Islay whisky included in II.2 has a huge influence. It is still very much part of the Reference Series II family, however.
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So I’ve bought a sample of this. Let it breathe etc. It is brilliant don’t get me wrong. If it was 45 quid a bottle it would be great value for money. It’s too salty and that sort of salty that is young whisky, almost tinny… on the other hand it’s got a glendronach 15 type of feel of old books and leather. I feel like it’s not been blended properly- some young peat mixed with 15 year old bourbon and Sherry whisky… leaving with a whisky that tastes like two separate malts. Which would be fine at 45 quid not 100…
This is a hugely smoky whisky - I'm totally at a loss as to how so much peat has come from the addition of just 50ml of the liquid to the bottle. Madness.
