Scotland
Douglas Laing's Rock Island bottles the epitome of the Scottish Islands. The blend marries a plethora of Island whiskies, with malts from Islay, Arran, Orkney and Jura. The whisky has been bottled at a rather specific 46.8% ABV, and of course without colouring or chillfiltration. If you think this sounds all a bit familiar, the blended malt was previously dubbed 'Rock Oyster', though the name was changed because it turns out there's an awful lot of people who don't like oysters. Not to worry, it's the exact same great maritime whisky!
Wind-swept beaches, coastal peat and a hint of ash, complimented by touches of green fruit.
Yet more sea breeze, with oat cake crumbs, growing spicy notes of cracked black pepper and a deft whiff of peat smoke. Hints of vanilla here and there.
Salinity lasts on the finish along with peppery warmth.
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Had this as a first on vacation. We were in a bar in Rome that served a lot of beautiful whiskies. That night I bought 3 glasses and this was the only dram I tasted. Incredibly tasty.
Each mouthful is quite a journey. With a few drops of water I was tasting the salt spray in the air, a touch of smoke, layered with leather, anise, dark chocolate and a bit of a spice bite. Reminiscent of Ardbeg Corryvreckan only without the smoke. One dram isn't enough.
In the immortal words of George Takei, "Oh my." This is a lovely dram, not for everyone, mind you, but it so represents the islands and lives up to its billing. I want some of it in a flask with some sipping cups to warm me after a long hike to the shore at Hermeness on Unst, Shetland, with some plain crackers and a bold hard cheddar. Sea breeze and tart apple on the nose, a complex palate definitively going from spicy to smoky, and a long smooth finish like a wave retreating as the smoke and spice fade to leave that taste of the sea air. This may displace Famous Grouse, with its own healthy dose of an island expression in Highland Park, as my favorite blend.
The theme of this bottle is coastal Scotland, and it delivers that with quite a punch. This is value-priced, young and vigorous spirit, blended with a deft touch. It never wavers as the minutes-long finish slowly slowly fades. Saline, pear, fruit, smoke, vanilla. Delicious, engaging, not boring.
You get the peat, the sea salt, the peppery finish and lots of freshness. For the price 37 Eur/bottle you will not find many whisky's with this kind of complexity. The finish is not long, but the taste with a hint of water, makes the taste worth al the money. You can compare this to Ledaig 10 and Ardbeg 10
