Single Malt
Scotland
Highlands and Islands Whisky Company
Yes
A great Islay single malt from an unnamed distillery. The Ileach always scores well with the critics, this cask strength edition was awarded a mindblowingly high 97 points by Jim Murray in his 2010 Whisky Bible.
As everyone knows, opinions are like Assholes and everyone has one. If you like smoke and peat, you will find it here. If you wish to compare this to Laphroig or Lagavulin then set up your own side by side to come to your own conclusions. But by all means do not be persuaded by others opinions and do not be dissuaded from trying Ileach Cask Strength. It’s your palate and nose, not theirs.
The most pungent Islay Malt I have tried! Robust with lots of peat smoke, wet leather, seaweed and burned toffee. A long sweet smoky finish. Maybe not the most complex whisky, but definitely most bang for your buck.
I have to agree with the last review, initially seems interesting. Now barely a quarter into the bottle I cant drink the stuff - its that bad. Lagavulin I dont think so, Caol Isla maybe? who cares, certainly not Ardbeg or Laphroiag - raw islay alcohol barely 6 years old, untamed by any decent casks. Struck matches sulphur and overwhelming Grappa. Water calms the spirit, but somehow makes the sulphur stronger. Nope - I just dont understand the other positive ratings. If you are tempted to buy, get a sample first.
Bloody awful. Apparently Lagavulin under 6 years old - and quite frankly they should have left it in the casks. Is strongly caramelised to give a tango colour, to the extent you can taste the bitter caramel which overwhelms everything else. God knows how much they paid Jim Murray to rate it as half decent - which it is not by any measure. Someone is cashing in on the public's ignorance. And if you think this sounds bad - try the standard strength Ileach, I didnt bother finishing the tasting glass, basically its new make spirit. For my money: pay the extra for Lagavulin 16.
I can't understand the positive response to this whisky, looking at the date of the last review makes me wonder if I have a newer 2018 bottling of this whisky? Anyway did buy this knowing how much it can vary, and it didn't pay off. On pulling the cork and taking a good nose of the cork then the (coloured) liquid itself I had immense hopes, everything an Islay whisky fan was in the aroma, except that inexplicable age. How a nose knows I don't know?, but it was missing the warmth and width of the corner of an old pub where the owd fella insisted on smoking his pipe as his dog dried out by his feet. I guess I mean real character, the first hit of smokey peat passes into a new cheap chardonnay with an ultimate high alcohol fresh spirit finish. I tried a first glass and noticed the lack of oil sliding down the glass after swirling - bad signal. A sip of the whisky offered a very glancing and teasingly short blow of Islay, but more like passing over on the new airbus than driving, walking and feeling the island. The alcoholic aftertaste held no respite in the form of spice sweet or sour. Mixing with water.. Lots of water made a small difference. Shan't bother again. I had a bottle of Jura superstition on the go, so, though not a star itself, I swapped islands for the while.
