The Ileach Peated Islay Malt ~ 40% (Highland and Islands Whisky Company)

• Single malt scotch whisky
• 40% ABV, £27.50
• Score: 81/100

What they say:

The Ileach Peated Islay Malt is from an undisclosed distillery and bottled by the Highland and Island Whisky Company

For centuries the stormy waters of the Atlantic Ocean has not only shaped the character of the people of Islay but also the character of the world famous Malt Whiskies.

In many ways this fine malt mirrors the character of Islay people- strong yet gentle, warm yet mellow, but with a maturity beyond its years.

Robustly peaty, with an unmistakable breath of the seashore, the Ileach is a true ’man from Islay’.

What I say:

The final dram at the WOLS tasting 14/9 Royal Mile Whiskies. This is an unnamed, no age statement Islay single malt, believed to be reasonably young and though by some to be from Lagavulin distillery – at least that is a similar conclusion to what we reached when we tasted the Cask Strength version last year Water of Life Society (WoLS) meeting 06/02/2014 – Committee’s Choice

Colour:

Light Amber gold

Nose:

Peaty, peat smoke, cereal barley malt, salty sea spray, vanilla

Taste:

Smokey peat, medicinal germolene, fresh citric, fruity and a touch of sweet honey, cereal barley malt, vanilla, coconut, fiery pepper spices throughout

Finish:

Long, a little thin, spicy peat smoke

Overall:

A pleasant Islay single malt from an undisclosed distillery, during sampling most of the discussion surrounded how stable this bottling is in terms of its source, with some suspecting that while in the past it may have been Lagavulin, there was a good chance this has shifted to Caol Ila.