Elements of Islay Sherry Cask Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 54.5%

Peat smoke and oloroso are not an obvious pair. One wants to fill your mouth with ash and salt, the other with dried fruit and syrup. Elixir Distillers put them in the same bottle and let them work it out.

The expert description

Elements of Islay Sherry Cask is an Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky matured in 1st fill and refill sherry butts and hogsheads and bottled at 54.5%.

The range divides Islay by cask type, and this is the dark end. Where Bourbon Cask leaves the smoke standing free with vanilla underneath, the sherry wood here lays down a layer of figs, dates and dark chocolate that the smoke then has to climb through. The result carries more weight and more spice than anything else in the range.

The malt comes from several Islay distilleries and which ones is not disclosed. The 54.5% is chosen to hold both the smoke and the sherry together, and the whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting notes

Nose

Tobacco lingering in an emptied sandalwood cigar box, smoked fish, and above it lemon oil, fresh ginger root and a hint of menthol.

Palate

Smoky, phenolic and slightly medicinal. Figs and dates arrive first as the smoke builds, with honey, orange marmalade and citrus underneath as counterweight. Further in: dark chocolate around candied orange, crystallised stem ginger and muscovado syrup over a sticky ginger cake.

Finish

Long, with a gentle smoke that lingers alongside dried autumn fruit.

Specifications

Name: Elements of Islay Sherry Cask
Distillery: Elixir Distillers
Region/Country: Islay Scotland
Type: Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 54.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill and refill sherry butts and hogsheads
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: Elements of Islay
EAN no.: 5060880920459

Flavour profile

Smoky · Sherry matured · Spiced · Maritime · Cask Strength

Did you know?

A sherry butt holds around 500 litres, making it nearly twice the size of a hogshead. The larger the cask, the less wood each litre of whisky meets, which is why a butt can mature for longer before the whisky turns dry and the oak takes over.

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Frequently asked questions about Elements of Islay Sherry Cask

What does Elements of Islay Sherry Cask taste like?

Smoky, phenolic and slightly medicinal with figs and dates in front, honey and orange marmalade underneath, and a long gentle smoke at the close. The sherry wood gives it more weight and darker fruit than the rest of the range.

How does Sherry Cask differ from Bourbon Cask?

The wood, and with it the whole profile. Bourbon Cask is brighter, with vanilla, coconut and tropical fruit beneath the smoke, while Sherry Cask lays figs, dates and dark chocolate over the top. Both are bottled at 54.5%.

Is it too powerful for someone new to smoky whisky?

Probably. Both the strength and the phenolic character assume you already know the style. For a calmer starting point, Cask Edit at 46% is a gentler way in. See our full range of Islay Whisky.

What does phenolic mean?

It is the slightly medicinal, iodine-like note familiar from sticking plasters and tar soap. It comes from phenols in the peat smoke that settle into the barley during drying, and it is a hallmark of the south coast of Islay.

Which distilleries are involved?

That is not disclosed. Elixir Distillers does not publish the composition and describes the contents only as malt from Islay.

Should you add water at 54.5%?

Give it five minutes in the glass first. The smoke and the sherry need time to settle, and a few drops of water afterwards open the orange and ginger notes without taking the weight out of it.

Which glass shows it best?

A tulip-shaped glass. At this strength the alcohol can dominate the nose in a wide glass, where a narrow rim keeps smoke and fruit apart. See our whisky glasses.