Island whisky can also move far away from Islay in expression, good examples of this can be found at: Highland Park distillery from the island of Orkney and Arran (Lochranza) distillery from the island of Arran. Highland Park still offers smoke, but at a much lower ppm level than you would find in a Islay whisky. In addition, a large part of Highland Park whisky is heavily influenced by Sherry casks. Arran whisky is in most cases unsmoked and offers a very sweet and spicy character, which is based on Sherry casks and other various forms of vinfade. All in all, there is a good chance of finding tasty Island whisky, both for the 'sherry lover' and the 'smoke diver'! As mentioned above, I have received 6 samples from whisky.dk, these offer quite different impressions. Here is my experience of these:
ISLAY STORM - 40% - ISLAY
Islay Storm is an independent bottling from CS James & Sons Ltd. We know that it has been in bourbon casks and that it is from the Islay region, everything else is not specified. This is an entry-level whisky that's been watered down to 40% and works quite well as an introduction to Islay whisky.
Color: Light grain.
Nose: Peat, grass, lemon and a little sea salt. It smells young, but still well balanced.
Taste: Peat, vanilla sugar and pear. The taste is slightly more ripe than the nose suggests, but it is somewhat restrained by the low alcohol percentage.
Finish: Bonfire smoke, gentle tannins and a hint of BBQ. The finish is short but pleasant.
Conclusion: This is not a whisky that will knock a seasoned Islay drinker off their feet, but it won't offend anyone either. It offers a nice little bite of Islay and can easily be drunk neat.
HIGHLAND PARK 12 YEARS - 40% - ORKNEY
Highland Park 12 Years is a classic bottling from Highland Park. For many (including myself), this is one of the whiskies that sparked interest in single malt whisky at the beginning of the journey. Like Islay Storm, it is also an entry-level whisky and is watered down to 40% alcohol. It contains 7-10% 1st fill American oak sherry and 25-30% 1st fill European oak sherry. The rest is refill sherry casks and a light smoking of the malt. This is a whisky that appeals to a very wide audience!
Color: Light copper.
Nose: Red apples, custard cream/pastry, gentle smoke. A really nice mild but full-bodied aroma!
Taste: Red apples, peach, brown sugar, well-integrated smoke and a little kick of black pepper. The low alcohol percentage is fully utilized and there is plenty of good flavor.
Finish: Orange, leather and mild campfire smoke. The aftertaste is relatively long, especially considering the strength.
Conclusion: It's no mystery to me why Highland Park 12 years is a classic with the broad appeal and high quality level at a super sharp price!
ARDBEG SCORCH - 46% - ISLAY
Ardbeg Scorch is a special bottling from Ardbeg- Day 2021. It is bottled at 46% alcohol and is not cold filtered. Ardbeg The name 'Scorch' is, in the distillery's own words, based on nothing less than the 'Dragon Charred Oak' in which the whisky has spent its maturation time. In practice, this means that the casks have been very hard toasted, presumably without the use of a dragon, despite the intriguing name.
Color: Light grain
Nose: Wood smoke, grilled bananas, grilled peppers, vanilla, butterscotch, salt. Complex, delicious aroma with lots of exciting notes!
Taste: Classic Ardbeg profile with a sweet twist, sweet smoke, sweet lemon curd, lemon curd, lime tablets and vanilla galore!
Finish: A bold sweetness and vanilla flavor lingers on the palate for a long time, along with peat and sea salt. Long aftertaste!
Conclusion: The concept is more or less identical to the older special bottling ''Ardbeg Alligator'', which this bottling does not quite reach the mark. However, it makes a decent attempt and is, according to yours truly, definitely one of the best Ardbeg- Day releases of recent years!
PORT ASKAIG 100 PROOF - 57.1% - ISLAY
The whisky we are going to take a closer look at is Port Askaig 100 proof. This is another independent bottling, this time from SMS. 100 proof refers to the old British measurement scale and means that this whisky is bottled at 57.1% alcohol. It is not stated on the bottle which distillery this whisky comes from, but I can tell you that Caol Ila the distillery is located in the Port Askaig area.
Color: Very light, like elderflower juice.
Nose: A hard punch of peat, sal ammoniac licorice, bacon and lemon peel. I can sense both a young element, but also a bit of depth from older whiskies. It's probably a good blend, hence no age statement!
Taste: Peat, burnt wood, sea salt, grapefruit and a hint of chili pepper. It's sharp, but quite nicely balanced.
Finish: Some more obscure notes emerge here. But make no mistake, it's super delicious! A long aftertaste with notes of kerosene, rubber, extinguished fire and a nice malt sweetness.
Conclusion: This is a rich, flavorful, if not a little rancid whisky. I would venture to say that it will appeal to anyone who enjoys smoky whisky. But it's certainly not the one I would serve to the new smoke diver!
HIGHLAND PARK 13 YEARS WHISKY.DK SINGLE CASK - 55,7% - ORKNEY (Only available in the shop - Vejstruprødvej 15)
Now we return to Highland Park the distillery from the island of Orkney. This time it is a private bottling for whisky.dk which is bottled at full cask strength of 55.7%! Again, a combination of quarter-cask bourbon and sherry casks are used, along with a balanced amount of smoke.
Color: Deep amber.
Nose: Almonds, honey, oranges, dark bread and mild smoke. The aroma is very dark and deep, but also a bit sharp.
Taste: Pepper bomb! Then a wonderful flavor of plums, pipe tobacco and burnt sugar emerges. It's punchy, raw and a little bitter. Super delicious!
Finish: Apricot, leather, coffee, old wood and a little bit of campfire smoke. The aftertaste is medium long and really nice.
Conclusion: The overall experience screams Highland Park. Here you get the full Highland Park experience without the velvet gloves that the 12 is happy to use! I have often experienced that Highland Park bottlings at full cask strength go crazy with the pepper flavor. This one is no exception. It is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a strong and spicy whisky.
CASK ISLAY - 46% - ISLAY
Cask Islay is an independent bottling from Dewar Rattray. Like its predecessor, it is bottled at 46% alcohol. There are different opinions on where this whisky comes from, some say Laphroaig, others claim Caol Ila and there are also people who say Lagavulin. It is cask matured in a mixture of ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry casks. I didn't find the sherry barrel aging very obvious, but the tasting experience made me think of a specific distillery. Maybe you can guess which one?
Color: Light grain.
Nose: Medicine, iodine, peat, wet grass and tobacco. It smells a bit young and feels a bit sharp.
Taste: Peat dominates in the company of ash, menthol and pear cider. The mouthfeel is clearly softer than the aroma.
Finish: The menthol flavor remains for quite some time, along with some peat smoke and a gentle sweetness.
Conclusion: Cask Islay is a simple and clear glass of Islay whisky. You get what you'd expect a classic Islay whisky to taste like, but without the fuss.
