Six small bottles, six Scottish regions. This is about as close to a tour of Scotland as you can get without leaving the kitchen table, and Douglas Laing has packed it into a box worth leaving out on display.
The expert description
Douglas Laing Remarkable Regional Malts is a set of six Blended Malt Scotch Whisky in 5 cl bottles, bottled between 46% and 46.8%.
The range is Douglas Laing’s attempt to translate the geography of Scottish whisky into six bottles. Each release draws malt from a single area, so the difference between a Lowland and an Islay becomes something you taste your way towards rather than read about. All six are bottled at a minimum of 46% and without chill filtration.
The set holds The Epicurean from the Lowlands at 46.2%, Timorous Beastie from the Highlands at 46.8%, Scallywag from Speyside at 46%, The Gauldrons from Campbeltown at 46.2%, Rock Island from the Islands at 46.8% and Big Peat from Islay at 46%.
Tasting notes
Nose
The range is the entire point. From the bright citrus and cut grass of The Epicurean, through the sherry sweetness of Scallywag, to the tar, smoked ham and sea salt of Big Peat.
Palate
Timorous Beastie gives honey and heather, The Gauldrons salted caramel and apple, Rock Island a soft smoke with seaweed underneath. Tasted side by side, regional character stops being an abstraction.
Finish
Short and clean at the pale end, long and sooty at the smoky one. Order matters here. Begin with Big Peat and the rest of the evening tastes of peat.
Specifications
Name: Remarkable Regional Malts
Bottler: Douglas Laing
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46-46.8%
Size: 6 x 5 CL
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Edition: Remarkable Regional Malts
EAN no.: 5014218817362
Flavour profile
Smoky · Sherry matured · Fruity · Fresh · Maritime · Soft
Did you know?
Douglas Laing was founded in 1948 and has never owned a distillery in the conventional sense. The firm bought casks from others and grew large by choosing well. Big Peat, named after a fictional Islay fisherman, is now in such demand that the Christmas edition sells out in hours.
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