There's a bottle on Islay nobody will name a name for. Behind the bronze label with its hidden symbols sits a peated dram, born to mark the opening of Hunter Laing's own distillery, Ardnahoe. Scarabus means "a rocky place" in Old Norse - and that's about as much as the Laing family are willing to give away.
Expert's Description
Scarabus Cigar Malt is a peated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, fully matured across Oloroso sherry casks, Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and Ruby Port casks, and bottled at 46%.
Scarabus Cigar Malt is the newest addition to Hunter Laing's Scarabus collection, and it stands apart from the other expressions through its cask composition. Where the original bottling sticks to a more classic maturation, Cigar Malt is matured simultaneously across three cask types - Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez and Ruby Port - each layering something different on top of the signature Islay peat. The source distillery is undisclosed, as is tradition across the whole Scarabus range, though the depth of the smoke and the oily texture hint at one of the island's better-known peated producers.
The name Cigar Malt is no accident. The whisky is built to hold its own against a bold cigar without either one drowning the other out - cocoa, roasted notes and a persistent smokiness give it the weight for it.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Rich and generous with candied orange peel, stewed red berries and almonds, while an earthy peat works through underneath.
Palate
Dry peat smoke layers with dark treacle, dark fruit and a gentle, toasted sweetness from the casks.
Finish
Long and warming, with a rounded sweetness that lingers well after the last sip.
Specifications
Name: Scarabus Cigar Malt
Distillery: Undisclosed
Bottler: Hunter Laing
Region/Country: Scotland, Islay
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oloroso sherry casks, Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and Ruby Port casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5060354289983
Flavour Profile
Peated · Sherry and Port matured · Dark fruit · Spiced
Did You Know?
The symbols on the Scarabus label are deliberately cryptic and draw on islander John Francis Campbell's invention, a sunshine recorder that tracked the hours of daylight on Islay - the same urge to measure the unmeasurable runs through the brand's whole "only those who seek shall find" philosophy.
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