Our second themed box! The Hebridean island of Islay is famed for its smoky, peated whisky – but there’s so much more to it than that! The island is only 25 miles long, but packs in nine distilleries (with more in the pipeline!). In honour of the famed annual whisky and music festival, which takes place in May each year, we thought we’d fill this month’s box with whiskies from the isle, showing you all the delicious versatility that it has to offer. Time to take your taste buds on a trip!
Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2012: A distillery known for its unpeated expressions, Bruichladdich created its Islay Barley series to showcase terroir in its whisky (just like Waterford last month!) – so this is a single malt with a sense of place! It’s a rather honeyed, gently creamy, fruity whisky, with just a smidge of that savoury coastal influence making an appearance.
Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair: While the name of this release might look like a tongue-twister, Bunnahabhain is pronounced ‘boo-na-harv-en’, and Stiùireadair is pronounced ‘stew-rahdur’, which means ‘helmsman’ in Scottish Gaelic. It combines the coastal, savoury whisky with both first- and second-fill ex-sherry casks. It’s all sea spray, toasted nuts, and dried fruit in this one!
Aerolite Lyndsay 10 Year Old - The Character of Islay Whisky Company: Sourced from an undisclosed distillery on the famed Scottish isle, this whisky spent its days maturing in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and Spanish oak sherry quarter casks. The tropical sweetness from the bourbon barrels, the spicy, chocolatey notes from the sherry casks, and medicinal smokiness from the whisky itself make for one well-rounded expression.
Lagavulin 2005 (bottled 2020) Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish - Distillers Edition: Sherried Lagavulin was something of a rare sight until the first Distiller’s Edition was released in 1979 – and we’ve continued to enjoy it ever since. After a lengthy oak maturation, this single malt spent a finishing period in sweet ex-Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. The savoury, smoky, meaty nature of the spirit complements the dried fruit-forward influence of the casks beautifully.
Laphroaig 10 Year Old Sherry Oak Finish: Matured in both American oak ex-bourbon casks and refill ex-Oloroso sherry casks, as well as being treated to a finish in European oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks for between 12 to 18 months. The medicinal, smoky flavours of the whisky are glorious with the sweetness of the bourbon and honeyed spices from the sherry casks.
