Elements of Islay Peat & Sherry Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange

Billy Abbott, The Whisky Exchange

• Nose

  Leather and raisins – rich and smokey with meaty undertones. The meat becomes sweet and saucy barbecue, and the raisins become candied peel: orange with a scattering of lemon. Smoky pine notes hide at the back, with rich baked beans with a touch of seaspray freshness. A beachside barbecue with a bubbling cast-iron pot sat right on the grill.

• Palate

  Rich and thick. The flavours are well-integrated, with chocolate and raisins scattered amongst lumps of charcoal and barbecues bacon. A few pine needles float by with baked apples bobbing along behind. The smoke is surprisingly soft compared to the nose, but runs through everything, providing a strong and peaty backbone.

• Finish

  Leafy mint chocolate and leather raisins slowly fade to leave sweet, linger smoke.

• Comment

  Big, rich and uncompromising, but without any sharp edges – an iron hand in a velvet glove holding a barbecue and fruit cake smoothie.