Cask No. 29.255

Cask No. 29.255

Smoke over the machair

Islay

A totally intriguing nose gentle, incense-like, perfumed smoke, herbs (rosemary, thyme) cast on a barbeque, salt-encrusted sails and the freshness of mint and laundries. The palate amazingly complex dry, salty and smoky (though not very smoky) with driftwood and balsa wood models, Plasticine, herbs (again) and lemon squeezed over deep-fried boquerones. The reduced nose gave us light smoke, menthol cigarettes and a drying room in a hill-walkers bothy. The palate had intimations of vanilla custard and tinned pears, the sweet pepperminty flavour of Blackpool rock and memories of distant smoke drifting over the island machair of wild thyme and bog myrtle.

Cask:Second-fill barrel
Age: 23 years
Date distilled:April 1995
Alcohol: 56.6%
USA allocation: 84 bottles