An Islay Blend? Yes!!
Written: Jan 10 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: less expensive than the individual malts, less "dramatic" flavor for Islay newbies
Cons: Not quite as distinctive as the individual malts
The Bottom Line: Fans of the Islay whiskies may be taken aback by how true this blend is to the flavor of the Island - and it costs a bit less, too.
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| scmrak's Full Review: Black Bottle 10 Years Old Scotch Whisky |
Among drinkers of whisky, there are those who are content to drink a blended Scotch and those who insist on holding out for the straight stuff; fine single malts. Those who've sharpened their palates will generally have a preference for the distinctive taste found in some particular area of Scotland - Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Skye. Perhaps the most distinctive single malts can be found among the peat-infused output of seven distilleries on the island of Islay¹ off the western coast. These big-bodied malts are certainly an acquired taste, for even veteran single-malt drinkers accustomed to the lighter, more mellow tones of a fine Speyside such as Glenfiddich often find the bold flavor of Islay malts startling. A first-timer might want to "ease" into the taste of Islay with a malt from the landward side of the Island - Bowmore or Bunnahabhain - before essaying to try the more strongly-flovored output of distilleries on the seaward side such as Laphroaig and Lagavulin. It's in the water: steeped in the local peat - or more accurately, the local peat is steeped in the water - it contributes a taste to Islay malts that even their fans describe as "ashy."
There are but seven distilleries² on Islay today, and a fine single malt from most of them is expensive enough to merit careful husbanding. Within the past two decades, however, the distinctive taste of Islay malts has become available in a blended scotch, Black Bottle 10 Year Old. Carefully balancing the distinguishing taste of Islay malts with a price that won't bend your bank balance, Black Bottle is an Islay fan's dream - and the perfect introduction to the whiskies of Islay for the less... adventurous. Black Bottle is, according to the distillers, the only blended Scotch to include all seven Islay malts - a total of 45% Islay with the rest from Aberdeenshire distilleries.
Tasting Notes:
Benchmark: Islay malts run the gamut from pale straw to a rich amber, depending on the local water and the distiller's choice of casks for aging. Peat notes in the taste can range from merely strong to almost overpowering; sweetness appears only in the barest of hints. One can almost taste sea mists and peat bogs. Do not, repeat no not drink this whiskey on the rocks (and mixing it with anything should be a criminal offense). Take it neat: the barest hint of water is all that's necessary to allow the aromatics to breathe free.
First Glance: a lovely, pure, clear amber...
On the Nose: Black Bottle is the quintessence of that 1972 Deep Purple song, "Smoke on the Water," as sea breezes waft burning peat from the glass. Barley lingers.
On the Tongue Ashes to ashes... some less forgiving palates consider Islay malts to taste like cigarette ashes; more forgiving find it to be purely peaty. Black Bottle has a far less pronounced smoky note than the southern Islay single malts, but it is certainly present. Smoke character notwithstanding, this is a very complex whisky, bold and subdued at the same time. A slight sweetness offsets some of the sting, leaving room for the oak-and-sherry flavor of the aging casks. Yummm!
Overall: A complex blend that nevertheless remains true to the distinctive flavor of Islay. Lagavulin and Laphroaig³ fans will be ecstatic to learn that they can obtain the taste they crave at a price that, while certainly more than Cutty Sark or Usher's Green Stripe, is still reasonable in comparison. Likewise, a softer and less pricey entrée into the flavors of Islay.
Highly recommended - especially if you'll share!
¹ pronounced EYE-la
² Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Lagavulin, Laphroaig (Islay whiskies I've tasted)
³ Me! Me!
Recommended:
Yes
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