Aged in oak casks for at least sixteen years, this much sought-after single malt has the massive peat-smoke that's typical of southern Islay - but also offering a dryness that turns it into a truly interesting dram.

Nose - A thick coating of peat isn't enough to cover a soft, oaky background. Iodine appears alongside a pear-fruity sweetness. Delicate for a whisky so big.

Palate - Continuous gentle waves of dry peat lap upon the taste buds but are balanced by a sweet malt middle and the most hesitant of vanillas. 

Finish - Long and peaty, the shy vanilla now begins to show as the oak adds a certain dryness. Comment A gentle giant.

Source Jim Murray

Caol Ila is one of Islay's best loved distilleries and this 12 year old is their entry level bottling.

This expression is light and fresh with that distinctive Caol Ila smoke and notes of zesty limoncello. A perfect introduction to the joys of Islay malt and the mercurial qualities of peat smoked whisky.

Introduced as the flagship Port Charlotte expression produced by Bruichladdich in 2018, this 10 year old single malt from the Isle of Islay is a lip-smackingly smoky number indeed. It's peated to 40ppm, and drawn from a combination of first-fill American whiskey casks, second-fill American whiskey casks and second-fill French wine casks.

Nose: Salted caramel brownie, flamed orange peel, a hearty whack of seaweed.

Palate: Oak-y smoke and salty sea air, paired with sweeter notes of Custard Cream biscuits and white grape.

Finish: Ginger snaps, rye toast, drying peat smokiness.

Created by Jim McEwan from whisky matured in a multitude of different American oak casks, and chosen to represent the classic, unpeated distillery style. Bruichladdich's new signature bottling is made with 100% Scottish barley.

Nose: Elegantly sweet with honeyed barley, boiled sweets and orange petals. Wafts of sea air and a splash of sulphur.

Palate: Red apples and white grapes, with touches of sweet cinnamon and brown sugar. Still softly coastal.

Finish: Mineral-rich malt, with toffee and more honey.

Islay is mostly known for big, peaty, smoky whisky. Well, Bowmore is a little more dialled back, making it a balanced whisky featuring all those things you love about Islay, just in a more subtle way.Drink with: A splash of water if required.Established in 1779, Bowmore is the oldest legal distillery on Islay and one of the earliest in all Scotland. Located geographically and stylistically between the gentle whiskies to the north and the more powerful malts to the south of the island, Bowmore possesses a balance that ever-intrigues whisky aficionados. The malt is peated for a shorter period than with the stronger Islays, and the use of around a third of the casks for maturation being oloroso sherry contributes to its aromatic complexity and finesse. The past few years have seen Interest in Bowmore grow astoundingly.?

At just 5 years old, this feisty and intensely powerful smoky whisky, is untamed by age.

From elusive sea creatures to eerie hillside half-breeds, the Ardbeg Distillery has a history of exploring inexplicable legends in their bottlings. However, this next unearthly expression is said to have emerged from the peat bogs of Islay themselves. Ardbeg Wee Beastie has been described as a ‘monster of a dram’… with a formidable bite. 

Matured in ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, Wee Beastie bristles with intense aromas of cracked black pepper, sappy pine resin and sharp tangs of smoke. An explosive mouthfeel bursts forth with chocolate, creosote and tar. As savoury meats sink into the palate, the long salty mouth coating finish slinks away.

Aroma: Very fresh, herbal, with hints of vanilla, pear, freshly cracked black pepper and
honey-glazed ham. Rich Turkish coffee, sappy pine resin. With water, more herbal notes like vetiver and fennel, along with aniseed, green apple and leather.

Taste: A rich, explosive mouthfeel with lots of chocolate, tar, creosote and smoked bacon,
followed by a burst of antiseptic lozenges, eucalyptus and more aniseed.

Finish: A long, salty and mouthcoating finish with hints of cocoa, fudge and savoury meats.

Casks: Ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry

Back in the 1880s Alfred Barnard, author of The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom, enjoyed an 8 year old Lagavulin he described as "exceptionally fine". As part of their 200th anniversary celebrations, the distillery have therefore decided to recreate an 8 year old! It's bottled at an exciting 48% abv and was matured in refill European and American oak casks.

Nose: Salted popcorn, honey-roasted nuts, tarry ropes and light hints of freshly-chopped cedar. A touch of burnt sugar sweetness lingers.

Palate: Smokey peat appears first on the palate, followed by coriander seed, barley sugar, cumin powder, smoked kipper and marzipan.

Finish: Layers of apple crumble, toasted almond and ash. Another kick of cooking spices right at the end.

Sanaig, named after an inlet on Islay’s rugged Atlantic cost, is a vatting of Kilchoman matured in both sherry and bourbon barrels. This sherry cask scotch whisky is matured in a high proportion of oloroso barrels, imparting a balance of dried fruits, dark chocolate and rich peat smoke into the spirit.

Ardbeg An Oa is singularly rounded, due in no small part to time spent in our newly established bespoke oak Gathering Vat where whiskies from several cask types - including; sweet Pedro Ximenez; spicy virgin charred oak; and intense ex-bourbon casks, amongst others - familiarise themselves with each other. The result is a dram with smoky power, mellowed by a delectable, smooth sweetness. Hallmark Ardbeg peat, dark chocolate and aniseed are wrapped in smooth, silky butterscotch, black pepper and clove, before rising to an intense crescendo of flavour.

Non chill-filtered with a strength of 46.6% ABV.

Source - Ardbeg

The Monsters of Smoke trio pack includes 3x20cl bottles of whisky from
Ardbeg’s Core Range. They are: Ardbeg Ten Years Old, the original giant
which has stalked the whisky world for decades; Ardbeg Wee Beastie, a
feisty young creature with a formidable bite; and Ardbeg An Oa, a complex
whisky that sits in a web of flavour notes.

Kilchoman - Machir Bay, named after the isle of Islay’s most spectacular beach, is a vatting of Kilchoman whisky matured in both bourbon and sherry casks. The high proportion of bourbon barrels creating a distinct balance of classic Islay character and fresh floral complexity.

Please note that this product ships from our Hamilton warehouse and will take 2-3 days for delivery and for click and collection. 

This whisky is all about big wood and big peat thanks to triple maturation in ex-Bourbon barrels, quarter casks and finally European oak Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. There's vanilla from the bourbon casks and big robust dark fruit flavours from the PX which all balance the distillery's big, phenolic peat style nicely.

The biggest and peatiest of Ardbeg's "core" range. The nose is creamy and a little fruity - then the peat bursts through in a massive cloud of iodine and smoke. The palate starts out sweet, with with hot-buttered, toasted sultana bread, bittersweet caramel and burnt honey. It dries out towards the finish, ending with salty ash, dried beef and szechuan pepper.

For this release, Ardbeg used more grist and less water in the mashing stage to increase the concentration of the fermentable sugars.

In the subsequent fermentation stage, this created a fruitier juicier wash, and when distilled, it generated a fruitier style of New Make Spirit.


Colour
Bright Gold

Aroma
An explosion of fruity, estery notes, reminiscent of smoked bubblegum, fuse with whiffs of ripening barley and toasted sourdough bread. A splash of water reveals dense, sweet, and aromatic peat smoke, accompanied by gently smoked tropical fruits.

Taste

A rich, creamy mouthfeel drifts into sharp, sooty and spicy notes of creosote, aniseed, and clove. Tempered by the distinct sweetness of muscovado sugar, robust woody notes orbit rich charcoal.

Finish
Finally, in an almost infinite finish, earthy peat moss fuses with sizzling bonfire embers.