top of page
Search

#206-210: Elements of Islay sampler

Writer's picture: S&PS&P

Hey everyone, reviewing this sampler. Just based off the marketing, it looks like Elements of Islay is trying to lay out the bare bones of the island. Giving us whisky with minimal cask influence that highlight either the distillate of the various Islay distilleries, or a feature of Islay whiskies. Let's see how they do!


Elements of Islay Peat 45%:


๐Ÿ‘ƒ Mossy peat. Wisp of smoke. Vegetal. Slaty. Grassy. Hay. Simple syrup.

๐Ÿ‘…Salty. Mossy. Citrusy (lemon). Little hay. Little peppery.


This is nice. Pretty punchy for 45% but I would not mind having a big bottle of this. This is the kind of thing that pairs nice with a cigar. 81.


Elements of Islay Peat Full Proof (59.3%)


๐Ÿ‘ƒGrassy mossy peat. Dirt. Next day firepit. Grassy lemony notes. Almost mezcal-y. Loads of lemon and grassy notes. Bright and light.

๐Ÿ‘…Grassy, sweet dirt. Punchy stuff. Spicy salty lemony. Smoky. Little savory.


This is really tasty and my type of scotch but a little too punchy. 83.


Elements of Islay Bw8 (Bowmore 16y) 51.2%


๐Ÿ‘ƒWet rocks. Dried moss. Sea spray. Malty. Honey. Floral. Dry white wine notes. Little orchard sweetness.

๐Ÿ‘…Malty honey. Salty wet rocks. Beach on a hot day. Smoked cereals. Little spicy. Beautiful feel.


Deeeeelicious. This is exactly Bwomore No.1 at cask strength. 90. Big fan. Too bad it's $$$ for only 500mL.


Elements of Islay Lp11 (Laphroaig 15y) 52.2%


๐Ÿ‘ƒEarthy peat. Salty smoked meat. Past due beef. Raunchy seawater. Boggy. Seaweed. Next day firepit. Gasoline. Saline.

๐Ÿ‘…Bright fermented smoked lemons. Salty. Clean seaweed. Little unagi note. Just a touch of sweet, like a drop of honey in there.


Waaaaaaa why so much $$$$ :( I want it. 90.


Elements of Islay Cl13 (Caol Ila 9y) 54.6%


๐Ÿ‘ƒMinerally salty peat. Dry hay. Healthy sweat. Charred wood. Honey. Little malty. Lemons

๐Ÿ‘…Grassy/earthy. Salty. Savory. Lemony. Woodsy note on the finish. Little honey.


This is a tasty treat. This is my 4/5th 8-10y Bourbon refill Caol Ila and they all kinda taste the same and they're all quite tasty. 87. This is the only affordable one but I would still be looking for a full bottle rather than 500mL from an independent that charges less.


Overall: What I can definitely appreciate about this is that the execution in terms of the assignment they gave themselves and marketed themselves with, is flawless. Assuming their other bottlings follow the same trend as these 5, this is a perfect ''Elemental'' layout of Islay. The raw spirit shines through each of these. The colors are all very light. These guys just sat in a tamed cask and balanced out over a decade or so with minimal influence. I'm probably not going to be buying any bottles of these but would definitely jump on a another sampler like this from them or on a bottle share.


Cheers!

Simon

12 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL

Thanks for submitting!

bottom of page