Undisclosed Islay 2007 Oloroso Finish
Style: Single Cask
Cask: #10008
Year of distillation: 2007
Bottled: 2021
Age: 14
Region: Islay
Cask Type: Butt
No. of bottles: 692
ABV: 55.7%
Release: Spring 2022
Ronnie Cox
“A cracker from this classic distillery. At full strength the expected smoke disguises much, so the nose needs time to discover other complexities. With water the bruised orchard fruit come to the fore with a puff of smoke in the background. This is a pastel-coloured Islay compared to the oft darker West Coast equivalents. The combination with the Sherry Butt influence delivers an outstanding and truly outstanding portrait.”
Tasting Notes
Peated whisky matured in ex-sherry wood is a hard balancing act to pull off, but the bouquet of ashy smoke, kippers, nutmeg and dried figs leaves one in no doubt that this cask has achieved such a feat! The palate is a similarly harmonious meeting of smoke and sherry with neither too dominant, there’s also complex notes of citrus, icing sugar, tobacco leaf and a little coastal note too. The spicy sherry wood pops on the finish showing dried fruit, cinnamon and dates with a pleasing smoky tang.
Distillery
Very occasionally Berry Bros & Rudd come across a cask of whisky that for various reasons we are unable to disclose the origins of, and whilst we would usually try to avoid this scenario, some casks are just too good to pass by. This butt from Islay is one such example.
Jonny says: “I think independent bottlers need to stand on their own reputation sometimes, and we can be guilty of piggy backing on the good names of big ‘brands’, however releasing a cask from an anonymous distillery is surely a sign of supreme confidence in the liquid you’re bottling – and this anonymous Islay distillery is a prime example.