Williamson 2015
Cask Type: Hogshead
Bottled: 2023
Age: 8
Region: Islay
No. of bottles: 335
ABV: 62.7%
Release: Winter Release 2023
Joe Whittaker
“A robust, hearty offering from Williamson, a dram designed to keep you warm on the coldest winter nights. The initial nose offers an enthralling blend of football match Bovril, big hay smoke and intriguing dark chocolate oranges. It’s why Williamson is my perfect winter dram.”
Tasting Notes
This feisty Islay whisky surges from the glass on a gale of sooty peat, turf, iodine and lanolin oils. Herein lies great complexity, unlocked by a teaspoon or so of water and a little time. Those with patience are rewarded with rich farmyard aromas, smoked hay, damp earth and kippers. The palate follows this theme, flowing from pure turf smoke to dark orange chocolate and composting fruit. Smoke and spice flow in waves on the long finish.
Distillery
The small Hebridean island of Islay is famous for heavily peat-smoke flavoured malt whiskies. Beyond the obvious peatiness, each Islay whisky offers its own signature. This classic expression uses the “trade name” Williamson and hails from the island’s south coast.
Jonny McMillan says: “There are a few distilleries that are near impossible to source casks from, however casks of anonymous makes are occasionally made available under trade names. Williamson is the trade name for a well known Islay distillery, we can’t say what it is, but if you were to jump from Port Ellen to Lagavulin you might just Leap Frog it…”