Aerolite Lyndsay 10 Year

Aged 10 years in bourbon barrels and Spanish oak sherry quarter casks ‘Aerolite Lyndsay’ is in an anagram of ‘ten year old Islay’. Oh dear... Nose: Barley sugar, TCP, citrus (although, more disinfectant/ washing up citrus scent than the actual fruit), light peat Palate: Way more peat than the nose would suggest! Brine, seaweed, lime, pepper and chillies Finish: Liquorice, Germoline, salt and pepper. A little sour, umami and slightly boggy! Overall, this is a decidedly ‘OK’ whisky. It’s peaty and salty, so it ticks the main Islay checklist points. It’s not as refined as the classic Islays and doesn’t have the layers of flavour you’d expect. I think my main disappointment is that it has none of the complexity you’d normally demand from an Islay. This isn’t a bad dram, but I’m not sure why you’d buy it over the other (better!) whiskies the island produces at around the same price point. Generally OK.

*M(37)* NOSE: 1840s Industrial England, burnt oil lamp, peat moss, rustic sea captain PALATE: warm honey, oak sunset, vanilla, licorice & pepper FINISH: smokey ghost, gearbox oil, copper *F(36)* NOSE: burnt rubber, oil-slicked ocean water PALATE: lavender moss, muddy bath water w/ remnants of shaving cream FINISH: something mechanical inside my car *Official Sample Kit Notes* NOSE: Lots of maritime peat, with notes of iodine intertwined with honey sweetness, paprika, salted caramel and old bookshelves. PALATE: Smoke returns alongside mint dark chocolate, espresso, and new leather, with honey and soy sauce mixed together. FINISH: Boiled mint sweeties, liquorice allsorts, bonfire smoke and toffee penny, with a pinch of salt.

Nose: Iodine, briny sea air, charcoal, some vegetal notes. A sweetness floats in and out like someone is eating a warm white chocolate and raspberry cookie nearby. Palate: Deliciously oily, a light ashy smoke, sweet grains. Finish: Salty, ashy smoke. Like a recently extinguished fire on the beach.

Very pale in colour, almost as white wine. Some lemon and honey on the nose with smoke and salt. Slightly medicinal on palate but a very thin mouth feel. Short finish. Pleasant and drinkable, the nose better than the palate. I wouldn’t buy a bottle.

Very peaty, briny scotch. Salted caramel on the nose, spicy, salty chocolate on the palate, smoky finish. Nice, but a bit overpowering, in a way that can wash out the other aspects of the spirit. It’ll put some hair on your chest for sure

I received this as a tasting in a whiskey advent calendar. The nose struck me as both peaty and citrus peel. I lose most of the Smokey peaty nose right away on the palette. The finish is long and oaky.