Finlaggan Old Reserve Islay Single Malt

Nose: Earth, smoke, vegetal brine. Honeyed cereal grains. Buried vanilla. Coffee, leather, rosemary, thyme, anise. Tobacco. Hint of oak. Definitely on the younger end of the spectrum - some aspects of this haven't evolved or developed. Bright and shiny, but not in an unappealing way. Palate: Honey, toasted grains - the barley is getting a chance to be in the spotlight here. Mint, lemon zest. Bitter chocolate and black pepper. Smokey, dry ash. Tobacco, oak, fresh cut grass. Cream. Mouthfeel is medium, with the oil content here making things real interesting and some effervescence that betrays the 80 proof. Finish is medium-long and begins without much evolution - sweet barley, smoke, earth. The deeper notes disappear and plum and strawberry begins to poke through, with the barley morphing into a sweetened granola. Smoke and ash present throughout, and the end coasts into mint, lemon oik, coriander seeds, thyme, and basil. Other notes: I've been searching a while for a daily drinker peated Islay and I've found it. That this was less than $25 out the door (tax included) puts a smile on my face. It by no means isn't without flaw - the rumor mill says this is 6 years old and what's in the glass reflects that, but what IS here is good enough that I'll absolutely be keeping this one stocked in my home bar. I'd also gladly recommend this to anybody looking to dive into the world of peat.

Halloween 2024 - Nancy Joli nez, tourbé et légèrement fumé Première bouche pétillante et rafraîchissante Deuxième bouche magnifiquement tourbée ! La tourbe est précise et dense... Cette deuxième bouche est bien ronde et ravi les papilles ! Troisième bouche très légèrement pimentée avec un goût fumé qui se dépose en fin de bouche pour magnifier ce whisly de qualité supérieure. Aucun coffre, un whisky pour femme élégante qui aime à défier l'Angleterre à grands cris de " Mac Aulish " qui résonnent dans les airs. Une tourbe précise, un vrai whisky écossais.Comme une amante régulière et qualitative qui ne déçoit jamais. On connaît par avance le plaisir qu'elle va nous procurer... On ne lui demande pas plus que d'être elle-même et l'on n'est jamais déçu ... Ce whisky est un pur produit des îles écossaises, ces seigneurs savent travailler la tourbe et rendre honneur à Bacchus. Que la part des anges lui soit dédiée en l'honneur de cette soirée qui s'annonce épique...

What a wonderful dram for the price. An Islay whisky for under $20! Are you kidding? It has to be terrible right? Wrong. Very wrong. This dram now has a permanent home in my collection. On the nose, there is slight smoke and strong peat with a touch of brine and iodine. On the palate, it exudes smoke, a little peat, burnt caramel, and if you search hard enough you’ll find a slight hint of stewed meat and honey. The finish isn’t overly complex and doesn’t linger for too long like higher quality drams, but it finishes of beachside campfire with a little vanilla. A little medicinal as well. Overall, it’s a damn good dram for the price I paid ($19 USD). I wouldn’t pay €30 for it, like some on here. For that price point, I’d buy a Bowmore or Laphroaig 10. But at $20, this Islay whisky is a steal and I’ll definitely be making it my daily dram.

Notes on the label: Nose: Earthy smokey peat and salty ocean breeze. Palate: Pungent peat smoke, chewy sweet malt, pepper, tar and a touch of iodine. Finish: Long and warming. Smokey ashes of the peat fire. I get band aids and sweet, smokey brine on the nose. The palate is semisweet, creamy, oily and viscous. The finish is medium length and warming with some savory, sweet notes. Great value for $18.99 at Trader Joe's.

Nose: smoke/peat, salt, slow cooked meat Taste: iodine/medicinal, salty sweetness/mint (only after a few minutes, then it exclusively tastes like iodine), wet smoke Finish: iodine, ash Thoughts: Nose is really fantastic, but the flavor doesn’t match it. If it did this would be a much higher rating. Cheap as hell though.

Aroma is really peaty with sweetness underneath. Actually combines together rather nicely. Flavor is peat dominant, honey in the middle, and a black pepper tail. Very nice for the price point, at least medium rich. All it's missing is a longer tail and some complexity and it would be great.