Distiller Notes
#9 Whisky Advocate Top 20 Whiskies of 2020
Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Spirits of 2019Peaty, smoky malt with hints of fruitiness; a balanced whisky with great depth and complexity.
Pairs well with blue vein cheeses, chocolates and oysters.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A new year-round bottling, this is a blended Scotch that showcases several Islay distilleries, with an eye toward “depth and elegance.” Look for a pale gold hue and a floral, grassy, salt-breezy aroma that reflects a delicate hint of peat smoke. The palate is more robust; think shovelfuls of peat, though it pulls back just short of the overwhelm point, allowing hints of vanilla sweetness and grassy freshness to peek through.
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Whisky Advocate
The much-beloved Peat Monster was recently given a new recipe designed to create greater depth and elegance. The peat influence, while still omnipresent, is now more subtle. On the nose it’s gentle and fragrant, wafting over candied citrus, lemon-frosted cake, and raspberry, along with classic peated undertones of charcoal and iodine. The palate is creamy in texture, with pleasant notes of brine, seashells, ashiness, and a floral peat influence that swirls gently around rich vanilla, tropical hints of lime, smoked meats, and generous spice. The finish offers bitter chocolate, lemon hard candy, and a bang of spice and smoke.
Originally created as a lighter alternative to Single Malts to appeal to the Americans during Prohibition, Blended Scotch Whiskies are a mix of both grain and malt whiskies that have been sourced from multiple distilleries and aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels. Nine out of every ten bottles of Scotch sold is a Blended Scotch Whisky and they are generally far more affordable than Single Malt Scotch Whiskies.