It feels like it’s been ages since I received a sample of this dram from my friend Billy at The Whisky Exchange. Since then it’s been sold out since it picked up top honours from the Malt Maniacs Awards.

I first tasted this baby on Maltstock and I really liked it back then. This sample gave me the chance to do a proper review of it.

Sniff:

PI1 from the Elements of Islay series

Big peat at first, with salt. Pretty sharp with quite some sherry influence. It’s not all over the place and does its thing gently and quietly. Smoke, ash, and a fishy hint, like smoked eel. The fruit from the sherry cask is coming through very late. Mostly Port Charlotte, sherry in second place.

Sip:
Sharp, but with a lot more fruity sherry. It keeps building for some time, with chili pepper and black peppercorns. Salty as well, basalt with sea water. A sweet background with juicy fruit. More ‘fruit in general’, than any specific type.

Swallow:
The finish is long and sweet with rich smoke, a little dryness with some old oak, coffee. The fruitiness shows as banana and peach, with sherry and a creamy feel to it.

That this is a lovely dram is beyond a doubt. That this is one of the seven best whiskies of 2012 maybe is a bit of a stretch. I like it, but I’m not too pissed off at missing this one.

Let’s see what PI2 will bring!