Bottle number 37 of this release is empty now. Yesterday saw the last couple of sips being drained from it. After using it in a tasting almost a year ago I decided it was time to get the last glass or two out of it and make room in the cupboard for something else.

This undisclosed Islay whisky matured in a Port hogshead, which is not overly surprising even if tasted blind. It’s rather obvious on the nose and palate. Surprisingly, with eight years of maturation the ABV is already quite low. Generally, at this age, whiskies clock in at a higher alcohol content. I think this is a good thing, because it leaves more room for other flavors to pop up instead of your palate being seared shut by the strong booze.

Sniff:
A big smokiness with a really heavy fortified wine effect behind it. At the time of writing I hadn’t checked the cask type, even though it was on the label. I went with Port, but it wouldn’t be the first sherry cask to have a profile like this either. Jammy and stewed red fruits on top of wet soil.

Sip:
The palate is quite peppery. Even though it says Islay and it’s more intensely smoky, it’s not unlike Talisker in that regard. Dry, with plum stones and almond flour. Sawdust, soil, and slightly harsh peaty notes.

Swallow:
The finish stays dry, but adds that jammy sweetness again. It’s not unlike treacle and golden syrup, with red fruits added.

It’s a fun whisky, but a tad on the sweet side. The jam notes are really prominent, but the smoke keeps them a little bit in check. It’s a rather typical port cask, but port and smoke tends to work quite well.

When I tried it the first time I wasn’t rating this at 85 points. In this case, giving it quite a bit of time and oxygen really helped the whisky along.

85/100