371 | Spirits | Vatted Malt

A marriage of three different single malts, aged in American and French oak. This whisky shows the advantage of marrying whiskies from more than one distillery (when properly done). Vibrant, with a complex array of fruit (orchard fruit, sultana), sweetness (light toffee, marzipan, honeyed malt), spice (creamy vanilla, mocha, warming pepper), smoke (tar, smoked olive, coal), and lesser notes of toasted almond and beach pebbles. More smoke and tar on the palate than the nose, yet always in balance. Well played!

"Pale golden color. Sweet clover honey, heather, and peat aromas. A soft, yet rich, entry leads to a sweetish medium-full body with caramel, orange peel, raw honey, toast, vibrant peat and pepper flavors. Finishes with a honeycomb, iodine, and toasty grain fade. Very drinkable, exquisitely balanced, and approachable with vibrant, but (despite the name) not dominant peatiness."

Introduced initially as a Macallan-Laphroaig bottling from selected single casks of each (which we believe will continue as a “regular” bottling), we have continued the process with selected single casks from different distilleries. That has been an intriguing and distinctly fun process, whereby we have sampled and approved different casks then married/vatted them with different distillery Malts. That process has developed to a point where we are also offering Ardbeg/Glen Rothes and Bowmore/Highland Park fusions. Whether you call this a vatted Malt or a blend of Malts – we have brought together in each of these DOUBLE BARREL selections some truly individual and unique character of nose, palate and finish, all left unchill filtered at 46% alc vol. We currently have the Highland Park / Bowmore Double Barrel in stock.

From unique barrels combining traditional oak barrel staves and toasted French oak heads.

This vatting carries a big peaty (often called “phenolic”), beachy oceanic slightly ashy selection of Malts from the island of Islay, from where the Laing family hail - and no wonder! - as we have included Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila and Port Ellen in the "recipe". Ally these lusty and robust Malts selected for BIG PEAT with the fact that no chill filtration takes place – a more old fashioned traditional approach – and you will detect a massive amplification of the anticipated sea-faring qualities on the nose, palate, and finish. These are particularly appreciated when consumed leisurely in the same style these Malts have waited for you in the cold, dark and windswept warehouses of Islay.