Black Bottle

I can never get past the Black Bottle booth at the our local Whiskyfestival. After all, they offer two bottles for less than 40 EUR. A good deal. Amazingly, I am already at the end of my second bottle, only to realise I have not yet written proper notes. Let me try this head to head with the 10 Year Old.

The nose is fresh and fruitier than expected, while the sweet peat remains discrete in the background. A bit flowery (lavender?) and some honey. It is clear that Bunnahabhain and Deanston call the shots here. Hint of grain. Very soft.

The attack is very light. Not a full body, but still feisty. Honey again, but immediately submerged in a good dose of smoke. Sausage on the BBQ, wrapped in some bacon.

The finish is warm and smoky with a salty touch on the death bed.

Black Bottle is part of Burn Stewart Distillers Ltd for a while now. It contains malts from Islay (hence the tagline ‘The Heart of Islay’ on the label), but also several malt and grain whiskies from the rest of Scotland. Dirt cheap, but very correct introduction to peated whisky.

Find where to buy Black Bottle whisky