Ileach Cask Strength

This bottle has been opened over a year. I dacanted the rest of it into a 200ml jar to preserve the flavor. I pour about 30ml in the glass and add two drops of water to do this review.

Nose: Clear and forward, nothing attacking. Tobacco, bacon, lemon peel, smoky sausage, peat and sea wind.

Taste: Full body. Warm and intriguing, there are clearly some sweetness of sherry cask. Peat, pears, wild honey, milk chocolate, black pepper, brine and ash.

Finish: Heaty and smoky, like smoking a pipe by the sea shore. Sea salt, gasoline, leather, barely, and peat.

Balance: Mellow down nicely, not so heavy as it used to be, and the roughness is gone.

In my opinion this whisky is a good bargain. With little money you can get a traditional Islay cask strength whisky which tastes really nice, also I believe it came from Lagavulin as the rumors says. Those Islay lovers can give it a try, but I think I will move on to something with more depth and twist. This is a decent whisky with not much surprise, I prefer Lagavulin 16 yo to this.

The name is self explanatory. The version at drinking strength was more than okay. This one has a cask strength of 58%, which is considerate. No word on the distillery, although many believe it to be a young Lagavulin. I am not so sure.

Undoubtedly many sherry casks were used in the mix, for besides seaweeds and peat, this nose also offers quite some fruit and even chocolate. Pears and apricots, followed by figs and dades. Then the peat returns and adds goat cheese and wet earth. A touch medicinal, but not overly so. You know those dades that are wrapped in bacon? Yep, that’s it, but in liquid form.

It is mouth coating with a good body. Immediately very powerful peat and spices with loads of maritime elements (my brain shouts ‘Laphroaig!’). Then the fruit kicks in. Wonderfully sweet, making this whisky quite complex. I am impressed.

The long finish is warm and lingers with a battle between sweet and salt. It leaves the mouth as good as completely dry.

Very pleasant surprise. Around 45 EUR, which is absolutely great fort his quality. Thanks, Pat!

I got pretty excited before opening this one. An affordable Islay single malt at cask strength? Great! As usual, I checked the online reviews for this, which are largely positive. I felt like I’d struck gold. Well…

Anyway here’s the Ileach. Much like Finlaggan, this is from an undisclosed distillery. There’s something of a debate online about where this is from. Not knowing can be both frustrating and liberating as a whisky drinkers. We want to know what we’re drinking, but we’re more objective when we can’t bring in any bias. Either way, let’s try.

Nose: Pointed, high-pitched, and astringent. Metallic peat, vinegar, lemon rind, barley, brine, smoked ham, tobacco, cranberry, and apple cider. Pretty harsh at first, settles somewhat after a few minutes.

Palate: Medium bodied, with a lot of heat from the spirit. Peat, salt, seawater, cranberry, seared honey, tobacco, and ash.

Finish: Medium length, young, and BIG. Ash. Cigarette or pipe ash, cherry tobacco, Spam, minerals, tin, limestone, vinegar, barley, caramel, and some indistinct sweet sherry notes.

Thoughts: This is an attack whisky in every regard. While some might appreciate its rugged appeal, this isn’t my cup of tea. I love a cask-strength peaty blast, but this is just too crude. Yes, it’s a quality spirit, but it tastes too close to new make, or a whisky that has been bottled halfway between distillation and maturity. Too spirity, big, and rough. My taste buds can usually bounce back from a peat monster, but I’d suggest you save this dram for the end of the night; it will burn your tongue off. A raw, immature, spirit-driven whisky that’s only halfway ready, I’d say.