Three Ships 5 Year Old

This is an interesting whisky, blended from Scotch and South African spirits. The nose is peaty and a touch sweet, with caramel, dusty grain and slightly juicy grape and apple. Very subtle and not terribly complex, but appealing nonetheless.

Good presence in the mouth, with juicy malt and hard, spicy grains overlaid by a sheen of peat. There's a surge of late bitterness that takes some getting used to. Keep in mind this is a 5 year old blend; expect it to have some bite and be somewhat rough around the edges. It finishes with a nice peaty fade

Balance-wise, I feel this will be a lot better after a few more years. The bitterness at the back of the tongue holds things back. Good mouthfeel, though. Interestingly, I added half a shot of Auchentoshan 12 to a glass of Three Ships and the result was far better than either whisky was to begin with.

Overall, this is a nice peaty blend. It would be interesting to compare it head-to-head with Islay Mist 8 year old. Comparing from memory, Islay Mist is smoother but Three Ships has a bigger body.