Follow Us:

Blog

KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar Day 8: Scarabus Islay Single Malt

Posted on December 10, 2021

by Evan

For Day 8 we are heading to Islay for the first time in the 2021 KWM Whisky Calendar with the Scarabus Islay Single Malt.

Beyond having a name that sounds like a 1970s Bond villain, what is the Scarabus?

When discussing Hunter Laing I feel one should also talk about Douglas Laing? Why? Well, for three reasons:

  1. Both firms used to be one family business, under the name of Douglas Laing.
  2. The split happened because the two sides of the family apparently could not stand each other.
  3. I find it both interesting and kind of funny.

So, before we get into Hunter Laing let's travel back in time to the origins of the independent bottler Douglas Laing.

Douglas Laing is an independent bottler that was founded in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing after he acquired the rights for the King Of Scots Blend. Fred and his wife had two sons. Fred Jr. was born in 1950. Stewart Hunter Laing was born in 1947 or 1948. Both brothers eventually joined their father, working at Douglas Laing. Before that though, they both had apprenticeships at other Scotch Whisky companies, something that seems to be a hallmark of families who make Scotch Whisky their trade.

Fred Douglas Laing passed away in 1984 and it was then up to his sons to run the company.

Hunter Laing is the result of a split of the Douglas Laing Company and its assets between brothers Fred and Stewart in 2013. Apparently, they had a long history of not getting along with each other. In the dividing on the company,  Douglas Laing continued on with a few less brands but has created some new labels since then, focusing more on the Blends and Blended Malt side of things than Hunter Laing typically does. Fred Laing was joined by his daughter Cara at about the same time as the split. Since then, Douglas Laing has had plans to open their own distillery in Glasgow, but those plans may currently be on hold. The company did purchase Strathearn Distillery which is located in the Southern Highlands and was founded in 2013. The Strathearn purchase happened in 2019.

The offshoot company Hunter Laing was founded at the time of the split and set up by Stewart. Stewart was joined by his two sons Andrew and Scott, retained Old Malt Cask. Since the split, Hunter Laing has built a distillery on Islay named Ardnahoe, which was founded in 2017. Andrew and Scott also brought their First Editions and Hepburn's Choice labels to Hunter Laing.

Along with the rest of what Hunter Laing produces, they also created the Scarabus label attached to the mini bottle we are tasting today. Scarabus is apparently an Old Norse word that translates to "a rocky place'. That nicely sums up at least a portion of Islay itself.

It says right on the bottle label that Scarabus is an Islay Single Malt. But from which distillery, you ask? Is this another mystery malt like Peat's Beast? Indeed it is! My guess is young, peated Bunnahabhain. Or it very well could be Caol Ila? Surely it isn't Bowmore or Laphroaig... Shall we try it and see what we think?

Scarabus Islay Single Malt - 46%

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Salt and pepper battered seafood at a Chinese food restaurant, freshly fulled apart grapefruit or pomelo, oatmeal with apples sliced in, bacon cooking in a cast-iron frying pan, a slight touch of elderflower, and dried seaweed snacks.

Palate: Wonderful combination of creamy and ashy on the tongue with notes of salt and vinegar potato chips, sweet grilled scallops and prawns, Apple Jacks cereal, grapefruit pith, and a lemon ginger tea with honey.

Finish: Peat and sweet mingle nicely with the mouth-watering salt and pepper notes.

Comment: If you are a fan of peat this shows remarkable balance. While having bolt salt and peat notes it still manages to show a delicate side as well.

Overall, the Scarabus reminds me of the Peat's Beast from Day Four but with Less oil and more salt.

Cheers,
Evan
evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Twitter and Instagram: @sagelikefool

This entry was posted in Whisky, Tastings, Whisky Calendars, Independent Bottler, KWM Whisky Calendar 2021

 

 

Recent Posts
Archives

Categories