Finlaggan Old Islay Res Cask Strength
$79.99
Believed to be Caol Ila, the whisky is bottled at a cask strength of 58%. Finlaggan is an Islay mystery malt named for the most historically significant site on Islay. Loch (lake) Finlaggan--named after St. Findulgan who is believed to have brought Christianity to Islay--and its islands were the political and social capital of the Lord's of the Isles, who ruled the Western Isles of Scotland for over 400 years. Finlaggan Cask Strength is put together by the Vintage Malt Whisky Company, whom are also responsible for the Cooper's Choice and Ileach lineup. It is bottled at a batch strength of 58% ABV.
Laphroaig 10 Year
$88.99
Laphroaig's peat is principally what makes it different. Harvested in a low-lying part of the island it has layers of salt and seaweed not found in other peat deposits. This gives Laphroaig a medicinal, briny, smoky character distinctly different from all other Islay whiskies as well as any other made elsewhere in the world. Laphroaig is among on 6 distilleries which malt some of their own barley.
Bunnahabhain 12 Year
$83.99
A few years back Bunnahabhain bumped their strength up to 46.3%, bottling it without colouring or chill-filtering. This is the entry level bottling of the Bunnahabhain Distillery, known as the "Gentle Giant of Islay." Bunnahabhain's whisky is generally unpeated, bucking the trend of most Islay distilleries, though it does also produce peated malts. Bunnahabhain is the anchor whisky of the Black Bottle Blend.
Producer Description
"As the original member of our current Core Range, Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old holds a special place in our hearts. First launched in 1979, the Bunnahabhain 12 year old has endured almost 40 years, thanks to the passion and dedication of our distillery team, not to mention the love and support from our fans and friends around the world.
"Our 12 Year Old has set the tone and the benchmark for the rest of the range – only the best will do. Double Matured in Ex Bourbon and Ex Sherry Casks, this whisky is beautifully rich and full-bodied, achieving the perfect balance of the characteristic nutty and sherry flavours of Bunnahabhain."
Bruichladdich The Botanist Gin
$61.99
Produced by Bruichladdich Distillery. 46% ABV
Producer Description
"Wild. Foraged. Distilled. The first and only Islay Dry Gin. A progressive exploration of the botanical heritage of our isle of Islay," according to the Bruichladdich team. "Sweet delicate menthol, apple mint, spring woodlands, juniper, coriander with aniseed undertones, lemon and orange peel, a bouquet of summer flowers on the machir, honey from thistle, coconut from gorse, wild mint and summer meadows. It’s a magical melody of Islay’s’ natural bounty from the Atlantic washed beaches to the summit of heather covered hills."
Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie
$78.99
Produced exclusively from Scottish barley, which is only very lightly peated in line with the classic Laddie style, this core release has been bottled at 50% after maturing predominantly in American oak. The actual cask composition is evolving and varries from batch to batch. We have been consistently impressed with this whisky.
Producer Description
"Our signature bottling and the definitive Bruichladdich. Showcasing the classic, floral and elegant Bruichladdich house style, The Classic Laddie is made from 100% Scottish barley, trickle distilled, non-chill filtered and colouring free.
"The foundation for our Classic Laddie is not a recipe set in stone, but a distilling philosophy. We have no interest in precise uniformity, instead - year by year - the variety and provenance of our barley shapes our spirit, and an ever-increasing range of casks are sourced to evolve the variety of flavours in our warehouse."
Laphroaig Lore
$234.99
Originally released to replace the 18, or was it the 15, who can recall, that was well before Covid... Bottled at 48% from an NAS marriage of whisky matured in five different cask types.
Regarding the Non-Age-Statededness of the bottle, Laphroaig says this about the maturation: "A blend of whiskies aged from seven to 21 years in ex-Bourbon, European Oak and Oloroso sherry barrels along with quarter casks."
Lagavulin 8 Year
$103.99
This is the new core release of Lagavulin 8 Year, released on the heels of the highly successful 200th Anniversary release of Lagavulin 8 Year. Bottled at 48% it was matured in ex-Bourbon barrels and ex-wine seasoned casks.
Georgie Crawford said: ‘The 8 Year Old is a signature Lagavulin-style bottling with a liveliness that balances out the Islay smokiness. We hope that Lagavulin fans will enjoy this bottling, just as Alfred Barnard did centuries ago.’"
Kilchoman Sanaig
$109.99
The Kilchoman Sanaig was featured on Day Ten of our 2022 KWM Whisky Calendar. You can find the blog post on it here.
Also available in 50ml / Mini bottles
The Sanaig is part of Kilchoman's regular release lineup along with the Machir Bay. Kilchoman Sanaig, which is named after an Inlet off the NorthWest coast of Islay, is made from a combination of about 20% ex-Bourbon casks and 80% ex-Sherry Casks - mostly Oloroso Sherry in style. We have noticed the colour on this dram has gotten a fair bit darker over the past few years - possibly due to more first-fill ex-Sherry casks being used... Bottled at 46%.
From the Distillery
"Sanaig, a small rocky inlet North West of the distillery is the name given to this continuously available release. Sanaig has a predominantly sherry cask influence owing to the significant time spent in oloroso sherry Hogsheads. These aged oloroso casks contribute a drastically transformed depth of colour and character compared to the mostly Bourbon cask matured Machir Bay. “A beautiful marriage of bourbon and sherry maturation balanced with classic Islay peat smoke and light citrus sweetness” Anthony Wills, Founder.
Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 Year
$96.99
The latest edition of the Port Charlotte 10 Year is in, and in sexy new packaging! It is heavily peated 40ppm and bottled at 50% after maturing in First & Refill Ex-Bourbon and Refill French Wine Barriques.