S.M.O.S ISLAY Marriage Islay 30 Year Old (47.5% abv)

Elixir Distillers is an independent bottler that released The Single Malts of Scotland range in 2002. This range consists of vintage single malt Scotch whiskies selected for their individual quality and character. Along with the classic single cask collection, the range includes the Director’s Special series personally selected by Sukhinder Singh, as well as two small-batch collections: the accessible Reserve Casks and the more mature Marriage of Casks.

This is a marriage of whiskies from 1990 to 1991, matured in just three casks, two American oak refill barrels and a refill sherry butt, which yielded a total of 1241 bottles. This is a wonderfully old-fashioned 30 year old Islay single malt in the best sense of the word – from an undisclosed distillery.

Aged in a combination of sherry and bourbon casks to create a seductive smoky whisky with spice and tropical hints.

Nose – A wonderfully old-fashioned, Islay peat with a hint of the medicinal mixed with ripe red fruit. The classic, rich coastal feel builds with beach bonfire smoke and hints of the tropical.

Palate – Dense, earthy smoke gives way to dried mango and mint leaves while the texture envelopes the palate. The classic note of bandages are there but balanced against a rich sweetness with hints of papaya.

Finish – Beautiful spice comes through in the finish with toasted oak and more of the medicinal smoke carrying a gentle caramel sweetness.