Bottled for Watt Whisky and Friends (WW&F) – I.E. only available in Campbeltown itself from Halls and the Ardshiel Hotel – this blend hails from more than one Campbeltown distillery. Interestingly, at the present time guesswork on which distilleries make up the components are quite possible….but fast forward 10 years and they’ll be 7/8 distilleries in the region where such a 5 year old may be possible. Times are a-changin’. Just 150 bottles of this at Mark’s presently favourite ABV of 57.1%.
Nose: Jolly Rancher green apple candy and banana skins sit with sunflower oil. Salted caramel joins cut grass and hay whilst vanilla extract is blended with almond paste. Simple but effective. Water reveals a malty core with cereals alongside a lime tang and earthiness.
Taste: Oily and full-bodied even at this young age. Estery fruits – apple candy and pear drops sit with barley sugars, whilst both salt and pepper lead into Rich Tea biscuits and puffs of coastal smoke. Reduction amps up the sweetness considerable with candies and gummies joining touches of char and earthy, ashy smoke in the back palate.
Finish: Medium with a mentholated tail that joins apple sugars and salt-licked minerals.
Lots of ‘ethyl flavours’ here – as you’d expect from such a young pup. But nevertheless, the quality of the underlying distillates is obvious – both from a textural standpoint and from the level of integration. Young and fun.
Review sample provided by Watt Whisky.