Breath of the Isles 1992

15 year old Island 55.6 % vol

1 of only 251 bottles from cask 3197

This is a powerful whisky, but more ‘fumata’ than ‘smoke-screen’. It comes from a refill hoggie – a pretty active one, judging by the full 15CT gold colour, the big beads and fat legs. The first nose is of fragrant bonfires, with damp green leaves and fruit wood. Pencil boxes in abundance and even a little creosote; some minty icing sugar with vanilla, then McCowan’s Highland Toffee and dark chocolate, and later some herbal-cure cough linctus. The flavour is sweet, then spicy and smoky with licorice, leaving a lingering taste of Fisherman’s Friend lozenges. Water opens it nicely, reduces the smoke and introduces roasted root vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips) – the smell of a Hallowe’en turnip lantern! The taste is sweet and mouth-filling, not so spicy, but firmly smoky in the finish.

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