Highland Vs. Islay peat-off!

Description

Cask 16.84 Linctus-glazed lamb

Sweet aromas of macaroons, burnt ginger biscuits and salted caramel merged with red liquorice, chocolate fudge cake and buttered toast, while light honey coated burnt heather. The flavours were bold and robust as applewood smoke washed over antiseptic-glazed lamb, roasted with rosemary and almonds, and served with kale fried in ghee, scorched limes and hot smoked mackerel. Adding water brought an earthier and more herbal demeanour with tarragon, rosemary and thyme on oysters, scallops and crab, accompanied by aniseed liqueur and cough syrup-cooked lamb shanks. Liquorice returned with pink peppercorns and burnt coconut husk before oak sawdust, chimney soot and dried herbs combined on the finish. Four years in an ex-bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a toasted ex-peated whisky hogshead that had previously been filled with whisky 66.124.

Cask 16.77 Salted caramel axle grease

Aromas suggested a filthy rebellion that supported tar, creosote and engine grease on an old fishing trawler with cured salmon, candyfloss and burnt caramel. The palate followed the crowd with black axle grease coating burnt raisins, liquorice and navy rum on a bed of chimney soot. Water enhanced the tar with a sweet nuttiness and caramel brittle, while perfumed pipe tobacco merged with smouldering bonfires and molasses. Thick plumes of black smoke now engulfed the palate, covering tar-covered ship’s ropes, lobster nets and smoked mackerel beside burnt orange skin and smoky bacon dipped in dark chocolate.

Cask 16.82 A draff bath

A deep, emphatic, bass-level smokiness at first nosing. Then we found the expected avalanche of cured game meats, scorched earth, BBQ embers, menthol tobaccos, hot sauce, charred rosemary wood and spicy smoked almonds. Like swimming in peated draff! With water we noted smoked mutton, graphite oils, pure natural tar, roof pitch and smoked mead. Hints of beeswax, peppered biltong and silage too. The neat palate detonated with malt vinegar, pickled tarragon, beef-flavour baked corn snacks, camphor and industrially heavy peat oils – something akin to pickled black garlic and paprika. With water it became more complex, with notes of star anise, pumpernickel bread, brown sauce with liquid smoke, charred artichoke and singed hessian. Loads of wee flavours popping out everywhere.

Cask 53.464 Hebridean hamper

We were instantly transported to Scotland’s west coast. On the nose we found barbecues and seafood, wood fires, wet grass, quince, and toffee apples. The palate let us know of its peaty heritage, and added blue cheese and brine to the mix, alongside stone jetties, lobster pots, wellies, dried green herbs and chocolate. With water our noses detected pulled pork, smoked pineapple, vanilla cheesecake, incense and woolly jumpers. The reduced palate added charred root vegetables and a whole charcuterie board to the table. This was matured in a bourbon hogshead for 11 years before being transferred to a first fill American oak PX hogshead.

Cask 53.491 Gastronomic beachcombing

The nose evoked a beach barbecue, serving grilled pineapple, duck, venison and seared tuna with a soy glaze. The palate’s massive flavours included coal tar, ginger beer, smoked prunes, brine and chimney scrapings – but also pain aux raisins, heather honey and panettone bread and butter pudding. The reduced nose suggested dandelion and burdock, raisins macerated in birch tar liqueur, aubergine fritters and seaweed on lobster. The palate had crab and wakame salad with lemon thyme dressing, then black pepper and eucalyptus to finish. At nine years of age, we combined two ex-bourbon hogsheads from the same distillery into this cask for further maturation.

Rare Release 53 Honeysuckle petrichor

Honeysuckle came glazed with a cocktail of rose water, bacon jam and barbecue sauce, plus a side dish of crab meat plucked from a vat of clarified butter. Need we say anything else? To the palate, this dram gifted smoked prune juice and cherry fondant served on driftwood. We also found crushed figs, apricot and brambles singed by a travelling firestarter intent on promoting the skills of cold smoking with peat. Introducing water elevated a smoked apple pie encased in a soft leather satchel, along with potted crab and rye bread. The palate offered a buffet of liquorice, smoked ginger and biltong, served on a bed of ash-dusted pebbles.