Islay Trilogy
Added on Wednesday, Jan 20, 2010 at 08:34 PM
  Bottler: Murray McDavid
  Age: 36 yrs Type: Scotch
  Vintage: 1969 Subtype: Vatted Malt
  ABV: 40.30 % Region: Scotland
  Price: $170 Availability: Overseas Specialty
Bunnahabhain 1968 from fresh sherry cask; Bowmore 1969 and Bruichladdich 1966 from bourbon casks.  Not chillfiltered.     £105.00
Member Ratings and Notes
Chris
 
N: Oh yeah, that smells very sexy and old Bowmore-ish, smoke, fruit drops, and salt.
P: Refreshing melon, passion fruit, and apricots dominate over spicy peat and gentle smoke.
F: Lingering fruit candy (Jolly Rancher).
This is great stuff.  I entered this wondering why a bottler would take three malts so old and mix them, but I think there is a good chance this is better than it's component malts. 
Dave
 
Nose is solid cherries with sweet cough syrup.  Palate is weaker than the nose which seems to be a theme with these blended malts.  There is some sort of rancid honey or rancid honey wax thing going on.....not really in a bad way (if that's possible).  Spicey finish and I actually did like it. 
Mike
 

N: Watermelon jolly rancher, sherry, maraschino cherry, cough syrup. MMMMM.

 

P: Bourbon comes through, brandy, spices and hard fruit candies

 

F: Long . . . smooth. Little heat comes in. One to savor.   

 
JC
 
Perfume on the nose, smells like a woman.
Tastes of grape, spice, and dark fruit.
No bite.  No heat.  Lovely. 
SC
 
Grainy fruit nose followed by a slighly spicy and super-smooth syrupy palate.  Really nice.  Close to an A-.   I need to taste this again. 
Adam
 
Lotsa fruit in the nose -- apples, pears, peaches -- in the variety of Fruit Stripe gum and various "scratch n sniff" stickers. All rather mild, but undoubtedly present. The palate -- oh yum. This is a massively drinkable, fruity treat. Whatever peat started in the component Islay malts has left on the slightest trace now, if any at all. As for what is here, I like it a ton. Not a lot of complexity, but the interplay of the various fruit flavors is just great -- green apple Jolly Ranchers for a moment, then fresh red apples, then peaches, and more. In the finish the fruit (did I mention the fruit?) gets much stronger. Despite the overwhelming mentions of "fruit" in this note, I wouldn't call this a true "fruit bomb," as the experience isn't at "bomb level." Let's go with... delicious fruit super-treat. No wait, that sounds dumb. Well, whatever, this a fantastic whisky. 
Whiskey Master List
Whiskey Value and Selling Online FAQ
Contact Rare Liquor Collectors
Popular Articles