Blended Whisky, Scotland/Islay

First stop of the 15th edition of the Artist range dedicated to Islay whiskies, this Blended Malt dropped anchor in the north of this legendary island. Made from two Bunnahabhain distilled in 2013 and 2014 and three Caol Ila vintages (2014, 2015, and 2018), this version was blended and finished for one year in a puncheon, then continued its maturation for six months in toasted new American oak casks. Sketching the profile of the future single malt from the Portintruan distillery, built by Elixir Distillers, its aromatic and taste profile sails between the peat of Bunnahabhain and the smoke of Caol Ila, asserting a perfect connection between these two single malts with diametrically opposed characters.

Nose : Delicate, unctuous. Abundant malted barley grains, cut hay, oily drying peat, a few sea sprays, pipe tobacco, as well as meaty notes (bacon) compose a very well-balanced aromatic palette. Upon airing, floral (hyacinth), vanilla, ashy, peppery, and medicinal (balm) notes complete this complex olfactory picture.

Appearance : Deep antique gold.

Palate : Lively, dynamic. Initially earthy, chocolatey, herbal, mineral (chalk), and salty, the flavour profile quickly evolves towards smokier, camphorated, and medicinal (iodine tincture) tones. It then becomes gently malty and fruity (orange, apricot).

Overall : Gourmet, fluffy. With a pleasant malty, smoky, and salty bitterness, it is refreshed by notes of candied lemon and Williams pear. In the retro-nasal phase, flavours of toffee and roasted nuts harmonise beautifully with peat and smoke, which gradually take the lead.