Seaweed & Aeons & Digging & Fire 10 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (Batch 03) (70cl, 59.1%)
Seaweed & Aeons & Digging & Fire is a fabulous single malt all the way from Islay, matured for 10 years, including 25% of it having been finished in first-fill Oloroso sherry octaves. Now, what we’ve got here is that very same whisky, but bottled up at cask strength! The bumped-up ABV helps to reinforce the coastal focus of the dram, while also bolstering the wonderfully sherried notes, resulting in a fantastically full-flavoured expression. Still no hints as to which distillery it comes from, mind. The label certainly isn’t giving anything away, though it is pleasingly straightforward and to the point.
Nose: Dulse, sultana, honeyed apricot, oatcakes, rock pools and beach bonfires.
Palate: Richly smoky with BBQ char and maritime peat, juxtaposed with hints of fruity sherry and a few squares of dark chocolate.
Finish: Spiced hot chocolate, toasted cedar, burnt ends, scorched barley.
Overall: It wears its Islay heart on its sleeve, this one, but that doesn’t mean it’s uncomplex in the slightest.