Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Bottled by: Berry Bros & Rudd 70cl / 65.3%

Great to see Berry Bros doing cask experiments - this Laph... er, 'Williamson' Islay single malt was part of a 'vice-versa' experiment where it swapped barrels with a 10-year-old Diamond distillery Guyana rum for the last year of its maturation.

Both the rum and this Williamson have now been bottled and have each contributed characteristics to each other's final profile, with the Islay malt picking up a sweet estery exotic fruit note alongside its natural sooty, ashy phenols.

This single cask rum-finished 'mystery' Islay single malt whisky has been bottled at a balls-to-the-wall cask strength of 65.3%, so it's fair to say that a drop of water might be advisable.

Attributes

Distillery	Undisclosed
Bottler	Berry Bros & Rudd
Country	Scotland
Region	Islay
Distilled Year	2014
Bottling Year	2021
Cask Number	06004
Limited Edition	Yes
Bottles Produced	254
Bottle Size	70cl
ABV	65.3%
Pre-Owned	No

Tasting Notes

This Williamson Islay whisky was re-racked into an ex-Guyana rum barrel for 12 months.

Nose: No matter how powerful the wood, nothing tempers the aggressive peat smoke that leaps out of this glass. A little time, however, shows a more complex picture of wine gums, ash and treacle, with a touch of camphor oil.

Palate: The palate is exceptionally powerful, the high alcohol content integrating nicely with fierce smoke, and some high ester fruity notes appearing from the rum.

A pleasingly idiosyncratic whisky; if you have the opportunity and stamina, it is best paired with the Guyana rum.

Doug McIvor Says

“Bessie Williamson was the legendary manager at Laphroaig from the 1940’s until the early 1970’s and spokesperson for the Scotch Whisky Association in the USA where she toured during the 1960’s to promote the amber dew. Her early vision was such that she predicted the surge in popularity of single malts, particularly strongly peated gems such as this fine Islay which we finished in a Guyanan rum barrel.”