New release - Imperial 18 years old from Hunter Laing

This whisky forms part of the first set of bottlings from the newly formed independent bottling company of Hunter Laing & Co. The company was formed in May after the owners of Douglas Laing, brothers Fred and Stewart Laing, decided to go their separate ways earlier this year.  Stewart has formed Hunter Laing & Co along with his two sons (Andrew and Scott) while Fred has taken full control of Douglas Laing, which is one of the oldest and biggest independent bottling companies in the Scotch whisky industry.

Have just tried ... Director's Tactical Selection 'Old Malt Cask' 10 years old

An independent single cask bottling
Director's Tactical Selection is a single malt whisky released by the independent bottling company Douglas Laing & Co. They are based in Glasgow and the company that was set up by Frederick Douglas Laing in 1948. They are one of the largest independent bottlers in Scotland and is currently run by Frederick's two sons, Stewart and Fred Junior. Distilleries from all areas of Scotland fill whisky directly to Douglas Laing’s own casks and these are matured and then released or blended at the appropriate time. This whisky is part of the Old Malt Cask range, which are all bottlings released at 50% ABV and specially selected from single casks. This limits the numbers of each release and increases the retail price and in this case, there are only 354 bottles available and each should cost £60-70.

So, which distillery is it from?
Director's Tactical is not a distillery name, but one given to it by Douglas Laing & Co. Most distilleries allow the independent bottling companies to use their name, however some do not so an alternative name has to be given. This is the case here. it is not as difficult as you think to guess these distilleries, especially once you look at the label on the bottle. This is named as 'A Skye malt' and there is only only distillery on the isle of Skye, so therefore it must be from it. That distillery is Talisker.

Remote yet popular
Talisker is an iconic Scottish whisky distillery on the isle of Skye. The island lies off the north west Highland coast and forms part of the Hebrides. As mentioned, the distillery is the only one on the island and is located close to the village of Carbost, in the shadow of the imposing Cuillin hills. Despite its remote location, the distillery is one of the most visited in Scotland. Talisker was founded in 1830 by two local brothers, Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, and has a current annual production capacity of 1.9 million litres. The distillery is currently owned by drinks giant Diageo and its sales are increasing rapidly, mostly thanks to the popular Talisker 10 years old.

To read more history and information about the Talisker distillery then visit the Talisker distillery profile page on our website whiskyforeveryone.com.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this Director's Tactical Selection Old Malt Cask 10 years old (possibly, one of the longest names for a whisky so far!) is pale and golden, almost straw-like. The nose is fresh, vibrant and fragrant with plenty of vanilla, sweet honey, dried grasses and bitter cereal grains (imagine the husks especially). Through these aromas comes some lovely sweet, earthy peat and a touch of salty sea water. This nose makes you want to try the whisky. On the palate, this is again fresh and feels light and thin in the mouth. However, it makes up for this slight disappointment with plenty of vibrant flavours - lots of sweet grain, vanilla and peat (think of damp earth or moss) to begin with and then warm spices (imagine peppercorns or chilli), honey, brine and a hint of bitter iodine. The finish becomes very hot and spicy (the peppercorns and chilli again) with the salty note, honey and sweet peatiness fighting their way through to give decent length. The finish burns away for a long time getting drier and drier with a hit of that bitter iodine to end.

What's the verdict?
This is a good but slightly challenging whisky. Fans of the regular distillery release of Talisker 10 years old may be disappointed as it does not have the richness or peatiness of that. This is fresher, more vibrancy, more spicy heat and is stronger in alcohol. The casking is different and the one used has imparted more subtle characters to the whisky, but this makes it a different drink. The higher ABV calls for the addition of water but this brings out a distinct cereal grassiness and something slightly acidic and unpleasant - we recommend sticking to drink it neat. The price is also double that of the regular 10 years old. It's a lovely refreshing peaty whisky but is it worth the money?

Have just tried ... Laphroaig 16 years old 'Old Malt Cask' from Douglas Laing & Co

A best selling distillery
Laphroaig is one of the best known whisky distilleries in the world. The name is derived from the Gaelic for 'beautiful hollow by the broad bay' and is also one of the hardest distillery names to pronounce correctly! (all together now - la-froyg) The distillery is located on the island of Islay, which lies off the west coast of Scotland. Laphroaig and Islay are renowned for producing very smoky, peaty flavoured whisky and Laphroaig's 10 years old is the best selling smoky whisky in the world. The distillery was founded in 1810 by two brothers, Alexander and Donald Johnson, and is currently owned by drinks corporation Beam Global. It has an annual production capacity of 2.9 million litres and they produce some of the smokiest whiskies in the world there.

Who are Douglas Laing & Co?
This Laphroaig whisky is bottled by Douglas Laing and Co - a Glasgow based independent bottling company that was set up by Frederick Douglas Laing in 1948. They are one of the largest independent bottlers in Scotland and is currently run by Frederick's two sons, Stewart and Fred Junior. The distilleries fill directly to Douglas Laing’s own casks and these are then matured and released or blended at the appropriate time. Douglas Laing have three main ranges of whisky which contain over 200 different bottlings at any one time. These are named Provenance, Old Malt Cask and Old & Rare. This Laphroaig is part of the current Old Malt Cask range (these are bottled from single casks and at 50% ABV) and has been matured in a sherry cask for 16 years, is one of only 691 bottles and should cost around £75 a bottle.

Our tasting notes
This whisky has a golden colour with a hint of amber and the nose is vibrant, expressive and very enticing. An initial sweet caramel note is joined by dried fruits (sultanas especially), toasted nuts (imagine almonds) and some earthy smokiness (think of damp moss). This smokiness increases and becomes more phenolic and bitter (imagine tar or creosote - that's the stuff that you paint your garden fence with) and this counteracts the sweeter elements well. On the palate, this again starts sweetly before gaining a more bitter edge. There are plenty of notes present - caramel, cereals, honey and dried fruits (think of sultanas and raisins) on the sweeter side and burnt sugar, iodine, tar, peat smoke and spices (imagine nutmeg, peppercorns and chilli) on the more bitter side. The balance is completed by a distinct salty, briny note. The finish is very long, sweet and smoky. The smokiness is again reminiscent of tar and this is joined by woody oak and some spicy chilli heat. Sweeter notes include the caramel and mossy peat. With the addition of water, more grassiness and toffee-like sweetness comes out but the peaty smoke and spiciness are flattened.

What's the verdict?
This Laphroaig is very good. Having said that, the nose is fantastic, complex and expressive but while the palate and finish are lovely, they don't quite live up to that nose. This is being picky and it is one to add to your shopping list if you love your peaty, smoky whiskies. Single cask and higher strength Laphroaig's are rare and mainly the domain of the independent bottling companies such as Douglas Laing, so this feels like a real treat. If you don't like smoky whiskies then you should probably avoid it - however, if curiosity gets the better of you then you could try this in order to sample a good example of the smoky style.