Hunter Laing’s Islay Journey
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky | 46% ABV
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
Punching above its weight
What’s Up Doc?
There are few things that humble someone as much as sitting in a doctor’s office, waiting for the doctor to come in.
For my appointment last week, I’d already done the necessary bloodwork the week prior and the panels – as always – are never ideal. Cholesterol levels? Triglycerides? Not my friends.
As I sat in the cold room, waiting, the last thing I was thinking about was whisky. After the obligatory ten minutes of sitting in silence, my primary care physician came in. Dr Namar. He’s probably twenty years my junior, and a former Navy pilot – as I glean from his retained high-and-tight haircut and the assorted pictures of A6 squadrons adorning the walls.
He enters the room with a big grin and I stand to shake his hand. It isn’t often that you genuinely say, “good to see you” when seeing your doctor, but I do mean it with this guy. I have had primary care physicians in my day that were not what the doctor ordered – sorry couldn’t resist. But Dr Namar is bright, he’ll listen, and genuinely cares. This certainly tempers the dread of going to the doctor.
And so, on this particular day, some serious conversations were to occur regarding changes to habits, diets, schedules, etc., as I am closer to age sixty than age fifty. We talk about changes that are upcoming for me as I look to transition to other/better work that doesn’t vex me as my present line of work often does. That talk sparked some thoughts and ideas from the good doctor about reducing stress.
“You know,” Dr Namar said, “maybe it’s time to do some more traveling.”
I smiled a bit and mentioned that Mrs. Shaw and I already have plans to travel back to Scotland in October.
“Scotland?!” The doc’s eyes widened and a large grin re-appeared. “Do you . . . “ he almost seemed scared to say it “. . . drink Scotch?”
I swear, I didn’t bring up the topic.
I laughed out loud. “Yes. I’ve been known to appreciate a good dram.”
He became, for lack of a better term, giddy. Actually giddy. “Do you go to any distilleries?”
“Absolutely.”
If he was a school-aged child he’d be jumping up and down while uncontrollably clapping his hands. I mentioned that this go-round we’d be visiting Glasgow Distillery, Blair Athol, Dalwhinnie, and perhaps Deanston. His eyes glossed over, and I discussed my experiences and understandings of each distillery’s distillates and characteristics. It quickly became clear he had a sole focus on another place with other distilleries.
“Did you go to that peated island?”
With a knowing smile, I replied, “yes, we spent several days on Islay. Without doubt, it was the highlight of our trip.”
Giddiness returned, and he wanted to know about the distilleries. Evidently, he’d just started to dabble into peated whiskies and he was another of the fish that had been landed by Islay’s peat smoke - hook, line, and sinker.
We talked about the Three Distilleries Path that my wife and I walked, enjoying tours and drams at Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg. We talked about Bunnahabhain. We talked about Bowmore, and then onto the visits we made at Kilchoman and Bruichladdich. I told him about two distilleries that we did not go to – Ardnahoe (that hadn’t at that time released any of its wares) and Caol Ila.
He was truly a captive audience, but an irony was not lost on me – I had come to talk about my heart health, and he was making my heart happy; talking the talk of whisky. He was enamoured, and insisted that I give him a few recommendations so that his father – who lives in New York – could mule some different bottles to him. All the doc had known about “Scotch” was Lagavulin 16 and Ardbeg 10. I gave him a good number of expressions to try, and he dutifully wrote them down in his pad. As he finished writing, he was almost crestfallen when he looked at his watch and realised he needed to get onto his next patient. We shook hands, talked about our next appointment in three months’ time. I have homework to lower my cholesterol and triglycerides, and he has homework to try three new-to-him bottles from Islay.
And so, in honour of Dr Namar – he who admires Islay – I write this review. Many thanks for honesty, frankness, humour, and whisky talk here in the whisky desert.
Review
Islay Journey, Blended Malt Islay Scotch whisky, Hunter Laing, 46% ABV
USD$30 paid, typically £35 and widely available
This bottle was a throw-in during an online purchase to bump over the threshold for discounted shipping. This bottle was a mere $30 USD. When adding this bottle to the online basket, I wondered (and hoped) if this was going to be a bottle that punched above its weight. I have already reviewed the Campbeltown expression of this “Journey Series” from Hunter Laing, and found it to be good. As we have seen, blended whiskies often get overlooked, even at amazing price points.
Let’s dive in and see if the water is fine…
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
Punching above its weight
Nose
Lemon chiffon. Ashy and sweetly iodine peat. Slight waft of Canadian bacon. Drippings from a rotisserie spit. Rocks in a tidal pool. Seaweed on shore during a warm day. Strangely, there is a definite hint of Bananas Foster. Toffee.
Palate
Creamy salinity. Peat is here but does not overpower. Citrus rinds and blood orange. Really curious to have that Bananas Foster taste here – would not have expected it in an Islay peated whisky, but here it is. Vanilla. Toffee. Really quite interesting. All mingle with this iodine-but-sweet peat. Oak and briny water. Black pepper. Sweet and salty. A bit acidic. Caramel and seagrass. It has a nice finish that lingers well.
The Dregs
Let’s be clear: this will never be confused with an Ardnahoe 5 year old, a Caol Ila 12, or a Laphroaig Quarter Cask. But as an inexpensive blend, this is rather good. Whether someone is starting their peated journey, or whether someone wants a good Islay easy sipper, this bottle might be a great choice. And, let’s say it again, at $30 USD, it is an absolute bargain as compared to other Islay introductory level expressions. It is the Naked Malt version of Islay blends. (And I do like the Naked Malt.)
While this lacks a bit of complexity, it nonetheless brings flavor. I am enjoying this as a peated option. This is a dram that appears to carve its own simple-and-good lane and is happy in it. It is a quality and balanced dram. It will not knock your socks off . . . and I don’t believe it was meant to. This is a humble blend that simply aims to please. And it does it well.
I did look to see if I could ascertain any information regarding the stock that went into this blend, but I could find nothing definitive. The only definitive item about the creation of this blend was from the Hunter Laing website:
“To create this outstanding blend of fine Scotch malt whisky we have selected whiskies from the very finest distilleries to be found on the iconic Isle of Islay. The balance of smoothness and complexity of flavour and aroma comes from blending whiskies some of which have been matured in Bourbon hogsheads.”
“...some of which...” Yeah, not exactly definitive. It’s not much, but that’s fine.
I am not someone who factors price into the score, but if I did, this would bump the score up a full point. This was on the border of a 5/10 and a 6/10, and after some deliberation, it crossed over into the 6/10 territory. This is good stuff, and quite frankly, we would all do well with enjoying more quality blends.
All in all, I am very happy to report that I had an unexpectedly good outcome for a “throw-in” to get a break on shipping costs. A nice surprise, indeed.
And if my Doc’s into it, surely it can’t be bad?
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. OS
-
Dramface is free.
Its fierce independence and community-focused content is funded by that same community. We don’t do ads, sponsorships or paid-for content. If you like what we do you can support us by becoming a Dramface member for the price of a magazine.
However, if you’ve found a particular article valuable, you also have the option to make a direct donation to the writer, here: buy me a dram - you’d make their day. Thank you.
For more on Dramface and our funding read our about page here.
