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Finlaggan Cask Strength Review
Colour
A pale straw, with a hint of a lemon yellow. Very weak apple juice if it had been passed through a cloth.
Nose
At 58% ABV you would expect a vast amount of Ethanol, whilst there is a alcoholic pong its not as strong as you would imagine. With a prominent sweet wood taste along the lines of slightly burnt toast. Coming from
Islay there is Peat however it is relatively mild. I would say the most prominent whiff coming from this Finlaggan has to be Turkish honey dates a dried fruit and leather nature. All the while from the bottom of the dram there comes a homely felling of stewed apple and almond flakes not unlike the finest Mothers Crumble.
Palate
The palate has much more to say for itself like with most
Islay's the dram make itself known right of the bat, earth and soil onslaughts the palate from the start and a image of a coastal fish smoker comes to mind. Charcoal woods and BBQ meats with a seaweed saltiness that only the west can create, there is also a fantastic sweet twist reminiscent of sweet oats and barley malt.
Finish
Slightly medicinal as with lots of Peated whisky however the nature is not harsh and certainly isn't intended to shock. A hell off a lot briefer than you would imagine this is the perfect Gateway drug for a start into the Peated universe of the Western Islands
Round up
Very little is actually known about
Finlaggan, it is not a distillery but rather an independently bottled whisky from
Islay. As to which distillery its hard to say its matured in Bourbon barrels and has almost certainly a wee drop of caramel added but that should be expected. I would hazard a guess at it being a Caol Ila and a young one at that.
Score: 86/100
