Whisky : Blackadder Peat Reek Embers (Cask #7)

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 58%

Cask : Ex-Sherry Finish

Nose : Campfire smoke roars out of the glass along with sweet barbecued ribs, and medicinal notes of sulphur, iodine, and saltpeter.  Emerging more slowly are roasted honey glazed pears, candied pecans, dried vanilla pods, and pineapple.  The nose has good balance between fruity desert and pungent smoke.

Palate : Medium bodied with a nice viscosity.  Heavy dose of smoke and sugar— smoked candies, if such a thing were to exist.  Salted caramel, smoked chocolate, charred pork with applesauce, along with hints of salt, sulphur, and fruits.  The wife was not sure how to describe it, though she reckoned the sherry notes were a bit strong for her.  Leather shoe, cherry pie with burnt crust, and coffee cake all came near the end.  A bit of water helps balance out this dram and tamp down some of the smoke.

Finish :  Lingering sizzling fat and whisky smoke off hot embers.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Fruit Punch in a Civil War Surgeon’s Tent.

Something Better : Westland Garryana 2018/3.1 (similar sweet bbq/saltpeter, more stone fruit/tea)

Something Similar : Ardmore 8 Year; Cadenhead (similar smoke candy and fruits/dessert)

Something Similar : Caol Ila 5 Year; The Maltman (similar leather/coffee/charred pork, more salt/sea)

Notes : A very interesting and quit punchy young Islay single malt.  The sherry wrestled with the pungent peat, though both quieted down and became more balanced with the addition of a few drops of water.  In fact, this dram changed quite a bit with a few drops of water, so much so that I began to really enjoy it for totally different reasons.  Overall, while I did enjoy elements of this, I cannot see myself grabbing it out of my scotch closet and therefore I cannot see ever buying it.  It just took me far too long between the first, second, and third times I tasted it.  I was never hankering or excited to come back to it.

The palate needed a bit more of the maritime/medicine notes on the nose to come through— or it needed some additional meatiness, this dram felt a bit overly cask driven by what I can only assume was a very wet/active sherry cask.  Ultimately it was a bit too young and hot without the sort of complexity that would draw me back in.  It was good enough though, that I would certainly be interested to try more of the range to see what else Blackadder has been cooking up.