Whisky : Kirkland Signature Islay Single Malt

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 50%

Cask : Oak

Nose : Maritime, herbal, and seafood grill smoke.  Maritime brine, olden wooden piers, and subtle tar.  Dried lemon peel and vanilla peeked out behind mellow medicinal herbs.  A distant seaside shellfish barbecue came to mind with a mineral rich smoke.

Palate :  Medium bodied with  a profile of sweet citrus, salt, and smoke.  A mellow brine lingered behind sweet lemony citrus which left the impression of a citrus-herb grilled whitefish or the salted rim on a lemonade margarita.  In the background were notes of black pepper, vanilla, orange peel, and minerals.

Finish :  Short with notes of lemon peel and salt.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Shore Leave Luau on Risa

Notes :  Wow.  I expected this to be serviceable, but I thought this was actually really nice.  It hit on a lot of my favorite notes as it offered a soft smoke with lovely maritime notes and citrus fruits.  This will probably not blow one’s socks off, but if one already has a taste for Islays, especially the mellow coastal citrus of Caol Ila— which I is my strong suspicion as the source of this malt— then this will likely have some appeal.  

In my opinion, there is nothing better at the price point.  I reckon it beats out fellow $40-50 peated malts, which in my area includes: Laphroaig Select, Laphroaig 10, Johnnie Walker Black, Kilchoman Machir Bay.  It does not quite hit the same level as Arbeg 10 (though that bottle is $70 in my area), but it was not far off.  I think the only introductory Islay bottle that I would pick ahead of this is the Port Charlotte 10, which I think nudges this out in terms of richness or depth of flavor on the profile. 

Overall, I enjoyed this bottle and thought that, in terms of sheer value proposition, it was really great.  I loved that Alexander Murray bottled it at 50%.  I wish the finish was longer and that they did not color it quite so much— but after hearing someone complain about peat monster being too lightly colored— I understand the impetus.