Whisky: TBWC Islay #2 25 Year (Batch 2)

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 48.7%

Cask: Oak

Age: 25 Year

Nose: Earth, smoke, and soft brine. The sweet earthy-mineral scent of petrichor as rain patters down on dry earth. Subtle smoke recalled hiking in the wake of a forest fire: ash and sweet charred wood lingered in the air as we stepped over burned logs and waded through scorched grass—hints of animal and manure as was passed the trampled grass of a bison bed. Soft maritime notes hid mainly in the background to me, though the wife found olive brine stood out.

Palate: Mellow and restrained with salt, herbaceous spice, and fruit. The notion of vanilla and caraway seed ice cream fled before the underlying saltiness of a tepid salt pond. Unripened green fruit and slightly sour crab apples paired with notes of tea and nettles. The wife proposed sweet pickle juice with dill, mustard seed, and apple slices. Herbaceous green tobacco and faint ash appeared at the end and became more prominent with a few drops of water.

Finish: Lingering dry earth and ash.

Score: 6

Mental Image: A Bison’s One Room Prairie Studio

Notes: My first review of a That Boutique-y Whisky Co. release, and what a cracking bottle to start! Their colorful cartoon label illustrations have had me on the lookout for a chance to try TBWC. I am a sucker for a fun label, and while looks are not everything, I can appreciate bottles with a bit of style. However, TBWC can also be pretty pricey, and the bottles have never been available at retail in my local area (or on the web stores I frequent). I know a local distributor has carried a few releases, but they have all disappeared out their warehouse's back door, so to speak, rather than reach retail store shelves.

My review seems a few pegs lower than most of the others I found, which may be due to the batch– most reviews have been of Islay #2 Batch 1. However, I also cannot discount differences in personal taste. I loved the nose on this, but the palate was not entirely my style. I debated whether to score this a six or round up to seven, but if the difference between those scores is "would I actively seek this out and buy it (assuming money is not an issue," then I just could not pencil in a seven. I enjoyed the nose, but the palate went in the wrong direction, and I could not see myself actively reaching for this, much less seeking it out.

Internet rumors hint that Batch 1 was 1990s pre-mothball Ardbeg; so is Batch 2 the same? The abv. was identical between Batch 1 and 2, while subsequent batches were slightly lower (48.6%). The TBWC label notes vary slightly between batch 1 and the others. Supposedly, pre-mothball Ardbeg was also the source for Peat's Peat 25 Year, and I can see a lot of similarity between the two, especially on the nose. I reckon they both do remind me of some of the older Ardbeg I have had, more so than any other distillery, but I have no inside line to verify whether that is true.  

Image Credit: Whiskybase