Solar Flare Alpha, 253° L.1.2' 1815.4:1798.5'', 21yo, 1995-2016, Peated Blended Malt

Tasting Notes

ABV

53.8%

 

Region

Islay & Islands

 

Bottling

Scotch Universe

 

Cask type

Refill American Bourbon Barrel


Nose

A bit reluctant on the nose with respect to smoky and peaty flavours. There's only a slight peatiness, lovely mixed with subtle smoke, sweet notes of vanilla, malted barley and a touch of yellow dried fruits. Pleasantly spicy with oak, pepper and a delicate herbal note, heather maybe.

Palate

Surprisingly sweet on the palate with creamy vanilla, barley sugar, cereals and stewed peaches. This is accompanied by liquorice and a bold spiciness of oak, cloves and pepper. Nicely warming, oily and mouth coating. Some flowery notes with a touch of herbs towards the finish.

Finish

The finish is long, warm and slightly dry with pepper, spiced oak, cloves. Again flowery notes, heather and herbs flash up on the tail.


With Water

Fresher on the nose with a splash of water. Sweet malted barley with more peat and smoke in the back. Less warming but still sweet on the palate with vanilla, barley sugar and prickling oak towards the finish. The spiciness is a bit tamed. The finish is long, sweet and creamy with heather honey, barley and a touch of peat on the tail.

Comments

This blend of two old single malt whiskies from two different distilleries, one from Islay and one from the Island, is a bold, intense and nicely complex composition. The smoky and peaty flavour of the Islay malt is a bit tamed and together with its touch of fruitiness matches perfectly with the sweet, herbal and oily character of the Island whisky. Not straight forward but a delicate blend with rough edges where the connoisseur has to pay full attention.

I thank Michel Reick from Scotch Universe for the sample and the photograph!