“I Mist Islay in this Blend”
Country: Scotland
Brand: Islay Mist Deluxe
Bottler: MacDuff International Ltd, Glasgow
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: NAS
ABV: 40 %
Colour: Pale Gold
Nose: The name Islay Mist suggests some serious Peat and Smoke but that's not the case. There's a bit of Earth, Iodine, Brine and Campfire Smoke present but it's pushed into the background by Fruity New Make Spirit, Grapefruit, Grain
Alcohol, Dried Herbs, Toast and Removal Boxes. It's quite Thin actually. After a while I find some light Vanilla, light Honey, Floral Soap, Malt and White Sugar. When you smell the empty glass after an hour or so the Peat and Smoke are more noticeable.
Alcohol, Dried Herbs, Toast and Removal Boxes. It's quite Thin actually. After a while I find some light Vanilla, light Honey, Floral Soap, Malt and White Sugar. When you smell the empty glass after an hour or so the Peat and Smoke are more noticeable.
Palate: Young, Unfinished, Thin and Sugary Sweet with Floral Soap, Grain Alcohol, Citrus, light Honey, light Smoke, Wet Clay, Dried Herbs, Pepper, Menthol and Refill Oak.
Finish: Middle-Long and Sugary Sweet with Grain Alcohol, light Smoke, Ashes, Mandarin, light Licorice, Dried Herbs, Pepper and Salt.
The Islay Mist does not accept added Water very well. It's already Thin as it is.
Rating: 76
Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 18.5 - Finish: 18 - Overall: 19
General Remarks: Islay Mist is an Islay led Blended Whisky that also contains Whiskies from the Mainland. It was first launched in 1922 to celebrate the 21st Birthday party of one Lord Margadale. Apparently it's a Blend with Laphroaig at the heart, accompanied by some Speyside Malts (including The Glenlivet) and some Grain Whiskies. There are various expressions available in the market. Next to the NAS I'm reviewing today you can find the 12 Years, the 17 Years, the Peated Deluxe and the Peated Reserve. The NAS Deluxe is sold at a price that varies between 25 and 40 US Dollars (February 2015).
Drinking Experience Neat: Disappointing and Below Average.
Conclusion: Islay Mist is too strong a name for this Foggy Highlander. It's very tough to detect Laphroaig as the driving force of this Blend. It tastes and smells more like Grain Whisky blended with some young indifferent Highland Malt and a little Islay. On the Nose it's not too bad although the Islay component is not at all prominent. There's a bit more Smoke and Earth on the Palate and in the Finish but all in all Palate and Finish are too Thin, Young, Herbal and Edgy to impress. It somehow tastes like an unfinished Spirit. I will try to get some of the older expressions but this NAS Islay Mist does not work for me.
Jan van den Ende February 18, 2015
4 comments:
Finishing my second dram now, and I have to say you're on the spot. I was disappointed but that may be due to the fact that I love Laphroiag of which I got more on the bottle label than in my glass. It sells relatively cheap here but I will not buy another one.
Greetings from Finland!
Hi there, pity you didn't leave your name. But thanks for commenting! Unfortunately the Islay Mist at 40% lacks quality. I found it to be Young and Thin. I'm trying to find a sample of the Cask Strength that most likely is the better option. Cheers and take care in Finland!
Best Regards from Sao Paulo!
Jan
Hi from Russia. :-)
I think better about malt. Been drinking scotch malt whiskies for thirty years now and never really liked blends. I saw a bottle of Islay Mist Deluxe on a huge discount, 17 Euro's for a litre and thought ok why not try this one as I read some favourable reviews about this dram. Well I must say that this is your more than decent alternative to drink when the budget is too tight for the real deal. Smooth and soothing with a hint of peat. Lacks some depth but hey for this price you can't go wrong.
But i try to translate your opinion on russian here: http://frullato.ru/viski/viski-islay-mist-ilajj-mist
If want to communicate, write here: zaharcka @ gmail. com
Hi Zakhar, thank a lot for commenting! Sorry for the late reply but I was traveling in the mountains without access. Like you I prefer Singe Malts in general with some exceptions of course. The Islay Mist NAS is certainly okay at 17 Euros but personally I found it Young and Thin. I would imagine that the Cask Strength version is a lot better. I visited Frullato but unfortunately I can't read Russian. Happy 2017 Zakhar! Cheers, Jan.
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