The Ileach Peaty Review


“The Boy From Islay”

Country: Scotland 
Region: Islay
Brand: The Ileach Peaty
Bottler: The Highlands & Islands Scotch Whisky Co.Ltd., Glasgow (The Vintage Malt Whisky Co.)
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS (Likely around 5 Years)
ABV: 40 %

Colour: Light Amber with shades of Orange

Nose: Young and mostly Sweet with Smoke, Wet Clay, Plastic, Band Aid, Iodine, light Leather, Sea Water, Shell Fish, Smoked Salmon marinated in Dried Herbs, Orchard Fruit, Lemon, Burnt Caramel, Cereals and a hint of Peanut Butter. On the Nose the Ileach Peated feels rather young and unfinished but it's not bad. The Alcohol is not fully integrated.  

Palate: Thin, Watery and slightly Medicinal with light Smoke, Wet Clay, Rubber, Plastic, Smoked Fish, Shell Fish, Sea Water, Malt, Caramel, Pepper, Pear, Green Apple, Lemon and slightly Bitter Grapefruit.  

Finish: Not very Long and quite Watery. Bitter-Sweet and Medicinal as well. Dry towards the end. I find Cold Smoke, Wet Clay, Ashes, Brine, Caramel, Cooked Vegetables, Grass, Sugar and slightly Burnt Cereals. Hints of Plastic and Peanut Butter.   

No need to add Water to the Ileach. It's already Thin enough as it is. I did find some extra Caramel/Toffee on the Palate. 

Rating: 80

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20

This is the "Old" version I'm tasting today!

General Remarks: The Ileach stands for a person born on Islay. This Single Malt from an undisclosed Islay distillery was launched around 2009/2010 by the Vintage Malt Whisky Company. I have no idea of the details of the contract between Vintage and the Distillery but I can imagine the latter would be pleased to see the contract end as they need all the whisky they produce these days. Recently, the Ileach received a new modern presentation. The miniature I review today was bought on Islay last year and still still shows the old label. Funny enough the old bottle reminds me of Lagavulin and/or Caol Ila while the new style is similar to Bowmore. Could it be that the new Ileach Spirit was distilled at another distillery as the older version. Who knows! In any case Ileach Peated mostly matured in Ex-Bourbon Casks but some Ex-Sherry Casks were used as well. It is Chill-Filtered and contains added Caramel for colour. It is certainly not expensive at around 40 US Dollars (July 2015).

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good  

Conclusion: This Ileach Peaty has a lot in common with the Finlaggan (Secret Islay) I tasted recently. They are both Islay Single Malts produced by an undisclosed distillery. Both of them are also reasonably priced and that makes them attractive for people who love peated whiskies but aren't always willing to buy the regular distillery expressions that are becoming more expensive every year. So that's the advantage of our secret friends. Both of them also have the same problem however. They are simply too young. As a result they Nose and Taste Edgy, Rough and Unbalanced. Thin and Watery New Make Spirit with lots of Dirty Smoke, Earth, Plastic and Sea Water but clearly without sufficient Cask exposure to calm things down a bit. The Ileach literally means "The Man from Islay" but this isn't a man as yet. This is merely a boy. So if you like peated Sea Water go for it. If you love Islay malt but want a bit more balance and character better go for a 10 Year old Ardbeg or Laphroaig or a 12 Year old Caol Ila despite the fact that they are usually more expensive. That leaves us with the question where this Ileach was distilled. It's really hard to say but I would put my money on either Lagavulin or Bowmore. However, your guess is as good as mine!

Jan van den Ende                                                                       July 13, 2015

This is the "New" Bowmore style Packaging!

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