Tastes

Gentle and calming. Tide pools and a cloudy day. Salt, seaweed, brine, pepper, peat, pear. Hint of alcohol. Doesn’t linger for long. Haven’t had a bad Douglas Laing yet…. Very nice. Unlike some of the other island single malts I’ve tried, this is subtler and smooth. Wouldn’t say balanced as it’s not trying to be light, but certainly not trying to knock your socks off. If I had to make a stressful decision, this is what I’d grab.

Fruity, light, oily. Medium length on the finish and feels like a spring drink. Bit of spice towards the end. Sweet. Taste goes from sweet to malt to spice. Good range and variety for one sip. Not for me, but I can understand why it’s popular for people who like speysides.

Spicy finish is biggest note. Certainly peat and smoke to be found but not as much as I expected after previously having the talisker 10. Underwhelming isn’t the word but it’s just a subtler whiskey than others. It’s got some complexity but a part of me wanted this to be a bit bolder. All in all still a quality dram.

Surprisingly not overwhelming with sherry. Overstimulated with dry fruits but somehow draws a nice balance between the Speyside gentleness and the sherry casks.

Tried cask strength version. Spicy and sherry bomb explosion on the nose. With water dropped in, much more subtle and complex. Caramel and burnt vanilla.