McClelland's Single Malt Islay

Given the prices of standard offerings for Islay, I thought I'd try this since some whiskey somms do appreciate it as a budget offering. Supposedly it is young Bowmore, which I've never had. The only Islay I've had besides this is Ardbeg 10. The McClelland hits you immediately with smoke on the nose and I get nothing else. It is surprisingly light on the taste/mid-palate. But the finish tastes kind of like cheap artificial smoke you'll find in food, not nearly as tasty as Ardbeg 10. I don't get that meatiness you would get from the older peat. If you really like smoke this could be a good budget purchase, it is about half the price of your 10Y malts. This has taken me a while to get through this bottle, and I'm very hesitant to try another McClelland. However, I do not think this whiskey is nearly as bad as the expert review on here, it's fine but it's just one-note smoke.

Peaty smoky taste. Not smooth but good

SO GODDAMN GOOD AND PETE AND MOSSY AND SMOKY AS HELL

In my area it is far cheaper than any other Islay I can get my hands on. It does the job for scratching your peat itch but lacks a lot of complexity and interest salty components you may love in an islay. That being said if you love peat it is certainly worth a try for the money