Scarabus Single Malt

Very peaty. Smoke, peat, earth, seaweed, dank dead plant matter, ocean air and charcoal nose with a hint of those drops they put in your ears after swimming at summer camp. Rich and earthy on the palate; charcoal, peat, smoke, earth, leather, vanilla, bandaids, oak, black pepper and toast. The finish is long, peaty, earthy and peppery. It’s not the smoothest, but it’s full in every way, and the melding of the earth and the sea seems transportive. I want to go read Conrad or Melville.

Scarabus - Nose: Caramel Bonfire Peat Smokey Sweetness Fruit Salt Taste: Peat Smokey Salty Caramel Pitted fruits Vanilla Finish: Warmth Peat smoke Bonfire

Great value. Raw Islay "medicinal" qualities, some creosote/band-aid notes. Reminiscent of Laphraoig, but I greatly prefer this (plus, it's cheaper!). Nose: peat smoke, band-aids, tar, lemon. Palate: smoke, salted caramel, green apple, honey, white pepper, tobacco, orange peel.

Smells and taste like Ardbeg with a bit of young malt sourness.. With Wee Beastie going for $50 this is a great buy. Doesn't have as strong as young malt taste as Wee Beastie. More like An Oa. If you like Ardbeg on a budget, this is for you.

Nose: lemon, ocean spray Palate: peat, citrus, brine Finish: salty, smoky Very nice. Light and briny, without sacrificing depth. Good summer islay whisky that is easy on the budget.

To the eye this whisky is shockingly light in color, like white wine, so it obviously hasn’t spent much time in the barrel. It has a strong nose that takes some time to reveal its subtleties. Up front it has powerful ashy peat, buttery cold bacon fat, some copper, iodine, and punchy alcohol. Then comes a hint of vanilla, and just a drop of fruitiness in the form of Bosc pear and underripe pineapple on a bed of salty kelp. On the tongue it’s surprisingly sweet and spicy. It’s a straightforward sugary sweetness, accompanied by red pepper flakes and some sharp citrusy tang, reminiscent of lemon. The moment you swallow though, sooty peat dominates the palate along with a tinge of iodine. The body is nice, coating, yet not too heavy. The legs start out thin and quick but give way to heavier ones with medium tears and leaves a nice mist at mid glass. The lengthy finish is slightly dry, somewhat leathery, peaty, a little woody and sharp. Nose: 7 Taste: 8 Body: 7 Finish: 7