Isle of Harris The Hearach

Light peat. Sweet. Werther's Original. Ginger. Biscuits.

Nose: Mild peat, citrus. 7/10. Palate: It arrives dry, and this character persists throughout the palate. Spicy, hot ginger, black pepper, mild smokiness and a strong briny note in the later palate. 4/10. Finish: Medium/Short. All peated whiskies have a good degree of persistence but in this case there is not much else contributing length. Cereal trailing to sour mash. 4/10. “Soft/Dry” is a standard polarity for whisky, but this spirit goes beyond dry into a profile I would describe as distinctively “Hard” with sour and briny notes competing against hot spices. It’s not what I would call a friendly or particularly impressive whisky and despite being 7-8 years old (apparently) it tastes very young and undisciplined. The nose is the best aspect by far and if the palate and finish were equivalent I’d be giving this 3.5 stars. Sadly, this is not the case. However, to be fair, it was hard to review this whisky properly as the distillery only gives you a tiny tasting sample in a plastic shot glass, and I’m sure I missed a lot of nuance. They really need to invest in proper tasting glasses and provide a better tasting environment. Selling samples in 50ml and 200ml bottles in addition to the full bottles would also be a good idea. I will give this another try some time, as I have a feeling it is better than my first impression indicates. “Average” : 76/100 (2.5 stars)

This is -varsity- level Scotch, sports fans.