February 24, 2015

SMOKEHEAD SKULL! Oh yeah that's actually what it's called...

POWERFUL, PEATY, SMOKY, OUTRAGEOUS, BOISTEROUS, DEEP, RICH, INTENSE...

These are words written in bone on a human skull with plumes of smoke pouring off of it.  Oh yeah, that's some serious beastly marketing madness right there.  We dig it.




What is it?

Smokehead is an independent Islay bottling from Ian Macleod Distillers.  Despite the name, Ian Macleod is not a distillery, rather an importer who supplies a range of spirits to European supermarkets.  There's not a lot of information given, such as no age statement on the bottle, and no clue as to the actual distillery except that it's Islay.  Most people seem to think it's a young Ardbeg which sounds about right.





Tasting Notes

Nose:  Good & smoky. Nice coastal smoke like a young and fiery Ardbeg or Laphroaig. A lot of salt. Some little chocolates, chocolate covered peanuts maybe. Little bit of wood and tiny bit of leather.

Palate: Smoky, but overall pretty light with a thin mouthfeel.

Finish:  Drifting, light to medium smoke, no burn, generally a nice finish.

Also makes a pretty sweet Les Paul...


Review

Great bottle, good whisky. We share a soft spot for smoke heads.  This one comes in around $50 which may be a little high considering that Ardbeg 10 is around the same price, and it's... well... ten years old.  But hey this is a fun little whiskey that comes in a bad-ass bottle in a sweet tube and will impress your friends.  Like for example, if someone gave Mr. & Mrs. SmokyBeast a bottle of this, or better yet a bottle of their "extra black" 18 Year, we'd be very happy.  The more smoking skulls on the shelf at our place the better.

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