Islay 30 Year Old / 1991 / Thompson Bros / 49% / 70cl

The first thing you will notice from this bottle on opening it’s a very familiar aroma in many ways almost as if its from one of the distilleries on the southern coast.

Nose: Very rich with a smouldering smoke and peat in the background, some seaweed and salted caramel, hints of lemon grass and poached sea food. Some deliciously balanced aromas of soft and tropical fruits.

Palate:  With a smooth moment or two on the front of the palate this dram is showing a great balance between the rich smoke and peat and the tropical fruits on the nose. A warming rich salted toffee and poached pears, BBQ embers with dry spices, hints of citrus and dark honey, sweet smoke opens to a leather and parchment note. With a mix of rich coastal flavours throughout the dram.

An Islay that delivers from the start.