Marks & Spencer Islay Single Malt 12 Year Old

Marks & Spencer makes you think of suits, shoes and coats, rather than whisky, no? But they do have a food & wine department, where you can also find this bottle: Islay Single Malt 12 Year Old. The identity of the distillery is a well-kept secret. The bottle will set you back less than £30 in the UK, which is quite cheap for an Islay single malt of 12 years.

The nose is soft on smoke and shows a mild sourness. Yep, sauerkraut that immediately makes me suspect (although I cannot be sure) that this is in fact Bunnahabhain. Rather mild. After a few minutes of patience some fruit emerges, but not enough to make it interesting. Lime and apple, I would say.

The attack is fresh, but watery. Not a lot of body, tob e honest. The peat is limited, but the ashes do make up for it. The sourness is gone to make room for some olive oil and white fruit. Slowly but surely becomes sweeter on vanilla.

The medium long finish is quite possibly the nicest part of the mediocre Ileach. I sincerely hope this is not Caol Ila, for that would break my heart.

An introduction to Islay? Nah, I will have Black Bottle then. Bang for your buck, though. Thanks, Jan!