Smokehead Extra Rare Islay Single Malt Whisky 1 l

A whisky as smoky as it could get. This Smokehead Extra Rare is an excellent single malt Scotch that was originally launched for the travel retail. It comes from the Isle of Islay, which is also called the queen of the Hebrides.

Whiskies from this little island are generally renowned for their very smoky character and thus this dram is definitely a typical Islay malt.

On the nose the Smokehead Extra Rare shows a maritime aroma that connects very well with smoky peat, malt, barley, citrus and plums. Its taste offers a big portion of smoke and spicy peat.

Furthermore, earthy flavours, coal tar and a nuance of iodine are compound with a slight sweetness of honey as well as lemon flavours.

The finish of this single malt is long-lasting and is still offering a nice smoke aroma. In addition, the smoke is refreshed by a soft sweetness and a tangy fruitiness.

So far it is not certain, at which distillery the Smokehead Extra Rare was produced. Some say it stems very likely from a company in the southern region of the Isle of Islay.

That would mean that either Lagavulin, Laphroaig or Ardberg is responsible for its manufacturing. But then others remark that those distilleries do not have enough capacities besides their own whiskies. Thus, the Caol Ila Distillery became centre of the attention.

Until a few years ago, this company has been producing mainly for other blended whiskies. They started to change their business and therefore they could have the necessary capacities to produce whiskies like the Smokehead Extra Rare and its siblings.

But it is certainly known that Ian MacLeod is the bottler. It is one of the top ten largest Scotch whisky companies of the world and has additionally brands of gin, vodka or rum listed in its portfolio.