Islands Single Malt, 8 Years, 43% ABV, $52

The nose is a rich blend of caramel, vanilla, orange and sweet pepper. There’s only a hint of smoke in the background and it took me a while to notice it along with a bit of salty air. The aroma is very nice and young, with little evidence of wood. The taste is slow coming with an initial saltiness followed by a lull before salty vanilla and orange mixture arrives. The finish is mildly sweet, noticeably salty then mildly leathery and peppery. The salty vanilla flavor persists for a while… long after the peppery finish transitions to a salty, buttery leather. Upon further tasting, I notice a buttery fir taste midway through and the leathery flavor becomes more of juniper. The sweetness is very pleasant and the salty, peppery, botanical quality complements it very well while the slight woody bitterness is nicely balanced. Also, I can’t forget to mention the bright citrus aspect. This is a nice whisky!

Here’s what Master of Malt has to say about this one:

A blended malt, Poit Dhubh is a mellow, lightly peated whisky that comprises mostly of Talisker, which reflects the fact its parent company, Pràban, is based on the Isle of Skye. The remainder of the blend is composed of various Speyside malts which imparts [?] and matured partly in sherry casks which lends it [the] typically rich flavours you would expect. Poit Dhubh [is] pronounced “potch ghoo” and means “black pot”, which is the gaelic term for an “illicit still”.