Grace Île 25yo

The Grace Île 25 years old is an Islay single malt from an undisclosed distillery bottled by the independent bottler The Character of Islay Whisky Company. Aged a quarter century and bottled at 48% ABV, non chill filtered and with no added colour. The name also holds a secret. Say "Grace Île" out loud, and you might find yourself saying a name of a cheeky creature often seen poking its head out of the water on the shores of Islay.

Nose: Sea spray, malty maturity, hints of rubber with smouldering ash. Slight shellfish sweetness among wild heather and oily oak. Browning apples, nectarines and lemon vanilla, butterscotch, crisp bacon and jasmine tea.

Palate: Over a note of firewood there’s chewy vanilla toffees, apricot jam, juicy wood spices and a little dried barley. Elements of sour citrus and maritime salinity percolate among these flavours, while smoked almonds and grass clippings reside pleasantly underneath.

Finish: Swirling complexity, the finish leaves a juicy impression, an almost agricole-esque note which rises through the sweet smoke.