Smokehead Rum Riot Islay Single Malt / 43% / – The Smokehead brand was introduced by Ian Macleod Distillers in 2006 and immediately caught customers’ attention with unconventional presentation. The company also owns Glengoyne, Tamdhu and Rosebank distilleries as well as several whisky brands. Smokehead comes from undisclosed Islay distillery and there is a lot of speculation, which distillery it might be; Ardbeg however is the most popular guess among the most devoted brand followers. In the summer of 2019 Ian Macleod added a Travel Retail exclusive Rum Riot expression to the range. The whisky carries no age statement; it was aged in traditional oak barrels and finished in Caribbean rum casks.
Nose: sweet and smoky, vanilla, candy floss, golden syrup, touch of honey, bananas, mango, white pepper and a pinch of salt.
Palate: honey, vanilla, butterscotch, white chocolate, burnt sugar, honeydew melon, baked apples, clove, touch of seaweed and whiffs of peat smoke.
Finish: fairly long, smoky and spicy, with notes of pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, touch of leather and lingering peat smoke.
