Picti Coast

 

 

 

46°

Distillery Officially Unknown - Islands 

Bourbon Casks 

Independent Bottling 

By The Islay Boys Ltd. 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2021

Unchillfiltered

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

The Islay Boys, painfully aware that there are also non-peated whisky lovers all over the world, have decided to adapt and produce non-peated whisky themselves. This is the Picti range, named after the Picti tribes, the tattooed people who ruled Scotland between the third and tenth centuries. Here we have a Single Malt from the islands, very coastal but not peated.

Let's Taste It : 

A generous dose of iodine from the very first nose, followed by coarse sea salt, tide, foam, kelp, sea spray and seaweed. The gypsum of the cliffs, the sea breeze. Slight traces of motor oil and gas oil, but discreet. On the other hand, I didn't smell any fruit. The palate mirrors the nose, very maritime, with a few spices of the right sort, pepper, paprika, cumin. It's a bit like drinking seawater, but good seawater. The finish is fairly long, with hints of limestone and charcoal.

In Short, 

What an experience! I've never drunk anything so iodised, and without an ounce of peat. Very intriguing. Someone very well informed whispered in my ear that this was Scapa, and I'm delighted to discover this distillery, which is clearly full of treasures. The price is a bit high but still right, so it's worth a try.

Score : 86

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                          Brian Crain - Dream of Flying