Wemyss “Heathery Smoke” 30 Year Old Scotch Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Wemyss Malts released two new scotches in the American market earlier this month. The first was their Hive 8 Year Old, the younger version of the Hive 12 Year Old vatted malt we reviewed here in January. Although a crafty, high quality product, either version of the Hive is still in at least periodic production. The other scotch released by Wemyss is a far rarer thing.

Heathery Smoke is a new installment in Wemyss’s line of single cask, single malt scotches, found in the warehouses of distilleries across Scotland, specially chosen by experts, and bottled as a select, limited edition. The scotch is a 30 Year Old Islay from Caol Ila, the Port Askaig distillery that contributes so much to Johnnie Walker. Caol Ila has their own line of aged, single cask, limited edition whiskeys, but those are often hard to acquire in the United States. For the American diehard scotch fan, Heathery Smoke is a God-send.

The Scotch
The Heathery Smoke run was bottled in August 2011, and limited to 272 bottles at an abv of 46%. As is the custom at Wemyss Malts, the scotch comes in a bottle styled in such a way as to resemble the sort of thing a little whiskey-maker out on a farm somewhere might bring to an upscale farmer’s market in town.

In the glass, this 30 year old shows some signs of having spent more than a generation in the hogshead, as the color is that of a bright, honeyed gold. The nose produces a balanced mix of floral citrus and musty wood, tinged with a slight ashy quality. I felt the heathery side came out more on the palate, where combined with the light citrusy quality, it balanced out the hoary, leathery wood flavors, all underlaid by ashy smoke, and with a dash of pepper coming on at the end. The finish winds down on the lightly with the peppery and ashy qualities for a short, moderate run with only a little warmth.

Heathery Smoke is an old, complex, balanced scotch, with an emphasis on the first and last qualities. The whiskey has a light, enjoyable character, and hits just the right note for anyone who likes their Islay aged, but without the robustly smokiness  that is generally regarded as the island’s signature.

The Price
A single malt this old is never going to come cheap. The suggested retail price is a whopping $235.