The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
The 8th Edition 100% Islay can trace its origins to the fertile soil of the Kilchoman barley fields. Once harvested, the barley was hand-malted, peated and distilled before being matured in a combination of Bourbon and Sherry casks. Thus it is the only true farm-to-bottle whisky made on Islay.
The 100% Islay range is in fact peated to a lower than normal level of roughly 20ppm, though this is not an exact measurement given the small batches and old-style techniques make it almost impossible to peat each batch to exactly the same level.
The key difference between this and previous batches of the 100% Islay is the addition of Sherry Cask maturation. The seven oloroso Sherry Casks included in the vatting give the whisky added depth and richness compared to previous editions.
