Isle of Skye 30 Year Old Scotch Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Having reached the apogee of the Isle of Skye ladder of blended whisky, I’ll not repeat the details of the brand or the maker, Ian Macleod Distillers. If you want those tales, you can go back and review the previous installments in the line. There are five of them, and I have nothing new to write about the line as a whole, past recalling that probably the only reason the line is in the United States in its entirety (especially this expression) is because the TTB opened the country to imports of spirits in the internationally standard 70cl bottle.

This whisky is much like the others, in that it is a blend of grain whisky with peated Island malts plus malts from the Highlands and Speyside. It’s 40% ABV

The Scotch
The pour becomes substantially lighter in the glass than in the bottle, taking on a darkened copper coloring. The nose is earthy in the main, like a damp earthen barn or dacha floor with scraps of straw strewn about. That main body of the scent is most heavily accented with ash, rounding out that glamping shed character, but there is more: notes of cinnamon and dried strawberry and cranberry give what would have been a real character a side that isn’t so hoary.

The flavor is where the whisky really steps up and scores solid points. It’s just as earthy and just as ashy as before, but takes on a velvety, citrus-driven sweetness, rounded out by vanilla. The earthiness becomes more cocoa-like, and the cinnamon turns into a sliver of dry oak and tea tannin on the back end. Yet the finish fades rapidly down to the tiniest whiff of smoke.

The middle part of this experience, the palate, is marvelous, but overall I just couldn’t escape the conclusion that the nose bordered on underwhelming and the finish was a non-entity. That start and conclusion really held it back, limiting my grade to an A-, but with that A- being based entirely on the flavor profile, it certainly makes for some tasteful and refined drinking.

The Price
For a 30 year old blend, Isle of Skye is approachably priced at $321.99.