Quick Review: Finlaggan Old Reserve

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I found a $20 bottle of single malt scotch from Islay (my favorite region for scotch) — Finlaggan Old Reserve.  It’s a 15 year single malt that has the peaty, salty flavor of most Islay single malts, but it’s much more mellow, with a strong heather honey flavor.  The aftertaste gets more pungent and Islay-like, especially if you breath through your mouth.  The nose is rich, honey with the undertones of the sea and peat.  Color is golden in the glass, honey brown in the bottle.

It’s an excellent dram — not to medicinal, but a bit harder than the Speysides.  Well worth $20, and would have been worth twice that.

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Tip o’ the Hat: McClellands Single Malt Islay

About a year ago I discovered McClellands Speyside single malt.  A friend of mine bought it for me as a birthday gift. I found it to be a delightful dram — light, tasty, with a pleasant aftertaste that reminded me of a cross between Glenmorangie and Balvenie.  The best part: it’s cheap, about $25 a bottle.  That puts it on par, price-wise, with Glenlivet — but I find it more pleasant, overall.

Recently, I tried Islay from the same house.  Like most of the Islays it’s a bit rougher around the edges, with a peatier flavor, but maintaining that aroma of the sea that I always get from Caol Ila and Lagavulin, but without the intensity of the later, or the smoothness of the latter.  Still, like their Speyside single-malt, it’s a cheap, well-made drink for everyday.  And once again…cheap.