Smokehead - 43%

From the Smokehead Website 

Our hero Islay single malt offers heavy woodsmoke and peat, through to honeyed sweetness, via salt, seaweed and spice. The Original Smokehead is an immense, life-affirming whisky that stands out from the crowd.

Tasting Notes:

Appearance: Burnished gold, forms a thin line which beads before slowly falling as thick, oily legs

Nose: Bonfire smoke, lemon zest, salty coastal air and heather honey

Palate: Luscious, creamy mouthfeel. Powerful wood smoke combined with honeyed sweetness, macadamia nuts, lemon zest and a healthy dose of sea salt 

Finish: Long and lingering with ashy bonfire smoke, slightly astringent woody oak and maritime saltiness which stays on the back of the palate long after the smoke has dissipated 

Summary: For me, the word that describes this whisky best is ‘honest’. It’s a no-nonsense Islay malt, with more than enough smokiness to justify the name on the bottle. 

There’s a lot of speculation about which distillery this one comes from, with most of the Islay distilleries having been named at least once. My own suspicions rest on Caol Ila, not only because it has those characteristic smoke and lemon citrus notes, but it also has by far the biggest production output on Islay. 

Wherever it comes from, it’s a decent dram and currently comes in around the very reasonable £40 mark. Good value for money.