It’s Sunday night, and I am setting up a tasting just for myself, a bit of sparkling water and some [new] music in the background before I go out for dinner and start a week anew. Sigh. I don’t even want to think about the fact that this year is almost over. Oh well. At least this project of mine has blossomed and hopefully helped you in the process, and thus it is a positive thing that has been released into the world in 2022. Enough reflection for the moment – I’ll leave that for another time. Let’s get to tasting some whiskies! But first, you know that we need the music! Now playing: The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention.

Elements of Islay is a brand from Elixir Distillers, which owns Port Askaig, The Single Malts of Scotland, Karuizawa, and Black Tot Caribbean Rum, among others. Elixir, in turn, is owned by Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh, who also owned The Whisky Exchange, which they recently sold off to Pernod Ricard. Sukhinder and Rajbir went off to start a new Islay distillery(!), Portintruan, which is anticipated to open in early 2024. The past Elements of Islay releases included individually bottled distilleries at cask strength of various batches, covering pretty much every single malt on the island, and I quickly fell in love! But the series has been discontinued [possibly due to many of the structural changes mentioned above]. I promptly ran out and purchased as much as I could find. It cost me a pretty penny, but my collection now boasts 20 unique bottlings [I’m missing Port Ellen!], and now it’s a very treasured set. But I will open these bottles! The new releases from Elements of Islay are all blended malts: Cask Edit, Bourbon Cask and Sherry Cask. I’ve got the samples of all three here, and, albeit I’ll prep myself with the Cask Edit, I will compare the latter two. Both blended malts are non-chill filtered, uncoloured, and bottled at the same ABV of 54.5%. They have no age statement and are probably a bit young. Besides the flavours, which we will get into in a second, there is a difference in price as well. The Bourbon Cask is sold for about £60, while the Sherry Cask for five quid more, at £65. Okay, I’ll mention that the Cask Edit is much cheaper, at £45, and although still uncoloured and non-chill filtered, it is diluted down to 46% ABV. The latter is a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. Still very much an easy drinker, and as I taste it, it makes me think of a beautiful blend of Laphroaig and Caol Ila. “Rich, smoky single malt from Islay’s south coast married together with a fresher, fruitier style from the north.” That’s about right. Okay, now on to the stars of the show!

Since there is no colouring in either of the drams, I might as well point out that the Sherry Cask is indeed darker, with that deep copper, amber glow. The nose on both is exemplary. There is a nice touch of smoke on both blended malts, but it’s not medicinal at all and is more like barbecue and chimney fire. I almost want it to be stronger, but then I recognize and, in turn, respect the centre-stage scents that come from bourbon and from sherry casks without being overpowering with all that peat. The Bourbon Cask offers “classic rich barbecue smoke from a south coast Islay distillery combined with more subtle, zesty flavours from the north coast.” On the other hand, the Sherry Cask boasts an “Islay single malt from a south coast distillery, bringing flavours of dried fruits and dark chocolate, [married with] a distillery on the north coast contributing notes of lemon oil and Arbroath smoke.” The smoke is more potent on the palate in the Bourbon Cask. It’s slightly tempered by all that vanilla and fresh-baked buttery brioche and oakey spice. If the ghost of Caol Ila was more present in the Cask Edit, then here it is more in the background, being front-run by memories of Laphroaig and its slight iodine echoes, which are especially noticeable when I take a sip of San Pellegrino in between. The Sherry Cask is darker, sweeter, and meatier, if I may call it that. There is now tobacco, dark chocolate, and Lapsang on the palate. I taste a more significant percentage of the wonderfully sherried smoke monster again, with the lighter citrusy spark making up the rest. A bit of saltiness comes just around the corners, and… it is lovely, like the spray of ocean in the night. When I return to the remains of Cask Edit, there’s that fruity Caol Ila. But when I’m trying out the Bourbon and the Sherry Casks, Laphroaig appears to take up all the presence on the stage.

Well, there you have it, folks. Two blended malts from some of Islay’s finest. How can you go wrong? Especially if you’re a fan of two distilleries I name-dropped in this write-up. I love the sherried dram – it’s chewy, warm, and perfect for upcoming winter nights. But something in the Bourbon Cask goes further. Perhaps the peated whiskies stand out on their own without the extra punchiness of sherry. I say this, and I sip the sweeter sherried dram again and nod my head in genuine appreciation, but at this moment, I will have to make a choice, and so today, I will proclaim the Elements of Islay Bourbon Cask as the winner of this round.