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Finlaggan Old Islay Res Cask Strength

Finlaggan Old Islay Res Cask Strength

$74.99

Believed to be Caol Ila, the whisky is bottled at a cask strength of 58%. Finlaggan is an Islay mystery malt named for the most historically significant site on Islay. Loch (lake) Finlaggan--named after St. Findulgan who is believed to have brought Christianity to Islay--and its islands were the political and social capital of the Lord's of the Isles, who ruled the Western Isles of Scotland for over 400 years. Finlaggan Cask Strength is put together by the Vintage Malt Whisky Company, whom are also responsible for the Cooper's Choice and Ileach lineup. It is bottled at a batch strength of 58% ABV.

700ml ml
Region:Scotland > Islay
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Producer's Tasting Note

Nose: Lovely pungent peat smoke. Smoky bacon with a touch of old leather

Palate: Rich sweet smoke. Iodine, lemon zest with a beautiful mouth coating oiliness. Waves of tarry peat

Finish: Peppery peat. Soot and ash. Long and warming

The Following was written by Andrew Ferguson for the June 2018 edition of Celtic Life Magazine.

Scotland’s Caol Ila distillery is named for the body of water it gazes across, the majestic ‘Sound of Islay’ - a narrow but turbulent ribbon of water separating the islands of Islay and Jura.

The distillery is built almost precariously into the rocks of a steep embankment on a tiny bay. As with all of Islay’s distilleries, Caol Ila had to be supplied exclusively by sea until the middle of the 2oth century. Ships full of barley and oak barrels from the mainland sought a safe anchor from the tempestuous North Atlantic sea. They would return to the mainland with casks of the peaty, smoky, single malt whisky which Islay is still famous for. Then, as today, the vast majority of these casks were destined for blending.

Photo Courtesy ScotchWhisky.comCaol Ila - pronounced “cul-ee-lah” - is a facility full of contradictions. It is, by some margin, the largest of Islay’s eight active distilleries, but it also produces one of Scotland’s most dependable whiskies. Whisky Advocate Magazine refers to the distillery as ‘Mr. Consistent’ - a reflection on how few poor bottlings and casks of the whisky are in the marketplace. Is the size of the distillery and its efficiencies counterintuitively an asset? Perhaps, but these factors also make it one of the least interesting distilleries to visit on Islay, with one crucial footnote; the view from the Still Room at Caol Ila is unrivalled by any other distillery in Scotland, and possibly the world.

The Still Room’s floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panoramic view across the Sound of Islay to the dramatic Isle of Jura beyond. Whales, dolphins and sea otters all frolic in the waters out front, while the sun and clouds take turns revealing and obscuring the wilds of Jura.

In addition to the distilleries, there is much to see on Islay. One would be hard pressed, in fact, to see all eight of the island’s active distilleries in three or four days. I am torn when asked to recommend which distilleries visitors should see; in a perfect world the answer would be all of them. Islay is, after all, Mecca for disciples of malt whisky gospel. But when a distillery needs to be cut, Coal Ila is often the first on the chopping block. Other than the view, the distillery isn’t all that interesting compared with its neighbours.

Although its output is two and three times that of the next largest distilleries, almost none of Caol Ila’s production is matured on the island. More than 99 per cent of its whisky matures in warehouses on the mainland.

The vast majority of Caol Ila’s production is earmarked for blends - most importantly the world’s second bestselling blended scotch whisky, Johnny Walker Black Label. While less than 5 per cent of the distillery’s production is set aside for bottling as single malt by the owners, Diageo, a quirk of the Scotch whisky industry’s supply chains has made Caol Ila the most widely available Islay single malt from independent bottlers. Whisky companies trade casks with one another to add complexity to their blends. Some of these casks find their way into the hands of independent bottlers; Gordon MacPhail, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Port Askaig, and others regularly bottle excellent single cask and small-batch bottlings of Caol Ila.

If you make the trek to Islay (and you should), and have the time, be sure to pop by Caol Ila to admire the view. Whether on tour from the Still Room or from the pier in front of the distillery, the views of the Sound of Islay and Jura - regardless of the weather - will take your breath away. More importantly, try every bottling of the whisky you can find; few, if any, of ‘Mr. Consistent’ are likely to disappoint!

The Vintage Malt Whisky Co. is an Independent Bottler, that owns the Cooper's Choice, Finlaggan & Ileach brands, to name just a few. We have always been impressed with not only the quality of liquid from the Vintage Malt Whisky Co., but also the value their brands offer. Their price to age and quality ration is almost second to none. The Ileach Cask Strength has been our best selling Islay whisky for nearly a decade! 

Producer Self Description Follows

Vintage Malt was founded in 1992 by Brian Crook, after many years in the whisky industry as Export Director for one of Scotland’s best known distillers. His aim was to produce a range of malt whiskies from his country’s finest distilleries and make them available to independent wine and spirit importers throughout the world.

Brian’s approach proved so popular with customers that, 25 years on, the company has exported more than 10 million bottles of malt whisky to more than 30 countries across the world, and is now recognised as one of Scotland’s leading independent bottlers.

The brands owned by Highlands & Islands Scotch Whisky Co joined the group in 1997, and in 2005 the company acquired CS James & Sons, producers of Islay Storm.

The group’s award winning brands include Finlaggan, The Ileach, and Islay Storm, all  single malts from the island of Islay on the west coast of Scotland and The Cooper’s Choice, a superb range of single cask bottlings.

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