Isle of Harris - The Hearack (750ml)

There are so many complex layers of flavour, and it will be different for everyone. But, I (quoting the Distillers Blender) get a gentle peat smoke on the first sip which reminds me of island home fires burning when I was growing up. It comes along with a toasted maltiness. I can also taste homemade apple sauce and smell machair flowers, particularly white clover which springs up on our west coast every summer. Mixed spices appear, and an old-fashioned sweetness from things like candied ginger, vanilla, and honeycomb.

Finally, there’s a long, clotted-cream note, mixed with a lasting sense of new leather.