Thanks to /u/nofansky for the sample via /r/ScotchSwap on reddit.

Here we have yet another single malt from an undisclosed distillery. This one is bottled by Fox Fitzgerald, an independent whisky trading company who generally deal with large volumes, but have a few labels which they bottle themselves.

This one is a peated whisky, which interestingly is labelled a “Single Malt Scotch Whisky”, so chances are we’ve got a peated Highland or Island whisky here and not a whisky from Islay.

Aged 3 years*. 52.1% ABV. No colourant added, non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength.

*for lack of age statement

Nose: Ashy peat with a sweet malt note. Vanilla cream. Honey. Wood smoke. Juicy red fruits. White pepper. Iodine. Hard apple cider. Burlap. Tarred thatch.

Palate: Quite sharp. Hemp rope. Burlap. Ash. Bitter wood. Light pepper. Ripe Banana. Tinned pears. Heavy cream. Sour apple flavouring.

Finish: Medium. Bitter. Wood smoke. Salt. Sour porridge. Slight hint of cardamom.

Would I buy this: No

Would I order this in a bar: No

Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Yes

VFM: 3/5

This felt a bit muted on the nose and then one-dimensional on the palate. This is similar to the gripe I had about Compass Box’s Peat Monster, this is not much of a beast. That said it is on the affordable end of the scale for a cask strength whisky, but there’s not much in it to do that justice.

The peat was definitely not Islay and had what I thought was a distinct wood smoke to it usually found in Talisker or Ardmore. However the official tasting notes on the package were done by Richard Patterson of Whyte & Mackay, so this could also be a peated Jura.