Whisky Review – Seaweed & Aeons & Digging & Fire & Sherry Casks 10 y/o Cask Strength (Batch 1) Sherry Cask Finished
Another day, another undisclosed Islay whisky bottling! This time from &Whisky – a brand from Atom Labs. If the name doesn’t give it away, this 10 y/o cask-strength bottling promises notes of fiery smoke, deep sherry, and those ever so crucial Islay seaside vibes. Once again, this particular sample came from our ‘build your own’ Master of Malt whisky advent calendar.
Atom Labs, and, &Whisky …
&Whisky is a sub-division of Atom Labs. It is somewhat difficult to find much information relating specifically to &Whisky! However, there is quite a bit of information out there about their parent company.
Atom Labs work across a number of different spirits, performing micro-experiments to help them be reactive to current trends, needs, and wants within the market. They describe their philosophy as “we make and select liquids that are the best they can possible be, and package them in a way that is awesome. We don’t compromise, we don’t cut corners and we don’t strive to fill niches or build back from arbitrarily-defined price-points”.
We were lucky enough to attend a tasting recently with a representative from &Whisky. They shared with us that they are passionate about getting young people (over the legal drinking age of course!) passionate about whisky. Make it accessible, relatable, and agile!
Tasting Notes …
Seaweed & Aeons & Digging & Fire & Sherry Casks 10 y/o Cask Strength (Batch 1) – 56.3% ABV
Very peated spirit from an undisclosed Islay distillery is bottled by &Whisky, as a part of their Seaweed & Aeons & Digging & Fire range. Where their typical expression has 25% finished in Oloroso sherry octaves, this particular release is 100% sherry cask finished. Bottled at a cask-strength of 56.3% ABV, this whisky aims to be the perfect balance of peaty smoke and sweet fruit. Although this particular cask strength version is no longer available, they do produce a 40% version which is more reliably available.
Nose: very smoky, beach bonfire, tannins, rich red fruits
Palate: bonfire smoke, pepper spice, dark chocolate, baking spices, honey, raisins
Finish: lots of smoke, pepper spice, raw fruit cake mix
All in all this is a solid whisky. Not stacked with too many individual elements, it is a strong melody of flavours. One we would be very happy to use as an introduction to peated whisky. The base flavours of a typical Islay are very much present, and the peat isn’t too overpowering.
We recently tried their Christmas whisky – a full review is coming soon we promise! – and it is packed full of Christmas flavours. Their range really is doing something a bit different, and well worth keeping an eye on. Given the relatively accessible price point, these whiskies are worth trying, especially if you can get your hands on a sample dram like we did.
The Dram Duo 