Kilchoman 100% Islay 4th Edition, 59%

A distillate of Islay-grown barley, made in 2009-10 and aged in bourbon wood. Here’s an intense Kilchoman with a licorice root sweetness mixed with dried seaweed, machair (beach pasture), cereal, and herbal smoke. The palate is slightly oily and hot when neat, with a distinct mineral edge. Water shows its youth but also allows tarragon and wormwood to develop. £64