Poit Dhubh 12-year-old Blended Malt Whiskey / 43% / 0.7l

Poit Dhubh is a blended malt whisky from the Pràban Na Linne portfolio. The company was founded in 1976 by Sir Iain Nobile, a great enthusiast of Gaelic culture and language, and is based on the Sleat Peninsula in the south of the Isle of Skye.

The phrase Pràban Na Linne is a local term for a small cave, a place of illegal drinking, while Poit Dhubh translates to “black cauldron,” a still in moonshiners’ jargon. Little is known about the Poit Dhubh formula, but it almost certainly includes Talisker, and a large proportion of the ingredients come from sherry casks. The 12-year-old version presented here won a silver medal at the International Wine & Spirits Competition in 2017 and 2018.

Nose: vanilla, cocoa powder, caramel, pears, figs, some white pepper and cloves, licorice and a distant whiff of peat smoke.

Palate: rich barley malt, vanilla, raisins, milk chocolate, oranges, pepper, a dash of sea salt and notes of peat and oak.

Finish: quite long, sweet and smoky, with notes of caramel, milk chocolate, orange peel, pepper, licorice and oak.