Symbiosis Islay Blended Malt - Artist #15 - Something in the Water 50,5%

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 50.5% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Symbiosis Batch 2 opens the 15th edition of the Artist series, which is dedicated to the whiskies of Islay under the theme “Something in the Water”. This Blended Malt combines Bunnahabhain distillates from 2013 and 2014 with Caol Ila vintages from 2014, 2015 and 2018. After vatting, the blend spent one year in a puncheon, followed by six months in toasted new American oak casks. It was bottled at 50.5% without chill filtration or added colouring.

The composition offers a preview of the intended style of Elixir Distillers’ future Portintruan Single Malt. The peated character of the Bunnahabhain used in the blend meets the smoke of Caol Ila. Although the bottling is only lightly peated overall, peat and smoke are clearly perceptible and become particularly prominent in the aftertaste. Malty and maritime impressions mingle with earthy, chocolatey and fruity notes before smoke, toffee and roasted nuts define the close.

This release is limited to 303 bottles. Its label features a work by Radhika Surana in blue and turquoise tones. The dark bottle is presented in an open premium box.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, the whisky is delicate and creamy. Generous malted barley, cut hay, oily peat, sea air, pipe tobacco and bacon form the opening impressions. With aeration, hyacinth, vanilla, ash, pepper and a medicinal suggestion of balm emerge.
• Palate: The palate begins lively and dynamic, with earth, chocolate, herbs, chalk and salt. It then quickly develops in a smokier, camphor-like and medicinal direction with tincture of iodine, before malt, orange and apricot come to the fore.
• Finish: The finish is long and soft, showing a pleasant malty, smoky and salty bitterness alongside candied lemon and Williams pear. In the aftertaste, toffee and roasted nuts mingle with peat and smoke, which gradually gain the upper hand.

Distillery/Bottler:

Bunnahabhain was founded in 1881 together with its associated village on Islay’s remote north-east coast; production began in 1883. The founders were blender William Robertson and brothers William and James Greenlees. Roads and homes for employees and their families were built alongside the distillery. Caol Ila dates back to 1846 and also stands in the north-east of the island. When the distillery was rebuilt in the early 1970s, its six stills were faithfully recreated in their previous shapes; today, Caol Ila is the largest distillery on Islay. The five malt components in Symbiosis Batch 2 come from these two distilleries.

La Maison du Whisky is the independent bottler behind this release. The company launched the Artist series in 2011, pairing its selection of distinctive whiskies with annually changing works by contemporary artists. Its 15th edition is dedicated to the whiskies of Islay under the theme “Something in the Water”, with Symbiosis Batch 2 opening the collection.

Facts: