Scarabus Islay Single Malt - Batch Strength - Hunter Laing

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 57% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

For Scarabus Batch Strength, Hunter Laing selects a small number of casks and bottles the whisky at 57%. Compared with the original Scarabus bottling at 46%, this edition delivers a more intense expression of its sweet, peaty character, a fuller palate and a longer-lasting finish. The single malt comes from an unnamed distillery on Islay. It is neither chill-filtered nor coloured.

Scarabus takes its name from a place on Islay and can be translated from Old Norse as a rocky place. Its history dates back to the 13th century. The mysterious symbols on the label reflect the brand's theme of discovery. They were inspired by John Francis Campbell, who was born on Islay, collected Celtic folk tales and developed an instrument for measuring daily sunshine duration.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, apple and pear meet smoke reminiscent of a barbecue.
• Palate: On the palate, chilli spice and ash notes combine with honey and vanilla.
• Finish: The honey note persists through the long-lasting finish, accompanied by toffee and sea salt.

Distillery/Bottler:

Hunter Laing & Co. was founded in 2013 by Stewart Hunter Laing and his sons Andrew and Scott. Based in Glasgow, the family business operates as an independent whisky bottler. Its background includes the Old Malt Cask and Old & Rare single-cask ranges, as well as Edition Spirits, the company established by Andrew with its First Editions brand. Edition Spirits and the bottling business Premier Bonding also became part of the company when it was founded.

Alongside selecting and bottling whisky, the family developed its own distillery on Islay, Ardnahoe. Production began there in 2018, and its first single malt was released in 2024. Scarabus, by contrast, remains a bottling from an unnamed Islay distillery.

Facts: