Lagg – Small Batch Manzanilla Sherry Finish Single Malt (57.6%)

This is a peated single malt from Lagg Distillery, on the southern tip of the Isle of Arran. The spirit was first matured in first- and second-fill ex-bourbon barrels, then finished for over a year in first-fill Manzanilla sherry casks from Sanlúcar de Barrameda. It follows the distillery's earlier Palo Cortado small batch. It is bottled at a cask strength of 57.6% ABV, non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The nose combines bonfire smoke and sea spray with green olives, lemon peel and toasted almonds. The palate is oily, moving from honey and cherry syrup to smoke, black pepper and a salty minerality. The finish is long and drying, briny and peppery, ending in soft peat embers.