Name: Islay Gold
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Origin: Scotland
ABV: 40%
Price: $39.99 from my local Total Wine & More
We’ve been very fortunate in our area to have a Total Wine & More open up near us. The closest one previously was across the river 30 minutes away, not a big deal if we are planning a trip over but far enough to not go when we want. One recent evening, I had a very rare evening to myself (no kids, no music gigs and my wife was out of town). Naturally, I took the opportunity to get out of the house, visit my local Tinder Box and hang out there for a few hours. After finishing there, I remembered that Total Wine was still open and I hadn’t paid my respects, so off I went. Like the location across the river, it was loaded to the brim with anything and everything I could want. Naturally, I went to the scotch eisle to compare pricing, check availability of normally-drank bottles and browse for anything new. What I ended up getting was the bottle I am reviewing today. Details on the Islay Gold are slim as the product page is lacking a few key details, but I’m always on the lookout for an Islay single malt on the cheap. Given that this was about $10 under 10 Year Laphroaig, my interest was picqued a bit.
The nose on the Islay Gold gave a mix of peat, smoke and seawater, although not overpowering to the nose. The opening strength from the whiskey feel a little bit lighter on the palette, though the ‘medicinal burn’ commonly noted among Islay whiskey is more than present. Starting flavor notes from the front of the palette include toffee and sweet butter, the peat and seawater found on the nose in the middle of the palette, and touches of mild spice on the aftertaste with additional notes from the medicinal burn. I would say the smoke and peat on this whiskey feels a little bit less than the typical Ardbegs or Laphroaigs I frequent, so this might be a consideration for those wanting to try Islay whiskies for the first time.
In terms of pairing the Islay Gold, I would select a cigar that leans toward the medium or full bodied strength to balance out the smoke and peat. And should you happen upon a Total Wine, they just happen to have a solid humidor with a nice selection of cigars. Trust me – you’ll have no problems finding something in the humidor to smoke.
Overall, there is definitely some complexity to this whiskey but not quite at the level of bigger brand names. It has many of the characteristics of the normal Islay scotches I like but toned down some. Because of this, the Islay Gold may be a nice inexpensive way to begin exploring Islay whiskies. It probably won’t be first on my list to pickup but it’ll take some consideration the next time I am in need of a new bottle for the house.
Final Score: 8.5/10
Thank you very much for reading and I look forward to the next time I can share my thoughts with you.
