On Monday I received an Elements of Islay tasting kit which contains four new bottlings that sparked my interest:

• Elements of Islay Cl10  (Caol Ila)
• Elements of Islay Ar10 (Ardbeg)
• Elements of Islay Lg8 (Lagavulin)
• Elements of Islay Oc5 (Octomore)

We’ll start with the Lagavulin Lg8 , a 2006 vintage bottled from two bourbon barrels.

Lagavulin ‘Lg8’ 2006 (59,5%, Elements of Islay 2018, two bourbon barrels)

Nose: rather superb. There’s sweet peat and rich sooty notes, as well as an underlying fruitiness of peaches and mango. Linseed oil. Light vanilla custard. Iodine and camphor. Mouth: a nice fruitiness...