Thanks for this, I just saw Smokehead selling in my local bottle shop for $68 AU and I was intrigued, Ralfy doesn't review this bottling, so you have one of the few! I will schlep back and buy a bottle I think!
I think you're probably right that they're modifying it by using someone else's cask. It's an interesting idea that a lot of people don't consider when trying to dissect mystery malts and one that can yield endless possibilities!
@@WhiskyLock when I had my first sip of Smokehead I got immediately feeling I am sipping Caol Ila (as by coincidence was tasting couple of days ago), BUT I have to say I am getting some Ardbeg vibes, reminds me of Wee Beastie and a bit of Uigeadail (those chocolate, toffee and butterscotch notes). So it might be Caol Ila in ex-Ardbeg casks most likely. Caol Ila is the biggest distilley on Islay, so it makes sense that this distillery would have surplus to sell to other bottlers. Ardbeg is expanding, so they probably do not have any spare volumes to sell and Smokehead does not have the medicinal notes so typical for Laphroaig. Mystery solved!!! :D
@@Martin-ib7nu Caol Ila in an ex Ardbeg cask is possible. I find it very hard to believe it's outright Ardbeg as lots of people think though. Both because of the limited supply and also because the peat profile isn't right. But there are lots of curveballs they could have thrown at us by means of whisky matured in cask types not normally used by the original distillery so it is very difficult to be sure of anything 🙂 I'll be doing some other Smokehead reviews soon(ish) so it will be interesting to see if there are any more clues there. Or even if the other Smokehead expressions appear to be from the same distillery as the original Smokehead!
@@WhiskyLock Caol Ila seems like the most reasonable explanation as: 1. It is the biggest Islay distillery, 2. They are known to work regularly with independent bottlers (supplying their smoky whisky to Johny Walker for their Black Label) unlike others. I just tried the regular Smokehead and I am really keen on to try the High Voltage next, as it would be interesting to find out if it is cask strength Caol Ila or some other Islay supplier. You are right Smokehead taste profile does not resemble Ardbeg (no ash) nor Laphroaig (no iodine), but there is something going on as to Smokehead be only straightforward Caol Ila with colouring :D Anyway, it is an interesting whiskey to have as I am massive peathead. Definitely going to try their other expressions (rum rebel sounds interesting).
Just got a bottle, sitting on my desk ... will have a nose and taste and report my findings. I've heard both Ardbeg and Caol thrown around so will be interesting!
Enjoy! ;) I don't think any of the peated islay distilleries are too ridiculous a guess but you'll know my thoughts from the video. IMHO it's not exactly the same as any standard islay bottling. I think the age and cask type have been tailored to be something new and unique and pretty nice too. Looking forward to your thoughts.
OMG ultimate Smoke flavours. My taste buds are on fire . Love the ash , bonfire on the palate . Makes you sit back in the armchair on a cold evening and appreciate mellowing out .
Just trying this as I watch you, was very impressed with this , very similar to Laphroaig, maybe just a bit less strong, a wonderful alternative to Laphroaig
Definitely Caol Isla notes as mentioned and I'd say even though you disagree Ardbeg youthful casking . Obviously needing to churn out an alternative market brand ?
Definitely seems Caol Ila ish to me. I don't detect much to suggest Ardbeg but anything is possible. I have full bottles of Smokehead Sherry Bomb, High Voltage and Rum Rebel on my shelf. Haven't opened them yet and I bought them purely on the strength of the standard Smokehead which I like quite a lot. I'm looking forward to cracking them soon!
Bought it on Amazon, and it was surprisingly better than expected! As to the point- I thoght it's more possible it comes from Laphroaig, from their less peaty batches:)), but then, if you chill-filter and add an artificial colouring to Caol Ila- it's higly likely it!)
Hi Alex. Yes surprisingly good :-) its probably my go to Islay mystery malt. Prefer it over The Ileach or Finlaggan or any of the supermarket Islays. It could well be from Laphroaig. If it's not then someone has definitely asked for a 'Laphroaig style' mystery malt because it's pretty obvious that; that is what they've tried to achieve.
Late to watching this, but I think the Ardbeg theory comes from when they released the Extra Black, which was basically confirmed as Ardbeg. That being said, it doesn't tell us much just because they released an Ardbeg for a special release 10 years ago. I agree with you the regular release is probably not Ardbeg. I'd guess the standard two that everyone guesses for large Islay IB mysteries (Caol Ila, Bunna).
That's a very good point and undoubtedly something that they intended people to think. A lot of thought and tactics goes into the marketing of these mystery malts!
I bought 2 so far in the last couple of years, and I don't care where they came from. I just care where they go at: down my throat, passing my tongue! 🥃
It's gotta be ardbeg it tastes so much more like ardbeg than anything else, well my recent bottle does any way, I've heard they have been different over the years depending on availability, I've also been told that Ian macleod who own smokehead also use new make ardbeg in their as we get it islay and that certainly has the unique ardbeg taste profile Islay storm on the other hand Is I believe, recent bottlings anyway a young laphroaig , all three are very nice though 👌
I've had a few bottles of this over many years and they've all been incredibly consistent. That's not to say there haven't been batches from different sources though. They can source it from wherever they want and availability and price of a distillery's whisky will undoubtedly change over time. I'm interested to see if more mystery malts appear with an Ardbeg flavour profile in a few years time now that Ardbeg have expanded their distillery. We can but hope!
@@WhiskyLock indeed, I has given the nod on the as we get it by someone at ian macleod, and was told they do buy stuff from them and they do own smokehead so seems feasible, and the islay storm I was told previously it was caol ila but is not definitely young laphroaig and I tasted back to back with laph 10 and qc and you can taste how similar a profile it is, all good, the as we get it is very nice , very young but nice, like the old young Ardbegs years back 😉
Have you tried a side by side with Gordon and Macphail Bunnahabahain? Bunna is my guess. I think Smokehead will be younger than 10 years and has had different cask treatment to the G&M version. Just my thoughts.
Hi Eric. No I haven't but it sounds interesting. Bunna do make a fair bit of peated malt these days and some of it does find its way to the Indies. IMHO Bunna at a young age has quite a distinct oiliness and is often kind of... ugly... in an interesting way :-) and I don't get that from Smokehead. But as you say, a cask treatment can make all the difference. I feel like a lot of peated Bunna goes into refill casks. If Ian Macleod put it into some very fresh bourbon wood then I could see that coming out something like Smokehead. Definitely possible!
Ah The Ileach. Now that one I do think is probably young peated Bunna. At least that's what I though when I had it many years ago. I haven't tried it in quite a while because I didn't like it all that much. I much prefer Smokehead. What do you think?
Hi Rob! Everyone's tastes are different. For one I really love Bunnahabhain. At least the 12 and 18 anyway. It is a very different beast to Smokehead though for sure. Thanks for watching.
I just can't get past the meaty notes that just scream "ARRRRDDBEGGG!!" in my head, it's fairly similar to the Wee Beastie imo. I had thought it was probably Caol Ila before I tried it but it just tastes so much like a young Ardbeg that I'm struggling to get that out of my head
Hi Bob. You're not the first one to say this is Ardbeg! It has been a long time since Ardbeg have passed on large quantities of whisky to the independent bottlers though. Which I'm told is the same situation for Bowmore and Lagavulin. Their stock is too valuable to pass off for cheap. So any mystery malt that's from one of the big names is probably going to be pricey and small batch. Honestly, it's very hard to be sure where a mystery malt is from. Especially as it's not uncommon for a distillery to use a different recipe and entirely different cask types for a large independent bottler resulting in a whisky that's nothing like their official own brand releases. It's easy to be thrown off. If Smokehead ticks the same boxes for you as Ardbeg does though... I'd say stock up! ;) I think it's rather great too.
@@WhiskyLock Yeh I get where you're coming from. I've been told by people in the industry previously that it was a very young Ardbeg, that was a while ago though. It's been around for a while and Ardbeg have only recently started really pushing their young NAS bottlings so I think there's still a possibility that thats what Smokehead is. You can definitely taste the new-make spirit under the ashy smoke notes. Either way it's a good whisky for the price.
Thanks for this, I just saw Smokehead selling in my local bottle shop for $68 AU and I was intrigued, Ralfy doesn't review this bottling, so you have one of the few! I will schlep back and buy a bottle I think!
Thanks for watching! I think $68 AU is probably about the same as we pay in the UK. Seems fair!
Nice video. Very concise and straightforward, reminds me of No-Nonsense Whisky's style. Keep it up!
Thanks Jo! That's great to hear. More coming soon :-)
My guess is it is probably Caol Ila spirit aged in an ex-Ardbeg Cask
I think you're probably right that they're modifying it by using someone else's cask. It's an interesting idea that a lot of people don't consider when trying to dissect mystery malts and one that can yield endless possibilities!
@@WhiskyLock when I had my first sip of Smokehead I got immediately feeling I am sipping Caol Ila (as by coincidence was tasting couple of days ago), BUT I have to say I am getting some Ardbeg vibes, reminds me of Wee Beastie and a bit of Uigeadail (those chocolate, toffee and butterscotch notes). So it might be Caol Ila in ex-Ardbeg casks most likely. Caol Ila is the biggest distilley on Islay, so it makes sense that this distillery would have surplus to sell to other bottlers. Ardbeg is expanding, so they probably do not have any spare volumes to sell and Smokehead does not have the medicinal notes so typical for Laphroaig. Mystery solved!!! :D
@@Martin-ib7nu Caol Ila in an ex Ardbeg cask is possible. I find it very hard to believe it's outright Ardbeg as lots of people think though. Both because of the limited supply and also because the peat profile isn't right. But there are lots of curveballs they could have thrown at us by means of whisky matured in cask types not normally used by the original distillery so it is very difficult to be sure of anything 🙂
I'll be doing some other Smokehead reviews soon(ish) so it will be interesting to see if there are any more clues there. Or even if the other Smokehead expressions appear to be from the same distillery as the original Smokehead!
@@WhiskyLock Caol Ila seems like the most reasonable explanation as: 1. It is the biggest Islay distillery, 2. They are known to work regularly with independent bottlers (supplying their smoky whisky to Johny Walker for their Black Label) unlike others. I just tried the regular Smokehead and I am really keen on to try the High Voltage next, as it would be interesting to find out if it is cask strength Caol Ila or some other Islay supplier. You are right Smokehead taste profile does not resemble Ardbeg (no ash) nor Laphroaig (no iodine), but there is something going on as to Smokehead be only straightforward Caol Ila with colouring :D Anyway, it is an interesting whiskey to have as I am massive peathead. Definitely going to try their other expressions (rum rebel sounds interesting).
Just got a bottle, sitting on my desk ... will have a nose and taste and report my findings. I've heard both Ardbeg and Caol thrown around so will be interesting!
Enjoy! ;) I don't think any of the peated islay distilleries are too ridiculous a guess but you'll know my thoughts from the video. IMHO it's not exactly the same as any standard islay bottling. I think the age and cask type have been tailored to be something new and unique and pretty nice too. Looking forward to your thoughts.
whatever it is, its very tasty. it knocks the malts off the table for what it is and its price.
For sure! I do much prefer the 46% "Unchillfiltered" version now that they dropped the ABV to 40% though.
OMG ultimate Smoke flavours. My taste buds are on fire . Love the ash , bonfire on the palate . Makes you sit back in the armchair on a cold evening and appreciate mellowing out .
Absolutely. It's the perfect dram for relaxing on a cold evening!
Just trying this as I watch you, was very impressed with this , very similar to Laphroaig, maybe just a bit less strong, a wonderful alternative to Laphroaig
Hi! It definitely has something of Laphroaig about it. I think it's the peat and fresh bourbon cask. Agreed that it is a great Laphy alternative :-)
Great video......drawn in
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Definitely Caol Isla notes as mentioned and I'd say even though you disagree Ardbeg youthful casking . Obviously needing to churn out an alternative market brand ?
Definitely seems Caol Ila ish to me. I don't detect much to suggest Ardbeg but anything is possible.
I have full bottles of Smokehead Sherry Bomb, High Voltage and Rum Rebel on my shelf. Haven't opened them yet and I bought them purely on the strength of the standard Smokehead which I like quite a lot. I'm looking forward to cracking them soon!
Bought it on Amazon, and it was surprisingly better than expected! As to the point- I thoght it's more possible it comes from Laphroaig, from their less peaty batches:)), but then, if you chill-filter and add an artificial colouring to Caol Ila- it's higly likely it!)
Hi Alex. Yes surprisingly good :-) its probably my go to Islay mystery malt. Prefer it over The Ileach or Finlaggan or any of the supermarket Islays. It could well be from Laphroaig. If it's not then someone has definitely asked for a 'Laphroaig style' mystery malt because it's pretty obvious that; that is what they've tried to achieve.
Late to watching this, but I think the Ardbeg theory comes from when they released the Extra Black, which was basically confirmed as Ardbeg. That being said, it doesn't tell us much just because they released an Ardbeg for a special release 10 years ago. I agree with you the regular release is probably not Ardbeg. I'd guess the standard two that everyone guesses for large Islay IB mysteries (Caol Ila, Bunna).
That's a very good point and undoubtedly something that they intended people to think. A lot of thought and tactics goes into the marketing of these mystery malts!
I bought 2 so far in the last couple of years, and I don't care where they came from. I just care where they go at: down my throat, passing my tongue! 🥃
That is the important thing! I've had a few bottles over the years too. Cheers.
It's gotta be ardbeg it tastes so much more like ardbeg than anything else, well my recent bottle does any way, I've heard they have been different over the years depending on availability, I've also been told that Ian macleod who own smokehead also use new make ardbeg in their as we get it islay and that certainly has the unique ardbeg taste profile
Islay storm on the other hand Is I believe, recent bottlings anyway a young laphroaig , all three are very nice though 👌
I've had a few bottles of this over many years and they've all been incredibly consistent. That's not to say there haven't been batches from different sources though. They can source it from wherever they want and availability and price of a distillery's whisky will undoubtedly change over time.
I'm interested to see if more mystery malts appear with an Ardbeg flavour profile in a few years time now that Ardbeg have expanded their distillery. We can but hope!
@@WhiskyLock indeed, I has given the nod on the as we get it by someone at ian macleod, and was told they do buy stuff from them and they do own smokehead so seems feasible, and the islay storm I was told previously it was caol ila but is not definitely young laphroaig and I tasted back to back with laph 10 and qc and you can taste how similar a profile it is, all good, the as we get it is very nice , very young but nice, like the old young Ardbegs years back 😉
Have you tried a side by side with Gordon and Macphail Bunnahabahain?
Bunna is my guess. I think Smokehead will be younger than 10 years and has had different cask treatment to the G&M version.
Just my thoughts.
Hi Eric. No I haven't but it sounds interesting. Bunna do make a fair bit of peated malt these days and some of it does find its way to the Indies. IMHO Bunna at a young age has quite a distinct oiliness and is often kind of... ugly... in an interesting way :-) and I don't get that from Smokehead. But as you say, a cask treatment can make all the difference. I feel like a lot of peated Bunna goes into refill casks. If Ian Macleod put it into some very fresh bourbon wood then I could see that coming out something like Smokehead. Definitely possible!
@@WhiskyLock any ideas for Ileach?
Ah The Ileach. Now that one I do think is probably young peated Bunna. At least that's what I though when I had it many years ago. I haven't tried it in quite a while because I didn't like it all that much. I much prefer Smokehead. What do you think?
@@WhiskyLock i would need to revisit this. I was sure it was Bowmore but apparently they don't supply to independent bottlers so......
Had some tonight....not the best not the worst...but a lot better than Bunhahabin.. just my 2cents worth
Hi Rob! Everyone's tastes are different. For one I really love Bunnahabhain. At least the 12 and 18 anyway. It is a very different beast to Smokehead though for sure. Thanks for watching.
I just can't get past the meaty notes that just scream "ARRRRDDBEGGG!!" in my head, it's fairly similar to the Wee Beastie imo. I had thought it was probably Caol Ila before I tried it but it just tastes so much like a young Ardbeg that I'm struggling to get that out of my head
Hi Bob. You're not the first one to say this is Ardbeg! It has been a long time since Ardbeg have passed on large quantities of whisky to the independent bottlers though. Which I'm told is the same situation for Bowmore and Lagavulin. Their stock is too valuable to pass off for cheap. So any mystery malt that's from one of the big names is probably going to be pricey and small batch.
Honestly, it's very hard to be sure where a mystery malt is from. Especially as it's not uncommon for a distillery to use a different recipe and entirely different cask types for a large independent bottler resulting in a whisky that's nothing like their official own brand releases. It's easy to be thrown off.
If Smokehead ticks the same boxes for you as Ardbeg does though... I'd say stock up! ;) I think it's rather great too.
@@WhiskyLock Yeh I get where you're coming from. I've been told by people in the industry previously that it was a very young Ardbeg, that was a while ago though. It's been around for a while and Ardbeg have only recently started really pushing their young NAS bottlings so I think there's still a possibility that thats what Smokehead is. You can definitely taste the new-make spirit under the ashy smoke notes. Either way it's a good whisky for the price.