Bottle Details:
Distillery: Islay Blended Malt "Bessie"
Bottler: The Whisky Jury (TWJ)
Vintage: 2010
Bottled: 2022
Stated Age: 11 years old
Casktype: Refill Sherry Butt
Casknumber: 138
Number of bottles: 360
Strength: 56.5 % Vol.
Islay Blended Malt "Bessie" 2010, The Whisky Jury
Nose: smoked lemons, peat and a big dash of antiseptics. Really medicinal, with bandages and iodine. Sunflower oil. Plenty of seaweed and brine. Then also new rubber boots. The sherry is there in the background, bringing tobacco notes, red apple and walnuts. Maybe one raisin too. Textbook Bessie.
Mouth: oily, and powerful. Again the medicinal character stands out. Hints of briny smoke, very tarry Lapsang tea, some green spice and menthol. Then leathery notes, sesame oil, Kalamata olives and a lot of salty notes. The sherry brings some sweetness to the table as well, but only towards the end.
Finish: long, salty and very ashy. Hints of cough medicine and tar.
Indeed a textbook bottling for this distillery and this age. Perfect mouthfeel, plenty of medicinal notes and simply a nice refill sherry profile. Check The Whisky Jury for a list of retailers.