Islay Mist 8 Year

Review by: The Muskox

Islay whisky is unique. Once you catch the bug, you may not want to drink anything else. The problem with this (aside from missing out on all the gloriousness of unpeated whisky) is that Islay malts are getting more expensive by the day. If you need the peat but don’t want to pay single malt, is there any hope at a lower price range?

Islay Mist has been around as a brand for nearly 100 years. Then and today, the smoke flavour in this whisky allegedly comes from a portion of Laphroaig. Around me, this whisky is only $39 CAD. That not sound impressive, but the next cheapest peaty scotch is the $54 McClelland’s Islay single malt, which has the unfortunate property of being terrible. Johnnie Walker Black Label is $66 and Laphroaig Select is a whopping $74 – no help there. Is Islay Mist the solution for budget smoke?

Apologies for the lack of glencairn, by the way. I tried this at my best friend’s new house, and the glencairn I gave him got smashed in the move.

Distillery: Blend.

Bottler: Islay mist.

Region: Blended scotch.

ABV: 40%.

Age: 8 years.

Cask type: Unknown.

Price: $39 CAD.

Color: Orange. Colour added. Chill-filtered.

Nose: Very light. Heh, it smells like a Penicillin – soft, slightly diluted peat smoke, buttressed by lots of honey and citrus. Milk chocolate and caramel. A little grain, but not much.

Palate: Medium-thin texture. Arrives very delicately, with thin apples and oranges and light ashy peat smoke. Develops to charred wood, pine, light vanilla, and some grain. A little bit medicinal.

Finish: Short. Lemon pith, grain, caramel, and more ashy medicinal peat.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Second-hand smoke from the new café across the street”

Conclusion: It’s not great whisky objectively, but if you’re jonesing for something peaty, this will absolutely work. It’s better than all the truly bottom-shelf blends like JW Red, Famous Grouse, J&B, Ballantines, etc., and is properly peaty (maybe a little less than Caol Ila 12, if you need a comparison). You can do a lot worse for $39 here – hell, you could do worse for double that.

Final Score: 74.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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