Adelphi Breath of Isles 12yo – 58.7% 2019

A little background

Adelphi, I can’t rave enough about them. These ‘breath of’ series are un named distilleries because they don’t want to be named. Like Voldemort, names we don’t speak of. But with a bit of googling, you can likely find out. Adelphi Breath of Isles 12yo is bottled at 58.7%, Distilled in the Isles in 2007 and bottled in 2019. This release was limited to 347 bottles.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Light Golden

Nose

Adelphi, I can’t rave enough about them. These ‘breath of’ series are un named distilleries because they don’t want to be named. Like Voldemort, names we don’t speak of. But with a bit of googling, you can likely find out. Adelphi Breath of Isles 12yo is bottled at 58.7%, Distilled in the Isles in 2007 and bottled in 2019. This release was limited to 347 bottles.

Palate

Sweet meat, Bizarre and strange – smoky, peaty, oily. A little strange but not in a bad way. The smoke and earthiness and salinity is a theme. There is a bourbon influence in there, I am sure it is an ex bourbon cask. Coconut, vanillin but what surprises me is a classic cold fermented Italian salami. Pork, pig fat, hint of smoke, black pepper. There is a slight fruitiness in there, though it is not fruity in general but a slight jackfruit hint.

With water: Changes dramatically. Iron, metal, hefty and heavy. herbal, fresh chopped oregano. Unmistakable pine resin is there, fruit subsides and getting cinnamon quills.

Palate

Holy crikey! This is a busty, ballsy, arnie ‘ballsy’ dram. Oily beast, sweet hit and savory follow up. This is not for the faint hearted, this is not smooth – this is intriguing and compelling but ‘not smooth’ Uber complex. Salty, oily, resin, smoky, enveloping flavors and crazy intensity. Right now, I am getting a massive flavor bomb, hard to break down the small flavors but what I am getting is pig, pork, pork crackling, salami, pork fat. The sweetness, is a caramel sugar then quick to be followed by pork fat!

With water: Tapers back the alcohol – first impressions, hard to tell which is better, mouthfeel changes, less viscous, less intense, much more palatable but flavors are similar, intensity just tames down – but it is still a beast. Just think Mike Tyson in the 90s vs his come back. He is still an animal, I wouldn’t want to mess with him but certainly tamed over time. Burnt brown sugar, oily, peaty comes through more. Smoke lingers.

Finish

In Conclusion

This will not be over quickly – 300 reference. This whisky will smash you in the mouth, in and around your mouth ……I digress. This whisky has a long finish, so long that it is astonishing, So oily, so resiny, heavy, smoky more than peaty but it really sticks around. Every sip develops, every ship changes and progresses a sign of a great whisky. It ain’t boring that’s for sure but its not for the faint hearted. It is not for the beginner, and it is not for someone who likes ‘smooth’ drams. If you like Ardbeg – then I would say this would be a great whisky. Progress it with water  – I can’t choose between with or without water.