Vikings on Islay?
The Islay Boys are Donald MacKenzie and MacKay Smith. The two men have travelled much of the world before returning to their Hebridean Homeland to put their own stamp on the island’s famous spirit. The boys chose to focus their branding on elements of Viking mythology connected to the west coast of Scotland and named their blends after Ketill Flatnöse, a fabled warrior king of the 9th century.
Like so many Viking heros, the historical accuracy of Ketill’s story is debatable, since it comes mainly from a pair of sagas written many, many years after the supposed events took place. The story begins, however, with Harald Fairhair’s victory at the battle of Hafrsfjord. Fairhair had long dreamt of establishing himself as the first King of all Norway and wasn’t about to let anyone who opposed him escape retribution. The new King sent Ketill Flatnöse, one of his greatest warriors, to pursue those who fled defeat by sailing to Orkney and the Shetland Isles.
It seems, however, that Ketill was not without ambition himself. Upon reaching the islands, he quickly established himself as ruler of the new colonies, establishing a base from which he could strike the entirety of Scotland’s coastline. Before long, Flatnöse had conquered the Western isles and made his home on Islay. From there, he was able to rule his new domain.
The Whisky
The Flatnöse blended Scotch is bottled at 43% alcohol by volume, and retails in the UK for between £25 and £30 a bottle.
Smell: Salt & brine with a distinctive, peaty tang, coupled with cinnamon and some paprika spices. Also some toffee and vanilla.
Taste: Fantastic oily texture, honey and creamy vanilla. Silky caramel, pepper and oak with an undercurrent of subtle smoke. The Islay character is subtle but definitely there.
Thoughts: This is an affordable offering that seriously delivers on the palate. The Islay Boys have unleashed this dram unto a world that often sneers at blended Scotch but this is fully flavoured whisky with as much character as anything else in its price bracket. It’s interesting that the whisky is bottled at 43% though it is un-chill-filtered. That’s not something you see too often, but it’s refreshing. The natural oils mean it coats the mouth and distributes flavour evenly across the whole palate. Perhaps it is just personal taste, but weight is important to me in a whisky. I like being able to chew on my dram, so this is a big win for me. It’s a wee glimpse into a parallel world where chill filtering was never invented and I very much like what I see there.
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Delighted you enjoy it 🙂
Completely agree re: the texture, and the Islay peat being there, but kept in check, perfect for a quaffable blend in my opinion!
Quaffable is the perfect description. I’m actually going to be in Islay next week. Am I right in saying you chaps are now based at Islay Ales?
Yes we are, and please pop in – Mac should be there, although I’m off out in France, and he’d be delighted to talk whisky and beer 🙂