Scarabus Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky HL

A pleasant peat complemented by a perfect smokiness.

Overall, I didn't initially notice much smoke. On the nose, it's balanced, complex, and rich; on the palate, you can tell it's young, but not unpleasantly so. The alcohol is well-integrated. The finish felt relatively weaker and shorter to me. For the price, it's a nice whisky that can be bought and enjoyed.

Loses significantly against the Islay Journey on the same house, unfortunately too sprightly and out of round

Glass: Blender's 10 minutes. stand. Did not help. An additional time of 15 minutes ... Let him breathe ... Aromatics: a direct blow to the receptors of cruelty and spirituality, the wine base is sour, mash ... Trying to save a drowning man: pouring from a blender to a core and vice versa - aeration can help ... I do this ritual three times ... It helped ... This is a young Lagavulin ... or Ila ... Or a cross, but not particularly important, the keyword "young". You can sniff out notes of vanilla and citrus, but why? This is a total young burnt charcoal with peat, abundantly sprinkled with black pepper and salt, and in a particular case, it serves as spices for not fresh meat, trying to hide a flaw ... I can assume that if you leave it in an open glass for a day, the aroma will improve significantly ... But should it be like that? Taste: not so tearing away, simple, watery and flat as a board - salt, minerality and peat ... sharp and "talkative" young man ... At the finish - the salty bitterness of peat and burnt matches, just like in the youngest Kilhoman ... They say this happens at the Ledchigov, but I don’t see rubber here at all ... Summary: a great buh ... cheeky, young and overspice peat ... Sticks out everything, especially the nose ... 81

Nice presentation, 46 vol.%, NAS, relatively cheap to get (~ 30 € in early 2020) in the Dutch online trade.

2020-07-19

A nice, easy peated dram. And for it's price a very good buy to my opinion.

The nose tells me it is very young and immature, but the taste and finish are very yummy for an Islay lover. For 35 euro this is very good dram, think i might stock up a few more bottles.

Smells rather young and immature, but the taste is much more mature and round.

Ship’s Ropes Hunter Laing & Co, the company that runs the new Ardnahoe Distillery on Islay, jumped on the Feis Ile bandwagon in 2019 with the release of this single malt dubbed Scarabus. I’ll have you know there is a Scarrabus (with double ‘r’) Farm very close to Bridgend. Writings show that there was even a pot still there between 1817 and 1818, but apparently it was never operational. This still does not offer us any clue as to the contents of this bottle. But we can all agree, I’m sure, that the bottle looks stunning. The peat immediately rears its head in the guise of a bonfire on the beach, but is quickly and easily overcome by some citrus fruit and a truckload of caramel. Feels somewhat young, but it does not bother. The second whiff offers freshly polished leather and some plasticine. There is even a candy-like quality to it and in my opinion it works well. This is a very nice Islay nose. Yummie in the tummy! A touch salty, a bit sweet, lots of salted caramel and candied oranges. This is supported by a big smokiness with black pepper and some nutmeg. Greasy ship’s ropes and leather kick in, while a drop of balsamico joins to soften things up a bit. The finish is good. The malt softens further, the fire and spices fade and the oranges return again. Lovely Ileach. A young sherried Lagavulin if you ask me, but I could not get this confirmed anywhere. If you consider the fact that you can buy it for 35 to 45 EUR, then you know this is bang for your buck. Thanks, Manny! I’m getting me another bottle of this.

I will be honest, this is my biggest positive surprise this year. Quality in relation to price is a world championship ;) really recommendable.

Scarabus Islay Single Malt 46% (first release). Consumed Dec 2020. So I bought this because all the talk was of it being a young Lagavulin, and upon tasting it I'll jump on that bandwagon and say that's what it appears to be. Aroma of Lagavulin spirit, banana, apple, banana bubblegum. Yes, young Lagavulin spirit like a Cadenheads Islay PBS I once bought. Smells like something you'd buy for £15 in Lidl or Aldi. Not great on the nose. I am not a fan of that pungent banana bubblegum vibe. Taste is better. Biscuity,salty, nice smoke, good breathy smoky spirit. Poor aroma but good taste. Oily yet smoky salty. Good taste - crystalline start but then big potent smoke lingers. Very mixed feelings on the whole but that tasty Lagavulin linger saves this one. Not complex, has a cheap nose - I feel like I should dislike it, but the quality of the smoky spirit in the aftertaste wins me over. Still, a Lagavulin 16 is only £7 more expensive (based on what I've paid recently) so I would clearly buy that instead 3.5/84

I know Scarabus for a while, but I have never tasted it before. It's young and not 100% balanced but I do not care - it's playfull, layered and deliciously sweet with a beautiful backbone of maritime influences. For me it works and I am happy to have tried it! Would love to crack a bottle once :-)

Most likely a young Islay whisky. The PLV is ok

From my personal point of view, this dram has an excellent price-performance ratio. Color: light golden yellow

Superb value for a well made and matured young, peated, Islay single malt. Brimming with sweet peat reek and sweet lingering fruits. Has anyone considered that it is one distillery's new make spirit matured in a different Islay distillery's used cask? I'm sure that happens a lot, to reduce the costs of transportation on the CalMac ferry. I am most impressed by this Hunter Laing offering, I enjoy the mystery, and would bet that due to its very reasonable price that it is a Caol Ila whisky matured in a Lagavulin cask.. (Scarrabus is a farm in the centre north part of Islay. There is a standing stone nearby. The suffix "-bus" means farm)

Very nice, quite accessible and most importantly cheap Single Malt from Islay Island. In my opinion, Lagavulin offers very similar flavors and I can say that it is a reflection of it. The alcohol is completely hidden, quite delicate when it comes to peat, with lots of citrus fruits, and no pharmacy notes. A great whisky for everyday tasting. The price-quality ratio is undoubtedly its greatest advantage.

Not bad, but noticeably quite young. Smoke and citrus fruits, not much else.

young, fine, why not?

It shows a decent level of craftsmanship and is undoubtedly a step above entry-level offerings.

Great bang for buck! Dry spice and smouldering campfire gives way to citrus, leather and a sweet vanilla finish. Considerably better than other NAS offerings from the Island

21 20 21 21 83 - great dram for every day!

Room temperature when drinking: 16 ℃ No coloring, non-condensing filtration Viewing Eyes: Gold Smell Nose: slightly burnt bacon, broth, rich in fat, sterilized water, familiar mint cooling, yeast and sweat, milk, sweet orange, orange, sashimi and shellfish, salty sea breeze, Wujiang mustard Taste Palate: matches, sweet and sour lemon candy, orange fudge, oranges, lemon peel, salty sea fish, sea water, burnt wood, disinfection water, familiar lime, rocks, baking soda Finish: Finish, long, canned syrup, earth, herbs, vanilla, sweet milk, obvious sweetness, yellow rock sugar, light smoked salmon, ashes, tobacco Body: Medium, medium-greasy, smooth, bitter, no tannins Nose: 84.5 / 100 Palate: 85/100 Finish: 84/100 Body: 85/100 Overall: 84.5 / 100

Color: dark gold

Very youthful, but still very powerful in the smoke. For me, the nose is the highlight here. I found the exit a bit creepy. Is it possible to do...

Maritime, clear smoke, some honey, vanilla and sweetness, sour apple, medium complex, alcohol well hidden, finish could be longer.

Très beau whisky. Excellent rapport qualité/prix.

almost virgin oaky, spicy, dry, not very pleasant and relatively ugly aftertaste (old socks?). superior design, inferior whisky. not sure this will serve as a flagship or bridge up to the first whisky. but the ardnahoe can only be better than this and the laings should have done better, or are the stocks that low? safe your money.

Young, but not bad. Could be interesting for fans of Laphroaig, but it can't compete with the Quarter Cask which is a bit cheaper.

The nose starts with viiiieeeel vanilla, light and very creamy with banana and some citrus in the background. The smoke is more in the background and underlines the remaining aromas. Slightly sour and spicy in the mouth but still creamy and sweet with a little pepper. In the finish, a mélange of maritime notes, pleasant smoky, pastry, banana and citrus notes, followed by chocolatey oak. Length: 6/10 A tasty, creamy surprise with a grandiose PLV, of which you can sniff away a whole bottle in the evening if necessary. Grade: 2+

The aroma of this dram was an absolute wow as notes of grilling and autumn crescendoed. I almost felt the crisp cool air as I sat back and enjoyed how this developed a wonderful autumnal edge. I wish the flavor profile matched the nose more closely; it still had plenty of smoke and charred wood, but it lacked the same depth. The mouthfeel was a tad light, and the tobacco notes at the end could occasionally be a tad sour. Despite those quibbles, the finish was lovely, and the whisky was incredibly easy to drink.

Pretty good whisky actually, not too heavily peated, a lot of room for some sweet and fruity elements as well.

Mellow Islay. Young, but not overwhelming peaty/smoky. Sweet notes gives you an offset. Sherry cask used in vatting ? Price/quality very excellent (40 euro mark).

They like it at MALT: https://malt-review.com/2019/07/05/scarabus-islay-single-malt/

Youth is not hidden, but everything is quite well adjusted. Tasty and drinkable, obvious temperament in the "Price / Quality" category. Option for outings (picnic).

Easy drinkable Islay whisky. clean peat, citrus, sea salt, smoke, vanilla, black pepper. I would guess a Caol Ila or Lagavulin.

Nose: Vanilla, malty, smoky, minerally, honeycomb, spice. Palate: Vanilla marshmallows, smoke, minerally, spirity, malty, HNC, spice. Finish: Long -> Smoky, spice and marshmallow.

n: peat, smoke, very earthy, sharp, medicine, coal, vanilla t: intense, peat, smoke, earthy, coal, medicine a: peat, spicy, sweet

It's good that it's not expensive, but one you might struggle with.

A bit of a one dimensional experience, quite some smoke, black pepper, maybe slightly kippery, smoked lemons, and charcoal. Mainly ashy and peppery in the finish. Not a complex dram, but at its (probably) really young age good at what it's claiming to be.

A very young Islay whisky, which I had the opportunity to taste thanks to pure chance on vacation in Hungary. In a very pleasant bar (Égszinkék), I asked the owner for a shot of smoky whisky from Islay and he brought me this young beauty. In addition to the dominant smoke, the aroma is very sweet, full of notes of banana candies or chewing gum, marshmallow candies, burnt caramel, a hint of iodine and also quite a funky "smell" of a port character, such as e.g. the rusty hull of a fishing boat. In the taste, the excessive sweetness is not present, the dominance of smoke, coal, ash, iodine, tobacco leaves or cigars, vegetable herbal notes with slight bitterness and a subtle iron aftertaste.

Nice start, which at first doesn't let you locate it in islay, lots of caramel and sweet malt. Then little by little peat, liquorice, vanilla, salty associations and yet a spray of Islay. In the finish also a lot more peat, phenols, gauze bandage. For around 30 € a good Islay whisky and not as much as 12 as a standard Laphroaig

Rumoured to be Laphroaig, Lagavulin or Caol Ila. I'll go with either Lagavulin or Caol Ila, it has a bit of both. It's young though! Falls perfectly within the Islay category but it's a one-trick pony that offers too little to be interesting enough. Price/performance ratio is good and the bottle is seriously good looking too (marketing got me again). Honestly I'd much rather go for a Caol Ila 12.. A must try for peatheads and newcomers to the world of Islay, what is €40 nowadays?

Picked this up on offer for under 30 euros with little to no expectations, but boy did this one pleasantly surprise. It’s young Islay single malt and it’s not afraid to show it, and gives me great hope for the whisky Hunter Laing are creating at Ardnahoe distillery. I can’t recommend this enough if you enjoy young peaty scotch.

[January, 2021] A quick review of a sample with very low expectations... ...which are fully met, sadly. This is a bottling the world does not need and I prefer most (even simple) blends over this stuff. It is raw, harsh and immature without any interesting aromas or flavours. It provides a drinking pleasure for the spittoon, only. Come on Hunter Laing, you can do better than this! Just a word to all who like this bottling: I acknowledge that many modern drinkers prefer such immature but strong flavour spikes and just do not care about complexity, balance or "traditional" whisky flavours. This is absolutely okay, the same it is okay if someone prefers Gin, Vodka or Schnapps. But I reject to call immature spirits "Single Malt Scotch Whisky" knowing that legally it is - to me these words simply own a different meaning (in terms of quality), sorry folks. (By the way, there might be significant quality differences of the different batches of such releases, too.)

Well drinkable uncomplicated young Islay smoker. Nothing to get nervous about.

Very nice and really drinkable Islay whisky. Seems to be an Islay whisky from the south coast of the island. But that is my humble opinion. Excellent value for this very decent price.

Nose 21, taste 21, finish 21, balance 21

21 21 21 21

Nice start, which at first doesn't let you locate it in islay, lots of caramel and sweet malt. Then little by little peat, liquorice, vanilla, salty associations and yet a spray of Islay. In the finish also a lot more peat, phenols, gauze bandage. For around 30 € a good Islay whisky and not as much as 12 as a standard Laphroaig