Elements Of Islay Ma1

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When I first seen the PR for the new Elements of Islay, the first thing that caught my eye was the Ma1 expression. I was asking myself, what is Ma?! there’s no distillery on Islay that I know that matches this element, right? After doing some reading online, I figured out it was essentially a peated Bunnahabhain. A peated Bunna is nothing really new, there are quite a lot of those going around the OB and IB circles , so why not bottle one too? Pricing wise this is quite a ‘cheap’ expressions when Elements are considered, even though you have to keep in mind this is a wee 0,5 L bottle. Let’s find out more shall we?

Elements of Islay Ma1  , 54.2% , £49.95 [TWE] elem_ma1

Nose: Quite a lot of soot , pepper and earth with spice and zest , not ultra peaty. Damp soil and peat reek with some wood varnish and sweet dough. 

Palate: Spicy entry with crushed peppercorns , chilly and earth, Brazil nuts and , more damp soil and wood, waxy lemon. Dusty. 
Finish : Dusty , peaty and warming spices with ash and cocoa beans. 
This is quite a different Bunnahabhain, with a lot of spice, pepper and some wood, it’s obviously not very old, and not ultra peaty as well, but it does pack a punch. It’s a few notches down from the lovely Laphraoig and Ardbegs I reviewed last week, but again, it’s much cheaper, so it’s not a fair match. Interesting… But to be honest I’ve had better peated Bunnas.

Score: 81/100

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