Taste: very crisp in the mouth, too, with the taste of smoke almost stronger than the smoke in the nose; effective and strong translation of the nose flavours. Water dilutes and brings out bitterness Whatever the story is behind the whisky itself, the Smokehead brand has met with considerable success and the range has grown to include ‘High Voltage’ bottled at 58%, ‘Sherry Bomb’ bottled at 48% and a travel retail exclusive ‘Extra Rare’ that I reviewed here. Extending beyond the core expression, Smokehead has released a range of whiskies that explore different aspects of peat and malt. The High Voltage variant amps up the intensity even more, offering a whisky that is richer, oilier, and even more potent, living up to its electrifying name. For those who appreciate a bit of nuance with their smoke, there is the Sherry Bomb, a peated malt matured in Oloroso sherry casks, which infuses the smoky spirit with dried fruits, chocolate, and a hint of nuttiness, proving that peat and sweetness can coexist beautifully. Whiskybase B.V. (“Whiskybase”, “we” or “us”, company details below) offers a whisky enthusiasts online platform that provides its members access to the most comprehensive, transparent and trusted resource of whisky bottles and allows and stimulates its members to contribute information about whisky bottles to the platform (“Service”). The Smokehead Extra Rare can be found in travel retail (although quite a few retailers carry this as well) and is bottled by MacLeod Distillers. The Islay distillery is kept secret. Some say it is Lagavulin, others claim it to be Ardbeg. Might as well be Caol Ila. Who knows?

Whiskybase B.V. is the Dutch private limited liability company, having its statutory seat in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and its office at Zwaanshals 530, 3035 KS Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Whiskybase B.V. is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under no. 52072819. You are responsible for all activities through your account. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide to us in relation to your account, and for updating it where necessary. You are not allowed to create multiple accounts. We may terminate or temporarily suspend your account to protect you, ourselves or our partners from (suspected) identity theft or other (suspected) fraudulent (e.g. false, misleading, deceptive) activity. You have the obligation to keep your login credentials confidential. You shall not authorize any others to use or access your account. The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein.The nose is almost creamy and very peaty. Very spicy too. An exotic mix of seaweeds, lime, sherry, caramel and a smouldering hearth. But unfortunately, I also get something of blue cheese that seems out of place. Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise.

Nose: strong intensity, sharp, pungent, piercing smoke, peat, and brine. The peat is a combination of both sweet and bitter. The underlying barley smells good, too, in a supporting role. Beautiful, really, and better than I was expecting. Water rounded, mellowed, and bundled the flavoursRegardless of whether the Service offers the functionality to contribute, you are solely responsible and liable for any content and information that you create, upload, post, publish, link to, duplicate, transmit, record, display or otherwise make available on the Service or to other Members, such as chat messages, text messages, videos, audio, audio recordings, music, pictures, photographs, text and any other information or materials, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted (“Contributions”). We deliver to a number of international destinations including the USA. Please use the 'Change Location' link above for an estimate in your local currency or find out more about international delivery If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect. Thoughts: A salty Islay dram, perhaps not as smoky as the name would suggest, but a satisfying blast of the famous whisky island nevertheless. Reasonably affordable, though perhaps would have delivered a little better at 46% rather than 43. Smokehead also engages its audience with limited releases that capture the imagination, such as the Rum Rebel, which finishes its life in Caribbean rum casks, adding tropical sweetness to its smoky soul. These innovative expressions not only provide variety but also demonstrate Smokehead’s commitment to experimentation and flavour exploration.