Ben Bracken 27yo Blended Islay Malt

Picture a 27-year-old whisky from Islay. Now imagine several different 27-year-old Islay whiskies. Good. Now blend them. Ben Bracken is a brand from Wallace & Young Distillers, an independent bottler. In 2017, they released this twenty-seven-year-old blended malt, composed entirely of Islay whiskies. This sounds fantastic to me. Bottled at 46% ABV, it's reasonably priced for its age. The color is golden. On the nose, I enjoy the initial unusual aromas, like socks, ashes, a hospital, old cheese, and talcum powder. There are also notes of gooseberries, hospital gauze and tape, and cotton. After a few sips, aromas of a pond, mothballs, leather, and fireworks emerged... oh, that's the good stuff. The palate begins with sweetness – lemon, meringue, vanilla, and pepper. Gooseberries are present with a beautiful puff of smoke. It has a salty water quality. There's a chocolate note somewhere in there. The finish is simply amazing. Smoke like from a hot cocoa cup, plastic, and star anise. Wasabi and a wonderful sawdust note. Overall, this was a peaty masterpiece. The tasting notes strongly suggest Caol Ila and Bruichladdich. That would be my guess. Enjoying a 27-year-old dram is always a special experience, and for the price, this is quite a bargain. My rating for this beauty is 96 out of 100.