The Spanish Sea Beckons in this New Scottish Whisky

Saturday, 23 August 2025 at 18:02Douglas Laing

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If you're thinking of a blend of whiskies from Orkney, Jura, Arran, and Islay, then Rock Island springs to mind. The whisky brand is famous for its salty notes, but what happens when a solid dose of sweetness is added? That's exactly what you can now discover with the Rock Island 16 Year Old Sherry Cask Edition.

Picture this: you're in Spain, just out of the sea, and a touch of sea salt drips into your ice-cold fruit drink. That's the kind of experience Rock Island might give you if you take a sip with your eyes closed.

Indeed, this new whisky melds the salty tones of the Scottish islands with the influence of Spanish sherry casks.

What is Rock Island whisky?

As a part of the Remarkable Regional Malts, Rock Island represents the islands of Scotland. The blended malt is consistently made up of single malts that come from, among others, the islands of Islay, Jura, Orkney, and Arran.

Hence, you can typically expect this whisky to carry flavors influenced by the sea, along with hints of peat and a touch of pepper. The new whisky receives a twist with the addition of fruity tones to this flavor palette.

Rock Island merges salt with fruit

This new edition of Rock Island, as always, is a blended malt whisky hailing from the Scottish islands. For this release, the whiskies in the blend have primarily matured in Spanish sherry casks.

The mixture is then married and bottled at the age of 16 years. This is done at a friendly alcohol volume of 46.8 percent alcohol by volume (ABV).

Sea salt meets sweet fruit in the tasting notes

The new Rock Island 16 Years Old Sherry Edition whisky was given the following tasting notes by the whisky maker:

Nose: Dried fruit, walnuts, nutmeg, and soft vanilla tones.
Palate: Rich, warm, and round with notes of sweet malt, gentle spices, and vanilla.
Finish: Enduring with hints of honeycomb and roasted almonds.

Where can you buy the Rock Island 16 Year Old Sherry Edition?

The whisky can already be ordered via the Douglas Laing website. The suggested retail price per bottle is 93,95 euros. The whisky is also for sale at local stores. The specific ones are still unknown, so keep an eye out in your local liquor store.