Hunter Laing Hebridean Journey Whisky Review

Welcome to the Hebridean Journey review. A whisky from an independent bottler with a very accessible price tag. In this review, you will find out what we think of this Scottish whisky.

In 2016, Hunter Laing & Co. unveiled plans to build their own single malt distillery on Islay to meet the rising demand for peated Scottish whisky. The Ardnahoe distillery, located on the east coast of the island, filled its first barrel of whisky in November 2018 and opened to the public in April 2019.

The Journey Series from this independent bottler includes blended malts, which are composed of the respective Scotch whisky regions Islay, Campbeltown, Islands (Hebridean Journey), and Highland. All whiskies have an alcohol content of 46%, a natural color, and are non-chill filtered.

The Hebrides comprise an extensive group of islands off the west coast of Scotland and are divided into two groups, namely the Inner Hebrides and the Outer Hebrides. For us whisky enthusiasts, the islands of the Inner Hebrides will be most familiar. We're talking about islands such as Skye, Islay, Jura, Mull, Rasaay, and many others.

The Hebridean Journey whisky comes in a cardboard packaging with a somewhat artistic image. We see the blue sea, sailboats, a ferry transporting people from the mainland to the islands and we also see mysterious stone circles. The islands come even closer when we smell this beverage.

We get a scent that's smokey and maritime, typical of island whisky. This is followed by a sea breeze with sweet notes of vanilla and cinnamon in the background.

On the tongue, there's a pleasant peat taste and spices that transition into the taste of seaweed with some dry fruit lingering in the background. The finish is medium, very pleasant and warm. The drink certainly invites for another sip.

This is a very pleasurable whisky and definitely recommended for lovers of maritime tones. Just like its brother from Islay, this is a nice blend that well represents the region it intends to represent. Of course, you'd naturally start to think about which single malts make up this blend, and you'd instinctively consider names such as Ledaig and Talisker. The spicy notes very much resemble Talisker, but its peat character is a lot like Caol Ila, and Islay is also part of the Hebrides. This whisky might lack a little bit of sharpness, but it's still a good dram.

+ Intense and maritime

+ Beautiful packaging

+ Very pleasant and warm

+ Acceptable price tag

- Many Islay tones that could be misleading

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