Isle of Harris Distillers Ltd. 6 Years Old 2018 (SMWS 163.2)

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society gave this 2018 Hearach its distillery code 163.2 and the typically cryptic name Distressed tranquility, bottling it as a single cask for members. It gave 252 bottles for Germany at six years old, a Society take on the young Hebridean malt.

The Hearach comes from the Isle of Harris Distillery in Tarbert, opened in 2015 as a Social Distillery to revive an island community, its lightly peated spirit the first single malt made on Harris. Matured in a single ex-Bourbon cask, the oak keeps the young spirit clean and bright.

Bottled at its natural cask strength of 58.1%. The ex-Bourbon wood gives vanillin for vanilla and oak lactones for coconut, the gentle smoke threading beneath. At six years and full strength it is lively and coastal, fruit and vanilla over a mineral salinity. A Society view of an island newcomer.