Review // Black Bottle Island Smoke (Alchemy Series #2)

While writing this review, I noticed something rather peculiar. I usually start at the official website of the brand I’m reviewing so I can provide some context for my own tasting notes. This time, however, I only found information about Gordon Graham’s “Black Bottle”, but nothing about their newest Alchemy Series releases. Might this be an alchemical mystery? An enigma? A bottle of unknown contents, existing in the void between two universes, constantly shifting in and out of existence? Or did I simply not look hard enough? Find out below…

Text by Mickaël Van Nieuwenhove
Photography is © Mickaël Van Nieuwenhove and © Black Bottle Scotch Whisky

At the end of last year, I took out this bottle on a rainy day. Circumstances were perfect for this type of picture.

Gordon Graham’s “Black Bottle”

“Ingenious Alchemy”, that’s what webpage of Black Bottle Scotch Whisky states in the Google results. From this, I get the idea that the brand has a strong focus on the ‘artisanal’ and the ‘mysterious’, simply because of the combination of these two words. It’s alchemical in nature, it sparks wonder, perhaps some bewilderment, and it’s not something regular people like you and me can understand. But. It’s also ingenious. So there is a certain level of knowledge involved, and perhaps the brand - and its expressions - reveals itself to people who work hard to dig out little gems of insight.

The brand’s story begins in 1879 when the three Graham brothers (Charles, David, and Gordon) decide to start earning serious money as tea blenders. Their focus quickly shifted to whisky. Talk about the career switch. One of the brothers, Gordon, proved to be an excellent whisky blender, having honed his skills in the tea blending industry. Their blended whisky was characterized as ‘rich’ and ‘smoky’, and it meant the start of providing bottles for plenty of bars around the world.

I mentioned ‘bars’ in the previous paragraph, because that’s where I was first introduced to this blended Scotch whisky. I bought a full bottle for myself for the simple reason that it was very affordable and of excellent quality given its price range. I drank it neat, in simple cocktails, and even used it in specific dishes that needed a good quality whisky.

“Ingenious Alchemy” stands for the recipe, the malts, the casks, and the marriage of these casks, wrapped together in one big alchemical process.

The Alchemy Series

And then came the package that was sent by Cinoco - again, many thanks! - which included a black bottle that had “Island Smoke” on the label. Turns out, in 2021, a second and third expression was released under the name “The Alchemy Series”, focusing on specific aspects of the (peated) whisky industry. Their first release in the series, “Double Cask”, is a marriage of malt whiskies that were finished in Spanish sherry casks and a grain whisky matured in red wine casks. Together with #1, “Island Smoke” was released as well. So far, not additional information has been revealed via their website. Are these two expressions the start of a new line? Will there be more new releases, will these be only temporarily available? I have no idea. But I enjoyed reviewing this one. A lot.

Island Smoke (Alchemy Series #2)

First things first. This is, in case you hadn’t picked it up yet, a blended Scotch whisky. If you have something against blended whiskies, stop reading now. But I can guarantee you’ll be missing out on something.

At 46,3% ABV, this blended whisky fits into the industry standard. This is a blend bringing together peated island malts and unpeated grains, but that’s about all the bottle reveals. Let’s take a look at the liquid, then. The color has somewhat of an auburn shine to it - yes I had to look this up - and there’s a subtle Marangoni-effect (‘tears’ or ‘legs’ of the whisky) when swirling it around.

The nose is inviting, pushing peat to the forefront, followed by rich BBQ sauce that made my mouth water. I was hungry while writing this review. To round it all out, I discovered a hint of salt in there, but also a little bit of cinammon.

Texture-wise, this dram is very drinkable, almost water-like, but not so on the level of flavors! I got caramel, salty seaweed, a little bit of chilly, a toasted note, and even a very specific brand of oatmeal cookies in there. The finish brings out a bit of smoke and evaporation to the party, but it’s rather subtle. Everything is drawn-out a bit as the last flavors linger on the tongue, and that made me just take another sip. Very enjoyable!

I like this expression. It’s nothing too special or fancy, but it’s simply a bloody good dram. At around 30 euros, this is a fantastic entry-level whisky for people who have a smaller budget but are willing to explore what whisky has to offer. If it were up to me, I’d use “Island Smoke” at the start of a tasting session focusing on smoky and peated whiskies. Then, I’d deconstruct the dram by pushing forward single malts that all ‘rhyme’ with a specific flavor note of this expression.

I think I’m going to get some friends together soon…

The bottle in a more sun-lit environment.