BattleScotch! Islay Mist 8y v McClelland’s Islay with Dan, Ryan & Goran

Hmmm… our first BattleScotch! over the Blend Line? Some people (Goran) loudly protested this particular combatax spiritus because a blend is for blend times and a single malt is for single malt time. There is some precedence – we BattleScotch!ed two transnational blends that had basically nothing in common, although in fairness Goran loudly protested that one too.

Protests logged, and ignored.

In keeping with our current budget theme, we wanted to see how two reasonably priced Islay compared. Both the McClelland’s and the Islay Mist are great buys for your own stable, and which one you pick will largely be determined by whether you want a blend or a single malt, of course. But here’s what we thought:

smell
Dan – McClelland’s Islay
Ryan – McClelland’s Islay
Simon – McClelland’s Islay
Goran – Islay Mist 8y

neat
Dan – undecided
Ryan – Islay Mist 8y
Simon – McClelland’s Islay
Goran – undecided

splash
Dan – Islay Mist 8y
Ryan – no splash
Simon – Islay Mist 8y
Goran – McClelland’s Islay

overall
Dan – Islay Mist 8y
Ryan – Islay Mist 8y
Simon – McClelland’s Islay
Goran – Islay Mist 8y

Islay Mist 8y Blended Scotch v McClelland’s Islay Single Malt Scotch = 7:6 it’s a very slim win for the blend.