New Release: Main Baraille 2000-2015 15 Year Kingsbury Gold #16

A well-crafted vatted Islay malt. Main Baraille MHAIN BARAILLE 2000-2015 15yo KINGSBURY GOLD #16 56.8% One of 278 bottles, HOGSHEAD The aroma has a concentrated orange, strong peat, seafood smoke, coconut, good barley notes, and richness. When drinking, it starts smoothly with a spicy build-up, concentrated orange juice with its sweetness and acidity, barley umami, tightening oak tannins, seafood umami, and a rich, peaty, oily long finish. [Good/Very Good] This is a new release from Kingsbury, a blended malt aged for 15 years, Main Baraille 2000. It was stated to be a blend of three types: Ardbeg > Lagavulin > Bowmore. I believe that this Main Baraille, previously when a blended whisky from the 1980 vintage was released, it wasn't mixed after aging like a typical blend but rather aged after being vatted beforehand. Likely the same approach here, making it a single cask blended malt. By the way, I remember that in the past, Kingsbury also released something called 'Islay&Islay,' which was an Islay malt vatted in similar proportions, but I'm not sure if there's a connection. Regarding the essential content, while it's unclear how much impact the prior vatting had, this Islay malt is quite well-made. Although not specified, it's assumed to be a bourbon hogshead, as the components often show such characteristics. I sensed concentrated citrus and coconut-like nuances, along with a well-balanced oak that tightens the flavor. The peatiness and seafood umami typical of Islay cask strength were strongly present, along with barley umami. There was almost no rawness. Although Ardbeg should be the most dominant, there wasn't a strong cold metallic element. Perhaps I'm biased towards Lagavulin, but I felt its nuances were slightly stronger. In any case, this bottle can be evaluated as a delicious cask strength Islay malt.