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Scarabus Islay Single Malt

malty fruity
3.9
(4)€38Scotland, Islay, Single Malt

Flavours

Whisky character

Fresh
Warm
Mild
Full
Smooth
Spicy

Taste mentions

Facts

Scarabus is a stretch of land in the north of Islay. Norse speakers named it, and the word means a rocky place. Hunter Laing borrowed the name for a whisky and then refused to say where the spirit came from. The bottle went on sale at the Islay festival in May 2019. Inside is peat smoke and sea salt, then a turn towards vanilla and orange. It is oily in the mouth and finishes long. Drink it neat and let the smoke settle. The mystery is half the fun. Better still, the whisky holds up its end.

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About the distillery

Distillery

Scarabus

Scarabus takes its name from Islay farmland between Bridgend and Ballygrant, home for barely a year in 1817 and 1818 to a distillery called Scarabuss. In Old Norse, the name means 'rocky place'. Independent bottler Hunter Laing revived it in 2019 for a new Islay single malt. It launched at Fèis Île, the same year the family firm's own Ardnahoe distillery opened its doors. The whisky comes from an undisclosed Islay distillery, not Hunter Laing's own stills. Bottled at 46% abv with no age statement, it follows a traditional peaty Islay style. Expect peat smoke and sea salt up front, then leather, stewed rhubarb and vanilla sweetness on the palate. Hunter Laing built real mystery into the branding. Each bottle carries the mantra 'only those who seek shall find', with symbols drawn from the work of Islay-born scholar John Francis Campbell. Campbell collected Celtic folklore and invented the sunshine recorder, a device that measures daily sunshine hours.

4Average rating

9Whiskies on Distilld

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About the Scarabus Islay Single Malt

Scarabus Islay Single Malt is a peated single malt Scotch whisky from Islay, Scotland. Hunter Laing bottles it at 46% ABV from an undisclosed island distillery. The name belongs to a patch of land in the north of the island. Nobody will tell you which stills filled the casks. That silence is deliberate. The label carries one line: "only those who seek shall find". Curiosity is the whole pitch. Scarabus is a real place on Islay, recorded as far back as the thirteenth century. The name comes from Old Norse and means "a rocky place". Hunter Laing launched the brand at Feis Ile in May 2019. The debut took place at Ardnahoe, the company's own distillery on the island. Bottle artwork nods to John Francis Campbell, an Islay man who collected Highland folk tales. Campbell also invented the sunshine recorder. Peat smoke arrives first, dry and mineral, with sea salt behind it. Caramel and vanilla soften the edges within a few seconds. Lemon and orange cut through, sharp against the smoke. The palate turns oily and buttery, coating the tongue. Honey and fresh fruit sit under a steady citrus lift. Black pepper gives the middle a small kick. The finish stays long, medicinal and grassy, with lime and peach at the tail. Scarabus Islay Single Malt is the entry point to a small range. A ten year old sits above it, matured in refill bourbon casks and virgin American oak. A batch strength version lands at 57% ABV. This one holds the middle ground at 46%. No colouring goes in and no chill filtration takes it out. You get the house style clean, smoke and sweetness in balance.