Sherry Bomb Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700 ml)

Ian Macleod Distillers built the Smokehead range around a single provocation: take the most aggressively peated spirit Islay produces and refuse to soften it. The Sherry Bomb is that philosophy pushed further — heavily peated Islay malt finished in ex-oloroso sherry casks, a combination most distillers avoid because the sulphurous edge of fresh sherry wood can amplify rather than tame phenolic smoke.

Islay's Atlantic-facing peat bogs, saturated with sphagnum moss and sea vegetation, yield a phenol profile that carries iodine and brine alongside the combustion character. That coastal signature survives the sherry maturation intact, emerging as smoked dark fruit rather than being buried under sweetness.

The oloroso influence delivers dried fig, raisin, and bitter cocoa layered over the peat base, while the spirit is bottled at 48% ABV — above the standard 40–43% threshold — preserving texture and intensity. The expression is non-chill filtered, retaining the natural oils that carry both the smoke and the sherry-derived richness.

What separates Sherry Bomb from peers is the deliberate refusal to let sherry domesticate the peat: the finish is long, ashy, and resinous, with the dried fruit arriving late rather than leading.