Hunter Laing & Co has expanded its Scarabus Series with 10 Year Old and Batch Strength Whiskies. The new additions to the single malt range from the Scotch bottler joins the Scarabus Specially Selected, which was unveiled in May of last year.
Bottled at 46% ABV, Scarabus 10 Year Old delivers the “sweet Islay peat smoke” the range is known for, “but with extra complexity’. The expression was aged for a minimum of 10 years in refill, ex-Bourbon and virgin American oak casks.
Scarabus Batch Strength, meanwhile, is bottled at 57% ABV and made from a small selection of Scarabus single malt casks. The result features the brand’s sweet, peaty profile, along with a “lingering” finish.
Scarabus is named after a “mystical area” on the Scottish island of Islay, which is an old Nordic word meaning ‘rocky place’.
“Following the success of the brand’s launch at Fèis Ìle 2019, it’s very exciting to add two brand new expressions to the range,” said Hunter Laing managing director Stewart Laing. “Scarabus is a brand which we are incredibly proud of, and to see Scarabus grow and develop like this is really wonderful.”
Scott Laing, business development director, added: “It’s always exciting when a new Islay expression launches and we are particularly proud of our Scarabus brand. The flavour is unmistakable, the Islay peat, smoke and sea salt on the nose, followed by warming leather notes and a delightful vanilla sweetness in the mouth, leads to a rich, lingering finish, culminating all the elements which Islay whisky enthusiasts adore.”
Both expressions are available to purchase from the Ardnahoe Distillery on Islay, as well as online through the brand’s official website. The Hunter Laing Scarabus 10 Year Old is priced at £45 ($60 USD) per 700ml, while Hunter Laing Scarabus Batch Strength costs £49 ($65 USD) per 700ml.