Rock Oyster Batch No. 1 Malt Blend, Cask Strength

 

Here is a bottle I found totally by chance in a small DC liquor store (shout out to Central Liquors on E St in Chinatown! Great selection), after having reading about it here and there. After trying - and loving - the Big Peat Cask Strength offering from the same company, I had to give this a go. 

Apparently Rock Oyster had two small batch Cask Strength releases (this is the first of the two), but then was rebranded to "Rock Island," so you may see it near you under that name. Unsure if they have released any cask strength Rock Island.

This is from Douglas Laing, who also makes Big Peat and Scallywag and a number of other regionalized blends. I found the cask strength Big Peat from Christmas 2019 to be a really intriguing, curious, and quite easily drinkable Islay malt blend that reminded me most of a young, young slightly-off-kilter Ardbeg.

 Rock Oyster Batch No. 1 is a blend of Islay, Orkney, Arran, and Jura single malts, all aged in American ex-bourbon oak (although apparently a sherried version is available for sale), and served up at a very pleasing 56.1% ABV. 

If I had to guess, I would say the Islay influence comes from Caol Ila - it has their clean, briny, salty, coastal stamp all over it. Curiously, I detect very little of what flavors I traditionally associate with Highland Park, Jura, and Arran - almost no honey/heathery sweetness whatsoever. Let's get right into it: 

Nose: Very sharp and coastal. *VERY* salty. Lobster and shrimp, in brine. Peat, some smoke. Reminds me also a bit of Talisker, with the strong minerality. Tar. Lime. Pepper. Some menthol. Sea notes everywhere. Some young banana! And iodine. The banana is the most unusual thing here, as it weaves in and out of the strongly salty oceanic notes.

Mouthfeel: Pretty thick and viscous. 

Palate: Hot on the palate with some alcohol bloom, but otherwise it chases the nose pretty accurately: young banana/flambeed banana, medium-light peat, smoke, seafood, tar, citrus (especially lime, lime peel), rock/mineral/salt notes, pepper, charcoal or tar. Sometimes I almost think I get a note of cucumber (!) or pickled daikon, like you get with some sushi dishes (!!). 

Quite interesting. Comes across primarily with the Islay influence, like a very young, sharp Caol Ila or even Ardbeg (with the banana and lime notes) with some Talisker-type notes (rocky salt) thrown in - even though Talisker, supposedly, is not present here -  and maybe a hint of the Arran or Highland Park sweetness. I could also believe, perhaps, that a lightly peated Bunnahabhain is present, but it would be a real dark horse guess.

Finish: As with the Big Peat, it's quite short, but what's there is pleasing: some smoke, some salt, some pepper, and some wood notes. No angel's choir singing from the heavens, but a very decent conclusion to the prior flavors. 

Verdict: Overall, I think I slightly prefer the Big Peat to the Rock Oyster, but it's a surprisingly close call. This is, overall, much more coastal and briny than Big Peat was - which is a little bit of a surprise. It's super drinkable, and full of interest for a dedicated Islay/islands fan, but may alienate anyone who isn't in that category: it's VERY salty and briny. Worth a try, especially around the ~$50 price point that I found it at.