Whisky Focus - Douglas Laing Yula 20 Year Old Blended Malt

Douglas Laing release Yula 20 Year Old the first release in a 3 part Island blended malt trilogy.

Douglas Laing has turned out some outstanding Island region blended malts over the the years such as the Clan Denny Islay blended malt and more recently the excellent Big Peat Islay blended malt so we know they are very good at putting together a decent Island region blended malt.

I was pleased to hear Douglas Laing announce this month the launch of Yula 20 Year Old, the first of a three part trilogy of limited edition Island Malt Scotch Whisky.

Douglas Laing’s Yula is comprised of several of the Islands’ most sought after, peated malts. Yula will be released consecutively in three limited edition batches, the first of which is bottled at 20 Years Old at a cask strength of 52.6% ABV and a limited release of only 900 bottles worldwide.

So where does the name Yula come from? Ancient Islay legend tells of a beautiful Norse goddess Yula, who went in search of her long lost love with an apron full of stones. The stones fell out as she travelled, forming a string of islands and leaving behind a trail of her empty quest. For Yula never did find her love, but perished instead in the treacherous seas surrounding Islay, the last jewel shaped stone to fall from her apron. And it’s here on Islay, which in old Norse means “Yula’s Isle”, that our tragic heroine is buried, her final resting place marked by two standing stones which can still be seen to this day.

Yula’s trilogy charts the spirit’s journey, not now over land and sea – but within the cask, where the magic of maturation transpires and the various elements are finally united in their own marriage.

Says Douglas Laing’s Director of Whisky, Cara Laing: "This exciting trilogy of Island Malts tells a tale both in terms of the ancient legend of Yula but importantly also the spirit story. Distilled in 1995, we'll see this cask strength maritime Malt evolve with each annual release while retaining that distinct oceanic, island character. In Yula, we believe we've combined two of life's greatest pleasures - a charming tale and a great Whisky!”

Yula’s First Chapter is available from specialist Whisky retailers such as The Whisky Exchange from October 2015.
 

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