Review #741 - Isle of Harris The Hearach First Fill Oloroso Cask Matured
While the flagship Hearach single malt from Isle of Harris distillery uses some influence from Oloroso casks (combined with ex-bourbon and Fino sherry casks), they also produce a version of their single malt which is matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry butts. These sherry casks are sourced from Jose y Miguel Martin in southern Spain, a popular choice among Scottish distilleries; Isle of Harris describes the influence of these casks as adding an 'unmistakably bold richness' to their spirit due to the 'dry, dark and nutty' flavors of the Oloroso sherry that is used to season the oak.
This bottle doesn't carry an age statement, but considering the age of the distillery (built between 2014 and 2015), we know this is relatively young whisky; this bottle comes from batch 2 of their Oloroso matured single malt, which was bottled in 2024.
Isle of Harris The Hearach First Fill Oloroso Cask Matured
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price: USD 99 (2025)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: First fill Oloroso sherry butts
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; batch 2 (OL 00002 24), bottled 2024; 12,100 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 80% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Oranges and cranberry bring a slightly tart fruit side, and we get some oily spirit notes as well. Time brings a bit more sweet sugar, and there's a nutty scent in the background.
Palate: Oranges, charcoal, and some cinnamon from the oak; quite oily and malt, with nice texture. We get a bit of warmth from the spirit again, and like the nose, the palate grows sweeter with time. The mouthfeel has a medium thickness.
Finish: Cinnamon and almonds, blood orange, but almost a bit savory at times. More nutty notes come from the oak, and this is slightly tart at times; it's a medium length finish.
Final Note: This offering from Isle of Harris is pleasant but a bit simple. There's definitely some youth still in this whisky, as you might expect, but we do get some light red fruits along the way, as well as a bit of cinnamon and some nutty notes from those sherry casks. The quality of the underlying spirit is very nice, and we expect that it will develop well with longer maturations; we just think this single malt needs a bit more time.
Value is a bit below average as, along with the middling flavors, the price is also high for such a young whisky.
Our Rating: 6.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.19
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Isle of Harris/The Hearach reviews:
