“Grandfather, tell me a story,” the little boy asked. “All right,” replied the old man, “Go and get your storybook.” The youngster shook his head: “No, no. Not one of those. A real story! Tell me about the last whisky you had!” The grandfather’s eyes lit up: “Well, then … I shall have to take you back with me no more than a short while in time. Just recently, I sat by the fire with a pale-colored dram in my glass. I felt compelled to try it, but I was reluctant. I thought to myself, for whom or for what am I waiting? Suddenly a gust of peat came up from below. It filled the entire room with the sweet, maritime and adventurous scent of the Isle of Islay. My heart began to pound and my lips started to tremble. Not hesitating any further, I drew the pour towards my mouth. And as I sipped it and paused to think, an epic scenery revealed itself to me. Before my mind’s eye, a hail of arrows painted the blue sky black. Armies clashed and warriors fell. Steel met steel, axes, broadswords and shields. Horses sweated. Pallisades burned. And once I had gulped the smoky spirit down, it felt as if the cold ashes of war had settled upon my throat … Well, that’s it. Did you like the story?” The reply came instaneous: “Yeah, it was great!” But the child’s curiosity was not yet stilled. “Grandfather,” he asked, “What whisky was that?” The old man paused devoutly. “What is was? That was the Battle axe!”

by Tobi

Eye: Light and pallid like the sand in the arena on the morning before the bloodshed.
Nose: Gleaming, metallic smoke comes first, followed by the maritime smell of wet harbor walls and damp pier planks. Then, a spoonful of paprica powder rubbed onto BBQ’ed chicken breast. Furthermore, there is a certain fruitiness brought forth by passion fruits, grapes and lemons. And – buried underneath – a sweet and sugary undertone.
Palate: The first sip slices the tongue like a metal blade. The whisky is not overwhelmingly strong, but it has this piercing, fiery bite. With time, it gets a more and more tamed. Its flavors are sweet, hot and smoky. There’s butter biscuits and green peppers, burnt raisins and cigarette puff, sea food and hard candy. The “Battle axe” is as flamboyant as a jester, as irresistable as a temptress and as lethal as a sword-for-hire!
Finish: The final cut lasts … It is very sweet with liquid honey, vanilla milk and meringue chantilly. There is also a variety of light fruits, all of which are really sugary, too. The smoke becomes somewhat thin and fleeting in the end.

Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Region: Scotland (Islay)
Age: 8 years
Alc. volume: 50 per cent
Cask type: Refill ex-bourbon hogshead
# of bottles: 1,957
Bottle size: 0.7 litres
Price range: ~60.00 Euro
More info: https://www.smws.com/ (Blender)