Desert Island Wines with Luke Coyler, Spirits Buying and Purchasing
Luke Coyler, Spirits and Purchasing
12 September 2022
We cast our Spirits and Purchasing expert Luke Coyler off to a desert island with only five spirits or wines of his choice....
Discover which five he chose to take with him and why.
Let’s start with bottle number 1, could you tell us which bottle you have chosen and why?
I think if I’m going to be stuck on an island with just 5 bottles, I’m going out in style………
My first choice would have to be the Bowmore White 43YO 1964, the 1stwhisky to really blow my socks off. What really struck me with this was the delicate citrus fruit that took precedence over the peat. Something I had never experienced in an Islay malt before.
If we could move on to number 2, what is your second choice?
Glendronach, Oloroso Sherry Butt 39YO 1972. This is one of the best examples of sherry cask whisky I have been fortunate to try. If I find myself in the mood for a sherried style I couldn’t think of a better bottle to reach for.
It’s time for choice number 3, tell us Luke which is your third choice?
Given I’m stuck on a desert island I have to have at least on unicorn whisky on there and my choice would be the Springbank 50YO 1919. Springbank has always been a favourite distillery of mine and this is not only meant to be one of the best whiskies they ever made, but with only 24 bottles ever released it is certainly the rarest.
Moving on to your penultimate bottle to take on to the desert island you have been cast away on, which would be your bottle of choice?
Nothing too fancy, but one with a lot of memories. I would choose a bottle of Tignanello. This is a wine that I have enjoyed with my Dad over the years and again one of the wines (when I pinched it from his cellar aged 17) made me sit up and take notice a what wine could really be like.
And your final choice?
Finishing off with another unicorn (and one I haven’t tasted) I would go with DRC Romanee Conti 1990. As a big fan of great Burgundy this is highly regarded at one of the all-time greats and if this is the last bottle I ever have then I’ll be a happy man.