Imagine grilled sardines slathered with garlic, olive oil, chopped fresh coriander, paprika, sea salt and pepper, plus lemon juice and zest. On the palate we stayed with a maritime dish, this time, Spanish braised octopus in a sweet paprika sauce served with olives and a glass of manzanilla sherry. Water added a rich creamy note wonderfully balanced by the sweet smoke of a miso soup with crispy smoked tofu. To taste, we sat around a bonfire on the beach by the Sound of Islay with plenty of friends on a warm sunny evening – truly a gem! Following seven years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a first fill American oak oloroso hogshead.