Created in 2011, ARTIST by La Maison du Whisky is LMDW’s flagship series dedicated to remarkable single casks selected for their expressive, terroir-driven character, paired with contemporary artworks chosen to mirror or contrast the whisky’s identity. Over the years, ARTIST has evolved into a true gallery in bottle form: an annual expression of style, ageing, culture and aesthetics. ARTIST #15, the fifteenth edition of this emblematic range and released under the Itinéraires catalogue, is divided into two thematic chapters: Something in the Water, inspired by the magic of Islay and paying tribute to the island’s historic distilleries; and The Dark Side of the Moon, which explores the world of sherry cask maturation from Oloroso to Pedro Ximénez. Opening the Something in the Water chapter of ARTIST #15, SYMBIOSIS is a blended malt that drops anchor on the island’s misty northern shores. Composed of two Bunnahabhain vintages distilled in 2013 and 2014, alongside three Caol Ila vintages from 2014, 2015 and 2018, the blend was married and finished for over a year in a puncheon before spending a further six months in toasted virgin American oak barrels. More than a meeting of two distilleries, SYMBIOSIS offers a preview of the stylistic DNA envisioned for Elixir Distillers’ future Islay single malt from Portintruan. Its aromatic and flavour profile strikes a natural balance between the earthy peat of Bunnahabhain and the bright, coastal smoke of Caol Ila, forging a seamless link between two single malts with sharply contrasting personalities. A whisky shaped by harmony rather than dominance, SYMBIOSIS embodies the chapter’s core theme: the unifying force of Islay’s waters, where divergent styles converge into something new.
