Noble Isle Whisky & Water Range Review

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I’m not sure if it’s just me, but when Christmas rolls around I like to squirrel my supermarket own-brand hand wash and lotion in a cupboard, and whip out the indulgent stuff just as the doorbell rings. “Ooooh isn’t she fancy?” my guests will think, as they lather up with luxurious, scented suds. So I was chuffed when the Noble Isle Whisky & Water set landed on my desk – just in time for visitors to come calling.

Noble Isle uses authentic ingredients for its bath and body range, drawing on the UK’s rich heritage, from misty moorlands to Highland distilleries and coastal cliffs. Its fragrances are intriguing and unusually named, including Fireside, Willow Song, Lightning Oak, Summer Rising and the festive-sounding Whisky & Water, which I road tested. The malted barley extract in the range, which is calming for the skin, is sourced from Balvenie Distillery in Scotland – one of only a few distilleries still harvesting and malting its own barley.

On unboxing the Noble Isle Whisky & Water set the smell was so good that my colleagues formed a queue (I kid you not) for a little squirt of the hand lotion. Like me, Noble Isle are great believers in the power of fragrance to enhance mood, trigger memories and create a homely atmosphere. Each of their fragrances has been created just like a perfume, layered with top, heart and base notes, so you’re taken on a journey: and the unisex Whisky & Water scent is a great example of this.

The whisky itself is very smooth and subtle, but it’s definitely there; a warming wisp of single malt balanced with vanilla and cedar wood. No whisky is harmed in the making of this product though, it’s just been cleverly designed to evoke oak-aged Scotch. There’s rose in the top notes, opening out to reveal fuller notes of jasmine and orange blossom, which I absolutely love.

Noble Isle aims to produce unisex fragrance, and this one definitely is. It’s subtle and sensual, lingering on the skin long after use, and my husband enjoyed it just as much as me. The pump on the body wash was a bit stingy – I’d have liked a little bit more product to work with, if I’m using it in the shower. It reminded me a little of those hotel bottles which are bolted to the wall and need 10 pumps to get anything out of. But that said, you don’t actually need loads. It lathered up really nicely on a bath puff and left everything silky soft. It would easily double up as a hand wash too. The hand lotion sank in really quickly, moisturised dry skin nicely and I could still feel the benefits hours later.

The beautiful, distinctive packaging means these would make gorgeous presents (if you can bear to give them away). If you’re searching for an alternative gift for a Scotch-lover this year, I’d definitely suggest this range. I’ve fallen in love with its unusual fragrances, ethos and natural ingredients. So much so that my supermarket hand wash might have to stay in the cupboard for 2017…and if you’re attempting Dry January once the festivities are over, why not bottle that festive spirit and add a wee dram to your bathroom routine instead?!

Noble Isle Whisky & Water range is available here. It’s free from parabens, Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS), and their boxes, bottles, cartons and caps are 100% recyclable.