Tastes

Lots of vanilla on the nose with honey, beeswax, orange citrus, toasted marshmallow, and graham cracker. Very sweet palate with more honey, along with raisins, pear, and salt. As the flavors on the palate fade you start to get more vanilla with some spice that is so familiar from ex-bourbon oak casks. Overall a great experience characterized mainly by the honey, vanilla, and beeswax. This scotch is a great representation of a highlands single malt.

In the glass this whisky feels thick and has a nice light amber natural looking color. The main aromas on the nose are a nice light peat smoke with lemon zest, but there is also toffee, green moss, raisins, and charred oak. At first the palate is thick with creamy nougat, but smoke begins to dominate the sweet palate and you start to taste some salted meats and bacon. This leads to a long finish with heavy charred oak and pepper. This scotch has a similar profile to the distilleries on the southern coast, but feels more gentle on the tongue without taking away any of the flavor that it offers. I can see why Diageo likes to use this in so many blends, and you can easily taste its influence in Green Label.

There is some toffee and nougat hidden behind the heavy campfire aroma on the nose. You can also find some sweet citrus and fruit in the background. Palate is sweet at first but becomes spicy. Behind the spiciness is nougat and honey. There is also a lot of sea salt which gives the honey a salted caramel like flavor. Oily malt finish that is mostly spicy but has some toasted marshmallow sweetness. This is an excellent malt that offers a lot of flavor to compliment the heavy smoke and spice. On a cold night you can always rely on a glass of Talisker to keep you warm.

The nose is rich and enjoyable with oatmeal, buttered biscuits, cornbread, sugar cookies, marshmallow, and star fruit. Palate is sweet at first but quickly becomes tart with some citrus, oatmeal, green apples, and caramel. Short finish with some lingering spices. This is a surprisingly enjoyable whiskey for the price. Characterized mainly by the cereal flavors and tart palate, it is a decent whiskey for the price.

The nose is typical Speyside, lots of flowers and fresh fruit including kiwi, pears, and berries. The palate is thin and has a fresh dish soap taste, but not in a bad way. Behind that, you can find baked apples and cinnamon. There is a surprising smoke that leads into the long finish and leaves you with some grapes and spice flavors. Diageo lists Cragganmore as one of Scotland’s six classic malts, and I think it is a good choice to represent the region. This scotch characterizes all the great things a Speyside malt has to offer.

The nose is very inviting with toasted marshmallow, toffee, vanilla, graham cracker, and candy apples. The palate is smooth and sweet at first with cream and toffee, but develops into a spicy oak. The spicy oak continues into a medium length clean finish. This malt is much different than its 12 and 15 year cousins, and surprisingly I think I prefer it to either of them.