Tastes

The nose is rich with dark chocolate, tabaco, apples, smoke, and vanilla. More smoke and dark chocolate on the palate along with apples, pears, and brown sugar. The finish is oily with tabaco and pepper. This is an enjoyable blended malt with flavors like a good maduro cigar. Not the most complex or flavorful scotch you can find, but it is one of the best values you’ll find with an 18 year age statement.

Nose is light and sweet, dominated by an apple juice aroma with a slight spice in the background. Palate is light, almost watery, with spice and some vanilla. Finish is short with a slight burn. I’m not sure what the purpose of this label is. It is matured in bourbon casks, but those casks haven’t imparted many bourbon flavors, except maybe the vanilla on the palate. The flavors also aren’t as rich as the Black Bush nor do they distinguish themselves as much different from other Bushmills offerings. Which leaves the Red Bush in an awkward position. Red Bush is decently enjoyable, but unfortunately I can’t recommend this whiskey to anyone as it lacks any distinguishing characteristics or value.

I cannot think of any whisky more appropriately named. The spice tree delivers spice, spice, and more spice. The nose is, as you’d expect, full of spices. If your mother dropped her spice rack on the floor and broke all the containers, I’d imagine it would have a similar fragrance. The dominate aromas are clove and cinnamon. The palate is spicy and complex with ginger taking over the dominate flavor. There is some toffee behind those spices. A few drops of water open up those complex flavors making them more palatable. The finish is long with orange peel and pepper on your tongue. This scotch will clear up your sinuses. This is a great scotch but be warned, it may not be for beginners. Some scotches are peat monsters, but this is a spice monster! It’s also worth noting, the bottle has some great artwork which blends beautifully with the color of the whisky. Very good looking bottle.

If you’re looking for the best value in a whiskey, this is the winner. I found this bottle on sale, but even at its normal price, it’s a great deal. The nose has glazed doughnuts, cream, toffee, honey, lemon zest, and bananas. The aromas are rich and flavorful. You really can just enjoy the smell for a few minutes before tasting. The palate is sweet and creamy before yielding to spices. Pepper tickles the edges of your tongue during the long smooth finish. The transition from sweet to spicy is complex and enjoyable. These are the type of flavors I’d expect from a whiskey three times the cost of this bottle. Teeling really created a fantastic whiskey here. I appreciate seeing this bottled at 46% ABV. Some whiskey enthusiasts will also be happy to see they don’t use any E150a or chill filtering. I cannot recommend this whiskey enough. It’s really fantastic. Happy Veterans Day.

It's unfortunate how many scotch snobs will look down their nose at Chivas Regal, or just blended scotches in general, as I think they offer a whisky with a lot of flavor and an age statement at a good price point. The nose is rich with aromas of apples, cola, and spice. On the palate you get flowers, apples, raisins, and cinnamon. Finish is smooth with flavors of grain whisky and walnuts. While the flavor isn't complex, it is rich and enjoyable. Chivas 12 holds their own at a very competitive price point for scotches, and no matter how much I enjoy my single malts I hope I never become too much of a snob to turn down a glass of this enjoyable whisky. Currently you can find this bottle in a gift pack with 50 ml bottles of Chivas 18 and Extra, which makes this an even better value and lets you try two other delicious blends.

Nose is dominated by butterscotch and buttered bread with hints of spices in the background. The palate is thick and creamy. Not complex but very strong flavors. Sweet fruits in the background like raisins and apples. Finishes with a slight burn on the tongue and a heavy malt flavor. I’ve had this bottle for a few years, and every time I try it, I like it more. Maybe the whiskey has grown on me or maybe my tastes have grown to appreciate it. I normally enjoy some smoke and peat in my scotch, which makes it more impressive how delicious this scotch is with no signs of smoke or peat.

Some people think better whiskey is always more expensive. This Irish whiskey shows that’s untrue as it’s much better than some more expensive whiskies. The nose is light but complex with lemon zest, honey, beeswax, fresh cut grass, tea, and a damp warehouse aroma. Palate is sweet with grapefruit juice, brown sugar, apple juice, and caramel. Finish is spicy at first but quickly fades becoming long and smooth with malt and pepper flavors. I bought this bottle for St Patrick’s day, which I thought was appropriate, and was impressed by this whiskey. Great value.

This is marked 40% ABV by Distiller, but my bottle is marked 43%. Rich aromas of malt, honey, vanilla, and raisins on the nose. Palate is a little oily with more raisins, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Finish is spiced oak. This Scotch is too sweet for me to have a second glass, and frankly not as good as the Macallan 12. The flavor isn't bad, but I think there are better options available in this price range.

I bought this bottle in 2011 while I was trying different whiskeys before discovering my preference for Scotch. I'm glad I've held onto it though, as I've grown to appreciate it more. The nose has a strong vanilla aroma with cinnamon and honey. Palate is sweet and quintessential Jack Daniels, with vanilla and some banana. Finish is smooth with spices and pepper. I found I preferred this whiskey with a few drops of water, which seemed to deepen some of the flavors on the palate. Still not my style, but this really gives a glimpse into how JD can make a good sipper.