Tastes

Managed to get a sample bottle for a reasonable price. Nose: fruity and floral. Lots of gorse, hints of banana and vanilla, flower petals—lilies? Not even a hint of sharpness, it is smooth and round. It’s almost as though I’ve stuck my head in a gorse bush (without the thorns). Very sweet, very tropical. Hints of white grape. Buttery, and somewhat shortbready or biscuity. Body: spicy?! I didn’t expect that from the nose! Peppery. Then Rounded and full. Juicy. Palate: very well balanced. stays floral and herbaceous. Salt and pepper at first, followed by vanilla, oak, and a bit of lemon zest. Perhaps a little hint of thyme? Honey, sun cream. Finish: woody and spicy.

Nose: oak, orange, nail varnish or polish, slight hints of spice, very sweet and syrupy, caramel Body: syrupy and spicy, lots of spirit right away, thick and juicy, a little rough—not bad, just not smooth. Palate: oak, raw spirit, orange, cloves, spices, sugar, sweet, cherries Finish: mouth-coating, oak, spice, hints of pepper and salt. Sweetens up, citrus—especially orange with more cloves.

Nose: rich, smoked meat, ham, bacon, charcoal, hints of strawberry, raspberry, cream, but mostly smoke. Body: dry, spicy, but not quite as thick as you’d imagine. Warming. Palate: fungal smoke and peat, slightly woody, mixes with the sherry—raspberry, fruit, rich. A nice blend of electric peat and sherry, mostly well balanced if tending slightly more to the smoke. Charcoal, ham, smoky bacon. Haddock? Slightly tangy. Finish: lingering, smoke and oak, moat-coating, sticky

Nose: slightly floral, banana, toffee, caramel, vanilla, fresh sea air and salt, creamy but maybe slightly sharp, definitely coastal. Freshly picked crab cages. Body: medium body—would seem light from the nose but definitely packs a punch for a 40% whisky. Spicy/salty, oily. Palate: salt, brine, floral, any fruit is obscured by the salt. Still, the banana lingers. Hazy sea air, like walking on the coast on a warm but breezy day. Haar. Finish: a light but lingering finish. Salt and oak. Something sweet at the back

Nose: spicy rye, bourbony, with hints of grape, cognac and vanilla. Get the bourbon big time, oak. The bourbon barrels definitely overshadow the olorosso. Somewhat reminiscent of the redbreast Lustau. Body: very full, very spicy. Juicy and mouth watering. Somewhat softer on the end than you’d expect. Palate: a fiery explosion at first but then rolls between the bourbon and oloroso. Sometimes cognac, oaky spice, vanilla followed by dark fruit, grape and rich sherry. Half Toboso, half bourbon. Finish: a big, long lasting finish. Mouth coating. Artificial Grape flavoring, spice, oak, vanilla. A little dash of salt? I could be mixing that up with spice. Like the Redbreast Lustau x 10. Better than I remember.

Word of warning: TAKE WATER! 61% is a lot for any whisky, let alone heavily Peated. This is a good whisky but I could imagine people being put off by its potency. Nose: meaty, smoked bacon, ham, salty pork, lots of smoke, very farmy With water: sharpened initially, adding more earth and manure, freshly rolled pastures Body: full, oily, potent, spicy and salty With water: gets spicier and fuller weirdly, will experiment with more water later Palate: smoke, salt and the end, again lots of manure, earthy, somewhat bitter and sour With water: more intense?! Smokier, saltier, sharper Finish: not a painful finish, but again bitter and sour, mouth coating salt One to get to know and find the right amount of water for the individual. 3.5 because I haven’t found it quite yet and it’s a little one-note so far.

Nose: Christmas, cognac right off the bat—grape, vanilla, fruity and rich. No alcohol burn at all, smooooooth. Hints of oak and of cinnamon. Transported me to a small cottage in a forest in the winter. Fantastic. Body: wow. Thick and round, a blast of warm spice. Mouth-coating, peppery and explosive, not smooth as I was expecting. Palate: veeeery unusual. Cinnamon spice, somewhat nutty, oak, almost bourbon-like. Fire. Finish: mouth coating. hints of menthol, veeeeeeery spicy, bitter, long-lasting.

Nose: creamy peat, musty, damp, slight salt, bananas and slight vanilla, slightly earthy Body: smooth smooth smooth, medium-full, hints of spice and salt at the end, creamy Palate: peat smoke, earthy like pu erh tea but not overly so, banana flavoring, vanilla, slightly medicinal Finish: long and lingering

Nose: orange peel, dark fruit, brown sugar, Christmas cake, rich and deep. After a few sips, the sherry notes ebb and are taken over from the bourbon notes Body: thinner than you’d expect but very pleasant, slightly spicy at the back, zesty, slightly dry Palate: more bourbon than sherry, definitely orange zest, less sherry than you’d expect from the nose and slightly less rich, woody, floral and herbaceous hints, very surprising after the nose, menthol notes developing into the finish Finish: medium finish, slightly woody and spicy, somewhat dry Not what you’d expect and develops over time, funky

Nose: light, vanilla, strawberry, lavender, cream Body: thick, syrupy, full-bodied, smooth Palate: strawberries and cream, hints of spice Finish: light finish A delicate and lovey dram