Tastes

Excellent! A great variant of the already exceptional Laga 16. Everything that's already good about the standard expression, but amplified, with a bit more sweetness and a smoother peat profile. Hints of meatiness like a Laphroaig Cask Strength, and a finish that goes on for several minutes. However, the price is hard to swallow, especially when I can still find Laga 16 for $70. It also doesn't match up to the now somewhat readily available Laga 12 year, which can be had for right around $100. Diageo has a winner here, but I feel they're trying to milk the profit margin a bit too much.

Quite tasty. Good vanilla, caramel and toffee notes. Very, very slight grittiness at the finish, but not nearly as noticeable as, say, Weller's Special Reserve. Unfortunately, at $35 a bottle, it's also not $15 a bottle better than Weller's SR.

Very mild, very soft. Good mouthfeel. A hint of cereal makes its appearance midway through the first smell and the first sip. Not interesting enough for a regular dram, but great for mixes that call for Irish delicacy.

Medicinal; reminds me of hospital bandages and antiseptic. Good mouthfeel, like the oily texure, but really wish it had more depth.

Revisited Dec 2016; It is very interesting to me the affect 3 years of actually paying attention to the whisky I drink has had on my perception of bottles I haven't had for awhile. This is bottle 10 from a 12 days of Christmas gift set. While my original review below is still somewhat accurate, I'm going to flesh it out. The nose is still pretty hot, with a bit of caramel and molasses showing through. After sitting in the glass, I get a surprise whiff of fresh-turned earth, as if I'd just re-potted a plant. Palate presents as fairly young and raw, but it's not as brash as I recall. Definitely a high-rye blend and the mint shows strongly, but there's also sweet honeysuckle and vanilla. Finish falls flat a little, showing a lot of heat before it quickly gives way to the mint, then dries to nothing. Still a 3, but with a bit more happening than I could originally give credit for. Better than Beam or Jack, but still destined more for mixes than neat. Original review/Jun 2013: A little rough around the edges, with a hot alcohol presence. A little water lessens the bite, but also mutes the flavors. Excellent mixer, but just average neat.

So smooth! Great mouthfeel and initial entry followed by a disappointing lack of complexity or flavor, followed by a long slightly smoky finish. Green Label is a third the price and twice as good...