Tastes

This is a powerful whisky with an aroma that hits you the moment you take off the cork off the bottle. That strong smell tempers a little bit in the glass. There's tons of smoke, as you would expect from the world's most heavily peated Scotch, but there's also a pleasant aroma on the nose. The palate retains the heavy peat smoke flavor, along with some subtle fruit notes that peaks through the smoke. The strength of this whisky is further seen in the finish, which is long, deep, and smoky. It has a high ABV, so a little bit of water goes a long way towards opening up those sweet, fruit flavors on the palate, but even watered down slightly, that smoke plows through.

The port cask finishing for this rye creates a strong, and unusual taste profile. I like it a lot, it just adds a lot to the typical tastes you would find in a rye. The nose has a lot of that classic rye spiciness, along with some more fruity flavors, presumably from the port cask. It has a strong flavor on the palate as well with the spice from the rye a little more muted than it comes across on the nose. Those fruit flavors in the smell really take over on the palate, and I think out of everything I can pick out raisin as a specific flavor. The finish has a good amount of smoke to it that compliments the spice and fruit flavors from earlier. Hillrock Port Cask Finished Double Cask Rye has a lot of the characteristics of a classic rye whiskey, and the port cask finish is a neat addition to the style.

Talisker 10 Year is an interesting whisky. From nose to finish it is something of a unique combination of what I typically like in an Islay scotch, and some of the other flavors more typical to the other regions. On the nose I get a lot of those salty, classic Islay flavors with a little fruit or flowery notes peaking through as well. The palate has a nice malty taste to it, and again those briny, sea notes are present with a little bit of sweetness as well. The finish is medium, and smooth, really opening up those salty flavors again. With so much going on, no one flavor truly dominates, and everything can be a little muted, but its a nice way to take what I typically like in a scotch, and expand it with a greater variety of tastes.

I like this scotch a lot. The sherry cask finish compliments the whisky very well, and those more fruity notes shine through from the nose to the finish. Starting out with the nose I definitely get a lot of fruit with a little bit of honey sweetness as well. That fruity character remains on the palate as well along with some nice darker, earthier notes like oak. I experienced a medium finish that was very smooth for the most part. Again, those sherry and fruit flavors shine through to the end, and offer a great compliment to the base of Aberlour's whisky.

This whisky is worth both the cost and difficulty I had finding it. It is overall very smooth, with a nice sweetness, and a good, deep flavor. The classic sweet notes I've found in many Japanese whiskies are there from the nose. I definitely get honey, vanilla, and even a bit of butter that is distinct from other whiskies that I've tried. A little bit of fruit flavor comes through on the palate to compliment those sweet notes, and the finish is smooth, and deep with a little smoky flavor akin to some of my favorite scotches. Yamazaki 12 is pricey, and I had a tough time finding it, but if you can get your hands on a bottle, it is definitely worth it.

This is a nice, smooth Japanese whisky. The overall flavor is not super deep, but there are some good notes to this one, and the finish is quite nice. The nose is a little bit thin, but it has that nice honey sweetness typical of the other Japanese whiskies I have tried. The palate opens up to a bit of a nutty character with maybe just a hint of orange. That honey sweetness sticks around on the finish, again, it's very smooth, and lingers for awhile pretty nicely. The nose, and finish are really nice, and a greater depth of flavor would really help compliment the solid aspects of this whiskey.

This is a nice whisky, but overall it's not as smooth as the other Japanese whiskies I have tried. It has a light character throughout, so I bet it isn't aged that long. The nose is pretty subtle with some fruit, and floral notes. It remains light on the palate with a little bit of sweetness as well. The finish is not particularly long, and it's not as smooth as other Japanese whiskies. Tenjaku is alright on its own, but I bet it would be a really good whisky to mix with as well.

This is one of the best new whiskies I have tried in a long time. The smell is extremely pleasant with a lot of good sweet notes. The nose, while sugary, is not overly so, nor does it feel artificial, just a really good, smooth sweet smell. Those flavors carry onto the palate, and open up to vanilla with that light character that is so nice in a Japanese whisky. The finish is extremely smooth as well, and opens up a bit more with some honey, and a nice, lingering flavor. I was pleasantly surprised by this bottle. It has a lot of the sweet flavors of a bourbon, but it's so smooth and has none of the bite that a lot of other whiskies have. This may be a bottle I try to keep on the shelf at all times.

This is a solid Japanese whisky, and overall a really great whiskey. It's very different from the peaty scotches that I tend to like, and it has a flavor profile that I like more than a lot of bourbons. Hibiki Japanese Harmony has a nice, light nose. The smell doesn't smack you in the face, and there's a little bit of sweetness there, and some more complex flavors if you really dig into it. Sherry, and honey really come through on the palate with some more of those sweet notes from the nose, and it tastes exceptionally creamy. It's very smooth on the finish with no burn at all. The light, sweet character of this whisky really carries it through until it's gone. It's definitely more complex than Suntory Toki, so it's definitely worth a try.

This is another one of my favorite scotches. It is comparable to Laphroaig 10 with the peat character throughout. I give Laphroaig the slightest edge on Ardbeg because it's always had a fuller flavor in my opinion. Ardbeg 10 has great smoky notes on the nose, and it retains that sweetness that a lot of Islay whiskies have. I get some grilled fish notes on the palate, and again that great Islay sweetness. The finish is a little muted, but smooth. The edge that Laphroaig has probably has the most to do with the finish. Ardbeg 10 lacks that full flavor at the end, but it is sill an excellent whisky.