Tastes

This is a decent release. Even the worst Lagavulin is still pretty good, and I’m sure this is far from the worst Lagavulin has to offer. As a 9 year scotch, it has a little less of a robust flavor than the 16 year variety. That said, the excellent Lagavulin flavor is still present. It’s very smoky on the nose, and that carries to the palate. The shorter aging period makes for a smooth finish, comparatively quick to many other Islay malts.

This is a pretty nice blended scotch for the value. There’s quite a bit of bite on the nose, and on the tongue. I had this taste in a whiskey wedge glass to cut the burn with a little ice. There are some nice sweet flavors on the tongue, and not too long a finish. That helps to cut through the burn. It’s alright on its own, but I bet it would make an excellent mixer.

This is an absolutely marvelous scotch. It has a lot of the character of the 16 year, which is already one of my favorite whiskeys, but with a little bit more depth. The sherry notes are evident on the nose, along with that great Lagavulin smell. The sherry finish really takes over on the palate. It has a rich sweetness in addition to the peaty notes of the 16 year. The smoke takes over again on the finish, but the sweetness remains, so it is long and smooth.

This is quite simply one of the best single malts out there. The nose is smoky, but there’s not an overpowering saltiness like with Ardbeg and Laphroaig (both of which are among my favorite scotches as well.) Peat continues onto first taste, but it’s remarkably balanced and smooth down to the finish. It’s more expensive than its Islay counterparts, but it’s worth the additional price.

This is another very strong offering from Ardbeg. The nose is almost all peat, but it goes along with a touch of that classic Ardbeg sweetness. Peat and smoky sweetness continue on the palate. The finish is nice, with a slight bite. I don’t like this as much as Uigeadail, I prefer those nice sherry notes, and without them, this comes across as more of a standard, albeit excellent Islay scotch.

This is a very smoky, complex, but overall incredibly balanced whiskey. I added a few drops of water to cut down the high ABV, and it’s still strong. The nose is very peaty, but with the typical Ardbeg sweetness there as well. The sherry notes become heavy on the first taste, and there are some sweet fruity flavors as well. The finish is nice with very little burn considering the ABV.

I like this bourbon a little bit better than the Heaven’s Door rye. It’s a little bit smoother, and being a bourbon, it’s sweeter than the rye. There’s a good vanilla flavor on the tongue, and the finish is long with a little bite from the alcohol. It’s much more expensive than the varieties in the core Heaven’s Door range, but it is better.

I really like this whiskey. It has a fairly mellow, but smooth flavor on the nose. The taste is similarly smooth with a great deal of that rye spiciness. The finish is a little thin, but without much bite. A higher-proof bottling of Heaven’s Door rye would be interesting, but this version is very good.

This is an excellent bourbon. Kind of a sweet nose with a mild spiciness. It’s also very oaky. Incredibly smooth taste as well. The sweet notes stick around with a little bit of that spicy flavor. The finish is smooth as well with very little bite. This would be great in a mixed drink, but it’s also good enough to have on its own.

This is very similar to the Heaven’s Door Tennessee Bourbon, but with a little less spice, and more smooth. The sweet, vanilla notes are present as well, and it retains some of the spicy character of the other variety. I’ll give it a slightly higher rating because it is smoother.