Tastes

The aroma is intensely halogenic and medicinal, like a hospital pool. It comes along with other peaty aromas like smoke and seaweed, with some apple and malty aromas. When tasting, it begins with ash, iodine, sweet caramely malt, cinnamon, and a floral kick. It then develops more into more of a malty caramel territory, but doesn’t let up on the ash or iodine. There’s a bit of a seaside breeze, but without the brine that many marine Scotches have. The finish brings forth more vanilla and caramel. The mouthfeel is light but mildy oily like many single malts I review. Overall, I am glad I got the experience to try this, however it is probably not worth the money compared to other peated whiskeys. It’s all ash and iodine with less of the herbal and BBQ elements.

When sniffing it, it immediately hits the nose with sherry and caramel, with vanilla, malty, raisin undertones and a hint of honey, oak, almond, and spice. Upon sipping, it begins with a highly oxidized sherry note, with some apple, cinnamon, malt, honey, and caramel. After that, it develops into a more standard Irish whiskey, as the buttery biscuit and honey starts to take a more center stage, with the sherry becoming more chocolately and spice oriented rather than fruity. As it finishes, it is reminiscent of almond, chocolate, and caramel, with a sweet oaky raisin quality to it. I think if someone handed me this blind, I could be convinced it’s an 8 year single malt. I definitely think this stands up to some single malts I’ve had, and is definitely worth the money.

The aroma is sweet and filled with oloroso sherry notes, raisins, red berries, almonds, malt, apple, and chocolate. When tasting, it immediately hits you with red fruit, followed by raisins and sherry. There’s nutty and fried red fruit hints as well. As it develops further, it hits you with malt and dried fruit forward sherry with some oaky undertones. It’s like a trail mix with dried grapes and cranberries, almonds, and cereal. As it finishes off, it leaves raisin, prune, sherry, peppercorn, cinnamon, and clove with a hint of chocolate and caramel. The mothfeel of the whisky is light, but with the lightest hint of oiliness. Overall, I beleive that this is superior to Monkey Shoulder, being much less musty while having most of the same positive flavors. It’s nowhere near Aberlour 12, but is the closest you can get while spending close to half as much.

This Johnnie Walker smells a lot like an old wine, similar though distinct from sherry, but with applewood smoke and some oakiness. There’s some hints of moss and honey. The approach comes forth with smoke, green apple, peat moss without earthy peatiness, some malt, and red berries. Coming further, it evolves into a malty sweetness as bourbon notes of vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, and oak spring forth. As Black Label finishes, it leaves behind an ashy smoke, fresh grain stalks, caramel, raisin, vanilla, clove, and oak. There is just a hint of iodine that only is noticable to me at the end of the medium length finish this has. The mouthfeel is silky but tannic. During the finish it has a hint of the ashy phenolic feeling on the tounge that peated whiskey tends to have. Overall, I think it’s nice, but lacking in direction and so close in price to some of the more affordable single malts but more expensive than blends I like just as much like Naked Malt.

This whiskey smells like a bubblegum Irish whiskey with a strong dill aroma and some smoke. The taste comes forth with rye, bubblegum, clove, cinnamon, vanilla, banana, and cherry. It then tastes of buttery cookie, malt, smoke, candied sugar, clove, bubblegum, anise, mint, and cherry. It then finishes with multigrain bread, butterie cookie, smoke, vanilla, clove, caramel, cherry, and anise. The mothfeel is very smooth at first but becomes very peppery and spicy as it rests for longer in your mouth. It’s more rich and oily than Powers Gold Label, but not as much as Powers John’s Lane. Overall, it tastes like if Irish whiskey was made into a gum flavor. It’s much stronger in flavor than Powers Gold LabelI, but I think someone who isn’t a fan of the herbal and spice of rye will not enjoy it. It’s still very different than American ryes, being smoother and much more buttery. I certainly think it is one of the best whiskeys in the low $30’s range, although I’m biased towards ryes.

The aroma is subtle, but has notes of apple, banana, buttery cookie, caramel, and a hint of smoke. Upon tasting, it opens with apple, malt, grass, butter, and smoke. The malt then starts to shine through a bit more in the middle. As it finishes, it becomes a bit more of a sweet alcohol taste with a more subtle caramel, malt, grass, and smoke. The mouthfeel is slightly lighter than Powers Irish Rye and very light compared to Powers John’s Lane, but it still has the mouth coating finish that the other Powers whiskey has. Overall, I think the Irish Rye is more flavorful for the same or chraper price, but Gold Label still is a whiskey I think is worth the price for an occasional buy.

The aroma is strongly of rye spice, caramel, and red apple. There are hints of herbs, corn meal, pear, and smoke. Tasting it has a traditional herbal rye taste with rye bread undertones, but it develops more into a carraway and cheap bourbon with a finish of fruit and well done rye bread. It tasted cheap and young with nail polish remover notes and a lack of aged barrel flavor. I feel like I got my hopes up far too high for this one. Everyone seems to tout it as one of the best affordable ryes, but after drinking so much Wild Turkey 101 Rye for the same price, I felt very dissapointed. Wild Turkey is lacking the nail polish remover taste and is certainly much older.

The aroma is of oak and peanuts covered in caramel with a hint of apple, stone fruit, and smoke. The taste is full of oak from the moment the flavor hits to the last remaining past of the finish. Unlike the oak, most other aspects change a lot over time. Early on, there’s more cherry and dark fruits with nutty notes, but it develops into a peach and corn forward grain midpalate, with a finish of sweet caramel corn and smoke. It feels much thicker than many young bourbons, but less than a pot still whiskey. This is infinitely better than Jim Beam White Label, but I do think I can find better bourbons for the money.