Tastes

Nose: pine sol and craft glue, sour pear candy, sake, maybe some new wood resin-y stuff. Clementines in the can. Musty honey at the back of it as it opens up. Could have some sweet almond going on. Palate: Full and round, sweet at first but drops off to a shallower spiciness, some malt as well and lingering floral notes. Vanilla, and surprising bit of bitterness offsetting the malty sweetness. Can see the green apple note everyone mentions. Finish: Light and a little spicy. Sort of grassy too. Overall: I think it’s pretty great for the price! I’m surprised it’s so cheap and it’s nice that it’s 43%. Smooth enough, but not so smooth it’s boring. Has a nice spicy kick. Could be a good one to have around since it’s so affordable.

Nose: dry red wine, dark sugar, like a baking ingredient drawer. Some very light must, tiniest bit of sherry nuttiness. Smells rich but subdued, dry and earthy. Palate: Oaky on the first taste, some vanilla and toffee and light pepper. Just malty enough, then flavours like you get in those savory/sweet cakes like carrot. Nuttiness comes back. That rich but subdued idea carries through to the palate - dark and chocolatey but not cloying, just enough bitterness to balance it out. Finish: oaky, a little bit of spice. Some dark chocolate bitterness and rounded moments. Overall: Such a well-balanced whisky. Perfect amount of bitterness and sweetness, with a nice long finish. Familiar oaky flavours that are leveled out in a great way. Maybe 21 year old whiskies are the way to go, because the Glenfarclas was also super well-balanced in a similar way!

Nose: Wood, but piney wood. Vanilla essence, varnish, pencil shavings. Lightly floral, orange peel from MoM is there. Could be the tiniest bit of salt. Palate: Not as sweet as expected. Interesting green tea thing going on, feels very slightly tannic somehow. Really not getting as much sweetness as others but more sharp herbal notes, like eating a pine needle. Any fruitiness is like soft lime, and get a bit of vanilla. Actually reminds me of the lime/dill/gin combination of gimlets at Dishoom. Finish: Didn’t find it to be incredibly long, but kind of agree with the mango note from MoM somehow. Herbal tannic thing as well. Overall: will probably remember this for the piney tannic vegetal notes more than anything else. A bit thin for me but interesting which is a big plus.

(First pour) Nose: Natural honey, hob-nobs. Feinty but not plastic. Richer. Bit of floral, herbal greenhouse. Maybe some lemon candy like MoM notes as it opens up. Bit of pear. Smells rich and honeyed but with a herbal edge. Palate: Oily, honey sticks around and some rich malt comes through. Caramel on the second taste with usual suspects on the oak front. Light smokiness but becomes more and more like toffee on both nose and palate. Can almost see the lychee note. Finish: Some round tropical fruit, soft caramel. With water: Nose ramped up, malty chocolate whey with that underlying herbal note. Straight up werther’s original. Really rich and sweet smelling with a slight balancing sharpness underneath. Palate more approachable, has more of the oak and spice, especially at the back. Finish has a bit of that clay-y earthiness from the flora and fauna, rich and lengthy again. Finish gets more leafy/irisy as it goes on. Overall: Not what I expected at all, but not a bad thing. So rich, tons of flavour that really opens up with water. Would make a great late summer/early autumn dram for the slight herbal edge that balances the honey out.

Nose: soft, Demerara sugary. Orange zest, some ginger. Palate: light but full toffee, caramel apples, more of the sugar from the nose and less of the citrus. Round flavour with a enough alcohol to sharpen it. Maybe just a little too far on the round end for me, could use some saltiness or smoke. Reminds me of Tobermory for that. Tangerine citrus. Finish: Werthers, warm woodiness - almost cedar but more round.

Nose: Croissant, peaches and cream, milky coffee. Really juicy soft nose with a slight bitter edge. So well balanced. Palate: malty, oaky, some cloves. Agree with the rye note from MoM on the finish, really comes through. Can see the ginger too. Spicier than the nose let on. Coffee comes through as it opens, like that milky coffee you get from machines that make lattes (in a good way). Smoother than the ABV lets on.

Nose: rubbery, grassy, fruity - sharp green apple, lime, dry wood. Green grape. Honey on toast from MoM is bang on. Super fresh and zingy, but with an underlying creamy note. Palate: sweeter and juicier than expected - nuttiness is there but more chocolatey nut flavours. Can see the Armagnac comparison. Milk chocolate comes through when water is added, interestingly so does some pine and toffee. Really nice with water. Finish: caramel and cream hangs around with some chocolate and earthiness. Can’t decide between 3.75 and 4 but making it 3.75 for now so I don’t buy a bottle and dent my wallet right now.

Nose: Can see the menthol from MoM for sure, unripe apple and way more of the glenfarclas grassy note than I got on the 15 or 21. Sherry notes are all there, with some rubber, unripe pear. Maybe some licorice-y cola notes, too. Bitter chocolate. Savory edge. Palate: funkier than all the others in the core range, nutty sherry notes at the front with syrup in the background - not over rich, balanced with herbal, minty, grassy notes. Maybe some plum. Dark chocolate and coffee. Completely agree with gingerbread from MoM. Ashy smoke in comparison with the 21. Finish: must, chocolate, cream, grass, sherry nuttiness. Funkiest of the core range that I’ve tried, maybe more immediately interesting with the 21 but not necessarily better. Fantastic subtle sherried whisky with a herbal edge.

Nose: much lighter sherry nose than the 15, but still there. Red apples, orange again, caramel at the back. Brown sugar, cookie dough. Banana (stolen from jack) Palate: much more light than the 15, subtler sherry notes with more shortbread, herbal, thin in a nice way. Archie at luvians said refreshing and I totally agree. Incredibly well balanced fruitiness, nuttiness and wood. Finish: long, becomes fruitier and greener with the grassy glenfarclas spirit coming back through again. This might beat out the 15 for how delicate and balanced it is. So light without sacrificing fruitiness and sherry depth. May be a new favourite.