Tastes

Not a review! Also not a bad drop... at all! Can’t quite understand the super low score this whisky got from the oficial review. Maybe he just got a bad/sulphured batch, maybe our palate is just too ordinary... Who knows?! Everything I know is this whisky may be a bit young (as the nose suggest), but it is good, with lots of Sherry goodness and an amazing value! Glad that I got over the bad score and bought it anyway.

Orange citrus, brine, pepper and a little smoke... But put together in such a perfect way that words fail me. This ought to be the best under $50 bottle available on the market. It’s my 3rd bottle and it never ceases to amaze me. Highly recommend it if you don’t mind some peat, salt and pepper.

Chill filtered ..... ✔️ Lots of E150 ..... ✔️ 43 abv .............. ✔️ Do I care? No! Why? Read on... I see a lot of whiskies around here being judged by this parameters when I think what really matters at the end is how it smells/tastes and specially how you like it. Do I like this one? A lot! This one has a lovely deep chestnut color (yes, E150, I know...) that happens to match the overall darker profile of the whisky, so no problem here. The aroma is the highlight on this one, I could just pour a dram and keep smelling the glencairn for hours... There is a smoky peat/chocolate combo that assault your senses as soon as you put your nose into the glass, but soon after there is more, a lot of dark fruits join the party, specially figs, plums and ripe cherries, all covered by the smoked chocolate... Just yummy! 😋 The palate is also delicious, although a bit thin (my only complain here). You can feel the sweet PX influence and there is less peat and more spice than the nose suggest but something I can’t put my finger on just keeps me sipping over and over again, maybe the overall balance, maybe the finish, that is a lot smokier than the palate and a great surprise. Anyhow, this one (imho) joins the likes of Lagavulin 16 and Dalmore 18 as a great whisky despite of the “flaws” early mentioned that all of them share.

Strawberry jam with Sherry and a strong mushroom funkiness background. Super viscous and full bodied for a triple distilled malt. I know it’s unpeated but I can swear that’s a light peat somewhere to be found. This is so good on so many levels. And finally I join to the Springbank cult! 😄 (Had Springbank 10 and Longrow 10 before and it was just ok)

Another bottle I feel the urge to give it some justice... Just one rating so far and far too low for the quality of this whisky. Tasted almost a year ago so I don’t have precise tasting notes but remember being some points above the 2017 Jazz Ed., that was already a great bottle. More creamy & sweet and less sooty and peaty than the 12 series, this one probably have some Oloroso cask in the mix and/or some kind of wine finish. I also could bet that the average age of this one is older. As per the Ledaig 13 review, I promise detailed tasting notes as soon as I open my bottle. 4.75 for now, but I have the feeling I’ll change this for a full 5 stars after trying it again.

Tasted at Deanston distillery. (1 year ago) This is a very complex and tasteful whisky. Just so smoky, meaty and full of flavors. Amazing stuff! I will write some detailed tasting notes as soon as I open the bottle that I bought right after my fist sip. The low score on this one was bothering me because this is simple put - brilliant!

Tasted at Drumbar (Chicago) some months ago. This is very good whisky but not on the same league as 4.1, that was AMAZING.

I just opened this one to replace the now gone Aberfeldy 12 as the light and cheap whisky from my rotation. The nose is lovely with ripe pear, floral sweetness and a hint of lemon citrus in the background. The taste is sweet and reminds me of caramel and honeysuckle. There is no alcohol burn at all. The finish is also sweet and carry a little bit of spiceness and a tad more bitterness than I would like, but nothing that would ruin it. Although I don’t agree with it, I don’t think that Jim Murray was completely out of his mind when he called this one Single Malt Scotch of the year 2017 (10 yrs & under). This is a lovely whisky with an unbelievable low price tag and certainly is a must buy for fans of floral/sweet speysiders.

Was able to try this “unicorn” at Delilah’s bar at Chicago a month ago. I can testify that this one lives to the hype! It is just FREAKING AWESOME! I gave Laphroaig Brodir 5 stars, so to make this one justice I should be able to give it at least 6 stars! Like Brodir, peat and red fruits play the main role here, but as long as they were kind of melted together in Brodir, in this one each note can be picked individually very clearly, really sharp. It seems almost like magic! For me the best of the night, no doubt, closely followed by the Kilchoman Delilah’s /Jack Rose finished in Sauternes that is not listed in the app, also a 5 stars.

Tasted at Delilah’s whisky bar a month ago. It was my girlfriend’s favourite of the night! It was so insanely peaty that it took me by surprise! Expected more influence from the amontillado Sherry cask, but it is quite delicious nonetheless. Did not take any notes so can’t be more precise on my description, sorry... :-(