Tastes

Struggling with this. It has gotten better half way. Too sweet and single note. Not balanced. The best dram I had with this was parrying it with speducci bbq. I think the saltines of the meat helped it. Not goingto replace this one.

First dram came after having old pultney 17 so my first impression was not very good. Today I had it to start the flight and it was a lot better. Soft caramel, some dark stewed fruit , puff of smoke with a bit of a heather finish. Didn’t seem to have a long lingering finish but for the price I got it for and the presentation at 46% 12 year no chill most likely there is some colour but all in all a very decent starter dram for the night.

Ok this expression has really thrown me for a loop. First taste and smell I thought I paid too much for this ( $100 Canadian). I gave it another two tastings because I paid for it and I wanted to give a really good chance. Still not overly impressed. Then by the time I hit the shoulder of the bottle it hit me. I couldn’t stop reaching past it on the shelf. Now I’m done the bottle and I want to replace it. Creamy , peppery at times with a sweet finish. It’s just one of those whiskeys that hits you unexpectedly. It’s like Roy says it’s a relationship and how it starts might not be how it ends and everything in between. This was such a fun period of time with this bottle.

Just starting to venture into Irish whiskey and it’s nice to find a 46 abv with a great balance of sherry and baking spice. Would definitely recommend this to friends.

My 4.25 mark is not going to seem compatible with this next statement. My first dram with this expression was so uncomfortable and almost I repeat almost un enjoyable. On the nose it was so fruity and exciting but the taste was not matching the nose at all it threw me. It started to harmonize after a while in the glass but it remained so complicated throughout my dram. when I was done I couldn’t stop thinking about it and craved more hence the high score. It is the most interesting bottle I have and look forward to have a real journey with this.

First tasting of this expression. I shared it with three friends and we all had the same first experience. Toasted marshmallow with milk chocolate. Unanimous. When you get past that I experience fruit not sure what but I’ll figure it out. Finish was dry with mild spice.

I really like what the Arran distillery is doing, but they missed the boat on this one. It is a unbalanced over sweet short delivery with a weird finish that is unpleasant. It hurts me because I wanted to like this. The14 and the 18 are amazing and I have had other NAS Arran expressions that are fantastic.

The first dram from this bottle was very disappointing. Then I let the next dram sit in the glass for 30 min and what a difference. The dram the next day was delicious. Creamy , raisin, dates some herbal notes with a dry finish. A touch of smoke . Really enjoying this one.

Wish I had more time with this one. This was amazing. Instant sweet that quickly disappeared and became Smokey brine and on the nose crushed sea shells. I know that sounds weird but I spent a lot of time in Central America and my wife would collect sea shell put them in a jar and they smell the same as the caol ila 30. There is a sour note and a citrus note. Need more time. Fantastic.