Tastes

Third tasting. Crap. Somehow get sherry notes on the nose but mostly spicy due to its youth on the palate with faint bourbon notes. How did i taste something completely different the second time?

Garbage. Spicier finish than standard 12 because it’s younger. More viscosity though which is nice. Like the 12, i’m not tasting complex sherry notes at all.

Quick follow up. This is ex sherry? No sherry notes detected.

When i first tasted this sample months ago, thought it was shit but trying ballechin expressions in the interim has given me an appreciation for highland peat which is present here in moderate measure. It’s pleasant and accentuating the typical boring one dimensional apple note that’s so characteristic of highland ex bourbon single malt like balvenie. This is meh but i’m mildly curious about older and cask strength expressions from this distillery

Second tasting used aberfeldy 12 and 15 as references. While this is better than those terrible drams, still not tasty. I just don’t like this distillery. Amateur shit.

Better than the putrid standard 12yr, but still has those gin notes albeit more faintly but they drown out the very faint fruit notes. Shit.

Absolute worst scotch, worse than auchentoshan. How is this rated 90? Tastes like typical ex bourbon highland mixed with gin. Spirity finish and muted typical scotch notes in the front. Putrid. Are the older expressions just as amateur?

Second tasting i’ve got a new appreciation for this as I’ve come to appreciate highland (campfire) peat after living with a couple of bottles of ballechin Bordeaux matured cask strength for a few months. The peat is indeed overpowering the subtle fruit notes here but the peat isn’t even that strong. The fruit notes are too faint. I’d like to try an older expression or a cask strength expression

Second tasting, exactly the same reaction! This tastes too spicy in the finish and the ex bourbon fruity notes are too faint. The 15 yr has some ex bourbon maturation would like to try that but it’s only 43% abv.

Second tasting. The menthol is still in the finish like the 12 yr and madeira expressions but doesn’t hit you in the face, much more subtle. But the flavor isn’t very rich and it’s fairly one dimensional (faint, undifferentiated dark fruits). Shit dram. Only the madeira is any good really of the three. Don’t know why i thought it has good viscosity on my first tasting. It doesn’t this time