Tastes

Bit sweet and cloying in the aftertaste.

Big smoke but still well balanced. Delicious and is a staple at home

Lovely nose with vanilla and fresh cut apple. Taste is very smooth with a hint of buttered brown bread. Syrupy and rich with a nice full finish. Not smoky at all but warming none the less.

Lots of sherry, treacle, wood char and even a little smoke.

Lovely sweet nose. I thought dessert had come when served a glass of this. The initial taste was surprisingly small by comparison but a drop of water opened up the flavour. I got a lot of vanilla and fruit with a little butter. It's a little rough going down bit leaves a nice sherry aftertaste.

Very like Oban 14 but fruitier with less smokey finish. Decent but not enthralling.

Thin on flavours but a harsh burn going down. Struggled to see the charm in this one. Felt too raw.

Jury is still out. Seems like a jack of all trades but master of none. Lots of orange and licorice but lacks any follow through in the finish. Happy to drink the rest of the bottle but probably won't buy another one.

A real step up from the NAS Taketsuru. A lot of plum wine and maple on the nose with a rich, buttered cinnamon palate and spicy finish with just a hint of smoke.

I had this on my list to try for a while but for some reason tended to choose others instead. I am glad I got around to it as I enjoyed this more than I expected. While it is not as magically put together as Lagavulin, there are very nicely balanced elements of peat smoke, buttered bacon, and soothing heat on the finish. More rustic than refined but hard to stop pouring. One for a Friday night.