Tastes

Nose of plum and port wine: tawny and earthy with a jam-like fullness. A small cardboard box of Sun-Maid raisins. Dark stone fruits galore. It really is reminiscent of a port or a very dry red wine in the olfactory region. There is actually lingering scent of a Fisher-Price children's plastic toy set from the mid- to late-'80s. The taste is a salty, briny start, followed by that tawny port business. The jam sweetness is like a rhubarb or a mealy fruit pie. There is a yeast dryness that is like sandpaper in the feel that balanced out the syrupy slickness. No tomato-like flavors, despite the misleading name. The finish is barrel bitterness. Ashy and dry. Some bitter dark chocolate. This is a very rich, luxurious, sweet Scotch. It's the closest thing I've had to a Port in Scotch form, so if you're into that, get you some.

375 milliliters with it's own little tin jigger. Adorable! The nose is sugary sweet caramel, a hint of vanilla, peanut and barrel oak. The later sniffs belie cherry juice, orange peel and bitters. The taste is more of that cherry sweet/tartness: more like the juice in the jar than the cherry on the stem. The taste of orange rind spice, that contains another dry, powdery cabinet spice (cinnamon?). More bitters, as if it's perfect for an Old Fashioned. The finish is barrel tannins, with more of that sour cherry that just permates. Some tobacco ash char that lingers after all the other guests have called it a night. This is a solid whiskey that is competitively priced for it's quality, plus I like that you can make a smaller financial commitment to see if you like it, something more whiskey brands should do to set themselves apart.

The nose is a very distinct lemon meringue right off the top: bright and tangy at first sniff. Vanilla and citrus; lemon zest, honeydew melon. Like inhaling a bowl of fruit salad. It's maybe the least harsh nose I've ever experienced in a Scotch. Pure digestif. The first sip is vanilla creme, and then an immediate lemon bite: it's bitter and tannic, different than the tangy nose. There is a minor burn at the end. A touch of maple, with a slick, syrupy feel. Dark chocolate notes. The finish has some barrel tannins, but they manifest themselves as citrus: melon, lemon, lime, with just the mildest kiss of barrel tannins. It's just a beautiful after-dinner treat, that has a little pucker but mostly a bright, citrusy bite.

Nose is Sherry cask stuff: tannins and cherrywood. The nose is very much barrel-wood forward. The vanilla, buttery shortbread and salt play the back row. The burn is mild. Taste is mild tobacco ash, and metallic like pennies. Finished oak and bitter plum and prune. With a little water the flavors smooth out: the shortbread and salt pop, and toasted coconut stops by. The finish is more sherry barrels; perfume kissed off of your best girl's neck. Suntan lotion and a mild nuttiness. Tobacco leaf sits in the back of the tongue like a recently-puffed cigar. Speyburn 10 is a Scotch that's both mild and complex, challenging and yet highly sippable. It rewards you when you sit with it a spell.

The nose is traditional Scotch aromas like sea salt and caramel but with an extra heat. Second sniff is black pepper and doused campfire/matches. A perfume (maybe rose hips?) carries through, with a very floral sniff at the end. The first sip is burnt campfire logs the morning after. The burn is not insignificant but pairs nicely with the fiery flavor. It's dry and morphs into a charcoal-like darkness; burnt cookie bottoms. Some melted plastics. The peat comes through as medicinal rather than muddy. The finish is barrel char: tannins and some sherry-like flavors. Cigar box and tobacco; dry and burning the front or the tongue like a lit cigar. Motor oil. There is some kind of plum/dark fruit business at the end. This is a very solid and affordable peat-forward Scotch, good at the right price.

Honey-colored orange decent Gecko-foot legs. Redolent of Butterscotch and sea salt in the nose; just a mild hint of barrel char and sherry sweetness, but it's enough to balance out the sweetness. A dry nuttiness and some buttery shortbread. White pepper and toffee. It's a very buttery flavor: Butterscotch, shortbread, with more brine and toffee. It has a slick, buttery feel. The finish pivots over to barrel tannins and sherry richness. I am starting to find the chocolate notes in the finish of these also, which here manifests itself as bitter semi-sweet chocolate chips. This is a very solid value for $30.

Barreled 25 January 2012 (barrel #430), bottled 16 February 2020. Honey colored and buttery look; thin, sticky legs. Nose is barrel char, peanut, molasses, vanilla. Potpourri tickle in the second wave, orange rind and a dash of cinnamon. The taste is heavier on the herbs & spices: coriander, mint leaf, clove, apricot, with a second wave of apple skins. Finish is charcoal, mint, chocolate and a tannic pucker. The barrel char takes on more of a sherry-like component, with a metallic, inky astringency. This is a heck of a bargain for $25.

The nose has a distinct minty/herbal character. Prickly orange rind spice. A mild gasoline/fusel burn. It's as if the bitters have already been added. As it mellows, mild vanilla, maple and caramel; the vanilla pops with a droplet. Thick oily legs trickle down the inside of the glass. The taste is a wonderful barrel char at first: bitter and sharp on the sides of the tongue. More of that orange peel. Salt and pepper spices. The tannins from the barrel a pucker and a sharp bite. The dry barrel char really dominates, with some touches of apple skins, pear and even banana cream pie. Black tea. The finish is charcoal embers, tobacco ash and a mint/menthol coolness. The char burn never truly subsides, just turns the volume down. This is just chock full of roasty, dry flavors.