Tastes

Not your typical Oirish piece of business, lad. Nose is tobacco smoke, dusty charcoal, with a more mossy, muddy peat. The smoke itself is minimal, save a touch of tobacco leaf. A lemon meringue or custard hits the back of the nose in a big way. A little bit of metallic / penny / 9v battery. The taste is more mossy; the peat is not your classic smoked stuff, but it definitely is in the mix. More lemon, but in the taste it is lemon Pledge. Just a touch of sawdust. The finish is cut tobacco, charcoal, a tinge of plastic. There is a finished wood aspect that dovetails nicely with the lemon Pledge. Some more metallic battery-lickin goodness.

I am a big fan of this Bourbon, and I feel like it might be the one that gets me full time on the Bourbon train. The nose is devoid of much corn, but instead has a cinnamon spice in the aroma. The taste is more cinnamon, potpourri, and a good amount of charcoal. A little bit of heat burns through. The corn emerges here along with cracked wood. That finish stays on the Cinnamon brand. The burn is pleasant and non-threatening. Sits in the tongue comfortably. Old tobacco pulls up the rear, again like a, comfortable pair of slippers. Some rich woods come out too.

The nose is dried flowers, potpourri, isopropyl alcohol, sherry and oak casks; Cherrywood. The aroma is a lot of finished wood and heavy alcohol fumes. Tastes of heavy rock salt, with a dash of white pepper. The burn on the palate is no joke. Bittersweet sherry and Bing cherry. It's got a grainy component that reminds me of a thick Barleywine in beer parlance. The finish is is tiramisu, custard, vanilla creme, dried fruit peel, on a surprisingly delicate and creamy body. This one slaps you across the face and then politely apologizes.

The nose is mild motor oil; earthy, boggy moss. Some plastic and fusel burn. Just a hint of band-aid. The peat breaks through in the initial taste, where it joins a white pepper and shaker salt combo; you can almost taste the individual salt granules. There is a prickly spiciness to it that is reminiscent of star anise. The fresh cut tobacco comes in at the end, merging with the smoky peat and that salt/pepper combo that just keeps coming. I adore this Scotch.

Sugary end of the spectrum. The burn is mild but present. Finished cherrywood and sherry; pungent raisin/dates.

More sugary than the 12: caramel and molasses. A little salty as well. Puts me in the mind of a Dalmore but I don't know if that's just because of the antlers thing. The burn is also a bit more pronounced than I remember, but I know more now. The peat and smoke are minimal, but that burn fills in the gaps. A mild ash but it still pales in comparison to the sweetness. Mild vanilla creme and honey in the finish. Pungent raisins and dates at the very end. This is not one of the harsher or peatier Scotches, it might be a good starting point for someone who is more attuned to more rounded, sugary, malty flavors, but with some heat nonetheless.

The burn surprised me, though it shouldn't at 46.3%. In the nose it is a real waker-upper. It's got a great set of legs coming down the side of the glass. Strong molasses and finished wood. It does benefit from a drop of water in the burn, but that gives it a waxy, spicy component. Some sea salt on the lips, caramel and sherry. Finishes with a little bit of lacquer/nail polish. Not sure if it's the char on that virgin oak but it definitely has a sweeter Bourbon character, but still in the overall Scotch genre. I must be on a cinnamon kick too, because again I'm catching quite a bit of it at the late stage. The body is chewy and thick, a little sticky. The burn cannot be overstated: I inhaled by accident and when I coughed I swear a little fire came out. It's pleasant, but a slow sipper, preferably out of a wide-mouthed glass and with a droplet. And I got it for $30 which I think is a steal.

So easy to drink you almost can't believe it's booze. Tastes of molasses, cinnamon, prickly spices. A sweet finish with just a touch of moss and pipe tobacco. Massive maple presence in the nose. This is a terrific first Scotch to get into because it gives you an idea of what a pleasant blended Scotch can be without destroying your palate or turning you off.

Charcoal, black pepper, dry and with very little heat. Just pleasant and easily drinkable.

I'm thinking this may be my current favorite. Sea salt, black pepper, the perfect amount of smoky peat. Then in the second wave you get apple skins, mild vanilla, black licorice/anise, and just a second wave of that peppery goodness. It is a tad boggy the more water you add to it. The finish is spectacular; it's like getting a second dram for free. It's got a dryness to it, with tobacco leaf and not much sweetness that I can pick up. It has a kind of peppercorn dustyness that I'm just crazy about. The smoke is mild enough for non-fans, but prevalant enough for smoke-heads. (Is that a thing?) A touch of earthy herbs round things out; hint of potting soil. I'm just absolutely smitten with Bowmore 12. Let this one linger longer.