Tastes

Definitely a copper/metallic component. Sugar and butterscotch. Really nice

Oily and leggy; honey-gold color. I've heard positive things about this one, for price at least, so I felt I had to pull the trigger on it. The nose is kind of harsh: the first wave is strong, smoke aromas like diesel fumes, pen ink and iodine. It's not a campfire smoke like one may assume, but rather car exhaust and burnt plastic. If you can stick with it through another wave, a softer underbelly of aromas come through: buttercream, vanilla, barley malts and a hint or brown sugar. It's a little aggressive for my olfactory preference. The first sip is straight up sulfur: gassy, inky, and with a little bit of rotten egg, although not as unpleasant as that smell is. There are some more pleasant flavors of tobacco, cigars, and potting soil. Some of the barley pokes through too, but for me, the more pleasant flavors are overshadowed by the industrial detritus. The finish is long and lasting, but whether or not you want that is something you and your spiritual advisor will have to work out. To me it's charcoal ash, potting soil, bitter dark chocolate and metallic tannins. There is a lot of burnt chocolate chip cookie-bottom that I don't often get out of Scotch. (I used to get it a lot in oily imperial stouts, and I find it works better in that context.) There is some butterscotch and some toffee, but overall it's a harsh, ashy, almost punishing finish. I can't say that Black Bottle lived up to even my modest expectations. It's not a bad or unpleasant whisky, but it's also not pleasant either. It's got a lot of metallic, ashy, inky and industrial smoke stuff going on that sticks to the palate. It might work better as a mixer in a cocktail that requires a smoky Scotch.

Not supremely leggy; leaves some light specks on the inside of the glass. Amber-gold color. The nose is to me is lots of spicy herbs: rye (obvz), black pepper, fennel, star anise, black licorice. It's got such a bitter, sharp nose. There is an almost medicinal quality. There is a finished wood/lacquer richness at the end. The taste is heavy, dusty cinnamon right at the start. Sawdust and wood spice. Some caramel and toffee softens the sharp edges a bit. The finish is where this Rye makes its bones: lots of cinnamon and black pepper spice. Wood spice, sawdust, seeded rye bread. There is an interesting candied orange and potpourri, as well as cigar ash. This is a very solid, nicely-priced rye that works great as an addition to any rye cocktail, and also holds up on its own, if rye is your thing.

About 10 years old. Heavily sherried. Actually very pleasant. A good sight better than the regular Dewar's.

Quick review: corn in the nasal cavity, lacquered wood. The burn is severe down the gullet. Taste of black pepper, barrel char, peanut dust. Hint of cinnamon/rye spice. There are some softer caramel and marzipan elements; circus peanuts? Carraway seed bitterness and black licorice. The finish is straight up peanut and wood char. There is some metallic astringency, but that's after you've scorched the rest of your palate. The burn lingers like eating a slice of piping hot pizza too fast. Every decimal of that 100 proof sticks to the lips; seriously, my lips are numb. I'd love to spend another few drams with this one since I'm sure I'm not doing it justice; this baby could cut through any cocktail you put it in.

Vanilla cake frosting, pear, minty coolness, citric lemon drop. Finish of chocolate. Quite good.

Light honey-yellow color. Lots of teardrops slowly cascade down the insides of the glass. The aroma is like a Jr. Varsity version of an Islay Single Malt. Islay Mist has all the hallmarks of your classic Peater: the smoke of an extinguished match; medicinal peat; car exhaust; camphor oil and baby oil; ink from a pen that exploded on your shirt. There are some second-wave sniffs of toffee and browned butter. The taste at first is liquid smoke, almost like a smoked meat. Right at the first swallow, the smoke wafts right up into the nasal cavity. Lots of peat comes out in the front of the palate; it's earthy, boggy, muddy. Sea salt flakes on an oily and viscous mouthfeel. Malted grains and nutty toffee. The swallow has some spicy fruit cake. The taste is actually more complex than I originally gave it credit for. The finish is campfire ash and tobacco. The peat is very earthy. Coffee grounds and dark chocolate. Almonds and other cracked nuts. At a price point of about $20, this is a terrific entry-level peated Scotch. If you aren't sure about whether you like peat, a small investment will allow you to test the muddy waters and decide whether you want to join the Cult of Peat.

Dark caramel-colored orange/brown. Rather than legs, there is a tall mountain of oily whiskey that runs around the edges of the glass. The nose is barrel spice and finished, lacquered wood: black pepper dances in the nostril. The rye is redolent of black pepper, spicy red pepper flakes, cloves and fennel. A surprising dill pungency. The slightest hint of maple and corn syrup to smooth out the prickly edges. On the palate, there is more pepper spice: red and black both, I'm guessing this comes from the high rye. Fennel and carraway seeds; black licorice bitterness. The wood is all spicy and prickly. There is very little nuttiness. There is a last wave of corn syrup which cools odd the hotter bits. A drop of water really mellows it out, bringing out more of the corn, brown sugar and caramel. The finish is lots of wood char. When you let it sit, it becomes dusty, like charcoal and cocoa powder. Definitely some old cigars and tobacco ash. A little dill seed. There is something akin to spicy ribbon candy, or candied oranges (the ones from the bulk food section) without the extra sugar. I know Lost Monarch is considered a blended American whiskey, bit it tilts heavily toward the rye end of the spectrum. It's 60% rye; 40% bourbon. The flavors are more spicy rye than nutty bourbon.

Light honey yellow color; ripe corn. Beautiful thick legs that stick to the inside of the glass. The nose is absolutely beautiful: pear, ripe green apple skins. Coconut and vanilla; honey, dried plums. Toasted cereal grains and hay. There is a burnt brown sugar that reminds me of browned butter. Creme brulee. Fragrant, flowery linens? Just a hint of paint thinner. They could make a candle out of this. The flavor is vanilla and creme. Coffee grounds and malt grain. Nutty almonds or marzipan? Pear, honey and apple. The back end has a sherry-like tannic quality. The finish is earthy herbs: brown autumn leaves; heather? A little ashy, a little metallic. I have read about candle-wax in whisky, but this may the first time I've ever experienced it. Nutty coffee grounds and mocha. The Glenrothes Bourbon Cask Reserve is a very soft and inviting Scotch, full of flavors and aromas that are perhaps even more suited to an aisle at a Yankee Candle than a Glencairn. It's got vanilla, coconut, pear and apple; then it's balanced by a nutty, earthy counterpoint. I was a little put off by the grenade bottle at first, but I'm thrilled that I pulled the pin.