Tastes

I received this bottle of Lagavulin 8 from my mother in law at Christmas 2017. Although not a scotch drinker herself, she knows that I enjoy a good peaty dram and picked a real winner here. Thanks Jocelyn, you're the best mother in law I could have ever asked for! Nose: Lightly smoked, and salty (sweet smoked ham?). Palate: Peat and brine up front followed by fruity sweetness and smoke. Feels a bit oily, slight burn but very pleasant in the mouth, just want to keep swirling it on the tongue to experience every flavour nuance. Wow, absolutely the best 8 year old whisky I've had so far! A bit rough around the edges compared to the more refined 16 year old, but sometimes rough can be good and this is definitely good roughness. Finish: Medium length, sweet peaty smokey goodness. If I hadn't just recently tried the Lagavulin Distiller's Edition 2001 and Highland Park 18, I'd probably have given this bottle a 4.5/5. Still it's at the very least a solid 4+, especially considering the price and ABV. Definitely belongs in my top shelf and will become a regular purchase.

Nose: Pear, dark chocolate and hint of peated smoke. Palate: Sweet dried fruit, followed by peat. Unctuous and thick mouth feel. Letting it breathe for a good 20 minutes and adding a few drops of water really helps bring out the flavours while making it more pleasant to keep in the mouth and fully savour. If I didn't know this was from India I would think it was a peated Highland scotch. Finish: Solid medium length. Fruity sweetness and subtle peatiness hangs around for nice little while. I originally rated this at 5 stars but having tried some truly amazing scotches lately has forced me to revise my initial rating. Still, this deserves 4.25 stars because it's amazing what Amrut has accomplished here with a whisky that is only aged 4-5 years! This is delicious, enjoyable, affordable and could serve as a great introduction to peated whisky.

Damn! I used to think this was the worst whisky I've ever had, but it's really grown on me! Either it's mellowed out a bit after the 2 years since being opened or maybe it's my growing appreciation of various types of whisky (bourbon in particular) that has broadened my palate? Probably a bit of both since I was mostly an unpeated Scotch drinker prior to trying this whisky for the first time. Now that I've fallen in love with bourbon and peated Scotch I can finally enjoy Eddu Silver. This is not a beginners whisky. It is intense, complex and very different from any other whisky I've ever had. To think I nearly gave this bottle away after trying it for the first time!

Light sweet fruity nose, no burn. Palate is creamy and pleasantly light, vanilla and slightly ripe banana. Finish is sweet and short. This is a pleasant and accessible everyday dram, not overly complex but certainly enjoyable. Very respectable baseline Speyside. 3.5/5 Price. 58.50 CDN