Tastes

Pour: Neat in a Glencairn glass Color: very light amber. Nose: bit of ethanol (it's a neck pour), toasted oak, toffee/caramel/burnt sugar notes, notably less fruit on nose than OWA 107. After about 3 mins in the glass, notes of spice and coffee. Really neat nose. Palate: Front palate was very subdued, almost absent on the first taste. The toffee/caramel/coffee bloomed in a big way in the mid palate along with a good whack of heat. The heat bites the tongue but doesn't follow on the finish, which makes for a smooth finish. The smoky oak and toffee reside in the finish for a while, notably longer than SR or OWA 107. Overall: 95-6. I think this is one of the best whisky's I've ever tasted. Great fall/winter pour with the warm coffee/toffee palate. It is definitely full proof, but doesn't finish like a full proof, in that it doesn't carry the burn all the way down. In my opinion, it makes it alot more enjoyable. I would put this up against WLW 2019 any day. The WLW has a very similar nose--mostly warm, burnt sugars and toffee. Now, the WLW does have a slightly sweeter front palate, whereas the FP front palate is certainly quieter overall. However, the WLW has the classic 128 proof, full-throated burn. The FP on the other hand finishes more smoothly, with the heat contained largely to the mid-palate. When placed next to WLW, price in mind (of course), FP is a well-suited competitor.