Tastes

There’s a distinct Arran DNA that runs from the nose through the finish. I can’t really relate it to a specific tasting note but I recognized it right away. The apple notes are interesting. It’s like a culmination of every type of apple. Good spice! Just the way I like it. This is only my second dram from this bottle. I’m interested to see how it progresses. Nose: Honey, apple (both green & red), peach, pear, orange, lemon, butterscotch. Palate: Vanilla, caramel, pear, apple, nutmeg, cinnamon, oak Finish: Oak, cinnamon, licorice, apple (yellow)

This is a unique bottle I picked up from Westmoreland Liquor. It’s an 8 year single cask release matured in ex Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels and finished for 1 year in a Ruby Port cask. Cask Number 245/2012 Nose: There’s lots of red fruit like strawberry jam and raspberry. Maybe an orange citrus and raisin. There’s also bacon, smoked meat, rubber. Palate: Strawberry, cherry, orange spice, caramel, bbq, iodine, smoke, pepper. Finish: I get more citrus like lime and orange spice. Of course strawberry and raisin. Also iodine, pepper, tobacco, smoke. I really like this! It doesn’t seem as peaty as traditional Kilchoman but it’s still 50ppm. Good strong flavors and very enjoyable!

Very classic highland notes. Soft and easy drinking. Honey, apple, pear on the nose. Apples, honey, pear, cereal notes on the palate. Taste like honey nut cherrios. Honey and slight spice (like nutmeg) on the finish.

Nose: I could sit here and pick out different notes all day! There is so much here. Such a wonderful nose! Dates, raisins, prunes, dark cherries, orange, grape jelly, haribo cola gummies (yes!), dr. Pepper, sticky toffee pudding, almonds, cranberries, some floral notes, black licorice Palate: cherry, raisins, dates, figs, cola gummies, orange, ginger, oak, leather, licorice, dark chocolate Finish: dark chocolate, figs, dr. Pepper, orange, cranberry, ginger, nutmeg, raisins, balsamic, leather I’ve never had a whisky quite like this! All the flavors blend so well. It has a nice creamy texture. Nothing off-putting. It seems to be a great Christmas dram. Plus, I get a little nostalgic with the nose/flavor of haribo cola gummies.

Nose: smoke, lemon, pear, orange, cream Palate: Salted caramel, honey, orange, chocolate, pepper, smoke Finish: Wax, lemon rind, grilled kiwi (or honeydew maybe), spicy honey This is a stunner! I had a hard time detecting the peat at first. All the flavors balance so well! The peat seems to be more BBQ to me, like charcoal. This translates to grilled fruit notes. There’s some salinity on the palate blends with the sweet notes. The first thing I taste is salted caramel. Very pleasant honey flavor carries throughout.

Nose: Honey, heather, slightly peppery, apricot, pear, sherry notes, vanilla Palate: Strong berry fruitiness up front (raspberry & strawberry), pear, apple, vanilla, honey, custard, melon and grassy malt notes on the end Finish: Caramel, oak, pepper This one is excellent! I will enjoy working my way through this one.

Nose: Rich brown sugar, orange peel, caramel, cherry Palate: Vanilla, custard, pretzel, oak, citrus Finish: Orange, spice, oak tannins This one genuinely surprised me! I don’t know why. I’ve always heard people talk about Four Roses but I guess I didn’t think this could stand up to the heavy hitters in bourbon. I was wrong! This is in the running for my favorite bourbon!

Nose: Lighty smokey, strawberry jam, honey, and a little bit of oak. Palate: Honey, strawberry, dark fruits on the front end. Blends with campfire ashy smoke. Some earthy notes. Finish: Campfire smoke transitions into cacao, tobacco, maritime notes. This is a scotch to keep an eye out for! I tad pricey for what it is but I’m glad I picked this one up.

This is non chill-filtered and natural color. The appearance is like a riesling wine. It’s very light in color. Nose: Light campfire smoke similar to the Lagavulin. Although, I remember more peatiness on the nose for the Lagavulin 16. Peach/pear, citrus, pineapple. Palate: Tropical fruits, white chocolate, smoke. Some mild vegetal notes and melon. Finish: I think there’s more to be desired in the finish. I find it a bit light. This leaves you with notes of sea water, black pepper, and the syrup from a jar of peaches. Also, some pleasant tobacco notes. Good representation from Kilchoman. This is my first whisky from this distillery and I’m very interested to try more of their expressions! Edit: Upon further tastings, I’m getting banana cream pie on the palate. I discovered this after a dram of Ardbeg Corryvreckan. This whisky tasted like liquid banana cream pie!

The nose is incredible! I get red berries, vanilla, cinnamon stick, brown sugar, and marshmallow. Cherry, red berries, graham crackers (or maybe more like golden grahams), caramel, oak on the palate. The finish is pretty mild. It goes down smooth. I feel like I just ate raspberries and s’mores.