Tastes

I've yet to try Chita (Suntory's grain whisky) on its own, but this whisky has gotten me curious. The plum wine notes are immediately noticeable and are accompanied by the sweetness of the corn in Chita's mashbill as well as some banana, apricot, and pineapple notes from the single malts. Stephanie is definitely right to point out a doughy note (I get sugared donuts), and if you're attentive, you'll find the slightest touch of smoke. These notes carry through into the palate, which has a fairly waxy texture. This is one of the better blends out there, though prices are quickly exceeding what it's worth given Suntory's low, low stocks of aged whiskies (thus the Harmony). I decked it a star for this. Otherwise, solid stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XepXmESQ4k Unapologetically smokey, with notes of earl grey, lemon-soaked oak, cinnamon, sherry, and grass (seaweed?) hiding behind the dense billow. It goes from sweet to dry, then a barely noticeable astringency develops into the finish, which is followed by more peat smoke leaving you to wonder how you managed to taste anything else. The archetypal fall dram.

Amanda's tasting notes are on point. This single malt brings a hefty bombardment of diverse and pleasant aromas: oloroso sherry, fresh tobacco, Mexican chocolate, honey, mint, spiced plums, vanilla powder, and toffee. The finish may be dry, but the nose and palate are impressively sweet for a 25'er matured (partly) in European oak. A wonderfully complex dram; HP aced this one.

I don't believe I've ever seen 'crushed bugs' as a tasting note before. Well played, Stephanie.

Good for readying the palate for real whisky. About as anodyne as a Tomintoul.

The first sniff is utterly dominated by young spirit—oranges, oranges, oranges. It's mature enough to avoid the stench of copper, but only just. Spend a bit more time with it, and the Burgandy begins to assert itself. The nose becomes increasingly complex as time goes on: candied, juicy apples, candy corn, and just a hint of mint. Plenty of fall-festival influences. On the palate, the candy corn comes across as taffy. Orange juice and rind lie atop subtle darker fruit notes I can't quite distinguish. An NAS worth checking out.

Reminiscent of a par Speysider. Light and malty, with notes of citrus, toffee and manuka honey on the nose. A toffeed sweetness appears first on the palate, followed by a dash of salt. Wood spice is much more evident on the palate than the nose, and the oak takes over into the finish.