Tastes

Nose: Fragrant smoke, a tinge of orange and dark honey, some trademark iodine with a whiff of wintergreen. Palate: A woody arrival with a mild nutty flavour like water chestnut. There is a creamy, sweet, oily, chocolatey, tangy development but it faded too quickly for my liking. There is some spicy salt and a revival of the orange/honey sweetness from the nose late in the development, but unfortunately it turned a fraction sour towards the finish. Finish: Medium/long. Oak tannin and spice, tobacco. Woody overall but with a worrying metallic tinge to the aftertaste. This is a good whisky that presents as a bigger brother to both the 10 year old and Quarter Cask expressions, but it is more interesting than either. It has good weight and texture with more heft and presence than the 10 year old, due in no small part to the much higher abv, but it is surprisingly similar in style. It has more class and complexity than the Quarter Cask with better balance and no sign of the resinous note in that expression that I don’t particularly like. This would be my clear choice between these three whiskies were it not for the price, which in my opinion is too high to be justifiable for a NAS whisky that is mainly composed from young casks. I tasted this from a 30ml sampler and although I did enjoy it I don't think I'd ever buy a whole bottle. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Nose: The initial nosing takes you aback slightly, because it comes on strong with intensely sweet PX sherry aromas of raisins, cherries, dried peel and baking spice. Then suddenly the smoke comes forward and you're whisked away to a seashore at sunset ebb-tide on an autumn evening with seaweed, iodine, sandy strands and muddy intertidal reaches with mussels and razor shells popping. Curlews are crying in the distance while chimney smoke arabesques its way into the still air from cottages silhouetted against the sunset. As the light fades and the stars rise hints of steamed beech-wood, cedar, teak and creosote-treated oak reach out from the boats at rest in the mud. The oak pervades the senses and remains as the final impression as night falls. Palate: Echoing the nose, sherry and smoke are the first components in the delightfully semi-sweet arrival that develops into a finely balanced palate with vanilla, fruit cake, cherries, iodine, tar, toffee, liquorice, orange zest, sour peat, caramel, brine, tobacco and leather. Simmering underneath is a potpourri of rich aromatic spices including anise, allspice, cardamom and cinnamon, but it's a subtle foundation that just peeks through to say hello from time to time. What a delightfully busy palate - I feel tired just describing it - and yet it all fits together like a jigsaw. Finish: A medium-long, smoky sherry, earthy and even vegetal finish, dying out to a wisp of chewy oak. It's like the final echoes of a resounding orchestral finale. What an enjoyable, and IMHO highly under-rated, whisky that is rich, full, rounded and well integrated, with great poise. Contained within a sensuously sumptuous body like an Ingres odalisque, flirtatious and dangerously knowledgeable of her power over the beholder, this whisky is sure of itself, perfectly balanced and cohesive. Jim Murray (yes, I know - Mr Murray - get over it) describes this as "A quite beautiful whisky and unquestionably one of the great malts of the year ... in spite of itself." and I get exactly what he means. It sits right on the edge between excellent and a complete disaster. Just a tiny bit more PX presence and this would be a big, flaccid mess reeking of fortified wine and with the distillate completely smothered. Mercifully they managed to avoid that and instead it is a big luscious treat. However that said I understand why some critics have disliked it. You need to have a sweet tooth for this one, or it just won't click. I enjoyed it a great deal and now I need to book a return flight to New Zealand so I can buy a couple of bottles as TRE because that's the only way to get hold of the darn stuff! "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Nose: Cereal mash, ethanol, a little caramel, some leather and orange, oak. A somewhat dry and hard nose. Not unpleasant, but very bready and cereal-forward and certainly not soft. A touch of toasted coconut. Palate: A sharp and spicy arrival with wood in the background. Something floral or aromatic herbal. Quite dry overall. Finish: Medium, tannic, very dry and frankly a bit rough and metallic. This one was not to my taste at all until I added a teaspoon of water. This helped a great deal by taming the ethanol on the nose and the rampant hard spices throughout, and unleashing a wave of sweetness. Not that it suddenly became Jack Daniels-like sweet, it just all seemed to come into balance and focus. I don't think I've ever said this about any other spirit but this is one that I'd prefer to buy bottled at 40% instead of 45%. At 90 proof it feels like I'm being shouted at by the village idiot - dropped to 80 there is a pleasant conversation going on. Not a particularly complex whiskey, but great when diluted either with some still water as a sipper or with soft drink. I certainly prefer its dry profile to the other big Tennessee whiskey's sweetness. It goes very well with cola, not so well with dry ginger, but very well indeed with coconut water (try it - you'll like it). A great standby all-purpose bourbon to keep in stock. "Average" : 79/100 (2.75 stars)

Nose: Pine resin, caramel, toffee, fruits (baked apples or pears), cinnamon, leather, but above all - wood! Many woody notes - oak, sandalwood, cedarwood, pine, maple, charred barrel, even some campfire in the dim distance. Some nuttiness as well (another sort of wood aroma) - peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds. Palate: A sharp but sweet arrival that settles into a fruity and spicy development (the official tasting notes here are spot-on: leather and orange, yes, peppercorn, vanilla, yes, cinnamon, absolutely). There's also orange oil and cloves, walnuts and peanuts. Finish: Fairly long, spicy, fading to a nutty and mildly astringent finale with dark chocolate and black coffee dominating. This is a very cask-driven expression - I'm surprised it's not more frequently commented on. There is something very personally evocative about this whisky for me because it fills my senses with the aromas associated with my grandfather's cabinetry workshop. At 53.5% it's a moderately high abv, and every time I pour a dram I get an initial strong ethanol hit on the nose. Let it rest for 5 minutes in the glass before tasting and it will be more balanced, and quite captivating. It is approachable neat, but I'd also recommend a teaspoon of water if you find it all too intense and spicy. I like this a lot - in many ways more than Booker's. Although that whisky is arguably more complex and ultimately rewarding, this one has an approachable charm and I love the emphatic cask-driven character. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Nose: Vanilla essence, baked apples, orange zest, treacle (almost cola-like), floral notes. Some warm cooking spices - cumin, cardamon, turmeric. Berries, fresh leather - like the smell of a leather coat shop. Deep down there is some oak and an aniseed scent. Palate: A spicy-sweet arrival with toffee, allspice, ginger, sweet chili and lime essence. Aniseed again (hmmm, how much rye is in this?). 90% chocolate with orange oil, a sweet and spicy baked custard served with strongly brewed English breakfast tea. Licorice, treacle tart, and cinnamon. Very complex. Finish: Medium, less length than I'd anticipated, ending with a lightly peppery, spicy-sweet liquorice. Very satisfying at all stages. I got little vanilla from this except on the initial sniff, and the more water you add the more it fades. The official tasting notes bore little resemblance to my experience, however as this is a batch thing that's understandable. It also changes character noticeably as it is diluted, from very spicy down to sweet. Finding the right balance for you is the key here, and it's worth it. I'd strongly encourage anyone tasting this to add water. Tasting it neat will anaesthetise your taste buds and numb your palate for a good 15 minutes. I preferred it cut down to around 46% at which point it's eminently approachable and the sweet part of the character can be explored. The wood influence is very well handled - it's neither spirit nor wood driven, but there is a subtle astringency from the oak tannins that is perfect. I suspect it is one of the factors the warehouse managers look for when selecting the casks for this expression. This is a high-class whiskey, deserving of its reputation, but to tell the truth I almost prefer Baker's Bourbon for its more approachable, unashamed woody character. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Nose: A waft of fennel and wintergreen heralds a candy sweet nose backed by pineapple, strawberry and citrus. There's some toffee hiding in there as well, along with something rather like camphorwood but it's the brisk gristy cereal quality that is most appealing. Palate: Initially, fleetingly, dry - then rapidly turning sweet. The arrival melts into minty anise and cinnamon around the tongue. In the early development there are earthy vanilla notes and then suddenly it all expands into buttery milk chocolate malt, oranges and demerara sugar. Finish: A lovely finish that is both short and long. The major components of the palate fade quickly but strawberry jam, liquorice, caramel, mint and squill candy linger in the mouth, urging you to have another dram. This is marvellous stuff - I'm quite taken by it. There is a clarity of presentation that is fresh and exhilarating. It's robust but also smooth and very refreshing (I can't wait to try it in a Manhattan). The texture is perfect - a rich mouthfeel but neither oily nor sweet - just full and velvety (I guess that's the corn component of the mashbill) - I would never guess for a moment that this is 50% abv. Quite drinkable neat, but just a drop or two of water opens it up wonderfully and is recommended. The only thing that prevents me giving this a higher rating is a lack of complexity - a couple more layers in the nose and palate would make it excellent instead of merely very good. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Nose: Berries (dark cherries, boysenberries and cranberries), almonds or marzipan and hazelnuts. Vanilla and caramel emerge next along with some spices, featuring cinnamon. Yes, some oakiness, but less than I expected. Palate: A tasty arrival, oily-astringent from oak tannins and mildly spicy. No alcohol burn at all - very smooth, in fact. The development brings a definite hint of tobacco and leather armchair. There's a peppery note and a bready quality - like crusty sourdough dipped in raw olive oil and salt. Yes - a dash of salt and even a little lemon oil. Finish: Medium-long, and fading out on a briny sweet note. A spicy and earthy profile - a great nose and a palate that is just quirky enough to be interesting instead of odd. It's compelling and keeps bringing me back for another taste. Interestingly I didn't notice any great emphasis on the oak - the wood tannins seemed to me to be acting rather as a spice, bringing out more of the other aromas and flavours, instead of just contributing their own flavour. Water changes the profile, muting the berry notes on the nose (which is a real loss) while lifting the oak, which throws it all out of balance a bit. It also puts a sour metallic tang in the finish, so I'd suggest this is best neat. This is another bourbon I'd recommend to fellow Scottish single-malt drinkers. If your opinion is that bourbon is always sickly-sweet and overflowing with syrup and vanilla, then have a dram of this. It will change your mind. "Above Average" : 82/100 (3.25 stars)