Tastes

Appearance: 18 carat gold. Aroma: A waft of fine resinous smoke, like pine-scented chimney smoke just barely detected on the breeze. A hint of oily peat reek (camphor and iodine) and a sense of the presence of genuine, quality malt whisky. Fine heather honey, delicate spice notes. Herbal liqueurs (Benedictine and Green Chartreuse). Herbal tinctures (oregano, rosemary, thyme). As it sits, the smoky whisky note intensifies - don't hurry this excellent nose. Flavour and Texture: Sweet and silken arrival with spiced honey in the lead. Orange marmalade is noticed next, together with herbal extracts, some of which are slightly bitter. Flashes of anise or liquorice and cloves. A very gentle hint of smoke, so subtle you almost miss it. The texture is rich and full but not syrupy - it maintains a certain crispness thanks to the touch of bitterness and restrained sugar presence. It is certainly sweet but you get the impression that the sweetening here was entirely from honey, with no simple syrup added. It finishes long, sweet and herbal and has a warming and comforting character with just a hint of sweet mint in the aftertaste. For this round of whisky liqueur tastings I decided to save what I knew would be the best for last. This has been my favourite whisky liqueur since I first tasted it. Dunkeld Atholl Brose is Gordon & MacPhail's take on a traditional Scottish drink, but they have considerably refined and polished what is usually a hearty home-made concoction into something very special. If regular Atholl Brose is a humble slice of vanilla sponge cake, this liqueur is croquembouche. Unlike most whisky liqueurs that use unidentified young grain and malt whisky as a base, the foundation here is Benromach single malt and you cannot fail to appreciate how much it contributes to the liqueur. They would be using young Benromach, of course, but it is of higher quality than the spirit in any other whisky liqueur. They could justifiably change the name of this to "Benromach Liqueur". Like all liqueurs, this is sweet - that comes with the territory. However if you don't normally like this kind of thing but are interested enough to try a whisky liqueur just once, this is the one to go for without a shadow of a doubt. It is to Drambuie what Ardbeg 10 is to Johnnie Walker Red. Highest recommendation. "Excellent" : 89/100 (4.75 stars)

Appearance: Pale translucent amber-gold. Aroma: Orange petals and peel, wildflowers, honeycomb, fresh aromatic herbs and flowers (lavender, lemon thyme, jasmine, honeysuckle, clove). Flavour and Texture: Citrus (lemon and orange) with honey, red cherries, vanilla pods, a hint of peppermint and a little liquorice. It expands into spicy notes (clove, saffron, sweet cinnamon, mild chilli), root extracts and more honey with a warming and comforting texture. The mouth-feel is heavy and syrupy but not cloying and it rolls off from the sweet notes into a demi-sec and slightly bitter finish, with notes of chincona, gentian and wormwood. There's an elusive note of lavender and violets as well. A very complete and balanced amaro. When tasted at room temperature (as I did for this review) it is quite sweet and mildly hot with a familial resemblance to Montenegro, but lighter, a tad sweeter and once you get to understand it, more floral in character. However on the Caffo website they recommend chilling this to -20 degrees Celsius and taking it in a glass that has been well chilled in the freezer. It certainly works great this way, as chilling mutes the sweetness and intensifies the herbal and orange notes significantly. It also works very well as a mixer and you could substitute this for Montenegro in any cocktail in which that liqueur has become your "secret weapon" and it would up the ante and leave them guessing all over again. It's a great amaro and like other reviewers here I'm amazed that this does not have a higher profile. Note: Originally I rated this 90/100 but after finishing the bottle (which took a few months), and having by then tried many other amari, I decided to downgrade the rating to 88/100. It's still excellent stuff and highly recommended. "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Appearance: Pale straw with gold highlights. Not unlike sauternes in appearance. Aroma: Dilute honey, citrus zest, a little licorice or anise, a wisp of ginger and clove. [The anise note is much stronger on the dry glass]. Flavour and Texture: A sweet, mild, nectar arrival with fruity spices (orange, anise, cinnamon, clove). Very light and delicate in texture - silken rather than syrupy. The finish is not long, but it stays gently sweet and spicy right through to the aftertaste without being cloying. The sweetness is more like honeycomb or honeysuckle nectar than honey itself, and certainly nothing like simple sugar syrup or caramel. Lovely. Delightful. Charming. Most whisky liqueurs that I've tasted mimic Drambuie to a greater or less degree, with the emphasis being a bold, intense honey and spice presence. This liqueur, in contrast, is particularly light and fresh. It's aromas are gentle and subdued, but not weak, and the palate is also light and elegant. In some respects it looks, smells and tastes like a dessert wine. The texture in particular is much more like fortified or naturally heavy-bodied wine than most spirit liqueurs. You could comfortably serve this to your wine-loving guests after dinner in place of a dessert sauternes or noble riesling. There is also something almost gin-like about the botanicals at use here. I don't think there is any juniper, but in all other respects there is a resemblance. It's a character that works very well with honey and whisky and this is an altogether delightful liqueur that puts to shame almost all the Scottish and Irish whisky liqueurs. It's probably impossible to find outside Australia, and it's hard to find even here. Highly recommended, at AUS$60 for a 350ml bottle it is expensive, but it's well worth the money. "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars)

Appearance: Transparent pale amber. No particulate matter. Aroma: Cod liver oil, naphthalene, sea spray, sweaty socks, eucalyptus oil, treacle, struck matches, honey. Flavour and Texture: Honey, syrup, a blend of very slightly bitter and vegetal herbal tisane, and very, very young whisky. The texture is thick and syrupy and it finishes with a hint of herbal bitterness that offsets the sugary-sweet notes. The nose here is most unusual and unlike any other whisky liqueur I've tasted, with one exception. Although it does not have the sweet blackberry component, the foundation spirit here is very like the fresh-off-the-still new make spirit used in Kilchoman Bramble Liqueur. Old Pulteney say that this contains "older and younger whisky". Hmm, I bet it leans heavily towards the younger end of the spectrum. The problem with most whisky liqueurs is that you can barely taste the whisky at all because the usual honey and spice notes are so thickly plastered on. This, in contrast, has a definite emphasis on the whisky (well, lets say "spirit"). It's interesting, and to palates that don't normally like sweet liqueurs it might be very pleasant. However for me it's too quirky to be really enjoyable and so in the end it's more a curiosity than a desirable and satisfying liqueur. I would not recommend it. "Adequate" : 74/100 (2.25 stars)

Appearance: Translucent brown with a hint of red, but very dark. You need to hold it to a bright light in order to see through. Aroma: Orange peel, bouquet garni, green vegetables, lavender - however the orange aroma is dominant. There is a trace of resin, eucalyptus oil and celery. Flavour and Texture: Sweet orange, juicy but slightly bitter. There are no "medicinal" flavours in this amaro. As it stays on the palate more bitter notes emerge, clearly originating from a complex array of herbal components, notably parsley, clary sage, angelica, gentian and wormwood. There is a comfortable warmth and although bitterness does become a little more obvious over time it never challenges the sweet character. The texture is thick and syrupy. Lucano is another of the classic amari that originated back in the late 19th century. Like Averna it has a profile focused on bitter citrus, almost certainly peel from the fruit of the myrtle-leaved orange tree, but it is balanced by a big herbal presence. There is an aroma and taste here that is very reminiscent of celery, or celeriac, but it's actually clary sage. The herb provides the same foundation in this amaro that celery does in a cooking stock, and it's particularly important here because unlike many amari Lucano uses comparatively few root-extract ingredients. The profile is a little like Meletti, if you know that amaro, although a touch less floral and more herbal. The recipe is herbal and gentle in character, with the bitter notes contributed by leaf and flower extracts. (There is an hilarious typo on the Distiller official summary description for this that lists "woodworm" as an ingredient. LOL. They mean wormwood, of course). If you can't quite get the aroma of clary sage when tasting, drain the glass and let it air, then smell it and think of celery. You'll sense it instantly and after that you'll always smell and taste it. A pleasant aperitif and a good ingredient for cocktails and mixed drinks. The next time you make traditional sangria, try adding a half-cup of this to the pitcher. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Appearance: Translucent dark amber, with orange edges when held to a bright light. Aroma: Citrus peel, soft herbal and root/bark aromas (sweet liquorice, cinnamon, cassia.). There's a cola note (which is most likely actually chinotto orange) and something dark, mellow and vegetal. Flavour and Texture: Sweet arrival, deep blood-orange and sweet grapefruit zest, sarsparilla, liquorice. Light bitter notes are noticed mid-palate but this is one of the friendliest amari. There is a hint of mocha, or perhaps it's more like sweetened espresso with a dot of liqueur. I love Cynar - full disclosure. It's one of my favourite classic amari (although it's actually a lot younger than some) and it's the one I take most often as a digestif. Now, this artichoke business - let's get that out of the way. Yes, this does contain essence of artichoke. No, it does not particularly taste like it. Whether you love or hate artichoke (how could anyone possibly hate it?) makes no difference. What it provides here is depth, body and an almost invisible vegetal heft without an overt taste. There is a soft, very subtle vegetal quality similar to asparagus or Brussels sprouts, but not quite the same. That probably sounds disgusting to some, but trust me here - it's delicious. The bitterness comes from wormwood, almost certainly, and there may be some gentian and cinchona bark as well, but it is restrained and well balanced, providing a welcome counterpoint to the sweet foundation. Wonderful stuff, and a bargain at the price. Try it neat, over ice or as a substitute for bitters or campari etc in any mixed drink. Hint: It loves both bourbon and gin "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Appearance: Slightly cloudy dark brown. Against a strong white light it looks like very weak black coffee. Aroma: Very mild coffee, more like coffee or chicory essence than espresso or a handful of fresh grounds. Caramel and vanilla. Flavour: Very sweet and syrupy on the entry. You could easily mistake this for some sort of coffee syrup intended as a cooking ingredient. Vanilla, caramel toffee but there is no development or complexity. However just when you think that's all there is you get a strong impression of salted caramel candy, which lingers. So sweet. I can actually feel my blood sugar rising as I taste this. Kahlua has never been one of my favourite liqueurs as it is very mild, one-note and always too sweet. While this is no exception, I have to admit it has its place, which is poured over fresh home-made vanilla ice-cream or hazelnut gelato. You *can* drink this neat, but it's like chugging neat Grenadine so no, don't do that. Instead use it as an ingredient in whatever seems like a fun and creative way. For the money, a small 350ml bottle of this is a no-brainer experiment. "Adequate" : 72/100 (2 stars)