Tastes

Nose: Apple, sherry, spices, orange peel and some lovely fragrant dusty wood aromas. There are trace notes of licorice and mint in the background. The nose is quite pungent and there is a distinct prickle from the alcohol, even though it's below 50% abv. Over time the nose settles and broadens and a very nice buttery quality develops. This is a delight to nose. Palate: Very big arrival - sweet, dense, dark fruits - a sugary background but it's not simple sweetness, the sugars are brown sugar and coffee crystals with a malty and almost molasses quality. Rich, warm and encompassing. Glace fruits, caramel, malt and baked bananas with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar come out in the development. The texture is mouth-coating and comforting, like a soft blanket. Finish: Medium/long. Spicy baked fruits. With water the aftertaste becomes more malty and gains just the right level of sweetness. I tasted the Method & Madness Single Malt a few months ago and enjoyed it very much. This pot still expression is every bit as good - maybe even better. It's oily, rich and nutty with layered complexity and it has an aura of completeness about it that makes it very satisfying. I could drink this regularly. Adding just a drop of water does it no harm, but don't add too much. The nose loses the prickle and melds together more but most interesting is a smoky note that appears out of nowhere on the palate. I'm not sure if I prefer this whiskey neat or slightly watered (just half a teaspoon is enough) - both ways are enjoyable. Sadly it's out of stock in Australia at the moment and we probably won't see another allocation. When it was available it was AUS$125 (about US$70) which in this case I would call a genuine bargain - I wish I'd bought a bottle when it was around. If you see this, grab it - highly recommended. Tasted from a 30ml sampler - my thanks to @Soba45 for the tasting dram. "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars)

Nose: Apples! Red apples! Many, many red apples! Juicy pears, fresh, crushed, cider, perry, cider vinegar. One of the most orchard-like of whiskey noses. Some vanilla and a little honey in the background. With time even more fruity notes appear, but nothing citrus. Adding a dash of water mutes the fruit and allows floral notes to bloom and take over the nose. Palate: Sweet and silky at first then a little spiciness shows up along with some polite cinnamon. Cereal flavours emerge in the development but it remains a resolutely light and fruity dram. It gains more sweetness as it opens but the texture is thin and watery and some bitter weak tea-like tannins show up towards the finish. Adding water softens the palate and subdues the bitter tinge. Finish: Medium/short. The cereal notes outlast the fruitiness and the aftertaste is slightly dry and veering towards bitter. There is something reminiscent of a light white wine about the palate. Adding water shortens the finish. An OK Irish single malt that is not going to launch 1000 ships, but may just float a coracle. Pretty much the exemplar for a summary rating of "Average". It's a little narrow and constrained and does not really taste like 10 years old - at least not in comparison to almost any Scottish 10 year old single malt. As a mixer it's friendly but a little too modest - it adds a soft fruity note but not much more. At the price it's not what I'd call great value unless you prize easy-drinking above all else. "Average" : 77/100 (2.5 stars)

Nose: Acetone, corn syrup, maple syrup, cinnamon, powdered ginger, rye spice. A little raw ethanol peeks through. Palate: Spicy-sweet arrival but it's somewhat hot and edgy. Cinnamon and ginger again, light caramel, corn syrup and nutmeg on the development with a dash of licorice. The texture is rather thin and watery. Finish: Short. Popcorn and dusty tobacco - dry and faintly tannic on the aftertaste. I get the distinct impression that Buffalo Trace is much beloved by many folks as a dependable and consistent daily dram. Personally I was not so much impressed, finding it pretty average right through and inferior to some other bottom/mid shelf bourbons in the same price range (or cheaper). However please bear in mind that in Australia this whisky is released at only 40% abv. It is common for low and mid shelf bourbon that would normally be 43-46% to be sold here at only 40%. While in some cases this may make only a small difference, in this instance I think there could be a greater loss of character. This is because the overwhelming and instant impression I had when I first tasted this 40% version of Buffalo Trace was of a pour of whiskey that had been ruined by having too much water added. It has that thin and hollow character that an over-watered dram always gets. Adding any more water makes it pathetically weak and it virtually disappears in a bourbon & coke. I can only rate this Australian release as average at best and I would be very unlikely to buy another bottle, particularly considering the relatively expensive price (equivalent to about US$40). On the other hand I might rate the proper 45% abv bottling more highly. "Average" : 75/100 (2.5 stars)

Nose: A pleasantly soft bonfire-style peat-smoke with some sweet citrus and stone fruit notes hiding in the background. Not a lot more but what is there is well done. Palate: A mild peaty and sweet citrus arrival, very much following on from the nose. A little sweet hay, vanilla and light cereal tones appear as it develops. Some green apple flavour peeks through towards the finish and adding water considerably develops the sweet malty and fruit notes. The texture is agreeable. Finish: Medium, but very abrupt. The sweet citrus and orchard fruit notes fade first and the smoke lasts a little longer - then stops dead in its tracks as though a light switch was flipped off. This is a brief note as I tried this at a local liquor store today and didn't have a lot of time to dwell on the tasting (but at least they served it in a glencairn). Very young and simple in profile, but pleasant nonetheless. It has precision and is clean but lacks complexity. It has less character than some of the equivalently priced peaty blended malts from independent bottlers (like Six Isles or Big Peat) and it is also bested by almost all other peated single malts in this price range. However it's well made for sure and the only real fault I found was in the finish which was perplexingly curtailed. One moment it's there, then suddenly it's gone. One notably good thing is that there is no intrusive ethanol presence - I would have sworn that this was 40%. I'm glad to have tasted it but even on special ($85 down from $99) I wouldn't buy it - maybe if it was half price ... "Average" : 78/100 (2.75 stars)

Nose: Fresh briny gusts blowing in from the sound. Salt spray, iodine, sea-wrack and a muted but invigorating peat-reek. The distant smoke from an ancient steamer beating its way against the tide. There's citrus and vanilla notes and a hay-like dustiness to the smoke. They say there were sherry casks in this mix but it noses like a very pure bourbon maturation. Those sherry casks were new American oak, for sure. Adding water does not improve the nose - it evolves plastic aromas and loses delicacy. Much better neat. [The dry-glass aroma is strong vanilla. Yep, American oak]. Palate: Brisk and fresh arrival practically crackling with fresh barley. Maritime and salty and in the initial development there is a sudden rush of grapefruit and lemon pepper. The smoke pervades the palate but is outpaced by the citrus notes and it lacks texture a little, being thin, brittle, ashen and light. An almost brackish note like olive brine emerges later. Adding water sweetens but cheapens the profile, and over time it becomes very sweet. Finish: Long. Maritime and sooty with a prolonged sour/sweet aftertaste veering pleasantly towards salted milk chocolate in the finale. The nose is comparatively gentle for an Ardbeg and has a crisp lightness of touch however the palate is a little lacking, but admittedly delicate and elegant. I like the official tasting note that there is no middle to the whisky, just a beginning and end. Truth. There is no evidence of alcohol at any stage - the nose and palate are completely devoid of intrusive ethanol, even at almost 48%. It's probably the most discreet and genteel Ardbeg I've tasted. More than anything, this makes me imagine what peated sea-water would taste like, if you could make such a thing. It is simple, direct, and most likely very young with little cask influence showing. Water doesn't exactly hurt it but it does make the profile more "ordinary". Neither does it open much over time in the glass. Pour this and quaff it neat. I enjoyed this whisky, but it's one of those drams that you score well but think "Would I buy a bottle of this? Probably not." Still, it's a good dram and for me only just a fraction short of 4 stars. Tasted from a 30ml sampler. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Nose: Pungent and assertive, hefty peat, fruity and well-rounded notes of red berries, cloves, aniseed and orange zest. The peat-smoke never loses the upper hand but it remains well-balanced. As it develops in the glass the smoke intensifies at first but then as you become used to it, it seems to fade and the winey-berry-spice facet dominates. Adding just enough water to drop the abv to about 45% does no harm at all. It removes the "prickle" of highish ethanol and allows the fruity elements to come forward. Excellent both neat and watered. [The dry glass is all earthy peat-smoke]. Palate: Big intense arrival - sweet, peaty and fruity with expansive berry notes again. It's a commanding entry but again I found it quite well-balanced and enjoyable at neat strength. There's a richness to the palate that is almost meaty (reminiscent of bacon - a hint of saltiness) and the texture is full and rounded. Some tannins creep in during the mid-palate but they are polite and well-behaved, contributing a chocolate character. There is a little gingery spice but it's not a hot palate at all, just intense. Adding a little water blooms the sweet and fruity aspects considerably and modulates the peat smoke without spoiling it. Dilution is well recommended. Finish: Long. The sweet tannic undercurrent slowly fades and ashen Speyside-style peat reek echoes into the distance. The aftertaste is of cold lapsang souchong tea. Water again slightly sweetens the aftertaste but it remains enfolding and long with the tea character moving more towards creosote. Intensely peaty, unusually so for BenRiach - this profile is moving slightly more in the direction of Islay peat-reek than Speyside smokiness. Indeed, it occasionally brought both Caol Ila and Kilchoman to mind, but it's not at all medicinal. The official rating here is pretty much on target but I don't agree with the official comments. I also noticed after I'd written this that David Broom on Whiskey Advocate didn't think much of it. Fine, I've never thought much of his reviews. Many thanks to @Soba45 for the tasting sample. The price I've quoted is for when it was last available, as an indication. What a pity it's no longer around - I'd buy a bottle without hesitation. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Nose: Sweet corn, candy-floss, vanilla, pencil-shavings, orange zest, a low-key but pleasant oak note and there's an agreeable creamy, nutty, leathery quality. I don't detect the faintest whiff of anything smoky on this nose - maybe a sootiness like barrel char but it's vanishingly faint. Palate: Sweet and gently spicy-hot arrival. The development brings out vanilla, corn syrup and very mild cinnamon spice and light orange oil. The texture is juicy and silken (much more so than Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon) and there is a demerara sugar presence in the background. Finish: Medium. Sweetly creamy with a touch of baked apple, sour cherry and spice as it tails out into a well balanced aftertaste. Although the nose may seem initially light and a little shy it has a density of character that will fool you. I tasted this together with a dram of the standard Wild Turkey bourbon, and in comparison the standard seemed spirity and sharp whereas Longbranch was rich and enfolding. It is creamier and definitely sweeter than the regular bottling. This is almost certainly due to the oak and mesquite "refinement" because as far as I know this is just regular Wild Turkey bourbon-mashbill distillate given something akin to Lincoln-county filtration - and filtration is what it is, it's not flavour enhancement. The mesquite contribution lends no smoke to the profile that I could detect (however please note that in Australia this whiskey is sold at 80 proof instead of 86, so it's possible that 3% extra alcohol may carry a little more smoky character). There is certainly a subtle sooty, charcoal-like presence, but it's nowhere near the sort of smokiness you get in an Islay single malt. A pleasant sipping whisky, good neat or on the rocks, but as a mixer or with Coke I found it to be a bit too sweet and lacking in presence, so ironically I preferred their rougher Kentucky Straight Bourbon for that purpose. "Average" : 79/100 (2.75 stars)