Tastes

It smells young, with classic bourbon corn dust and honey barely sneaking through the ethanol. It drinks less harsh than it smells and has a decent finish for the low proof, but it’s pretty thin in the middle; the notes that are there of cherry and brown sugar are nice. Decent bourbon, nothing wrong but not worth buying again.

Salt and apple nose with the tiniest hint of smoke. Light peat up front that turns from salt to a sweet Speyside finish with a flourish of pepper that lingers (clearly reminiscent of the Talisker that’s included). Easy drinker with a ton of character. Reminds me a lot of Highland Park 12 but with a little more going on in the finish.

The nose is a little thin, sweet with notes of dark dried fruits and brown sugar. Most of the taste is the dark fruits as well, with some honey and barrel spice and a finish that lingers from sweet to malty. Really good, close to what I imagine a high proof Dalmore 12 to taste like.

The nose is not your typical Irish, I get some salt and citrus, maybe a hint of grass. The taste presents some more traditional notes and reminds me a lot of what I get with Green Spot, specifically some green apple on the finish. Up front on the taste, though, is a little bit of a sour twinge that dissipates when the sweet apple takes over. It’s hard to describe it, but it mirrors closest to that salt on the nose and reminds me a bit of sourdough bread or grains. It’s very interesting, but not likely one I’d buy again.

The dominant notes on the nose are a smokey sweet protein, like a glazed ham, and the iodine or bandaid that is further subdued than what I remember from the normal Laphroaig 10. The high proof isn’t hidden but it also isn’t abrasive. The ashy, campfire smoke is first on the taste, and it bounces around the palate with peppery flourishes until it eventually quiets back down into the savory meaty notes on the nose. Closest thing I’ve had to compare to my favorite in the Ardbeg Uigeadail, but not quite superior. Still, it’s a great whisky.

A unique smell dominates the nose, which I assume is from the Cedar casks. Sweet and floral are the best characteristics I can describe it, but with a twinge of bitter wood note. On the taste that twinge dominates, it presents as very floral with a heavy malt funk finish. Coming back to it the sweetness comes through more but that twinge never goes away. If you’re up for something different and like single malts that are grain and floral forward it’s worth a try.

Dusty corn on the nose with a sweetness behind it that saves it from being completely boring. The taste isn’t super complicated, but it’s solidly sweet and full bodied. The finish really sweetens up at the end even more, nothing really lingers but it wraps up quickly as very sweet honey, the same note as on the taste. It’s good, but not worth the markup.

Vanilla, cinnamon, and leather notes on the nose, maybe a hint of something sweet like honey or cherry. The taste is floral, cherry, and leather, and some spice. A long finish that is mostly oak barrel tannin. Pretty good!

Cinnamon, apples, spice, and a touch of leather on the nose. Taste is super sweet caramel and apples. Not much at all on the finish, just a solid easy to drink bourbon.

Hints of sherry and citrus with maybe a bit of clove spice on the nose. The taste is thin, reminds me of most 40% Speysides, honey and fruit leading the way. The sherry makes the fruity notes just a shade darker which is preferable for me, but I wish the sherry was more prominent. Finish is nonexistent. Solid but not worth returning to.