Tastes

Nose: Tea Leaf, Clove, Vanilla, Raisins, Brine, Peat, Ash, Smoke, Eucalyptus Leaf. Palate: Clove, Raisin, Light Maple Syrup, Ashy Peat Smoke, Brine, Dark Chocolate Finish. Another really fantastic release from Kilchoman. A great balance of dry notes and mild sweetness. Its almost like drinking a slightly sweet earl grey tea. Lovely erbal notes, brine, and ashy smoke completes this whisky, its hard to find and a little pricey but well worth it.

Nose: Chocolate, Baking Spices, Menthol, Over-Ripe Banana, Spiced Raisin, Sweet Tobacco. Palate: Gentle Peat, Brine, Fig, Oily, Manuka Honey, Oak tannins, Umami Finish. A bit of a let down, considering the price and availability. There isn't a whole lot going on with the palate and the classic defining characteristics of Springbank are lost due to the over abundance of sherry. I was personally hoping for some more depth and some of the sweeter notes that appeared on the nose, but the palate didn't deliver. I can see it appealing to people who enjoy a drier whisky, but I think I prefer the 10 year. I'll give the bottle some time to breathe and come back to it later, hopefully it improves.

Nose: Red Fruits, Cinnamon, Cherry, Toffee, Hazelnut, Sweet Bread. Paltae: Toffe, Cinnamon Stick, Fig, Plum, Vanilla, Raisin,Orange Citrus, Oak Tannins. A lovely offering from Dalmore. A little more complex than their standard 12 year due to the extra barrels its been through and added richness from the extra 3% alcohol. The full effect of the Pedro Ximemez can be felt on the long dried fruit finish.

Nose: Lemon Bar, Candy Oranges, Campbeltown - F U N K, Honeydew Melon, Light White Pepper, Mild Toast, Vanilla, Golden Delicious Apple. Palate: Strong Honeydew Melon, Malt, Rich Ripe Apple, Barley Sweetness, Delicate Citrus, Long Umami Finish. An incredibly fruity complex nose on this one but still carries the signature Campbeltown F U N K found in other offerings from the region. Wonderfully complex palate as well, leaning heavy towards a variety of fruits just like the nose. Hints of toast and cooking spices can be found on the nose after the first sip. Another fantastic bottle from the Springbank distillery.

Nose: Cashew, Earth, Apricot, Orange-Citrus, Malt, Mild Vanilla. Palate: Malt, Barley Sugar, Coa-coa, Spice, Citrus, Toffee, Apricot, Mild-Brine. Wonderful dram for the price, and quite a nice offering from the lowlands. Surprisingly oily and complex for a 40% ABV whisky. Im very impressed with the Aerstone. My only gripe is that I wish it was more avaliable, hard to find in my state.

Nose: Oak, Caramel, prunes, spices. Palate: Oak, Spice, Mild dried fruits. Soft on the palate with a mild delivery of sweet dried fruits, oak, and mild pepper. A good whisky for beginners and casual whisky drinkers but an uneventful whisky for those looking for complexity and depth. You might as well be drinking a Bourbon, your average Knob Creek will give you a more interesting palate than what Macallan has to offer, and at a quarter of the price. Unfortunately thanks to the genius marketing heads at Macallan, this whisky has gained a fanbase/cult as loyal and dogged as they come. The continued artificial inflantion of the prestige of the brand and the supposed quality of this whisky can also be attributed to the fans, if what a company does makes them money they'll continue to do it, so until Macallan's fanbase becomes more critical of their whisky, things will not change.

Nose: Brown Sugar, Toffee, Hazelnut, Nutmeg, heavy dried fruits. Palate: Baking Spices, Toffe, Sultana, Mild Caramel, Oak tannins, Umami Finish. A solid bottle from Glenmorangie, fantasticly strong port influence on the palate. Not overly complex but a solid bottle to have around as an everyday or for guests.

Nose: Cherries, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Cola, Oak, Nutmeg. Palate: Oak, Pepper, ethyl alcohol. An incredibly deceptive nose and another disappointing product from Buffalo Trace. Why this bottle of bourbon has 4 stars is beyond me. The fan base of this distillery is a cult at this point. What I hear about this bottle all the time is that "ItS GoOd FoR ThE MOnEY!" Its not good, at all, if there is an abundance of ethyl alcohol flavor in a spirit it is poorly made. Period.

Nose: Fruits, honey, oak, spices, burnt caramel, kiwi. Palate: maple syrup, prunes,fig, hints of oak, dark cherry, salt water toffee after taste, whisps of vanilla on the incredibly long finish. [Rant Below] I have had everything from Buffalo Trace's core range and have been disappointed with all of it. They all semed to fit into the bland spicey oak water category of bourbon. My personal disdain for the distillery grew day by day as I worked in a liqour store and had about 10 people a day ask me if we had some variation of their Bourbon in stock. Each customer coming in with the same dull look in their eye's. They always found a way to tell me how wonderful the bourbon is and how I havent had real bourbon until I've had (insert buffalo trace product here). When compared to the many other options out there Buffalo Trace, Blanton's, and Eagle Rare are really nothing special and mediocre at best. But as a whisk(e)y enthusiast I kept my mind open to the thought of something quality coming out of the distillery to still be out there. I heard from many other customers that have been disillusioned in regards to Buffalo trace's false sense of grandure, that the E.H Taylor line may actually be worth the hype. A few bottles came into the store I work at about 8 months ago, and I bought myself a bottle of the Small Batch B.I.B. I have yet to open it, while I was out with friends I was lucky enough to find this at a local bar for a decent price for a pour, and my god was I surprised! There haven't been any bourbons I've had that have amazed me but this is the one. The Barrel proof from E.H Taylor is now my absolute favorite bourbon! Such incredible nuance and flavor, it really is a step above the rest. I never thought that such interesting flavors could come from a bourbon, but here I am, part of the crowd attempting to hunt down a bottle from the Buffalo Trace distillery.

[Re-review] Nose: Vanilla, Cinnamon, Sultana, Toasted Bread, Sweet Bakery Bread. Palate: Nuts, Malt, Dried Fruit, Spice, Barely Sugar, Light Peat smoke. Malty, nutty, barley sugar, dried fruits(mainly apricot), earthy spices, and a gentle bit of peat smoke on the end. Great bottle of scotch that I believe to be a staple of the Highlands category.