Tastes

The peat gives this scotch a strong 70% dark chocolate flavor that has creaminess, hints of fruit and butterscotch. The rich creaminess pairs well with the scotch's smoothness. Excellent. The nose has bacon and tobacco, but the flavor mixes in some fruit in an appealing manner. With the bitterness of the strong tobacco presence, Lagavulin 16 avoids Talisker Distiler's Edition's folly of tasting like brunch and Oban 14's odd sweetness. The salt, hint of sweetness, and richness balance out the bitterness, making this an appealing drink. The depth is just amazing. It would be great if a little bit of the iodine from the peat were replaced with smoke, but the number of flavors and their ability to meld together are both amazing. The only obvious flaw is that the strong flavor makes it so that drinking anything but an Islay scotch after this is a no-go. This is a masterpiece: the flavor is rich and balanced to perfection. You need to like bacon to like this, but if you do, this is an astounding experience. I just wish it cut back a bit on the peat so that the decreased iodine could let the smoke shine. There are so many flavors in here. From any starting point, this drink has an interesting and deep flavor. It's delightful in how it strikes such an amazing balance. I'd rate this as better than Ardbeg Corryvreckan, but not more than a couple of levels better. Iodine/tobacco, smoke, dark chocolate, red fruit, a little toffee, some mild nuts, some bits of ginger and clove. This is complex and its flavors land in a delightful manner. The nose is smoky and rich with some nice salty meat and a bit of peat sharpness to remind of the ocean. The palate is salty and malty and briney and rich with some chocolate with a hint of peanut butter. It's meaty with smoke like some lightly candied bacon was dipped in. This is certainly up there with Springbank 10 despite its moderate ABV. It doesn't have the rich leathery tannins that Springbank 12 has, but this is very good. This is certainly one of the elite whiskeys.

As with usual Knob Creek, the nose doesn't have a lot of scent. There's a hint of battle and rye though. The palate isn't super rich and complex, but the flavors that come out are very full with a lot of barrel and tart rye backed by a brown sure and light caramel sweetness. There's a bit of oiliness, but not too much. The balance is quite good and the mouthfeel is viscous. It isn't incredibly harsh, but the high ABV does come through. There's something slightly nutty here, but in more of a sweet way than is usual. The complexity isn't that substantial and the subtlety is very subtle, but the balance and general execution are quite good. It's clearly a sipper but would also be a superb mixer. In that way, it does remind me of Knob Creek Single Barrel bourbon. There's some nice granny Smith apple flavor too and some woodiness with spices from the barrel, though the particular spices are hard to pin down. It's somewhat like a less fruity, more stern Rittenhouse. There's less of that odd, oily caramel in this than there is in Rittenhouse, but there's also less vibrant apple. The blandness seems quite British. It's definitely drier than Rittenhouse. I'd say that the flavors are better executed too. At $43, it's probabaly worth upgrading to this from Rittenhouse. Still, for sipping, if rather get some Whistlepig Piggyback for $42. The quality level is quite similar among all three of them though. It really could use some more complexity. Adding water brings out the green apples and a bit of cinnamon, but the palate is largely the same. I'd put Whistlepig Piggyback and Pikesville ahead of this at this point in time, but I will need to taste this again and compare further.

It tastes surprisingly like sawdust without being super rich. The flavor is very dry. There's a substantial amount of smoke. Some spices like cinnamon, ginger, and clove are present with a bit of turmeric. There's a lot of spice here. The tartness is strong. There's a bit of vanilla from the barrel, but it isn't overwhelming. There's some sort of apple cider fruitiness, but it is quite mild. It's less balanced but more eccentric than Bulleit. It's fine, but just barely a sipper. The richness gradually stands out with the deep barrel flavor being nice and more sippable in the longer term than the Bulleit is. The flip side though is that there isn't a ton of complexity. This is very clearly a rye and would be an excellent mixer. Alcohol flavor does not pose a problem here.

The nose is blandly bourbony with some tart, floral, and alcohol notes coming out. The palate is weaker than expected with lots of minerals and also lots of alcohol. There is some complexity though with a caramel flavor melding into butterscotch with some marzipan and mild cinnamon coming on at the beginning before giving way to a relatively full and quite rich flavor. There's a bit of apple and a hint of cherry in with the minerals. The wood is present but not terribly aggressive and it is understated. I might like a bit more spice on the front, but this is ultimately rich enough with a decent amount of complexity. It makes a good mixer for sure and it's also sippable. Old Forester Signature is more complex and interesting, earning an extra couple of points. The Old Forester might also be sweeter. This is more nutty than the old Forester is, with almonds being particularly present. As a result, it is also a bit more oily and slightly rancid, the latter of which is certainly not a good thing but may be acceptable in certain circumstances (i.e. acquired tastes a la Old Forester).

Rich and quite smooth for a cask strength. Rich with some red fruit and a bit of wood., but not too deep. Spicy and fruity finish. Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves are present. I wish Wild Turkey Master's Keep Revival took some cues from this, though I do wish that the cinnamon on the finish were less strong. Fruit, spice, and wood hit immediately, but their flavors evolve in interesting ways. Tart rye balances the subtle sweetness. It's full and rich without getting in your face. Bit of alcohol comes through, but it is quickly overwhelmed by the other flavors. Some minerals are there and they mix well with the vanilla, which lasts subtly on the finish. The balance reminds me of Highland Park 18 (though the flavor does not), but with a bit too much kick and a bit of distortion that makes it somewhat inferior. There is a lot going on here. It's really good. There is a lot of rye here, but also a lot of wood that gives it an aged taste. There is some nice spice with cinnamon balancing out the strong clove. Plenty of vanilla is here, emphasizing the sweetness. Red fruit stands out, but doesn't take over. The complexity and richness here are terrific. The finish is quite good and complex. A bit less rye would be good, but as it is this is a really impressive drink. It's like Old Forester Signature mixed with Russell's Reserve Single Barrel, but better than either of them. Its flavors blend more naturally and it displays more complexity while avoiding some of the off tastes of Old Forester and the excessive cinnamon of Russell's Reserve (though it does have plenty of cinnamon). It also tastes older, giving it more richness. While it isn't a decisive improvement and is a bit too harsh, the depth of flavor here is tremendous, starting with vanilla and going through several stages to end with a rye element that is not overwhelming. There is a bitter woody backing, but also some mineral flavor. Combines, the flavors confuse the age. It isn't super sweet, which makes sense for an aged spirit. There are immediately lots of flavors bursting out, emphasizing the livelier elements of the drink, but under-emphasizing its age. The coconut flavor wafting out is the real key indicator that this might be an old spirit. In its defense, the high ABV does inherently affect its ability to taste aged. There is tons of spice and it actually tastes a bit too spicy. The sour flavors are also too strong. It's strong and doesn't taste incredibly old but it does have a nice amount of age to it. It's a bit tart with a cherry flavor and a bit of vanilla. There is a bit of a rich flavor that tastes of toffee with a little coffee, but it sits in the back, behind the vanilla and cherry, both of which certainly take over on the finish. Cinnamon is there, but under control. The flavor is quite good despite the strong alcohol. It's a nice clean flavor and an enjoyable drink, but not an all-time classic. The nose is mostly alcohol. The palate is surprisingly bitter. There's a good amount of wood that balances spices well. There's a decent amount of dark chocolate. The flavor is a bit bitingly bitter and could use some additional complexity. It tastes a little more complex and rich than Knob Creek Single Barrel until water is added to the Single Barrel, at which point some nice complex fruit flavors emerge and the single barrel becomes more complex.

It's surprising how light the color is for something that has such an obviously strong peat and smoke presence. This is highly reminiscent of Ardbeg. The nose is tremendously complex and balanced without punching you in the face. It's strong, but under control. Ardbeg mixed with some meaty Lagavulin. Such a delicious smell. The peaty is rich there but so is the warmth from the alcohol. This is rich and full of cereal, but it is also sweet, balanced, slightly fruity, and a little herbal. A bigger swig brings out a lot more of the herbal flavor, making it taste more medicinal like Laphroaig 10. In that regard, I guess it has hit Islay bingo. That said, Ardbeg and Lagavulin combined could craft a hybrid that is better than either, Laphroaig is a bit unwelcome here, aside from its grain flavor. A little water makes it taste much more like Laphroaig 10. In fact, it becomes hard to distinguish, unfortunately. The bitterness of Band-Aids comes out and the flavors balance each other less. It becomes a much more aggressive drink. As much as I am disappointed by the Laphroaig flavor, judging this just based on the best flavor that it can produce with its ABV (in this case, like many, that's the cask strength), it's very good. Unfortunately, the watered flavor does not taste good enough to warrant the price and the unwatered flavor is quite good but is not good enough to warrant the price either. Watering it down further, some more sweetness comes out. While that is a nice reversal, the flavors then become uncomplementary. The whole thing tastes appropriately strong, but it also tastes like there is a lot of mismatched inspiration here. Some fruitiness comes forward and the whole thing is still very rich, but it isn't as delightfully flavored as it should be. It's only the slightest bit better than Laphroaig 10.

The whiskey is smooth and it starts off sweet and light with a creamy element and mixed floral and apricot notes. As it moves toward the finish, some more bitter, vegetal notes come out, making for a disappointing end. There isn't much depth here, but the flavor is nice in the beginning. It reminds me of Bushmill's 21 with its creamy fruit and floral notes, Jameson with its odd flavor and smoothness, and Swift Single Malt with its subdued attitude. It could alternatively be described as Glenmorangie The Original mixed with Popov. Overallld be prepared to sip this, but I wouldn't love to do so. The difference between this and Bushmill's 21 is similar to that between Macallan 12 and Macallan Rare Cask (though the gap here is perhaps greater): they are definitely similar drinks, but one is just a lot more satisfying than the other. For its price though, this is not bad stuff.