Tastes

This smells somewhat sweet in a meaty way and also richly woody. There's a lot of salt on the nose and also some char and chocolate, along with a hint of dark fruit. It smells complex and interesting. It's rich with lots of peat and smoke, giving it a meaty iodine taste with some hints of dark berry sweetness it's quite good. The finish is rich and grainy with creamy dark chocolate notes. Adding water, the tobacco element of the peat is there, but the creamy chocolate is also white present.combining the grain flavor, there is a bit of a custard hint. It reminds me of my first impressions of Laphroaig 10. It's sweet enough and brings in some oil and sweet nuttiness (almond). The flavor could use a bit more fruit at this point but it still works well. The spices and herbal flavors aren't absent, but they take a back seat. It's quite hedonistic, but not terribly complex. This is a quite tasty scotch that is thoroughly enjoyable, though not a masterpiece.

It doesn't have a terribly strong smell, but it does have some bitter, do h peat notes at the bottom. There's something mushroomy about the nose, but on the whole it isn't super exciting. It smells a bit like gauze. This smells more like regular scotch than most of the Octomores do. The palate is also more standard with notes of old socks and gross bread coming in. The flavors are fairly piercing with some floral and light fruit notes slipping in. It's kind of like sea spray with that peaty rubber mixed with some floral and fruity elements. The fruits stick to the likes of apple and lemon, but at least that's something. There isn't really any caramel to be found here, but there are wood and rich elements. It's OK, but not particularly enjoyable. There are kind of some seaside and herbal complexities, but they are subtle. It might be more balanced than Laphroaig, but it's also less assertive and interesting. Some grain does come through, but it isn't terribly exciting. Yeah, there's something here, but it tastes a lot like more alcoholic Laphroaig 10 and it's about as good with water added. The hint of citrus on the finish is nice though.

This smells less sweetly meaty than the 8.1 does. It smells smoky and peaty, but also clean. There is some meatiness to the nose, but it is less salty too. There's a hint of portobello rounding out the nose. The palate is surprisingly refreshing with some mint and floral notes mixed with some fruit. Of course, it has tons of peat and a huge helping of smoke. This has more smoke and less meat than the 8.1. There's some nice toasted wood in here too that brings in some bit of toffee with almonds. The complexity is solid, but not dramatic. I like how it executes the flavors that it has with clean finishes and a bit of sweetness rather than excessive bitterness. The balance actually turns out to be surpsingly good. There are plenty of herbal notes that are hard to place, but they go well with the mild lemon flavor. It has flavors across the board and deserves credit for its balance. It's easy enough to drink straight, but adding water helps to mellow it a bit. More herbal flavor and bandages come out, but they don't overwhelm and it actually does balance quite well, leaving a rich creamy finish. Hints of raisin even appear on the finish, blending well with the chocolate. It has spices of clove and cinnamon that make a good pairing. It's a bit too much like Laphroaig, but it's otherwise very complex and balanced. This is a great whiskey.

The nose is rich, smoky, meaty, and salty (much like Lagavulin 16) with some fresh orange and peat notes. The palate has a lot of smoke and peat with lots of mushrooms. It isn't overly harsh, but that iodine sure does last. It has some sweetness that is a little like toffee with some walnuts, but that is hard to make out. The peat outweighs the smoke, which I'm not a huge fan of. There are some nice notes of slightly creamy dark chocolate, but there are also some random herbal notes that are difficult to make out. The flavor is rich and doesn't have much on the sweet end of the spectrum. There's a bit of brine and salt, but it isn't excessive. There's some nice smoky meatiness like one would find in chipotles. With added water, it becomes less harsh, but the peat really comes out, giving it sort of a minty flavor. The richness is enhanced by additional chocolate and creaminess, but it winds up tasting a lot like Laphroaig with herbal bandages coming through. I'd say that the balance is better than in Laphroaig with the creamy chocolate and other bits of subtle flavor such as mineral and mild floral notes coming out, it's still not exceptional.

This is a unique experience. It's very rich with smoke, but also sweet with apricot and toffee. For an unpeated whiskey, the richness is impressive. Not as strong as Laphroaig, but that's both fine and reasonable. The finish is delightful in it's perfect balance, which is a feat that only the best drinks manage. The nose is rich, smoky, and fruity with caramel in a great scotch manner. There is some rich chocolate in here, that is mixed with numerous other flavors. The spices are varied and hard to place. The little bit of stale bread that is present is rises up briefly and then fades into the tapestry of other flavors that make this drink a delight. The complexity is thorough and it dances well with the richness. The marriage of flavors is impressive. The fruitiness is varied and delightful, but combined with the smoke, wood, and other flavors it comes out balanced and delightful. There's a little bit of that coconut flavor that indicates age in here. The drink might be a bit mild for its age, but all of the flavors are great or better. It's sort of like Highland Park 18 meets Highland Park Valkyrie meets Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or meets Bushmill's 21. It's really good. Smoke, sea spray, salt, sweetness. There is some citrus fruit that tends toward the astringent side and there are also some minerals. Caramel comes through too with cocoa and and coffee. There are ginger, cinnamon, and clove hints to it but they don't make it terribly spicy. There's a ton of complexity in here but is it really worth the price? The nose is mellow and rounded with definite smokiness and sea spray. The palate has a bit of mineral, but it isn't too bad. The sea and smokiness come out immediately, but there is something rich and mellow backing them. There's a little bit of odd soapiness going on here that reminds me of orange and tangerine with with a spicy bitter burn. The flavor is very good with tons of complexity, but the soap is a bit much. A bigger sip bring sour some nice red fruit flavors like plum and a smaller bit of cherry, as well as hints of almond skins and pecan. The rich bitterness is tasty but it's a bit much and does not quite have the strength to suggest a 26 year drink (it's more int the 21 year range). This is reminiscent of a sweeter Glenfarclas 25, but it isn't quite as good and costs a ton more.

It's light and a little harsh with a lot of floral. There's a bitter flavor and quite a bit of alcohol. There's tons of bubblegum flavor and some strawberry gummies. It's interesting with a fair amount going on, but it tastes young and wrong. It's not terrible, but it tastes more like a low quality brandy.

This is a well-rounded bourbon with light rye notes, red fruit, plenty of spice, some wood, and a nice almond backing (though not an incredibly strong one) that blends a tad into marzipan. Booker's Kitchen Table has more of an alcohol flavor and licorice, which brings out its own sweetness to be fair. This might have a little bit more youth to its flavor, but it also has added complexity with a nice almond richness that come sour more with water and leaves a nice finish. Booker's Shiny Barrel has a substantial amount of additional toffee with toasted almond and also some nice licorice that this can't catch up to. This is very good, but Shiny Barrel is better. This is different from Kitchen Table, bit the quality is comparable. It's a tough call between the two because although I like this's nutty sweetness, its younger more mineral and rye notes are a bit disappointing. Belle Meade Cask Strength is also right in the appropriate range and is suitably complex. I might actually place the Belle Meade a little above this, up with the Shiny Barrel.