Tastes

This is sweet like sugar water (or perhaps Oban 14). There is definitely a strong smoke presence with some nutty and malty flavors (I guess this is why people compare it to a scotch). A fair amount is goin on here, but this is weird and I'm not sure whether I like it. A little tartness shows up and some fruity bits come through. A lot of vanilla is here and there are some indistinct spices. There are some off flavors, but nothing too bad. A bit watery. The finish has a little bit of confectioner's sugar. Not terrific, but kind of enjoyable if nothing better is available.

The nose has a strong woody character, though it isn't overwhelming. There's plenty of clove with also cinnamon and brown sugar. It doesn't have a lot of a sweet smell, but it smells rich. It smells dry and rye without having much mineral smell. The palate is rich without being all that viscous or tremendously smooth. It's fairly fiery with a long slow burn. It's quite dry with some nice barrel flavors coming through - lots of clove and cinnamon here, though it isn't excessively drying. There's brown sugar, but it tastes lighter than expected. This would be better if it were less dry and more robust. It doesn't taste over-oaked and some light red fruit does eventually come through, but there isn't as much happening here as I really hoped there would be. It seems like a lot of the reviewers on Distiller got older, higher proof barrels than mine. The dryness avoids tasting overly mineral like the rye is taking over, in large part because a nice rich dose of vanilla comes through from the long, slow aging. This is not a particularly excellent barrel. A bigger sip reveals some more subtle notes in the wood and spices that weave then together more nicely and bring the vanilla in more. I can even appreciate the balance with the mineral here, but I'd rather take Booker's. I suspect a big part of the problem is that this is such a miserably low barrel proof. It's definitely on the numbing side - the clove comes through.

The nose is surprisingly like cardboard (not mildewed). There's something a bit full and fruity in the nose as well with an appropriate but understated sweetness. There are also some floral and vanilla notes. It's an interesting nose. The palate has a lot of vanilla in it - to the point that it is almost overpowering. Or maybe it is. There's something a bit woody that just skirts being harsh and reminds me a tad of Amontillado Sherry. It tastes a bit like formaldehyde or turpentine - and to be clear, I do NOT mean that it has a lot of tannins (though it does have some of those as well). Still, it's a nice woody flavor. It seems like an acquired taste and while it doesn't broadcast old age, it does demonstrate solid execution on an interesting concept. This is an odd one, but is fairly decent. It's a tad thin, but it still has a fairly medium viscosity. The vanilla fades a bit, but is still extremely strong. The wood and bourbon barrel spice definitely make it through. Somehow, the Oloroso barrels mellow the bourbon barrels a bit without making this taste excessively fruity. Yeah, it's a bit wonky, but like Laphroaig 10, it all kind of works out in the end. The flavors do clash a little bit and they don't totally hide the youth, but there's definitely some age in this one and there's a fair bit of complexity with some interesting flavors, many of which are good. It's a bit more than it should be, but it's decent.

This has a stale taste like no other. It is smooth, a bit sweet, and a tad salty with distressing bread notes. There is some nutty oil and there are some mild red fruits, but that stale bread flavor is the strongest element here. There is not much smoke, but what I suspect to be wood feeds into the stale bread. A bit of orange is there and there is some spice too, but although the flavor is smooth and rounded, it isn't really tasty. Stunningly, there isn't much depth here either. Really, this tastes more like $12 Sherry than Scotch. Do avoid. This taste comes right after the Bladnoch 25 Talia. The nose is drier, woodier, and less sweet. It has a nice malty smell to it though, but there's also a lot of floral notes with some light fruitiness and some tempered spices. It smells like a grassier, younger whiskey than it actually is. The palate is smooth with a clear flavor of gross bread. It's sweet and floral with some grassy, fruity flavors. There a definite sweet cherry notes along with the spices. It reminds me somewhat of A De Fussigny Selection and Symbole National. It tastes good enough even with the gross wood, but it's nowhere near justifying its price tag. Aside from the cardboard, the flavors are balanced and tasty. Still, I would find it easier to believe that this is a 12 year scotch than a 21 year. And aged in port wood? Ridiculous!

The nose has dried dark fruits with some woody spiciness with some caramel and vanilla, but it's brash rather than smooth. The palate is more floral with some of that wet cardboard woodiness, but no mildew. There's a light hit of mint and then the fruits and spices come out. The red fruit flavor is mild and blends well with the floral butterscotch and hints of citrus. The spicy wood is clearly present and indicates the youth, but it blends nicely with with the floral and other sweet notes. It's more complex as Glenmorangie The Original but it's about as brash and it doesn't have the nice orange flavor. They're roughly comparable, though I think I'd favor the Balvenie 12 slightly.

The nose has a bit more richness, harshness, and maltiness than the Balvenie 21 Port does, with less fruit and floral notes. The palate is disappointingly not as viscous as expected and it tastes a tad off somehow. It is, however, sweet with some nice fruity notes that bring in the cherry from the Sherry and also a bit of rum molasses and cinnamon (oddly enough). The light body contributes to a feeling that this scotch is a tad restrained. It tastes scotchy, but also has some we'd wood flavor that is a bit like cardboard, but also skirts it a bit. The spices are rich and sweet without being overly harsh, though they are a bit numbing. It does have some holiday baking spice character to it for sure. Some light vanilla and floral notes come out. It's a bit richer than the Balvenie 21, but otherwise isn't quite as good aside from a reduced wet cardboard presence. Still, it's about on the same level as the Balvenie 21 all told. It's tasty enough that it could be sipped, though it wouldn't be my first choice. The caramel tastes like it's trying to become butterscotch, but it doesn't quite make it. This qualifies maybe as barely a sipper, but it's not something I'd go out of my way to get. The little bit of smoke adds some bitterness, which is nice at offsetting the sweeter, milder notes, but is more of a char than a complex smoke. On net, it's a positive though. It's fine, but thoroughly unexciting.

This is good. It's like the meringue of Glenmorangie 18 meets the rummy spiciness of Compass Box Spice Tree. Despite the fun rum presence here, this seems more like a quirky Scotch since there is not a lot going on. the sweetness and richness are nice, but I wish that the alcohol were less present. It has a rich, woody scent with some rich dark fruity notes that blend in nicely. There's a bit of spice on the nose too and some interesting tartness. The nose smells delightful, if not super complex. The palate is more viscous than that of the 17, but also less rich. It has some really nice sweetness with spices and rich butterscotch. I wouldn't have thought that coming back to this I might be crowning it king of the Balvenie line, but here I am considering just that. I like it pretty well, though it is light and on the more hedonistically sweet side. There's some really nice balance of wood with baking spices and butterscotch though. The mouthfeel is really nice too. It takes the hedonistic route and succeeds. What more does it need to do? For the price, it's a questionable purchase. It reminds me a bit of Glenfiddich 14, but with a bit more sweetness and refinement perhaps. It tastes good. There's some banana, but it's light and has a bit of caramel on it. The vanilla and tropical fruits are really nicely balanced here. I'd like to try a richer, older version of this, but it hits a really nice bourbony scotch flavor profile that is classic in nature and also rich and enjoyable. It's quite a good drink. The balance here is really impressive and it's quite enjoyable to drink. A 16 is achieved easily and a 17 is definitely believable.

The nose has tart ale, but also some baking spice and maple syrup that combines with golden raisins to be a bit sickly and flat. The tartness has a bit of a woody yeasty scent. There is definitely an ale flavor here. It's surprisingly tart in a way that is a bit jarring, but there is also some sweetness from the baking spices and cinnamon, as well as some maple sweetness. The alcohol is harsh and while there are some interesting flavors, the whole thing tastes a bit young. It does have a distinctly malty flavor to it that I appreciate though. There's a decent amount of smoke too, but it kind of stands as its own flavor and exacerbates the harshness (though it is effective at balancing the sweetness). There's something a bit distinctly bourbony going on here somehow and unfortunately that creates a sharply bitter, slightly tart flavor.

The nose is light with caramel and some grass. An interesting chalky scent comes out that makes it seem odd and reminds me of Corsair Quinoa's earthiness, though with a sweeter note rather than the bitter teabag scent mixed with dark fruits. It smells gross, like Lucky Charms (without the marshmallows) were steeped in it but with a bit of the malty, yeast still there. It certainly smells grainy. The palate has a bit of harshness - more than the nose suggests. The chalky grassiness immediately comes out and coats the tongue. The light caramel is there blending with the grass in a way that sort of works. The grain and grass intermingle here with the chalkiness (sort of like oatmeal dust) pervading. The grassiness here is a bigger problem than in Herradura Reposado because the citrus isn't present to add some bitterness and liven it up (also because tequila is supposed to taste more like vegetation). There's more sweetness here than in Herradura Reposado, but it's unbelievably grassy. The actual taste of oatmeal does come in too. Although the caramel doesn't have that fake, 6 month old sickly sweetness, it has a lightness that really makes it taste young. It tastes a lot like a reposado tequila; in fact, if you convinced me it was one I'd like it better. There is a nice hint of apricot on the finish, but it's more the thoroughly dried variety than the luxurious kind. On the long tail of the finish, there's a faint hint of coffee grounds. This isn't so much awful as it is weird, though it isn't really good either. Don Julio 1942 has some of the same flavor elements with the grainy variant on grassiness, but it is nowhere near as chalky and it has a much nicer caramel and more robust flavor. This tastes awful after trying Don Julio 1942, though I do get some of the subtleties coming out with the lightness. It's very interesting. The spice and smoke flavors are lightly present. There's plenty of vanilla, moving with a bit of a floral element. There's a little tartness but not too much. This is clearly predominantly corn (100%, as it turns out). I could believe that there was a small amount of rye in here, but wheat is definitely the closest other flavor that I get. Corsair is rich and luscious after drinking this, though with a bit of that Old Forester Signature flavor that lacks subtlety. Coming back to this drink, the mouthfeel is actually quite viscous and reminds me faintly of Don Julio 1942, but if Don Julio 1942 weren't very good. The complexity does eventually come out, saving this with a basket of grain flavors, but it never tastes great and the beginning is really rough. After every break - even just a minute long one - that painful first sip returns. Confusingly, the finish is substantially better than the nose or initial palate. Corsair Quinoa has a comparatively mild beginning and while it has fewer flavors in it, there's a rich, interesting quality to it that makes it more enjoyable. The finish on Corsair Quinoa evolves too, becoming more fruity with some more standard hedonistic notes of chocolate and tobacco.