Tastes

This has a deep reddish hue. The nose is rich and woody with some red fruit. The flavor is a bit flat with some nice rich, bitter wood that mixes with some cherry and raspberry plus dark chocolate. It's on the dry side and tastes kind of like imitation old scotch. It is an interesting take though. There sure is a lot of alcohol presence and the fruit on the finish is kind of nice and fruity without being particularly sweet. It's rich, but not smoky. The flavor is more dignified than that of the Tullibardine Sauternes. There's some vanilla and malt flavor. If it were less flat and a little more full, this could be some pretty good whiskey. As it is, it's sippable and an interesting detour, but it's mostly a diversion rather than something worth contemplating. The sweetness is definitely there but it not excessive. The sweetness increases toward the finish, which is a good behavior. There's something here that's a little bit like butterscotch and some syrup, but it isn't much. It's absolutely worth a try once, but it falls clearly short of excellence.

It smells a little like hay and grain. The palate is a bit confrontational with some young wood and alcohol coming out. There are some nice honey and orange notes. There is definitely cereal in here. There's some rye tartness too. It's sippable for sure, but it would really benefit from some more age. It's about on the level of Macallan 12 in terms of quality. There is lots of fruit and mineral with some bitter richness from the barrel. The grain gives it a clean flavor with some bit of malty richness. The balances is a bit akilter and the flavor is not very full, but it could be great with more aging. There's a hint of some pineapple and maybe mango in with the orange. I wish that bitterness were less in the way, but it is also what keeps this from just tasting like flavored water. A slightly peaty bitterness lingers in a less-than-appealing way, but it does carry a harvest apple with it. This is not quite on the level of Macallan 12 Sherry, but I could still sip it. There is certainly too much alcohol flavor in here.

This is more woody and less fruity than Tullibardine 12, but then a surprisingly tropical note comes out. The passion fruit and mango lightly steps in the middle of the palate and carries into the finish. There is some nice complexity in here with richness extending beyond the minerals and gross bread. The spiciness is a bit strong given the minimal variation from start to finish. The tropical fruits really help to blend in the gross bread. It's really a nice, balanced Scotch with a bit too much mineral. The tropical notes really give it some life, and are alzo reminiscent of Bushmill's 21. It's enjoyable with flavors that eventually balance out. I do wish that there were less gross bread though. Fortunately, the tropical.fruits and apricot save it. It's great to drink, not worth the high price that I imagine it carries. It's kind of like a different, more flamboyant take on Highland Park The Light. Its tropical flavors really stand out, bringing it into the same ballpark. Otherwise, it would be out on its own, looking for a purpose. I would be delighted to sip this in most circumstances, but improbably wouldn't buy a bottle. The fruity finish is nice though, much like Bushmill's 21.

This is a kind of surprising drink. It has some of that gross bread mineral flavor, but there is also a floral sweetness to it that adds balance. It's light, but nicely balanced. There's some bitter bite from the wood that I wish were tempered by charring (or better - toasting). As it progresses though more toffee comes out. It could use some more age and some less bite from the barrel, but as a cheap option it is pretty good. There is honey and there is plenty of fruit. It's more than just pear. There's a kind of herbal medicinal elelement to the barrel. I get mango with a bit on clover honey, vanilla, orange blossom mixed with rose blossom. If all of the flavors were aged several more together in an interesting cask (bourbon, port, Sauternes, etc.), this could be a magnificent drink. As it is, this is fine, but not rich or married enough. I would definitely sip this, but I wouldn't want to buy a bottle.