Tastes

Nose: vanilla, cereal notes, rye spice, sweet malt, citrusy orange zest, baking spices, easy going and not overly complicated. Taste: rye spice upfront and fairly solid, baking spices with a slightly pepper finish, a little herbal like bitterness as well on the finish. Overall, a decent sipper for the budget. Very good for mixers, say like Coke perhaps?

Nose: honey, crisp fruit, pear, spiced candied apple, golden raisin, herbal notes, hint of a grassy note, barrel spice, cereal notes, slight fume-like alcohol note or thinner note but not strong and pushes aside quickly. Taste: honey, herbal tea-like quality, a moment of herbal bitterness with light fruit notes in the mix, cereal grain mixed with a touch of malt, medium intense peppery barrel spice that lingers for a good moment, light ashy char on the backside of the finish. An ok entry level Japanese whiskey, but definitely move up the quality scale in the future to other higher end Japanese whiskeys to have a much better experience in what they have to offer.

Nose: fruity, ripe orchard fruits- the kind you get during the fall at a farmers market, some light sherry, hint of honey, briny sea salt air, medium smoky peat, oaky wood, a little barrel spice. Taste: fruit notes are light and at the front, medium malt, transitions into a soft smoky peat that’s not overall powerful, finish lingers nicely with a decent oily feel. Not super complex and lacks a little depth. Overall, not bad, especially for someone getting into peaty scotches for the first time.

Nose: light sweetness, honey, vanilla, light fruitiness, apple, pear, light malt, lightly toasted bread or cereal grain notes, a slightest touch of an orange marmalade note maybe? Taste: fairly simple and reflecting of the characteristics of the nose, a smoky char that settles in with a pepper touch, finish fades kinda quick with a little herbal-like quality at the end. Decent scotch and for the price but nothing that will make you think this is exceptional. There are far worse out there for sure. Give it a spin, it’s budget friendly.

Nose: medium sweet honey, cereal, some grain notes, butter cookie or shortbread cookie, nutty light brown sugar note hides in there somewhere, light fruit, light sherry, hint of vanilla, hint of citrus- possibly lemon-like, decent barrel spices. Taste: more honey and butter cookie/shortbread cookie, crisp fruits, cereal, even keel barrel spice but pleasant. Not overly aggressive or broad in profile. A standard “right down the middle” Irish whiskey. Not super fancy and not so boring that you wouldn’t like it.

Nose: Honey, dried fruits- apple, pear, cherry, golden raisins, citrus peel, sherry, light creaminess, lightest hint of a nutty almond note, medium earthy notes, heather, honeysuckle. Taste: Light sweetness of honey mixed with fruit, herbal notes with an earthy touch, nuttiness tries to peek through, pleasant light char that’s almost peat like, a citrus almost lemon peppery note on the finish. Medium finish in length, well balanced whiskey, smooth, easy going. Not overly complex but certainly not too boring. Hopefully the replacement is just as good.

Nose: fruity, orchard fruits, honey crisp apple, honey, malt, light citrus, orange, tangerine, cinnamon bark note, autumnal hay-like notes, woody spices, rich nose overall, few drops of water open up the malt sweetness some, hint of vanilla hides in the background tries to pop out. Taste: orchard fruits, blend of citrusy notes, lemon, has a nice oily coating feel- gives it a fullness on the palette, transitions to a peppery note, light ashy barrel spice, malt sweetness does show back up in the finish (as suggested) and compliments the spice notes very nicely, slightest hint of a leather note (maybe?), a good medium to long finish overall. Very good for the price point, really enjoyed this one a lot. I would definitely get it again.

Nose: right out of the gate there’s a strong punch of paint-like fumes (guessing partly the alcohol) that’s almost transitions to a perfume essence that’s initially a little off putting, but let it sit for a few minutes and it’ll subside some. Malty notes appear, brown sugar, floral notes, some fruit notes, nothing overly complex. Taste: presents better than the nose, malt, some fruits but fades quickly, spices (can’t quite place them), woody barrel notes, slight bitterness, light char and pepper finish, does not linger very long. Ok, but considering the price, half decent. Works well for a highball or a scotch and ginger ale. Worth a try. You never know. For as cheap as it is, it’s low risk.

Nose: black tea notes pop out immediately and rather front forward, malt, honey, hint of lemon zest, hint of fruit in the background, a light gentle floral essence, some medium cereal notes, overall very pleasant to nose. Taste: more of that black tea and with the lemon zest notes, light spice note- a mix of baking spices with a touch of a pepper like finish, some light char or ashy touch that lingers mildly but does not last considerably long. Overall quite a decent scotch. Enjoyed this one very much. And you definitely detect that Johnnie Walker feel in this one.

Nose- fruit forward, crispy ripe fruits but not overripe, pear, apple, has a fruit cocktail essence with a hint of cherry in it, a citrus lemony note tries to sneak out, light malt sweetness, honey, heather, light grassy or herbal note, pleasant overall. Taste: light, easy going, starts with some of those fruit notes but transitions into a toasted malt and toffee mix, finishes with lemon, herbal, grassy notes with the faintest wisp of pipe tobacco smoke. Overall, fantastic for the price point. Got this for around $25. It won’t knock your socks off, but it’s most certainly appreciable for a 10yr Speyside. Worth a try and definitely worth throwing in the cabinet one in awhile for that budget option.