Tastes

Nose: light fruit notes, crisp apples, pears, some honey notes, light malt, cereal grain notes, faintest hint of smoke, bright younger feel to it, some sharp notes but nothing harsh, nose is overall very low key and doesn’t jump out at you at all, very soft and subdued. Taste: similar to nose with light fruit notes but with some barrel spice, vanilla, sweet hay, a finish that’s rather short but certainly not bad. For $17, this is actually a decent low budget blend. Overall, it’s just kinda flat and boring. The one thing it does have going for it, it’s not nasty, sharp alcohol in-your-face kind of cheap. If you want something to sip on that’s just plain budget, this one’s for you.

Nose: candied sugar, fruit, candied nearly overripe banana, apples, orchard fruits, citrus, mild vanilla, creamy smoothness to the aroma, quite pleasant and not overpowering. Taste: orchard fruity note, orange citrus, barrel spice, wood notes, perhaps a light sweet hay on the backend. If you take a long enough time with it, the finish will change towards the end of the dram with a more present ash smoke or cigar-like smoke quality that lingers for a moment and then fades away rather quickly. Decent scotch for the buck but there are likely others that are better at this price point.

Nose: light sweetness, crisp orchard fruits, apples, honey, cereal notes, wisp of vanilla, faintest hint of a musty note, slight sharp alcohol note that’s similar to paint or thinner, thin overall, quite basic. Taste: nearly identical to nose, light peat, ashy char, peppery, slight bitterness, wood notes, slightly hot, lingers for a moment and fades. Ok budget blend, simple, nothing to write home about. Probably good for mixing, maybe a daily sipper.

Nose: light sweet, sweet sugary candy but a light bright candy, crisp orchard fruits, apple, pear, light perfume floral-like nectar notes, honey, hint of vanilla, buttery, rich but not in a heavy dense way, some light spice notes. Taste: light sweet candy almost like smarties, crisp fruits, citrus, orange, lightest wispy hint of peat or char that gets mixed in with light oak barrel spice, peppery note, finish has a creamy like quality, spiciness lingers for a moment and fades to an herbal grassy like note (almost a bitter note) but flattens and leaves the mild heat of the spice at the end. Damn good dram for the price. One of the better ones I’ve had overall and at this price point, I can’t complain. Well done scotch.

Nose: light to medium gentle fruit, fresh fruits, honey, light caramel, sugar and cream quality, sweetness, hint of lemon zest and citrus, vanilla, grain or cereal notes, baking spices used around the holidays, simple yet rich enough, easy laid back overall. Taste: similar to nose, fruits, light citrus, creaminess, some sea salt air quality, light char, cinnamon or nutmeg spice, almost a dessert scotch, finish is short, smooth. I really like this one for something that’s just easy going.

Nose: fruity orchard notes, light citrusy orange peel, caramel-like malt, cereal notes, ashy char campfire log mixed with peat smoke, slightly sharp alcohol vapor punch. Taste: exactly as you’d expect. Fruit sweetness and caramel, maybe a touch of honey, all mixed in with the cereal notes and with a moderate peppery barrel spice, hint of a musty funk note, char smoke and peat envelop the entire package like a round ball with a scotch center. It really is just Johnnie Walker black but with extra, extra char and a little more peat. I suspect there’s more to it than this that just simply gets lost and covered up by all the char and peat. More harsh than what it needs to be. Overall, not bad, but certainly not great. I like peat and smoke, but this one doesn’t balance right for me. For the price, I’ll take the Green Label easily over this.

Nose: rich dark fruits, raisins, orange marmalade, grown up dark candied note that you would get from a high end boutique candy store-not a simple cheap candied note, deep malt, caramel, sherry, old leather bound books in a private library that’s well taken care of, baking spice or nutmeg like note, very light mild char or smoke like from a good quality pipe tobacco in that old library, hint of a sweet light floral note, very well rounded, no sharp notes at all. Taste: dark fruits, orange marmalade, pleasant spice, tobacco smoke comes through in an enjoyable way, leather, nice warmth on the finish, lingers well for a moment and fades away evenly leaving the old leather and spice notes behind. This is by far one of the best drams I’ve ever had for the price that it’s at. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes and you’ll see the change from when you first poured it. Get some and treat yourself to an occasional dram of a well made scotch.

Nose: medium peaty smoke immediately, followed by some of the new char from reworking and re-charring barrels, peat and char match well, salty briny note, fruitiness comes out after it opens up a bit, malt and a touch of honey, water pushes aside the peaty smoke, hint of citrus comes through, golden raisins, hint of vanilla, spice. Taste: char and peaty smoke, spicy peppery notes, orchard fruits, slightest earthy note with almost an herbal quality, finish is medium with the char and spice. Good scotch with a medium complexity at most but still a solid dram.

Nose: light sweet malt, candied sweet almost like cooked sugar before it gets burned, butterscotch, vanilla cream, citrus zest, dried fruits, a light peat smoke but nothing that jumps out. Taste: just like the nose, some wood notes like old quality wood from an old library, a little peat, lingers for a moment then fades away. Overall, not very complicated but a decent sipper if your wanting something not overly expressive.

Nose: medium malt, honey, shortbread cookie, crisp orchard fruits, pear, hint of dried dark fruits, maybe hint of orange citrus, sherry, overall heavy fruit note, light vanilla, fairly rich, light grain or cereal note but nothing off putting. Taste: very much like the nose, fruits, sherry, toffee, almost an interesting sort of nuttiness to it, walnut- including the bitter note walnut gives on the finish, some barrel spice notes. Bushmills did a great job with this one, imo. Actually one of my favorites for an affordable Irish whisky. Very easy drinking.