Tastes

Nose - apple, peach, lemon, orange zest, raisin, milk chocolate, caramel, nougat, vanilla cream, honey, pecan, walnut, cinnamon, ginger, clove, perfume, sweet oak, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - cereal grain, oat, honey, orange zest, green apple, black cherry, lemon, chocolate, raisin, clove, ginger, walnut, cinnamon, sweet oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing long with sherried fruit, nut, and chocolate flavors. There’s a whole lot going on here, in a good way. I wish there was slightly less ethanol on the nose, as the fumes obscure many of the great aromas. Also, the taste has some sourness running through the mid-palate and finish, which isn’t ideal. I find this to be reminiscent of Nikka From the Barrel, but not quite as well executed. Overall, this is a solid offering.

Nose - vanilla, brown sugar, banana, maple, caramel, barrel char, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sweet vanilla, brown sugar, caramel, maple, cinnamon, wheat, banana, cola, sweet oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing quickly and super sweet with caramel and barrel char flavors. It’s extremely sweet and artificial tasting, which becomes sickening after a few sips. Better as a mixer, if you must.

Nose - honey, pear, apple, oat, cereal grain, white wine, lemon, toffee, creamy vanilla, grass, mild vegetal funk, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - pear, honey, apple, toffee, creamy vanilla, lemon, grass, cereal grain, moderate alcohol bite, finishing fairly long with lingering toffee, grainy (almost chalky), and fruity flavors. I haven’t tasted many Speysides, but I enjoy this one. It has more of a bite than some of the others I’ve tasted, probably due to only being aged 10 years.

Nose - peanut shell, honey, corn, light rye spice, high ethanol burn. Taste - honey, vanilla, peanut, sweet corn, barrel spice, moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast, very sweet, and bland. This is not good. It’s overly sweet and a bit hot and dull. It drinks more like a cheap Canadian whisky.

Nose - sweet maple, corn, burnt brown sugar, caramel, rye spice, clove, char, high ethanol burn. Taste - char, bland corn sweetness, rye spice, caramel, cherry, vanilla, brown sugar, high alcohol bite, finishing quick, bright, and hot with some sweet and sour corn and barrel char flavors. This drinks very young and hot. It hits a lot of the classic bourbon notes, but is a bit sour and cloying. Better used as a mixer. For the price, I prefer the BiB expression.

Nose - lemon, pineapple, honey, apple, sweet vanilla, toffee, fungal note, mild ethanol burn. Taste - honey, green apple, lemon, vanilla, toffee, chocolate, sweet floral notes, mild alcohol bite, finishing moderately long with sweet and sour fruit and chocolate flavors. This is an improvement on the White Label offering. The flavors are richly sweet and well balanced. There is a mildly fungal off note on the nose, but it fortunately doesn’t transfer to the taste.

Nose - honey, green apple, lemon, floral notes, caramel, pepper, mild ethanol burn. Taste - juicy pear, green apple, lemon, honey, floral notes, butterscotch, mild alcohol bite, finishing quickly with honey, floral and sour flavors. A decent sipper. The taste begins with a burst of juicy fruit flavors, but finishes disappointingly quick and slightly sour.

Nose - apple, raisin, honey, orange zest, pineapple, juicy cherry, plum, butterscotch, vanilla, floral notes, subtle peat (mostly the funk, maybe a whiff of smoke), light brine, chocolate, sweet wood, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sour apple, honey, orange and lemon zest, funky peat, caramel, apple juice, cherry, spicy ginger, chili pepper, chocolate, bitter oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing fairly long with sour fruit and chocolate flavors. I had higher hopes for this, as the nose is pleasantly complex. However, the taste is young, sour, and disappointing. While certainly not terrible, it’s a bit of a letdown.

Nose - cinnamon! (the sugary, Big Red gum kind), mild ethanol burn. Taste - sugary cinnamon, rich simple syrup, low alcohol bite. The alcohol on the nose and taste is almost completely overtaken by the spicy, sugary cinnamon. It’s difficult to tell this even contains alcohol. It’s a total one trick pony, but this is by design and accomplishes the goal well. This should be reserved for cola mixing or drunken bar nights reliving past glories.