Tastes
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Nose: SHERRY! The peat with it makes for any number of interesting interpretations. Intriguing nose that's like a warm blanket. Doesn't at all indicate what's about to happen on the palate. Palate: Surprisingly sweet compared to 10yo. The beast lurches at your jugular through the sherry curtain. Same Ardbeg character, but it is less phenolic and jagged while being more integrated and rounded by the sherry. Black pepper, nuts, sherry, and those Ardbeg teeth. Finish: Long and intense. Smoke, peat peat peat, and a happy smiling sherry overcoat. Final Thoughts: An experience. Powerful, in-your-face kick in the nuts with a kiss on the cheek. Excellent!
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Nose: Slight butter, warm fruitiness, floral, slightly spirity. Palate: Malty toffee with a middle that's a bit thin, then warm fruits that I had hoped to be heavier. Small-moderate peat presence. Finish: Pleasant, but not long. Fruitiness lingers longest with highland peat influence becoming more noticeable. Final Thoughts: Good- not great. There is a lot to this scotch and it is definitely enjoyable; however, it needed a little extra body to the middle of the palate to round this one out for me
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GlenDronach Revival 15 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed November 27, 2014 (edited March 6, 2017)Nose: At first nosing it's dense sherry, christmas spice, and oak. Found myself wondering where the event was. After breathing (for weeks), it opened up considerably and added intense dark chocolate, coffee, lessened the butter into a mild savory note. Palate: Lovely profile with a dense mouthfeel. Coffee, dark chocolate, and pipe tobacco all over the place. It's clearly cask-driven, but wow is it good. It's savory and yet dessert-like. Christmas spice and drying oak present again with also some leather. Delicious and comforting. Finish: Sherry again, lingering spice, slightly drying oak, and coffee. Lovely stuff. Final Thoughts: Something to sip in a library built of mahogany with leather-bound books. I can see why everyone likes this. It's a keeper. -
Lagavulin 12 Year (2008 Special Release)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed November 27, 2014 (edited March 8, 2017)Nose: Fresh sour & peaty lemonade, subtle floral, young leather?, and I suspect sherry involvement bc it reminds me a bit of Uigeadail. The freshness is reminiscent of Caol Ila, although I think Caol Ila's fruit is more complex. With water: sweetness jumps out at you now with lemon hard candy, more aromatic, and the alcohol nip becomes more prominent. Slight cinnamon in the background. I definitely burned my nose sniffing this one because it's that nose-able. Palate: A busy whisky that evolves on the palate and is surprisingly drinkable neat. It's got a pretty oily mouthfeel that reduces the alcohol nip, so it's on the mellow side for CS. Arrives with subtle sweetness, BIG lemony citrus, mild phenolic peat reek, and right when you swallow (my favorite part of this whisky), a huge waft floral and fruity flavorful smoke. With water: more elegant with the high aromatic notes jumping out and arrives sweeter. Finish: I'm not sure I've ever noticed a whisky with an evolving finish like this. The smoke dominates at first, but shockingly, as it recedes you go back to tangy lemon citrus, then it goes very dry and slightly leathery. Something herbal. Rosemary? Final Thoughts: "Of everything I've tried, this is most like Caol Ila, but there's a lot more depth and subtance here for sure. It's one of the best whiskies I've tried. Not a heavy hitter like Laproaig or a'bunadh; it's much more elegant, subtle, and refined. The massive complexity and sophistication is highly rewarding. -
Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (Batch 1)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed November 27, 2014 (edited September 13, 2016)Nose: Surprisingly shy and densely mellow with a sweetness (there just has to be sherry-matured whisky in here), iodine, wet grass and rocks, and very little peat! With water: rubbery sherry, and after time some flowers (honeysuckle?). Palate: HUGE! Oily sweetness with an exceptional mouthfeel, HUGE PEAT, medicinal, dirt, earth, mild mango. It's never as "hot" and aggressive as you might expect and I remember the 10yo being hotter. Massively flavorful with no holes whatsoever and considerably more complex than I expected. Like a big warm hug. Finish: Endless. Fades pretty uniformly, but I think the rubbery medicine notes linger longest. Final Thoughts: This is a knockout. It's absolutely bold and in your face while still demonstrating complexity. Fun whisky; a true adventure. This one has a very slow pace because of its positively huge presence. -
Laphroaig Triple Wood
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed November 27, 2014 (edited March 12, 2017)Nose: Intense peat, of course, with a berry-infused sweetness that doesn't particularly scream "sherry." Palate: Big sweet peat arrival with a great oily "Laphroaig" mouthfeel. The sherry is an excellent compliment here and seems to augment the peat presence beyond the QC expression. Delicious sweet berry notes compliment the oily peat. Final Thoughts: Bad ass. As complex as Uigeadail, and although this isn't as powerful, it is more well-rounded. Hugely complex and delicious. A good expression of Laphroaig. -
BenRiach Solstice 2nd Edition 17 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed November 27, 2014 (edited January 4, 2017)Nose: Wow, weird! Cooked strawberries? Rotten rum? Definitely peated and definitely fruity. A big, bad confusing stew of earth and sweet, cooked red fruits. This is sure to be a polarizing whisky at your next tasting with friends. Palate: The port and the peat haven't quite married together, making for a disjunct experience, but it's huge, flavorful, and IMHO fun. Final Thoughts: Definitely disjunct, definitely weird, but definitely high quality and I definitely liked it. Great stuff.
Results 11-17 of 17 Reviews