Tastes

I liked the 12 yr so wanted to try this low cost entry. Poured neat, nose is a little floral with light malt, fruit and unripe banana.Soft mouthfeel leads to palate of thin malt, mild green banana, oak and even some back door peat bringing mild coffee note. Hotter than proof would indicate but bottle mellows after some time. Finishes short to medium with drying oak and some slight bitterness with malt coffee note in background. This is a young scotch lacking body and depth but getting a single malt in the low 20's is hard to find. Its better than most blends without dreaded low grade(hangover inducing) grain alcohol. However if you are looking to get into single malt scotch this is not where to start. Its ok but would not repurchase........74/100......not bad as a light scotch to stretch your good stuff however Speyburn Bradan Orach is better for less

The hunt for decent low cost scotch blend brought me to Scottish Leader. Deanston and Bunnahabhain are two of my favorite single malt distillers so hoping some quality made it into this cheap ($15 paid) blend. Poured neat, looks nice enough in the glass. Noses honey lemon cough drop similar to JW Black. Some light smoke, maltiness with some weight. Palate starts nice with smoky honey ,malt and some wood. Then the grain alcohol takes over with bitterness and the honey note turns to more of a corn syrup. Finish lasts but turns bitter and dry. Water helps it greatly losing the overly bitter notes and smoothing the grain bite as well as improving mouthfeel and finish. Not too bad for the $$.....65/100 blend score.....works ok as a mixer but I would not repurchase. I think the only real good blends are the age statement ones or vatted malts. Im sticking to bourbon in this price range

Ok so I like the Tomatin 12 year so figured Id give this a shot. This is aged in virgin oak similar to Deanston Virgin oak which I also think is great. Poured neat, nose jumps out of the glass with chocolate, marshmallow and pastry dough. First thing that came to mind was a chocolate croissant. Settles a bit into some fresh apple, malt, dusty cardboard and traces of wood. Lot going on for a low$20 bottle of scotch. Mouth feel is somewhat thin and the youth shows up with some sizzle but there is a healthy dose of flavor. Neapolitan ice cream, honey and malt morph into apple,dry roast coffee and pine wood. If this had some depth to these flavors it would be amazing. Still very enjoyable. Finishes with vanilla, coffee and malt fading to drying oak. Overall very pleased especially at this price point. Tomatin seems to be a solid brand with high quality malts. Its a light youthful scotch however if you can look past the lack of refinement there is a lot to like........82/100

After my excellent experience with the JP rye I was on the lookout for this bourbon. Found last lonely bottle on the shelf. Very high rye% at 39 and 100 pf non chill filtered. Poured neat, a swirl gives a nice glasscoat. Noses spicy nutty caramel, seasoned wood, some birch beer notes, maple syrup, dusty rye and a bit of sting to the nostrils( fades at rest). Palate is heavy smack of smoky dark caramel oak, rye spice heat, cocoa powder, melting butterscotch and some glove leather. Its a little hot at 100pf and tastes young with flavors not fully developed. Finish is lengthy charred oak with butterscotch and rye spice drying slowly. The high rye kicks up the spice and the 100pf adds in making an overall too hot impression. Needs more maturation for depth and roundness.............76/100...........Belle Meade is similar profile and superior imo

Visit to the magnificent Total Wine in Austin yielded this McKenna for $9.99. Many positive reviews spurred me to buy. Poured neat, nose has some dusty spice, mild vanilla custard and leather. Palate is more spice, light sweetness and a lot of heated oak. There is some serious barrel flavor here. Finishes with strong drying oak, fading spice and watery caramel. Overall I find it a bit thin but the bottle grew on me as I went through it For $10 its decent bourbon but the problem is TW has Evan Williams BIB for $12 which is the mac daddy low cost whiskey................74/100

Have to admit the 96th% ranking on Proof 66 caught my eye. Then RobertWayne gave a nice positive review and I read it had Macallan in it so I had to try it. Poured neat, nose is malt, canned peaches, buttery apple turnover with some barrel. Good mouthfeel brings on palate of malty apricot and apple with charred wood. Its a little hot due to lack of aging however flavors are solid albeit tad thin. Finishes with fading malt, drying wood, char and sugary pear. This is a nice tasty fruit profile scotch. Not super complex or deep but enjoyable.....83/100........Can recognize the Macallan influence here but its NOT a budget version. Vatted malt blends are superior to most standard blends as the grain twang is removed

Very pleased to find this at Specs Liquors. Have read about this bourbon so grabbed a bottle. I really like wheaters- Weller, Larceny, even Makers and Rebel Yell. This is quite a different animal. Poured neat, thick legs coat the glass. Nose has dusty spice, glove leather, molasses, buttery oak and a whiff of smoke. Not your typical wheater. Palate is spicy oak and cinnamon with peanut shell, singed pie crust and a nice smoky char. Carries the 100 proof well. Quite tasty with a looong fantastic finish of oak, spice and char. Has the trademark HH peanut note but with wheater cake/pie crust flavor and an extra bonus of smoke/char. Im impressed with this DN1843. It does not taste like a standard wheated bourbon more like a hybrid. I never had the Old Fitz BIB but this is supposedly along those lines. If you can find this I recommend......82/100....Lip smacking good, Will tryout the DN Reserve next

Moving up the Walker ladder to the Green. Love there is no grain and 86pf. Poured neat, nose is refined malt with apple skins, wispy smoke and dusty birchwood. Maybe a little white grape and melon. Velvety mouthfeel brings palate of ripe golden delicious apples, clover honey, smooth malt and gentle smoke with some grassy peat. The barrel notes are joined by sea salt brine to balance the sweetness. Its designed to flow together and it does very well. Extremely tasty with full flavor. The finish is malt and salt with smoke supported by fading fruit and drying barrel oak. There is some spice that accumulates as you go through the pour but again it just blends into the overall package. Single malts can be spikey in their flavor delivery but this is built to be an easy enjoyable ride with the rich notes blurring together to form a cohesive impression. It works wonderfully in this fashion and most will love this scotch......92/100..... I do love it but have to say the bold diversity of SM when you get a truly great one is more rewarding. JW Green has plenty of stuff to pick out and ponder but is better suited to just drink it and flat out enjoy. Great bottle for a gift with wide appeal and tremendous drinkability

This distillery has cult status. People in the know swear by SB and praise everything they put out. This is the entry level but enjoys its own following. The opposition claims this is overpriced and has a funky taste. I wanted to decode the Springbank mystery for myself. Poured neat, this is as advertised. Peaty(more bog than smoke) like the mud caked on your boots after walking in the moors. Tangy, as in overripe citrus. Red grapefruit is prominent, blood orange comes to mind. Some smoke yes but its damp from salty ocean spray. There is malt hidden under there and some seasoned barrel. Mouthfeel is a little thin yet the flavors are deep. The peat, fruity tang, salty smoke and dry wood carry from nose to finish. This is a complete scotch and is savory and satisfying. Now if you don't like this profile then its not for you......but if this pushes your buttons you will join the cult. Im ready for the kool-aid and the 15yr.......93/100....sign me up

Another budget bourbon contender. Great value for $10-12 so gets some points there. Poured neat, average legs with good mouthfeel. Nose is very similar to Beam Black with cola like vanilla, oak, dusty cardboard, some spice and a little heat. Palate has soft sweet oaky vanilla bean, heated spice and light char. There is a note running through the nose and taste that was tough for me to identify but then it hit me (don't laugh) ..play dough..but it blends in well and adds character. Finish is fading spicy sweet and strong barrel oak, black pepper and dry char. Overall pleased with this bourbon. Its really solid flavor for price. Nothing special, complex or intense but has low price with ample taste and body. Lots of vanilla and spicy pepper make it an easy purchase and worth cheap rotation spot to save the A rated bourbons...........77/100......Little bump for value