Tastes

Big fan of Pikesville so eager to try this younger sibling. Poured neat, nice color and coating of my rocks glass. Nose has baking spices and smoky wood with some floral aspects. Cinnamon and rye round it out. Palate is bold spice and sweet wood with the rye taking on some fruity notes like a cognac. Graham cracker and cinnamon in the background add body. Finish is drying wood and char with the baking and cinnamon spice fading slowly. This is very tasty rye. Drinks more like a high rye bourbon to be honest. At $28 paid offers a strong value as well........86/100.........No slight to Ritt but Pikesville is on another level with the depth, maturity of flavors, vibrancy and overall experience. Ran them side by side and its clear. Worth the extra $$ imo..........if you are a fan of Rittenhouse than you will love Pikesville. Both are top notch ryes

Im a big OF fan. The 1920, 1897 and Sig100 are elite bourbons imo. This is a lower proof take on the formula paying homage to heritage with the barrel blending. Poured neat, nose is fantastic. Candy apple, cherry pie with the dough latticed over the top, caramel and seasoned oak. Has the trademark varnish note I enjoy. Palate is heavy dose of nose traits plus some rye spice kick without the extra heat and drama of the higher proof making it more accessible. Experienced bourbon drinkers can still get onboard as the flavors are robust, deep and very satisfying. Great balance between the sweet dark fruity caramels and oak, even a little bit of chocolate sneaks in. Finish is traditional dying oak and cinnamon with fruity overtones that linger. I like the massive delivery of cask strength bourbons but this at 90 pf hits a sweet spot. I feel its a bit overpriced ( 38$ at Total wine) but enjoyable enough I might buy again. Im a total OF fanboy so take that into account............86/100........lotsa yummy flavor with robust oak and sooooo easy to drink.....Think of Woodford with more barrel pop

Well here we go again another great peated scotch. For me this is Ardbeg's answer to Lap Select(with better proof). The marriage of casks produces some interesting results. Poured neat, nose is predicted smoke and bandaids but wait whats this. Fresh poured concrete parking garage and nilla wafers hop onboard along with some seasoned oak. Palate tastes young but vibrant. Smoky malt and menthol with salty wood and raw vanilla. Its a scooch hot but who cares its delicious. Finish is of course long islay bbq smoke and peaty malt with salted sunken shiplap. This is real good stuff and in the $50 ish range decent value. Ok i admit I would probably just get the 10 yr for the $$ however I would get this too cause you know...its Ardbeg ...........89/100

Found this at a small liquor store for $12/375ml. This is good Irish whiskey. Poured neat, noses apples and pears with a milk chocolate sweetness and some mild oak. Palate is more of the same with chocolate covered pear, some nice malt and light barrel. Its pretty tasty. There is a grain component that holds it back a bit despite the reported 80% single malt content. Finishes long with lingering dark chocolate and some malt with toasted oak. Overall this is much better than the standard white label and holds its own with some higher priced choices......80/100...... That said I had this back to back with the glorious Redbreast which is far superior (in cost as well)

Finally picked up my own bottle of this after trying a couple months ago. Poured neat, good legs for scotch. Nose has light fruit- pear, apricot, orange zest with malt and some vanilla sweetness. It has a darker tone to it, not as bright/crisp as some. Creamy mouthfeel leads to honey malt, fruit, spices with above average heat. Towards the end a flash of dark toffee influence arrives then finishes with fading malt, mild ground coffee and bitter orange peel. Oak eventually comes in to mix with the citrus peel. There is a slight floral aspect but not overdone imo . Overall I find it fairly complex and well balanced. Its not as sweet as I thought but still quite enjoyable. In this range there are others I prefer but this is good scotch. 83/100..........My bottle came with a 50 ml of Lasanta , review to follow

Im not the biggest fan of the standard issue but hey 10yr age statement gotta be worth something right, Poured neat, nose is great. Deep rich caramel wrapped oak with light rye spice and no ethanol. Lightly toasted marshmallow and white cake batter provide a delicate sweetness. Its smooth and sophisticated without off notes. Palate brings vanilla crème donut imbedded in oak. Some rye spice checks in with a bit of floral note. Its all a bit thin however and does not live up to the delightful aroma. Finish is dry barrel...real dry with fading sweet and spicy notes. Imagine dipping a few toothpicks in caramel then chewing them up. Its the heavy lumber sensation that drags this bourbon down imo. Overall its better than the regular Bulleit but not worth the extra $ imo. 81/100..... expected more from a 10 yr

Ive seen mixed reviews on this but wanted to try a scotch finished in new oak barrels. No age statement but non chill filtered, no coloring, 92 pf and certified organic (good start). Poured neat, thick heavy legs. Noses dense malt, yeasty bread dough, dusty beeswax with a hint of spiced apple. Slightly oily mouthfeel. Palate has rich malt sweetness,doughy honey bread and oak with good heat. Finish is malt, oak and char with cinnamon helping out. You can tell its young as flavors are not fully developed, yet Im enjoying it nonetheless . I really like this profile in a scotch (little to no fruit, no peat and good malt flavor). The bread dough note is very tasty and there is more barrel influence than most. Delicious pure scotch flavor along the lines of Bruichladdich Classic without the smoke & pepper(albeit lesser version). Overall I would absolutely buy again. Great value in the $30-35 range imo. 85/100 ..........Oaky doughy malty scotch!.....12 yr is even better!

Bought this as inexpensive($30) 12 yr single malt I hadn't tried. At 80pf and chill filtered its a light scotch and yes it leans to the sweet side. Poured neat, nose I get strawberry, peach, sweet apple with malt, no dark notes. Palate is rich malt, berries and honey vanilla fading to oak. Finish is medium, fruity dry and woody. No peat/smoke and plenty of fruit in line with most Speysides. I enjoyed the light fresh sweet flavor. Overall it has some good malt presence which I like but does lack body and depth. Its a little hot for 80pf but still drinks very easy. Simple and accessible, good value for 12yr SM. Im glad I tried it, I like it and will check out other Glen Moray offerings ................78/100

On sale for $45 at Twins couldn't pass it up. Poured neat, nose has nice sweet juicy fruits. Figs, tangerine and blackberry deep and rich. Good malt notes with light wood. Palate has creamy malt stepping up surrounded by the fruity overtones, a light syrupy sweetness, candied pralines and some smooth barrel. Heavy dense flavor without any heat or burn, tastes older than a 12. Finish is long malt and sweet nutty fruit with oak slowly drying. This is high quality delicious scotch. That being said the regular pricing for this 80 proof 12 yr is a bit steep. Im delighted to have it at amount I paid 90/100...........bottle presentation is fantastic as well... Update: about through with this bottle, have picked up on artificial note described in other reviews. Still a quality malt just not elite imo....87/100

This seems to be very popular on many sites. I really enjoy Knob Creek bourbon and some of the Beam offerings too so this was next up on my list. Poured neat, nose is subdued and refined. Still has a hit of ethanol to let you know this is real deal. Nice dusty polished oak, black tea, light sweet fruit and mild caramel. Mouthfeel is a bit thin but doesn't matter with this much flavor. Palate is strong hit of oak wrapped in candy apple coating. Plenty of char and some milk chocolate with almond, more varnish, tea and caramel. Finish is drying wood and char with some fading notes of nutty caramel. This is damn good bourbon. Im pretty sure this is Knob Creek single barrel with less aging and lower proof. Tastes like the same formula to me with less complexity and power( can get the beginning of the musky notes in KCSB). That's not an insult this is bringing a fantastic richness and value at price(low $30's) and is easy repurchase.........88/100......I must say if you enjoy this than you have to try the Knob Creek single barrel yo.....Update: the longer the bottle has been open the better this gets!! At low $30's its a must try