Tastes

I was excited when I found this for $139 at TW. Many strong reviews here hopes were high as this was 3rd most I ever spent on a bourbon(Cowboy/Balmo higher).The nose on this is wonderful with smoky vanilla, overcooked caramel and a bouquet of sweet seasoned antique wood. I would surmise this is what walking down the staircase on the Titanic smelled like. A drop of water can coax out a hint of grassy dill from the rye content. The mouthfeel is thinner than expected leading palate of rich baking spice and scorched caramel with some vanilla coconut milk. Then it hits you....the oak. This is an oak bomb crashing down on you like Lucille on poor Glen. Some cinnamon and stacks of old newspaper settle in there at some point too but the barrel keeps on rolling. Finish is of course massive oak fade with a nice buttermilk surround and some lingering smoky caramel. If you enjoy STRONG oak influence in your bourbon do not pass go just buy it now. I feel a bit overwhelmed by it but really like some parts of the experience. I let this breathe for a while after I opened before review to see if it would mellow and it did a smidge. There is no denying the quality here and overall refinement. If that pushes your buttons you will probably love this. Im realizing I prefer younger heavy flavor bomb bourbons aka Cowboy/Bookers/1920(or do I). Still I cannot give this too low a score as I have enjoyed my bottle and appreciate what it offers but at $150ish probably wouldnt rebuy.......88/100......YMWV

Revisit review. This is actually the first bottle of scotch I ever purchased almost 5 yrs ago. You get a 10 yr age statement, no grain and plenty of flavor all for low $20's. Hard lemon candy alongside malt and barrel wood with a pinch of spice and smoke its a great value single malt scotch. If you try you can can imagine sweet potato skins as well. Goes to show you don"t have to shell out huge money for drinkable scotch. Raising score from prior review due to amazing value.......80/100......Monkey, Naked, JWB and Dew 12 are better but this is an easy purchase as well

The Shieldaig Islay was quite good so took a flyer on this for a cheap plowable bottle. This is rough around the edges for sure but totally drinkable. Full notes are probably not warranted here at price point. In a nutshell : Some fruit and ashy smoke in nose. Palate is a malty fruit cup with a cigarette put out in it. Its better than it sounds. More of the same on finish. This is not complex nor is it packed with wonderful flavor. It is however a single malt for under $20 that provides a decent scotch experience without the grain from blends. Yeah its dirty and unrefined but I easily killed this bottle and will try the Speyside version in hopes for improvement.........76/100......(The Islay from Shieldaig is a great value smoker)

Big fan of the standard single malt so gave this a go. Big jump in proof and it shows. The delicious fruity/malty/ spice flavors of the original are there but ethanol is hiked up and washes some of the goodness out. Fortunately you can add water but I struggled to achieve the balance of the standard. Often cask strength delivers a big increase in the taste profile but Im not finding that here. Really not much else to separate the two so for my money Im going with the good ole single malt 92 pf variety. This CS Amrut is still a quality whiskey just not worth the upcharge imo.....81/100

Finished off a 200ml bottle of this from a sampler 3-pack. Its very similar to the 12 with a bit of extra body and flavor. Sure its a pleasant scotch and I enjoyed drinking it but by no means is this a $100 bottle imo. Where the 12 yr scores bonus points for value this takes a hit. No possible way I would buy a bottle of this........77/100

Another gifted bottle from my connection. This is lightly peated PJ. The tasting notes listed here are excellent. I will add some overall impressions. Fruit is pretty distant compared to Nirvana and the smoke is more melted resin than campfire. There is a healthy dose of raw vanilla on the palate and some nice malt notes. The peat influence is medicinal with a grassy earthy vibe. The bitterness on the finish is like crushed walnuts and the Indian spices are more laid back but there if you go looking. I would still go Amrut over PJ but this is good single malt distiller. Overall a solid tasty malt with some exotic flair......83/100......not a $50 bottle imo but much better than Nirvana

The unpeated brother of Ledaig from the Isle of Mull. Ive been eying this for a while after really enjoying Ledaig 10 but for some reason this is way more expensive. I finally gave in at $75 so here we go. Nose is rich and creamy with custard, buttermilk, thick malt and seasoned barrel. There is some flinty apple skins and a farmy hay note. Palate is liquid gold. Heavy sweet barley malt with clarified butter, pink Himalayan salts, fields of heather and Caledonian timber. Just a hint of fruit and smoke. Finish is long fade salty and malty. The buttery weathered oak going to the very edge of tannic but stopping just short. This is a wonderful scotch with a specific profile(Malt Bomb) you will have to appreciate to fully enjoy. It has a purity and cleanness that just reek of quality. Reminds me of Cragganmore 12 in that regard. I find the sweetness of the malt in near perfect balance with the salty island character and barrel woods. Absolutely delicious imo.....94/100..... It is definitely overpriced for a 12 yr and I will definitely repurchase

Gifted this by my San Antonio whiskey friend. I have become a fan of Indian SM with a fondness for Amrut and PJ. This is the entry level PJ for around $30. Nose is fruity, yeasty and just a little bit dirty. There is some maltiness and bamboo shoots in there as well. Palate is salty soy simmered fruits, malty raw dough and green barrel woods. Decent flavor richness but balance is a bit off. Finish is fading malt with the fruits turning tropical and the barrel ocean soaked. It all turns to a light bitterness in the end. I am reminded of a blend with the bitter notes very grain-like. The usual Indian spice profile is very restrained if there at all. Is this amazing?...No, but there is a lot going on for 30 bucks. I think I will go elsewhere for my Indian SM fix but you can do a lot worse than Nirvana.....77/100......Teen spirit indeed

Got this from my San Antonio whiskey girl for half price!!! She knew a store owner looking to move his 3 bottles of this plus other stuff out so we grabbed them. I had and liked the 12 yr with its cantaloupe flair but this is a different animal. Nose is chocolate shavings, pencil lead, soy sauce, light molasses and some standard malt/oak. Im guessing the px is taking the new make on some adventures. No guessing on the palate, the sherry finish grabs hold with resinous malt, nougat and sweet pipe tobacco wrapped in a dark red fruit roll up. Pretty rich flavor and easy drinking with little to no heat. Its more flattened like a 15 yr rather than an NAS. Finish is cocoa powder and char with lingering dried tangy fruit, malt and toasted oak. There is a lot going on here for sure. There are many notes to enjoy and explore but the balance is off. Its kinda all over the place in a good way but holds it back from top scores imo. The normal price range for this is $70-80 and there Im probably not repurchasing but damn this sure is interesting....86/100......a little jumbled but a fun tasty pour.......think HP12 funk without the peat meets LL12 wet leaves with a sweet sherry shine and chocolate shell

High hopes for Teeling but Im disappointed. Its not bad by any means its just typical blended with a bit of rum flair which helps a little. Noses heather and cane sugars. Not much malt or barrel but some graininess sneaks in. Palate is sweet with pineapple rind, thin honey, ginger and light malt ....maybe a smidge of toasted barrel and of course shortbread cookie. Its a surface experience with not much depth or body though pleasant enough. Finish dries out the rum sweetness and leaves a slight bitter note. The grain presence is not overly harsh and the rum finish is ok but this is nothing special imo. Beats some Irish blends but not a rebuy........71/100.....put the $ towards Redbreast or Green Spot if you need Irish or better yet buy some Scotch