Tastes

Nose- heavy notes of vanilla, caramel and toffee with oak and spice. Moderate alcohol punch. Taste- moderate sweetness with moderate alcohol burn. Pleasant and spicy. Finish- short finish where the sweetness subsides and the spice and oak lingers. Small hints of nutmeg. More vanilla and maybe burnt wood at the back. Overall- this is a great dram for daily sipping. No, it isn't top shelf but considering the price it isn't intended to be. If you want a good stiff drink after work while saving the expensive stuff for a special occasion this fits the bill. Those finding CR harsh may want to consider the CR XO offering which is notably smoother. I buy Crown Royal in the 3 L bottles and always keep in on hand as my general purpose whisky.

Nose- there is a musty note on the nose of over ripe banana or damp wood which I do not particularly enjoy (your taste may differ) this musty note is similar to Glengoyne whisky. The nose is very mild in this whisky, with very little alcohol punch. After some time ripe fruit appears on the nose, dark red apple and pear to my sense of smell. Taste- very, very smooth drinking with almost no alcohol burn or numbing after swishing. Thin and smooth. Not really intense enough for my preference. Finish- very short and mild finish where the fruit and very mild notes of oak and pepper appear. If you swish and drink strong warm apple juice the finish may be the same. This whisky is very smooth and would be suited to someone new to scotch. Overall- for me, this Scotch is very bland and under powered. It's not a bad scotch, but it's not a great scotch either IMO. If you are on the fence, the 1 L bottles found in duty free are not overly expensive. Look around and you may find the sample pack of cask, reserve and vintage together to taste small before you buy big. Not my favourite Glenfiddich. I will not buy again.

Nose- intense smoke. As if a fisherman waded ashore with seaweed around his rubber boots and then stomped out a beach fire full of burning smoked fish. If you imagine the smell of those boots you will have the nose down. With repeated sniffing over time a sweet underlying note emerges although hard to determine exactly what it is. Vanilla or toffee maybe? Small, small hints of fruit between the intense smoke. Taste- unbelievably sweet with the obvious smoke. Not even remotely as intense as the nose leads you to brace yourself for. Full oily mouthfeel with very little burn. Very pleasant but intense flavour. Finish- long and mouthwatering finish with sweeter notes rising and becoming more pronounced. Slight bitterness at the back with oak rising on the palette. Overall- one of my instant all time favourite whiskies. Full, smokey and intense. If you like peaty whiskies you will love this! If you don't you will despise it. I was a huge Ardbeg fan till I discovered the amazing scotch which is laphoraig quarter cask. Never turning back.

Nose- heavy caramel, vanilla and wood spice. Similar to crown royal but maybe slightly more intense. Taste- Toffee with hints of black pepper and oak. Mild alcohol burn. Rather smooth. Finish- spicy on the finish with more of the peppery notes coming to the top. More vanilla, toffee. Overall- not a bad sipping whisky at all to be honest. Really similar to crown royal and at a comparable cost. For everyday sipping when you want to spare the more expensive stuff it will do just fine. I would buy it again.

Nose - Heavy fruity nose with hints of green apple and pear. Taste- smooth with vanilla and oak notes. Fruity on the palette with little alcohol burn. Very pleasant sipping scotch. Finish - short with definite hints of pears. Overall- my first scotch which got me hooked. Will always be among my favourite drams. Reasonable price.