Tastes

Better than your average rye but at the same time nothing notable either. It's a solid rye that seems to be closer to bourbon than most rye as some corn is added. You aren't going to get a lot of outlying flavors, no heavy dill/pickle brine like baby Sazerac or heavy mint like some craft rye. Nose is very sweet( again the corn and higher than normal malt mash bill) and quite a bit of floral leap out of the glass. With water or ice these notes are elevated both on the nose and the palate. Vanilla on the nose as well, some light oak, and cinnamon. Palate is sweet with the cinnamon and quite a bit of black pepper bite come out swinging. Light stone fruit in the back which comes out most on the finish. Then the slight alcohol ding of the 100 proof keeps those spicy notes alive in your mouth and throat and adds a little licorice note. Finish is medium after the spice that carries over dies off the vanilla, oak, touch of black licorice/anise seed is left, and the fruit mostly apple so light peach and sweetness is the last notes left of the finish. On ice not only does the sweetness and floral explode but the cinnamon and pepper spice and alcohol ding is tamped way down with only a bit of pepper spice remaining. So if the 100 proof or peppery taste isn't your thing add some ice, if heavy amounts of floral and sweet isn't your thing drink it neat. Price is right, proof is right, well known name making some good rye whiskey.

I paid only $69 however now price has gone up making this the most expensive NAS Ardbeg. This nose is a mix of sweet 10 year old and a version of the black oak 2017's Kelpie. This uses French oak possibly Limousin and gives a unique wood nose just like the black oak did. This is the first impression you get from the glass, then a more mellow rounded off peat smoke, followed by sweetness almost a sherry type sweet and Ardbeg vanilla, a touch of alcohol and spice pepper and chili. Malt, citrus, and salt brine hide in in back. Palate is just as interesting peat smoke, bacon meatiness, and treacle (molasses) sweetness leap out of the whisky first sip, mid palate the shift is spicy pepper and chili intensity with some citrus kick making this whisky very intense and mouthwatering. Ending in vanilla creaminess, and sea salt. Finish is long long with more of the vanilla and sweet, the smoke is enduring the citrus hints in the finish as well. Leaves you with dry oak and smoke. This is certainly a mood whisky not a daily drinker especially taking the price hike into consideration. This is also not a beginner try Islay whisky as this one has teeth and complexity and finish for days. Oggie and the classic 10 are better values but Corry has it's merits.

Nose you can really tell the age on this expression in fact I'd say it was older if I was poured this blind. The round edges, the sherry factor and the leathery oak notes are high in this whisky. The grain note is a slight bit dark and musty so the whisky is very malty. Classic Dalmore/sherry cask notes of raisin, ripe plum, chocolate, honey, pear, orange preserve, touch of caramel (once opened up the caramel becomes a sugary syrup note) slight highland flower and heather floral hiding in back you have to search it out. Palate has sweet breakfast cereal malt, honey, vanilla, caramel syrup, dark raisins, plums, hint of black currant, spice (clove, allspice, cinnamon) oily consistency, sweet apple, strong orange citrus, light oak tannin bitterness to cut the sweetness. Finish is a long medium from the oils. Classic waxy nutty walnut and oak linger longest, but finish also with the apple, orange and syrup sweetness hanging on to the front half on the finish but fades away. Only things keeping this one from 4-5 stars are chill filtering, color added and low ABV. This is 4X better than the 12 year old for 2X the price; even less on a good sale/clearance where I got mine for the price I list. Normal MSRP is $120. I wouldn't make this my daily drinker but I find myself going to it as a after dinner or when I'm in the mood for a quality sherry finish whisky.

The nose on this whisky is very nice but dry like red wine dry. Sherry soaked oak is the first thing out the glass, light red fruit, dried fruit (raisin and slight apricot) and lovely vanilla, hint of caramel, cereal malt, almond, and toffee sweetness. Taste provides malt, stewed fruits, vanilla really comes through, there is another sweetness almost like a butterscotch candy, then the sherry, the oak and oak bitterness show up ending in a light alcohol bite when left on the tongue for a long time. Finish is quite long for a highland that drinks this nicely with the vanilla and sweet, the light red fruit and dried fruit at the start of the finish and the the stewed fruit, sherry influence and little dry oak bitterness lingering from middle to end. Better than average and they're using quality sherry casks so you aren't getting that sulfur funk from some sherry casks like Glengoyne.

This is a 4 star bourbon for sure but it's certainly over-hyped and over priced and keeps it from being a higher score. Oak, sweet and ripe fruits are the most dominant notes on the nose. The barrel oak is what it is but the sweetness is honey, vanilla cream, corn syrup the fruit is also a sweetness of it's own with nice apple, peach, strawberries. Taste is the apple and peach with the heavy corn syrup and vanilla cream mid palate the light wheat and heavy barrel spice comes into play and the end palate into the finish is strong oak and some barrel char and bitter tannin. Finish is medium with the barrel char and tannin from the oak, and the fruit sweetness lingering on to the end. It's not almost 2-3 times better than the 107 Antique and certainly not better than 4 times the cost of the special reserve. It is cheaper than pappy 12, 15 or 20 though for the same new make.

Yes it's another limited NAS annual release from Ardbeg but this is a unique and very good offering. They did the 20th Anniversary right too bad it's like other good ones like Dark Cove or Kelpie it will never become a core release. Nose is very much like Uigeadail with it's rich wine influence however Uigeadail is sherry finished this one is Pinot Noir matured. I cannot find if it's blend of ex-bourbon and pinot noir or straight Pinot casks; the label suggests the latter. Right off the bat you'll notice this ins't as smoky as a typical Ardbeg and on the taste it's rounder and denser tasting not as many flavor spikes suggesting some quite mature casks or the pinot heavily dominates the smoke and youthful taste. Other than that it's back to the Uigeadail nose the molasses, and bacon are pronounced, the rich dark fruits from the wine, tart Michigan pie cherries, touch of burnt honey slight ardbeg citrus and an aromatic sweet smelling wood note. Taste is reminding me of Corryvreckan as it's a bit spicy to start with but it's not as intense as Corry and fades quickly, smoke and smoked meat come through behind the spice almost a smoked peppered bacon then it's all sweet, fruit and some barrel/wood notes. The tart cherry with a strawberry (Ardbeg 17???) and blackberry note along with the honey and syrup sweetness and then the nice oak and barrel char usually associated with bourbons. Finish is long as an Ardbeg is a mint type note shows up late palate/early on the finish when mixed with the tart cherry note and syrup sweetness makes almost a sweet cherry cough medicine taste settling into barrel char and honey/syrup sweetness. If you are fans of Uigeadial you'll really like this whisky and it's similarities, if you like Corryvreckan you'll like this whisky wishing for more spice and punch (if you can get it the White label committee release might have it), if you like both of those you'll love this whisky. Sadly it's almost already sold out in a lot of areas so if you are interested pull the trigger on this one quick as it won't linger on shelves like Grooves did.

This is really a very nice early year bourbon offering at a time when most of the A1-- series aren't as good as b or c offerings it's nice something so early is so good. This one needs time to open up though. Right out the bottle the nose is quite ethanol heavy. Once that is out of the way the nose is typical jim beam profile salted peanuts in the shell, dark almost burnt corn sweetness(not quite caramel), vanilla cream, apple/pear fruit note and balanced amount of baking spices. First taste goes sideways but in a good way. It's unique and interesting fruit/sweetness to say the least. The rest of the glass once your palate is accustomed to booker's is the salted, creamy peanut brittle, cinnamon spice, light alcohol ding, vanilla cream and light charred oak. Finish is looonnng. The spices and cinnamon tingles the tongue well after swallowing, the oak, fruit and vanilla with the sweetness linger on the finish obviously the charred oak lasts the longest. Very good I've never tried the 30th anniversary but some liken this whiskey to that in similarity if that is true then this is a very good whiskey if not then it's still a very good whiskey.

Nose on this one is hard to find because it's almost not there but when you find it is lovely honey, vanilla, corn syrup provides the sweetness, nice fruitiness not quite pappy peach and apricot but a light fruit note almost at times like faint strawberry/ cherry and pear note. Just can't pin the exact fruit down. Palate is very easy drinking sweetness is the word that leaps from the glass, along with the honey, light oak, vanilla, and nuttiness. Almost a pecan praline but not that much vanilla and sugar. The rye and some cinnamon spice notes are very much there but aren't overpowering and fade quickly. You can make them stronger by agitating the whiskey in your mouth but they still aren't bad. Finish is short because nothing about this whiskey is out of balance or overpowering. This should appeal to everyone except those who don't care for dessert/sweet whiskeys. The oak does ramp up a bit on the finish with some barrel char but the light rye spice, sweetness and vanilla are there also.

Very nicely balanced bour-rye blended whiskey. Nose is very citrus think buffalo trace and butterscotch forward. Musty corn note, vanilla, corn syrup sweetness, damp oak and light baking spice note and no alcohol burn present you can really pull the nose out of the glass. Palate is velvet and oily again no burn sweet corn syrup, vanilla, caramel with oak and apple and light orange citrus notes. Palate end with very slight spiciness from the rye and baking spices but isn't as harsh as the typical black pepper from traditional rye. Finish is shortish medium with the sweetness the apple and citrus and oak notes on the finish beginning to end. Very enjoyable, and drinkable.

A Georgia only whiskey picked one up while down there and wish I could have gotten a regular wheat whiskey by ASW distilling. From what I understand this is a wheat whiskey merged in "Unison" with a 5 grain high malt (large amount is malted barley) whiskey meaning corn, rye, wheat, barley and oats all except the corn is malted. Personally I think malting all the grains and the addition of oats hurt this bourbon and keeps it from it's true potential. I drink scotch so the high malt doesn't detract at all in fact it adds an oily quality many equate with smooth. The oats however in combination with malting everything under the sun adds a monkey shoulder/bruichladdich type funk, a real wet barn door wood note and oddly enough a flatness on the nose that buries many flavors. Nose is wet wood, malt funk, dusty corn sweetness, light caramel, slight vanilla cream from the wheat and milk chocolate note but very hard to find, and slight alcohol note. Taste is oily and silky, the malty note really comes through first with a slight sour note that I'm attributing to the oats, then the rye and wheat spice ramp up mid palate fading quickly into corn and wood sugar sweetness mixed with a heavy does of vanilla cream (very close to a weller) and even some charred oak notes at the end. Finish is almost medium with the charred oak most prevalent and falling away into dryness where the vanilla cream, sugar sweet note and again almost a weller/pappy mix of peaches and apricot can be appreciated. This would be a 4.5 or 5 star and the wheated portion could be a pappy killer whiskey is they could remove the sour note and all the malty funk that hold this whiskey down. Still there is ALOT going on on the palate and finish but the nose is really so so and uninspired.