Tastes

Aroma - Very resinous, almost a tree sap quality, graham cracker, light sherbet and a very faint beefy, stewy note at the end. Taste - Light cherry, vanilla Quite good! Nice standby, would buy again!

Aroma - Young corn and grain, mellow cherry, marzipan and vanilla. A slight cola aroma develops over time. Taste - Starting neat - Very mild, if not a bit one-dimensional. Bit of an alcohol nip on the flavor which is making it hard to taste any one single flavor. Adding a teaspoon of water..... The addition of water has really opened and warmed up the nose. The vanilla has now become vanilla bean pod. Toasted sugar, such as on cream brulee, sugar cookie, icing and an extremely subtle oak and green apple which get lost in one another. The taste with water added - A bit flat here. The mouthfeel is quite thin without much substance. It’s very hard for me to pinpoint any one flavor here, everything is quite minimal. Slightly sweet, slightly woody, slightly vanilla. Unfortunately, the surprisingly delicious aroma of the whiskey doesn’t make its way into the flavor. That being said, I’m decently pleased with Lexington in the terms of what I bought it for. That’s an easy, smooth sipping whiskey that isn’t challenging but doesn’t taste cheap or chemically. A bottle you can reach for after having a dram or three of your top shelf stuff and you’ve lost a little bit of your appreciation for subtle nuances.

Aroma - Right off the bat, this whisky has a very prevalent and distinct ashy, smoky, coal aroma. It isn’t woody, and it isn’t burning campfire smoky, it’s the remnants of what’s left of a campfire the next day, heavy coal and ashy smokiness. This lends way to a somewhat meaty aroma, like smoked meats. I really dig it. Past this, I’m not getting much in the way of your typical bourbon aromas, the sweet type smells. Taste - Those same smoky, meaty qualities are in the flavor and are upfront. They quickly fade and finish with a typical slightly vanilla, slightly green apple, slightly sweet finish. This was tasted neat. Adding a teaspoon of cool water and... this dampens those smoky flavors and brings the green apple forward more. I actually find this less interesting with the dilution of water added. This is a GREAT, interesting bourbon with an out of the ordinary flavor. The smoky qualities are what make it unique, and I recommend having this one neat, without water or Ice, to preserve those flavors.

Very prevalent and distinct dark fruit on the nose. Tons of date, prune and grape. A bit of vanilla and a very slight cherry and marzipan finish to the aroma. Taste - Immediately hit with a sophisticated oaky woodiness, slightly drying to the tongue. Neat, it has just the slightest alcohol nip, adding a teaspoon of cool water... this opens up those dark fruit flavors found in the aroma more. I’m now getting hints of burnt brown sugar, date and stewed dark fruits. A VERY slightly spicy, rye-like finish. One of the most interesting and delicious bourbons I’ve had in a long time. Insanely complex for the 35 dollar price tag. Very glad I got to try this one!

A decent blended bourbon. This one clocks in at 41.15% ABV, and I find it to be best drank straight with no water added. The nose is primarily caramel apple. The flavor is a bit flat and one dimensional, medium sweetness, mild oak and just a tiny touch of tanginess, in the form of a green apple. Very easy to drink, but you could do far better for the 31.00 ON SALE price tag.

Monkey Shoulder, a no age statement, blended malt scotch whisky hailing from the Speyside region from William Grant & Sons. Price $35.00, sampled 7/15/15 with 1 teaspoon of water in a Glencairn spirits nosing glass. Aroma - Immediate hit of strong pineapple, distinctive almond paste, cherry, distant rock quarry mineral, slightly medicinal and distant citrus. Taste - Juicy sweet fruit basket, a bit of a dark rum note, distant bubble gum, coconut and a light touch of vanilla. Finishes with a quickly fleeting flavor and a long lasting burn. Final score : 4 / 5 - Damned fine blend. Very gentle, approachable and drinkable. Would make a fantastic transition over to scotch from, say, bourbon. The flavor Isn’t very complex or challenging, not to say it’s boring or unimpressive, but you won’t find any elusive smells or tastes to chase here. This is a nice, every day sipper. At 43% ABV it’s a pretty nice value and definitely is a cut above other blends at this price point.

Compass Box Orangerie, a blended scotch whiskey from Compass Box blenders. Price: $40.00. Sampled 6/10/16 with 1/2 teaspoon of water in a Glencairn spirits nosing glass. Aroma - HEAVY orange, vanilla cream, butter and cake frosting. Taste - Orange liqueur and allspice. Finishes with a quickly fading burn and medium-length lingering flavor. Final score: 1/ 5. This to me is not whiskey. The sweet orange is so overpowering in this that the whiskey flavors take a back seat and come across more like cognac. Tastes more like a high quality orange liqueur with cognac mixed in, AKA Grand Mariner. I have literally moved this from my whiskey cabinet to the bar to be used in drinks that call for Grand Mariner, I kid you not. Save your money here, I know Compass Box typically does no wrong and this seems so interesting but I assure you if you're looking for a whiskey experience, you will be sorely disappointed.

"Knob Creek, a 9 year old bourbon hailing from Kentucky produced by Beam Suntory. Got this bottle as a secret Santa gift. Sampled 2/2/2016 with 2 teaspoons of water in a Glencairn spirits nosing glass. Aroma - Incredibly hot and nippy, burns the nose and dries the throat, even with 2 teaspoons of water. light vanilla, dust and butter. Flavor - Flat, one-dimensional. All I'm tasting is wood and light sweetness in the form of vanilla. Finishes with a medium long lingering flavor and a long lasting burn. Final score : 1 / 5, my least favorite bourbon and possibly whiskey entirely on my shelf. For how high the ABV is, I expected much better and more complex flavor, but it would seem all the high ABV does is make the product very hot and nippy in a way that water won't seem to tame without drowning it. Will not be purchasing, glad I didn't spend money on this."

Ardbeg : Uigeadail, a no age statement single malt scotch whisky hailing from the Islay region from Ardbeg distillery. Price $65.00, Sampled 1/13/16 with 1&1/2 teaspoons of water in a Glencairn spirits nosing glass. Aroma - Immediately hit with a big note of creme brulee, Gentle peat smoke, honey, leather, fresh soil, dark candi sugars, espresso beans, distinctive rock chalk light sherry and a most sophisticated tar. Taste - Sweet fruits, tobacco, peat smoke, prune, quite spicy, light hint of espresso bean and very dark chocolate. Finishes with a medium lingering flavor and long lasting burn. Final score : 5 / 5, wow, what a fantastic offering from Ardbeg, incredibly complex, a scotch you definitely want to spend ample time with as, this is not a one trick pony but rather evolves over time between sips and smells. Be sure to take your time and let this one show you all it has to offer. Also, at 54.2% ABV, which is an incredibly high cask strength, the 65 dollar price point is almost a total steal, can't believe it wasn't more. Will definitely buy again and highly recommend!

Cutty Sark, a no age ststement blended scotch whisky from The Erdington Group. Price $20.00, Sampled 1/13/16 with 1 teaspoon of water in a Glencairn spirits nosing glass. Aroma - Soured grain, corn, rough ethanol, movie butter, yellow cake and lime leaf. Taste - Light peach and apricot, malt, cereal, very thin and easy to down. Finishes very quickly overall. Final score : 2 / 5, for a 20 dollar bottle of scotch this is....ok... you could do slightly better for 20, but not a whole lot worse at the same time. This whisky is good for drinking long or as a mixer, but isn't worth slow sipping. For the price you'd might as get grab yourself a bottle of Speyburn 10 and have an infinitely better experience. Glad to have tried, don't feel too bad for the price I paid but, will not be buying another bottle.