Tastes

So my first taste of this was quite underwhelming, but it was also in a plastic cup which think dulled the flavor a bit, tasted too thin and reedy. Second time was in a proper glass and shows much more of its true self. Yes, it tastes young because it is young, only four years, but the bright strawberry and cherry notes of the sherry aging is evident, a hint of rye spice underneath as well a bit of port oakiness and rustic heat from the armagnac cask. Of course, it may be shallow and thin depth and conplexity-wise, and doesn’t have the lush mouthfeel of the Joseph Magnus or the rich body of the Copper and Cask (my personal favorite cigar blend I’ve had so far), but I’m a fan of this bottle for one good reason: I paid $30 for this at my local liquor store, compared to $179 for the Joseph Magnus. You simply aren’t getting this kind of complexity and flavor for $30. On the whole, the Copper and Cask is the most superior cigar blend bourbon I’ve tasted, but seeing as most people will have an aversion to anything MGP (which i never understood, if it’s good it’s good, drink it), but if you want a Kentucky distilled cigar blend for excellent value, it’s hard to beat this guy.

The closest equivalent to a “daily scotch” as you can get. Smooth, vanilla and oh so easy to drink. Perfect for cocktails and drinking neat. A must have for every bar and affordable to boot. Not complicated at all, but it doesn’t need to be. At this price, it’s a nice serviceable blend for any occasion, and that’s all you can ask for.

Man this is a good one. A bit smokier on the nose than the Doublewood, much more vanilla too. On the palette it’s lusher, sweet, but not overly rummy, which is a good thing. The Doublewood falls a tad short because of its fairly bland-ish profile, while the vanilla and molasses notes of the rum aging open it up more. More interesting than the 12, just as rich and sweet as the 17 while being much more affordable. Best Buy of the Balvenie lineup so far.

Was initially quite underwhelmed with the 17, until more drinking of the 12 showed a very nut heavy flavor profile, whereas the additional 5 years adds just a slight fruity and sherried edge to the dram, almost makes you forget the 12 was Sherry aged too since it’s not as notable as, say, the Macallan 12. The 17 really does jump to a new level after 5 years, but I’m still not quite sure it’s worth twice the price of the 12. Regardless, this is a really rich dram, worth a glass if you can snatch it, but only grab a bottle for special occasions

Honestly prefer this to the Macallan 12, although both are good drams at similar prices. Nosing reveals honey, clove, cinnamon, while the palette is smoother than the Macallan, I think. Definitely a nuttier profile overall, with sweeter vanilla undertones. Flavor wise I feel the Balvenie is more complex than the Macallan, while the latter is a much richer, fruitier expression. I initially favored the Balvenie more, but the nuttiness gets a tad stale over time. It’s a toss up between the two but I’d probably edge more to the Macallan. Either way, both are still classic expressions at low $50’s

A nice , fairly affordable scotch that sits fairly between sweet and spicy ends of the spectrum. Doesn’t have the sweet film of flavor that Sherry aging brings and instead has a salty, briny crust to to the finish. Midpalette is a bit malty and woody, but overall is a very smooth dram. Purchased at $45, it’s definitely on my rotation for casual scotching.

Strong burn on the entry, but a smooth, almost rum-like consistency underneath. Tastes surprisingly young for a 15 year, vanilla, oak, a slight nuttiness underneath. Worthwhile to take a dram if given the shot, but it’s still too harsh given the price. This one’s solely for completionists and those who can’t get the older, smoother pappys.

Probably my favorite of the peaty 10 years. It’s an obvious peat bomb, but with string notes of vanilla. Oak, soot, leather, spice, notes of cinnamon and clove. Not a big fan of peaty scotches, but this one is great for the money, and enough complexity to make it a daily dram. 3.5, simple because of my lack of preference for heavily pester whiskies.

Much more interesting than the Corryvreckan imo. Initial tastes show a shear burn across the palette, but the presence of sherry aged whisky adds an interestingly sweet undertone beneath the burn. This one could definitely benefit from a few drops of water to open up that sherried note. Still get that predominant Ardbeg soot, ash and leather trilogy, but the sherry influence makes this a 3.5 for me, and probably one of the most interesting scotches of their lineup for me.

Just opening the top on this nearly singed my eyebrows from the smoke off this dram. Very hot, but honestly doesn’t really develop with the addition of a couple drops. As my palette gets adjusted I get loads of ash spot, but also a bit of saltiness and brininess on the tongue. The last few drops of my pint reveal a little vanilla from the bourbon cask aging, and actually went quite well with chips and salsa. Only worth a 3 though because the overwhelming heat, peat and ABV (57.1%!) coupled with the price just doesn’t make it worth it at all for me. Only for the most diehard of peat fanatics. Worth a shot for the 50ml, though, if you want to burn your eyebrows, and your mouth for a bit.