Tastes

During a business trip in Germany last year, the hotelbar had only about a handfull of whiskies to choose from. The only ones I hadn't tried yet, were this one and the Oban 14. While I like the idea of the Solera system, I expected this 15 year old expression of Glenfiddich to be a significant step up from the standard 12 year old, but while it was not bad at all, I also didn't find it to be very special either. A good decent dram, similar to the 12 year old, except for some more fruityness.

Again a birthday present, purchased at the same local shop as my cousin's wife picked up the more than decent Benriach Curiositas 10. As my friend doesn't know much about whisky, she showed them my instagram posts, and was recommended this Benriach 12. Although my preference clearly lies with peated whiskies lately, my Instagram feed runs a tad behind, and still shows a fair amount of non-peated whiskies too... The good impression of the Curiositas upped the bar for the 12 year old, but I think it held up to it. On the nose perhaps a bit feint, but on the palate I found a typical light Speyside dram: a bit nutty, some vanilla and oak, moderate spices, and I imagine some orange zest. I don't find any traces of smoke, as I read in some other reviews, though. The finish is also rather short. All in all, this 12 year old Benriach is quite a decent dram considering it's price range, but if I had to choose, I would rather restock on the Curiositas over this one.

I received this as an early birthday present from my cousin, whose wife purchased the bottle from a local shop, with as only instruction: make sure it's a peated one! While I have had some very nice not-Islay drams (Talisker, Ledaig, to name a few), I wouldn't really think in the direction of the Speyside. This 'Curiositas' has matured 10 years, and made fora nice first acquantance with Benriach. Bottled at 46% ABV, the nose was rather sweet & modestly smoky. Beware - not exactly an Islay smoke, but somewhat sweeter. In the palate, there's obviously sweet peat (and smoke), but also some roasted fruits (ans some vanilla?), without getting too sweet, and I also found some mild pepper and oak. My favorite Speyside dram to this point! (3 stars, but I would give 3.5 stars if Distiller would allow this)

I tried the Bowmore Small Batch side by side with the Ardmore Legacy. While I found the latter rather boring, at least the Bowmore could excite me a bit. More intense on the smoke, but combined with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Also some cinnamon or honey. Definately more balanced, and the aftertaste lingered quite a bit longer.

While I enjoyed the Ardmore Port Finish, I found the Ardmore Legacy to be a bit boring. While the finish is pleasantly warm (without burn), the nose and palate are a bit flat - nothing exciting. There's some smoke, but not too much, and definately some honey and oak. It's ok for it's price, I guess...

My daughter bought me this one as part of the ‘Peated Malt Distinction’ gift pack. Being my first Irish whisky I was rather curious. The nose was rather flat, but there was definitely some smoke. The flatness also appeared in the palate, but besides smoke there were hints of oak, vanilla, and while I don’t find this in other reviews, I tasted herbs, and definitely licorice. While not unpleasant, the herbs and licorice were a bit too dominant for me. Somehow, it made me think of a mediate Speyside dram, with some added Jägermeister.

I usually hold of buying stuff in the +100 euro price range, since there's so much good stuff to explore in the cheaper ranges, but the impression made by the 10 year old made me decide to try this 18 year old Ledaig anyway. I'm so glad I did! It's peatiness is slightly tempered by the extra years of maturation, and while the finishing in ex-sherry cask isn't as obvious as I had feared, it's quite noticable (but likeable). Combine this with some Meaty BBQ Smoke, a hint of dark Chocolate and some moderate Spices, this makes one hell of a dram. Top shelf material from the first sip! In a way, it strongly reminds me of the tasty traditional Volterean dish I had in Italy last year: wild boar with chocolate sauce. And that's definately a good thing :). Does anyone know the difference between this one, and the seconds batch, though?

Once one learns to pronounce the Bunnahabbain expressions properly, it's quite fun to impress people :). The Cruach Mhona isn't an exeption. Even more fun is the fact that the liquid itself doesn't fail to impress either. The Cruach Mhona delivers Peat with a big P, combined with sweet spices, salty caramel, some brown sugar, and a hint of licorice. The after tast lingers on quite a while, and is very satisfying. At this price-level, it can't get much better, in my opinion.

After having tried the most obvious Islay distilleries, it was time to try and sample Bunnahabbain. With a name that means 'Smoky Mist' I figured I couldn't go wrong, with this Ceòbanach. My first bunny was a satifying one. A lot of peat smoke, and definately some seaweed, but less rubbery than, say Ardbeg. There are also some hints of spices/peppers, and some citrussy fruits, without being overly sweet. Add to this a pleasant afteraste, that lingers a fair amount of time, and it's a recipy for a top dram. I must say that I'm still fond of the Laphroaigs and Ardbegs I've tried, but I'm growing more and more appreciation for the lesser known brands such as this Bunnahabbain.

I got this Green Label as a personalised Christmas gift from my in laws. It’s surprisingly good. Definitely the better of the three Johnny’s I’ve tasted. Mild smoke, both on the nose as on the palate. Some dark fruits (not too sweet) and medium spices, and definitely almonds. Perhaps some citrus... Medium lingering but certainly pleasing aftertaste.