Tastes

Enjoyed at World Cafe Live, Philadelphia (to see The Ocean Blue perform their first two albums, INCREDIBLE night). Nose greets you with sweet, gently enveloping smoke, then subdued peat, like damp earthy moss and autumn leaves. Orchard fruits, dates, orange rind, seaweed and definitive Laphroaig "band-aid" medicinal notes. Hints of oaky vanilla, marshmallow and chocolate. A little Water seems to bring out a touch of rich pipe tobacco. On the palate it's intense, mouth-filling, slightly beer-y with winter spices. Smooth and warming. Finish is dry and achingly long. I'll let you know when it's over. Don't wait up. An unforgettable experience, will have to grab a fifth soon... Dry glass: bold roast coffee with sweet cream...

Right on the nose, it's Intense, looking for a fight. Irish, through and through. Agave nectar, rich coconut, vanilla bean. Surprisingly mellow palate, disorienting. Cantaloupe, cereal and a touch of oak. Then the finish, there's the punch! Rush of spice, moderate burn and satisfying malt. Would not have guessed Stout had anything to do with this unusual creature! Dry glass: beeswax and soda bread.

Sweet charcoal smoke, touch of peat, vanilla, spicy orange zest, all atop a background of bourbon, like vegetal green banana. Also just a hint of concorde grape jelly...? A little raw, and fairly simple. Certainly not bad for the price, but this blend reminds me why I stick to Single Malts. This will make an excellent snow day dram. Dry glass: memories of an old musty wood-fire warmed museum workshop at Mystic Seaport...

Perfectly decent benchmark scotch. That's about it... Neutral, smoother and even less complex than the 12 year old, if that's possible. The 12's vesper of peat is almost totally gone and the distinctive pear note is now more of a gentle apple sauce. Finish is brief but pleasant. I'd recommend this to new whisky drinkers, but not for $10 more a bottle... I prefer the 12.

When raised to the nostrils it whispers bald-faced lies to me... "I'm not 129 proof, I'm a gentle cinnamon spiced rum-like buttered white-bread vanilla-nymph, go ahead, sip me straight..." As I gullibly touch the glass to my lips, a sudden "FWOOSH" of green banana and wood resin curl my nose-hairs. The instant the syrup-like medicinal candy-corn sap rushes onto my palate: My entire mouth starts fizzing, my ears pop and I suddenly find I've grown a full handle-bar mustache... Well played Booker, well played... Then the cinnamon fireball arrives, and stays for breakfast. I then tried it with (lots of) water... Then in a Manhattan (sacrilege, I know). It's like taming an angry lion with a folding chair and a towel-whip. The sweet vermouth realized what I was about and refused to pour from the bottle, like old ketchup. The ice then caught on fire and the cherry jumped out of the glass. I guess there's nothing left to do with the stuff but open clogged drains and remove grease stains from asphalt. Oh, believe me, it's good, a little too good... I'm going to go back to Scotch now... huddled in a corner... rocking back and forth...

Revisited 11/25/22 Sweet red apple Mild vanilla Hint of cinnamon Pleasant mustiness, like old books Singe of spicy mustard (in a good way) Thin on the palate with a quick and dry cinnamon finish. You can taste the family resemblance, but I don’t prefer this over the classic 12. Dry glass: Beeswax, cocoa and faint cinnamon.

Extra points for eccentric bottle. Without water, the nose sings with rich rum-raisin and buttered toast with marmite (like Mum used to make). With water, ripe asian pear, malty vanilla, moist cedar, a gentle note of peat and touch of sea air that makes my mouth water... (And something in here is whispering chinese fried wonton noodles with duck sauce...) On the palate; moderately sweet, spicy citrus, smooth, warming, a touch salty, comfortable. Finish is long and full, slightly metallic with earthy orange zest and faint iodine that lingers... If you entered the world of single malt via Glenfiddich, this is your next richer, deeper, sea-side stop. Dry Glass: Cedar and oatmeal.

Complex nose, even confounding... seems to change with each pour. Without water, a sharp spiced rummy caramel, bold sweet oak. Touch of salty cooking sherry. With water, dry apple & pear, light smoke, hint of ginger and menthol. Spicy-sweet malt on the palate, some earthy peat, notable burn, but fades quickly. Dry finish, with bitter spice and earthy charcoal. In my opinion, like a more challenging, rough-and-tumble Glenfiddich, less "Highland Gentleman" and more "Surly Rover". Surprising for a speysider, but a little ragged. Not really my dram. Dry Glass: faint cumin and ...smoked cheese...? Weird...

Stout bottle and handsome presentation. A subtle, dignified dram. Nose of mostly oak, then faint pear, ripe banana. Added water reveals ginger ale, some vanilla and a hint of orange zest. There is also a light mustiness, like the pages of an old tome... Bold oak on the palate, simple cereals, dark spices, moderate burn. Finishes dry with powdered cocoa, earthy floral notes, faint dried fig. Comparable to Balvenie DoubleWood 12, but with a more interesting nose, better finish and a much more attractive price. A solid, neutral, benchmark whisky. Dry glass: light cocoa and faint milled soap.

Enjoyed at Irv's Pub, Hershey, PA. This one surprised me... Fresh crisp pears and bright apple cider, clove, ginger, and a hint of smoke in the nose. Full mouth-watering palate with sharp apple and orange marmalade leading into a wash of allspice, very little burn. Smooth and simple zesty, malty finish. Dry Glass: malt and a sweet sea breeze! Will definitely explore more of this distiller...