Tastes

A real sleeper! Initially very faint, subtle nose, but opened beautifully with a half-teaspoon of water, revealing baked pears with a touch of cinnamon-sugar and cocoa and something herbal, earthy, elusive... Anise? Dill? Faraway hint of pine smoke. It then bursts wide open on the palate with bold, buttery, chewy malt and vanilla. Bittersweet citrus and milk chocolate carries into the quickly calming finish, leaving your head spinning. Surprisingly complex and enjoyable for the age and price! I'd put it between Glenfiddich 12 and Old Pulteney 12 for character. Dry glass: candied pecans.

Tasted at Hunger n' Thirst, Lancaster, PA. A little hot at first. Earthy sweet peat smoke. Rich raisin-heavy sherry and sea salt, all combining to create a smoky salted-caramel flavor. (Gives the impression of a vegetarian Lagavulin, if that can't be taken as a slight...) Added water increases the sweetness and forms an estimable scotch mist! Risky on the palate; Hot oak, mild pear and nutty. Quick finish, Sweet smoke returns. It's definitely enjoyable, but not exceptional, and woefully overpriced for a NAS.

Tasted at the Bluebird Inn, Cornwall, PA. Sweet floral apple blossom and cream-soda vanilla followed by spicy unripe banana and oak, tea biscuits, touch of pine-sol. Palate is sweet and mellow, with gentle overripe tropical fruits and something perfume-like I can't quite put my thumb on.... Bergamot? Slightly hot into the swift finish with Lyle's golden syrup dominating. Satisfying and approachable, better than I expected! Dry glass: subtle orange-spice and grain.

Color of good ginger beer, pale and misty with a touch of silvery green. Nose opens with a peat bog on fire. Woof. My wife had to leave the room when I first pulled the cork. Develops into freshly turned rich black earth, all manner of chocolate, savory Nori (Japanese Toasted seaweed-paper), baked green apple, green olives and applewood smoked Gouda. Touch medicinal and musty, hints of roasted peanuts and dill pickle. Thick and creamy in the mouth, coats the palate, sweet apple, smoked citrus and chewy cereals. Long finish with smoldering charcoal and dark cocoa at the very end. Perfect craft presentation, but such an acquired taste! Just about the maximum amount of peat smoke I can appreciate. Use this to scare away the uninitiated and undeserving... Dry glass: car exhaust on a icy-cold morning.

Rich but straightforward. Intense humming-sweet sherry, musty oak, tart apples, black tea, clove, sugared nuts and a faint hint of smoke. Bold on the palate, thick, round and a bit savory with fresh grated ginger and apples cranked up to 11. Finish is lengthy, with sweet dates and wood spices, delightfully warming. A true classic and perfect un-peated alternative for an icy winter night. Dry glass: dark cocoa and deep oak.

(2015 bottling) Nose bursting with ripe, floral orchard fruits, baked banana and nutty sherry. With added water; candied pineapple, ginger and rich vanilla beneath a layer of dark chocolate. All perfectly balanced against the ideal amount of smooth savory smoke. Hints of mint and menthol, even sweet curry! Fruits and cocoa carry through the mouth-filling palate with cereal and orange spice. Touch of macadamia nut. Smoooooooooooooth. Long and dry, smokey finish. Eminently satisfying. Axis Mundi, like all the richest qualities of Scotland's single malts combined and balanced out, no individual overpowering the rest. Almost the only whisky I'd ever need... If it just wasn't discontinued. 😭 Dry glass: sweet malt and ...faint dried salami...?

The Maplewood-Smoked Bacon Malt. Opens with rich peat and pipe tobacco, nutty sherry and rich malt. Layer of ripe banana then hints of peppercorn and clove. Palate is bold but ridiculously smooth, moderately sweet sherry, smoked almonds, caramel, more rich malt. Intense, haunting finish. Sweet smoke, then drying bitter spices, slightly musty... Not for beginners. Lives up to the hype. Simply one of the very best, but the price still makes my wallet weep... Dry glass: smoldering cedar.

[Updated 12/15] (ABV 53.7%, Batch No. 0314B, Bottled 03/14) The nose without water, intense dessert fruits, pineapple upside-down cake, baked banana, various citrus, buttery hazelnuts... With (lots of) added water, a heavy, brooding scotch-mist settles into the glass, revealing oak spices, floral malt and a satisfying mustiness... On the palate; almost instantly numbing straight, brash and roudy. Smoothes out nicely with a healthy measure of water. Malt, orange-spice and a hint of bitter lemon zest. Finish is long, warming and nutty, with a distinct flavor of buttered sourdough bread. An unspeakable shame this 16 year version has been discontinued, I'm going to savor this for a long time... "Long Live Age Statements!" Dry glass: banana split with chocolate syrup. [Update] If you follow our beloved Ralfy's advice and blend cask strength bottling with standard bottlings you get fascinating results... Nadurra 16 with standard 12 about 50/50 with two teaspoons of water creates a strong and distinct buttery vanilla cake batter note, both nose and palate, AMAZING.

Tasted at the Bluebird Inn, Cornwall, PA. I will readily admit, Scotch runs through my veins, I'm not a Bourbon man. But I've kept an open mind for more than a generous amount of time. So after dinner I decided to humor my palate and buy a pour of the ever-popular standard Maker's Mark... and like my father always said, "You'll always pay for an education." Nose? Hot & spicy paint, harsh molasses, floral plantain, mown grass and acetone. touch of sickly-sweet vanilla, almost marshmallow? Once in my mouth it became raw, green wood, freshly varnished oak with a smidgeon of clove. Sweeter and more beer-ish with ice (I never normally add ice to my whisky, this was desperate measures). Drying, Hot cinnamon fireball finish that overstays it's welcome. I honestly can't figure out why anyone would drink this... Maybe because it's cheap? I'm allowing this to become the last nail in the coffin: "I am no longer a WHISK(e)Y drinker, I am a SCOTCH drinker." Dry glass: who knows? I left it half-full on the table.

[Revisited 1/2016] Aroma opens with bracing salt air, sweet caramelized onions, gentle dry sherry along with its sulfur, bitter honey, dry charred oak, light peat smoke, new leather, hints of seaweed covered rocks at low tide. Disintegrates with added water, I'd leave it at 43%. Assertive on the palate with dry oak, then a soft wash of savory buckwheat honey. Medium length finish, smoke returns. Slightly bitter in a mature way. A satisfying malt, but not quite as I remember it... As my palate develops and I move further into Peated/Islay malts, Highland Park's level of smoke now seems somewhat anemic... The sherry sulfur is also more pronounced in this batch. It's slipped from my top shelf, but still an excellent dram for new whisky explorers! Dry glass: malt and chocolate syrup...