Tastes

A bit hot and young. Vanilla and coconut. Orange and caramel. Thin. There's a bitterness that keeps cutting through everything. The bourbon is somewhat there with the vanilla and caramel but I think the mix of young age and cask led to a bitterness, especially towards the end. Overall, not worth another pour.

I haven't met an Aberlour I haven't loved. Sherry forward with raisin, cherry, and plum. It has that Aberlour fruit blend for sure. Thick, creamy, and full. There's a bread/cake hint, along with a slight peppery spice. It's a bit hot compared to the 18, but I'm still digging it. The oak is there with an added bite. The finish is long with a spicy, honey, and woodiness. Overall, a good one. The fact that I found it for $68, even better.

Like all spots, this hits the spot. The yellow is delicious. I find the spots to be amazing examples of the style, each uniquely providing a different route to get there. Yellow is sweeter than the green, relying more on the body and texture to create an enveloping mouth feel, whereas the green pops with apple, fruity crispness. It's well balanced by a peppery wood tang that brings some warmth. The honey, vanilla, and cereal of Irish styles is there but this ventures more towards the cherry, dark, earthy baking spice. The price, at around $120 a bottle, remains well worth it to me.

On the Lagavulin scale, this probably falls just short of the distiller's edition but above the other lesser aged bottles (I still place the 16 above all). It's Lagavulin: sweet sea smoke, campfire and meat, seaweed, and sweet brine. There is much more vanilla and cream to this than other Lagavulin offerings, I'm thinking due to the grain, especially once it hits a caramel bread note. The transition from Lagavulin smoke to generic Islay malt threw me off...is this truly Lagavulin? The seaweed appears again with a citrus, lemon pop, followed by slight heat, with almost faint Indian spices, and black pepper. The finish is a green wood and tart puff of smoke that lingers. The biggest piece missing for me in this bottle is the hint of sherry that the 16 and Distiller's both have that balance and create all that makes Lagavulin great. This drank more like other Isay offerings (which I also love...but not as much as Lagavulin). That time 3 seconds into a Lagavulin sip that I've come to know and love takes an unexpected turn into Talisker Storm land (but much better) and only slightly gets back on course. Overall, this is a high quality product from a high quality distillery. I found it for a $17 pour, which was worth it, but the price for $130+ a bottle makes me think of the 10+ other bottles I'd rather grab in that range.

Easy drinker with fruity, malty, spice. It's below the Coffey offerings in deliciousness but still a solid offering. It's malt forward with ginger and cinnamon kicks. It's on the thin side but still brings a full range of sweet to tobacco to spiced heat. The finish is quick but gives a tropical and nutty flavor.

Solid overall and worth the $50-$60 price range but the many "flat" or "mild" reviews are accurate. The vanilla and stone fruit leads things off in a very subdued fashion. There's a peach cobbler feel, given the salty caramel richness. It's warm but not at all spicy. Faint honey and citrus. The peat is enough smoke to remind you but not overpowering, but also not enough for me. It's low proof so a very balanced and smooth sip; this is also what makes me think it's just "solid." I had the 18 on my list of future purchases and this leads me to believe it's worth the price for the added years.