Tastes

The nose is delicate with caramel and vanilla, it smells mature and refined. The palate hits me with burnt sugar and tobacco right away, and then from there it develops per sip. I get oak, banana, clove, plums, cinnamon, and smooth caramel, all at different points in different sips. The finish is smooth, spicy, and long.

Smells like cinnamon apple and potpourri spice. Refreshing to sip, hot apple pie, plenty spicy. Finish lingers a good bit with white-fleshed fruits.

Roasty, berries on the nose. Like sipping a big bold merlot by a wood fire in the fall, which I of course have never done. Maybe a little peach as well. Nutty, chocolatey palate. The berries fade back and earthy malt comes forward. It finishes good and long. Great little scotch.

On the nose, you get dense honey and buttery oak. The palate is a long-lasting combination of barley, cream, vanilla, and banana. It reminds me of the Glenmorangie Cadboll Estate 15yr, but dare I say more rich. In terms of length of finish, I’d have to give the edge to the Cadboll. This tastes like a classic Speyside, though it’s advertised as a highland style. Solid, underrated, affordable scotch.

Malty, buttery, mildly fruity, and the peat ties in as a subtle flourish. Finish is moderate with melon and honey. For $36, a heck of a bottle. Clean, mature-tasting malt. Would not tab it as a NAS if I had it blind.

Nose: ethanol, fruity, smoked salmon, Palate: brown sugar, burnt caramel, dark fruit, Buc-ee’s sugar coated pecans, all of which sits on a savory, slightly briny foundation.

Nose: pecan, caramel, wood, Heim bacon burnt ends. Palate: have you ever taken some apples, strawberries, peaches, chocolate bark, and pecans, wrapped them in foil and put them in a wood smoker for a few hours? Grilled peaches, molasses, oaky tannins, rich rich rich

It doesn’t make Luke pucker up as much. I get peach cobbler with sugar crystals sprinkled on top on the nose. The palate is a bit more full and rich. Brown butter, cinnamon and allspice. It’s plenty sweet, but it also has a good bit of earthy character that I really appreciate. That’s a unique, robust whisky with a nice long spicy finish.

Very Christmasy on the nose, fresh leather and spice. Plenty of proof behind it too. First sip was very piney and spicy. The palate evolves into oaky brown sugar, cola, and nutmeg primarily. Everything is turned up to 10. The mouthfeel is a little oily, leading to a long herbal finish. The proof and rye bitterness hit a little hard in the middle of the development, which to me is a minus, but not a huge one. Would I buy it at retail? Probably. Would I shell out for it? No.

The nose hits me with street corn right away. Nice charred flavor along with corn sweetness. The palate is plenty velvety and spicy, like French oak tends to be. It has a little bitterness on the tail end from the barrel that detracts some. The finish is medium with some pretzel or salted popcorn. There’s a bit of blackberry and pomegranate too. It’s not an absolute banger, but it is unique.