Tastes

Better than Jameson because it’s not as sweet, but still a pretty bland Irish. No need to buy again.

I like the character of this boy, but I’ve only been able to get there with an ice cube. Very boozy.

I like the oak and vanilla in this one. Tastes like bourbon, but smoother. Nice for the money.

Good weeknight dram. The sherry speaks to me. Really good scotch for the money.

Potable, but too sugar-sweet. Low man on the Grangestone totem pole.

I can’t drink more than a half-pour of this because the sweetness gets to me. Guess that’s what happens when you blend three speysides.

Good. This is good bourbon. Why is it so cheap? I don’t know. It’s good bourbon.

Second taste edit: I’m enjoying this more than I have in the past. I’m getting a salted caramel note that’s just lovely. Up to 3.5. Great briny malt, sharp but not smoky. It’s like licking the dried sea salt out of the inside of a charred barrel. Vanilla is strong, but not too sweet.

I left my initial review down there just to illustrate how lost I once was. The nose is a little smoky, but what I get mostly is vanilla and honey. First sip slapped me with some smoke and iodine. Once it got cozy, I enjoyed some lemon custard toward the finish. Now going back to the nose, I get more smoke. Second sip brings smoked meat. Perhaps peppered smoked turkey. It’s smoke and savory and I like it a lot more than I remember, but I think it needs more of the initial sweetness I got from the nose at first. Very smoky. Couldn’t event finish the dram. May try again in the future.

Very unique. It has pepper and citrus and spice and peat. Light-bodied and smooth.