Tastes

In line you're always being asked, what's the best. The best car, the best house, the best steak, the best watch, the best choice or whatever else. I think we obsess over this idea and I think at times it leads up to chasing after unicorns that we'll simply never find. Or it creates this chase that has no end because there is no end to such a chase. Is this the best whisky I have ever had? Well, it's certainly the one I've liked the most and had enough to feel confident in that. Do I own a bottle? Nope. Will I ever? Nope! But it is the most enjoyable whisky I can recall. All based on memory here folks. nose - a neck pour of this brings out what I'll reference as sour milk, and off putting note if there ever were one, but not here. This is a sign of something magic about to come about in a lagavulin . A sign of umami and peat and smoke and amazing sherry casks starting their process of uncoiling. Mike references this as more of a mushroom and maybe a raw uncooked one is fair. As it uncoils or when having it once opened up, there's this old school grape sherry element as I call it that's distinct, strong, and yet doesn't remotely try and over power the malt. Smoke is HUGE, and assertive and that lagavulin malt isn't hidden at all. Every aspect of this nose is exceptional. Alcohol at 59.9% isn't anywhere to be found. It's however certainly rich. Taste - Where to even start. Obviously, you let something like this spend 20-50 minutes uncoiling. Just rich and creamy mouth feel that hits you with waves of smoke and peat and the most masterfully crafted sherry notes ever. But then you start getting notes of mint, tobacco, vanilla, deep dark coal, bitter burnt BBQ notes and then chocolates and dried figs. Overall - I can't explain this whisky in smell and taste notes alone. It might be the biggest and boldest lagavulin ever made. It might be the most refined basically 60% whisky I've ever been near. It also has among the most amazing sherry casks ever chosen, but they very clearly didn't allow this one to be over powered by sherry either. Instead sherry enhances the insane smoke and just sheer power of that lagavulin malt. Balance is found and refinement while giving us one of the most over the top experiences in whisky history. This is now a 4 figure bottle and going up by the day. I'm not sure if I could even justify the price today, but thankfully I've had a good 4-5 pours of it and likely will get at least one more, but I'll work HARD to make it at least 2. I've never had anything this intense, refined, and old world.....it's a master piece that each time I get a chance to have takes me on a journey to a truly special place. This is almost an unobtainable bottle and they trade secondary almost always first to people who are known buyers, so for anyone to jump in, good luck and you'll likely pay a premium. But this is the lagavulin if you see at a bar, you just buy, don't even think about the price.

Oddly this just made to here locally...seems like it's a year behind? Anyway on to the neck pour review. Nose - buttery as all hell. Oak and kinda weird springbanky malt and funk that's not springbank? I often get sugar cookies on springbank but this is more buttered savory bread with some kind of off note and maybe old dried wine in the back ground. Sea salt, chocolate, bit of fig, bit of alcohol bite, Taste - The taste brings me back to more classic longrow but the savory buttery element here is still turned up to 12. Heavy salt and very sweet. There's however not much depth. Not a lot of complexity. It's pretty rich and full of body and flavor. Ultimately I think at 10 years it's too young. I think this could have gone back into the bourbon casks for a few more years to round it out more. 2 stars from me. It's a pass at the 160 it sold for. I'm struggling to add much but I'll let it open up and see if that helps.

Oh my old friend, you're home, finally! Nose - this is the most heavily sherried 25 I've had to date. Reminding me instantly of Arran 25's sherry casks with a mix of beef broth, sherry sweetness, some kind of natural barely, rock candy, salt, sugar cookies, cherries, and god knows what else. Simply wonderfully rich and complex. Taste - Oily and waxy raw grain turns to vanillas and rich salty sugar cookies and these magical sherry notes. Light milk chocolate and honey weave their way into this one. Finishing with light smoke and slight oak tannins to remind you it's 25 years old but not enough to even slightly offend. The finish just won't go away. Only issue? It's 46%...this need desperately to be at 50% Anyway this is the best springbank 25 to date. 4.5 out of 5. Absolutely amazing. Another just master piece from Scotland most loved and best distillery. Worth the price? Nope! Edit - worth the price? I bought a second. And moving it up to a 5 star rating. This is maybe the best springbank I own. I took a bit of time for me to realize just how insane this is. I bought 2. Get you a pour at least guys!

Another day, another over priced bourbon that I shouldn't have bought? Lets find out. Nose - Vanilla forward youngish MGP. A lot of candy and a lot of fruit without a lot of dirty corn or barrel. Making me think there's a bit of age here. Very full of aromas and notes. Very rich. I'm pretty impressed. Taste - The nose was better. The flavor is much more traditional MGP. A bit of sharp sour notes with some butter scotch and toffee, oak, some light unsweet vanilla. Full mouthfeel full body and full of flavor. Overall, this is pretty good. If you're an old carter fan boy, I think you'll like it. If you're like me and a bit agnostic with them, this isn't a stunner. I'm at a 2.0 for this one. At 200 I don't get these guys but whatever.

This is coming to the channel hopefully sooner than later, but Mike's taking his time so lets just spoil this a bit. So this is mostly 15 year laphroiag bottled at near 50%. Do I even need to review it? Nose - Iodine forward smoke with this mix of sherry and funky oak and weird malt notes. Digging deeper there's spearmint. There's gasoline and there's oak. Under that lemon and lime come out, lightly smoked but still wet inside. Taste - This is medium to high viscosity and that creates this amazingly oily whisky experience. Laphroaig and bowmore and clynelish are all just playing together like best friends. Heavy smoke from campfire to medicinal to smoked BBQ to just smoked wood fire stove. It's wonderfully clean and also dirty. There's citrus and vanilla and creamer for your coffee. There's mint and smoke and citrus and so many wonderful notes. This is an amazing pour and I'm buying another one tomorrow. This is hands down the best compass box since tobias and when you factor in price, it's the best in a long time. I might have to compare this to flaming heart 2015. But to be fair, it's so much bigger and bolder and more creamy and just the mouth feel here is amazing. Score is between a 3.75 and a 4.0. I'm going to score this 3.75 but I'm thinking I"m letting the price influence me. This might be a 4. Buy a case. That's my review.

Sometimes we take a risk... Nose - young spirit without any doubt. Vanilla, peat, butter scotch, raw malt, a HINT of talisker spice but barely any. Overall, new make forward with a good bit of peat, but without any off putting elements at all. It's a clean new make in the sense that we don't have issues. Maybe a very narrow cut to off set some of these issues? Taste - See the nose for a lot of the flavor. However, we get with it a rich viscous mouth feel. Mouth coaching and creamy. Tootsie roll vanilla with butter scotch. Good salt levels and yes hints with water of the talisker spice and with water you START to get a BIT of talisker fruity malt elements. Ultimately, the value in this is the creamy mouthfeel and the bold flavor. Is it more peated than most talisker? Honestly, I'd have to compare this with something else at CS but I get more salt than modern talisker but peat? Smoke? Honestly, it's just more salty and rich. Maybe the alcohol is killing out the peat? I'm torn on where to score this. A part of me objectively thinks this much still young malt is a bad thing. I however don't dislike it, it's actually making me think of a good Lagavulin 12 weirdly enough. Not as royalty peated but the level of vanilla and mix of still without it being offensive or even slightly off putting. Overall, It's good whisky, it's bold, it's rich, it's full flavor, it's HUGE bodied....but it's 120 bucks. And I've not sold myself on this for 120. 2.25 on this one. You might talk me into a higher score. Let me know your thoughts. As for a buy? I really wish this was 80, but I also am thinking about Lag 12 which I think is a buy for 120 all day. I'm torn...so if you're digging these notes, get it. If you have any questions, I'd just pass.

Not sure why I had to get this but I'm a sucker for a bit of age and smoke. I'm just so forgiving on these. Nose - There's a weird battle ground being drawn here. The Marsala cask vs the smoke vs what I think is a fruity malt. There's not much depth here as the age even at 12 seems a bit young. A swirl brings out a nice malt and oak note. Some butter scotch, tannins, and vanilla. It's a nice profile for this price point. Taste - Medium mouth feel with a battle for vanilla, light butter scotch, wine casks, and then a wonderful rich lightly charred oak smoke. From there it lingers into some dark chocolate and toffee. There's even a bit of a coffee here as well. What really brings this together is how the smoke and coffee notes linger forever for such a young and to be fair somewhat thin and not overly cask driven dram. There's just been a wonderful balance found with this one despite what I suspect were less than ideal casks and a budget point on age and stock used set on this one. For about 60 bucks this is spectacular. It's easy to drink, approachable, and yet nails this. 2.5 stars - get it! I think it was 65 bucks, I'm not sure.

So - technically a pic but I'm not going to add this just because it was a picked single barrel. Nose - classic bourbon. Light, high corn, simple, basic, vanilla, caramel, and some oak spice. Touch of apple and a touch of cinnamon. Honestly, it's light and dull. Taste - This is a surprisingly spicy EH Taylor. EH Taylors have always been spicy for me but this is turned up a bit. Some good red apple. Some cinnamon. It leaves a good bit of bite on the lips, but also is thin on the tongue (chill filtered?). Well, doesn't seem Buffalo Trace is hiding honey barrels for this program. This is just fine. If you like EH Taylor you'll like this. But don't pay a penny extra for it. I wouldn't buy this over a small batch. 1.5 out of 5. I hate to end the hype on this.

Been way too long....I need to do inventory and start reviewing my backlog here. Anyway, lets just jump in. So - I swore off anymore NAS bullcrap peated whiskies after a string of complete trash was given to us. Last year's Cairdeas was horrible, ardbeg was on a streak of trash after trash after trash bottle....it was all doom and gloom, but I was told this was one to give a shot. OK guys...this wasn't free...it better be at least ok! Nose - The nose isn't helping here. It's alcohol FORWARD. Under that you get this beef and smoke pork and just meaty wood fire stove kinda thing with actually....fairly nice PX casks. No, not some top end amazing deals but this doesn't taste like the recent trend of burning the hell out of the oak to then get dark whisky. These casks come off pretty well...maybe PX casks haven't yet become part of this race to the lowest quality possible I'm seeing lately. Anyway, a mix of young and overly spirited and actually really nice. Think a really nice 10 year CS honestly. Taste - This is smoked meat, smoked oak, and then wonderfully sweet sherry (finally a young whisky that uses SWEET sherry and doesn't ruin it). The finish is smoke and peat. The medicinal notes are mixed in well with the PX creating a bit of a iodine meets some kinda weird fruit dessert with chocolate and a touch of burned rubber. Mouth - oh man, those px casks impart such a nice creamy upfront note which then turns to ash and burned char as the proper peated scotch takes over. I gotta say guys at 106 bucks, buy 2. It's great for that price point out if you like the notes I left you. Smoke, fire, oak, wood, more smoke, and lovely sweet sherry casks. But also somewhat young and certainly not without some flaws. Still it's a big bold bad whisky. 2.75 feels about right here. About as good or better than some recent springbank 12's but in that range. Quality whisky that does everything well but it's young and spirited. This isn't for most whisky drinkers but it's good and if you're a smoke head it'll be right up your ally. if you're just ok with peat, this is a good way to jump into laphoriag done well. At the us price of 106, honestly get it guys. It's good stuff. And it's priced a bit more than you'd like from cairdeas but this is legit one of the most bold and enjoyable in years. But if this is out of your budget, you can move on. It's not a splurge bottle either unless you really want to get into CS peat.

Ok so mike and I did our first "uncorking" just for this one...I scored it a bit high. But lets get into it. But please don't judge the gap here lol. Nose - Sweet grain, light elements of sherry casks, and honey comb. It's not great it's not amazing but I really enjoy it overall. It's just nothing special. Taste - Sweet, barrel, honey comb still, a bit of alcohol and spice. Well crafted and well made nice whisky. The finish brings this citrus element I get in younger but good whiskies. The finish is shockingly long, not great, but it lasts and lasts and it's good. For me this is a small test down from the hazelburn 10 and thus 1.75. I think this is an 85-86. I scored it 87 with mike....it was just drinking great that day on the neck, but with more time I'm a bit lower. Still for 60 bucks? Dude..you can't do better for a non peated scotch these days. Good stuff, I get some of the hype and love, but seriously....I'd take ardbeg 10 over this all day. Are people just so lazy they want a new bottle to hype up as their whisky of the year? This is pretty good and I'd recommend for the price all day. But nobody I've talked to has been blown away. They just like it. I've hard some old CS 10's are great though.