Tastes

Tennis balls. Rubber. Iodine. Seaweed. These are all words used to describe the iconic Islay malt produced by Laphroaig. These are also the words that kept me away from trying this classic single malt until now. After taking the plunge with Arbeg Corryvreckan I decided to immerse myself in the Islay experience. And what better place to start than Laphroaig? Laphroaig 10 yr is a nice medium gold color in the glass. It produces average legs when swirled and is bottled at 43% ABV. And no, I did not smell tennis balls when I opened the bottle! Just lots of smoke. The nose is dominated by the smoke. There is also peat, rubber, and medicinal notes. Maybe iodine? But mostly smoke. Not BBQ smoke. Hard to put a label on it, just a general ashy smoke tone. Water tames the smoke and brings out a richer tone, almost vanilla in character. The palate is: you guessed it, more smoke! An ashy, dry smoke. Also picked up salt. No noticeable sweetness to my taste, the first whisky I've had that I couldn't pick up any real sweetness. Although water enhanced the nose, it did nothing for the palate. The finish is medium, smoky, and dry. Laphroaig claims to be the "most richly flavored" whisky. I don't know about that, but I was pleasantly surprised with this dram. This will save back for a cold winter night sometime in the not too distant future when all that smoke and warmth will be more welcome. An excellent malt for $40. Solid 4.0. Cheers!

Looking online this seems to be a release that is only available in the UK/Europe. This is an NAS whisky aged in ex-bourbon, refill European oak, and "heavy char" casks. It's then finished in Port casks and bottled at 45.8% ABV. On the nose this is a little hot with dark fruits (raisins), smoke, some floral notes, and (after a while) chocolate. Really pretty nice. The palate is hot at first with Port wine, smoke, and sweet orange peel. The finish is medium, dry, smoky, and spicy with hints of BBQ meat. Overall this was the best of the three samples. This was a dram I could consider buying, if it were available. I have had one other Talisker offering (Storm) and it's definitely a great distillery. 4.25/5. Cheers!

This highland distillery has the distinction of being the highest distillery in Scotland. I had high hopes for this whisky after seeing some good reviews. This whisky is bottled at 43% ABV and is a very light gold/straw color in the glass. It produces sparse legs. The nose is very light, really too light for my taste, with floral and citrus notes. It's a little hot for an 86 proof 15 yr old. After a while in the glass there were cereal notes like oatmeal with brown sugar which was a welcome change after the initial light nose. The palate was very mild as well with honey and some light smoky vanilla. The finish was short and dry with a light smoky tone. Overall this was pretty disappointing to me. Flavors were very light with not much complexity. Some might find this right up their alley but not me. Glad it was just a sample. 3.5/5. Cheers!

This whisky is bottled at 43% ABV and is a light gold in the glass. It produces average legs when given a spin. The nose on this dram is pleasant, light, and bright with strong floral notes and some lemon zest. Water brings out some darker tones, some dark fruit notes and a hint of smoke. The palate is fairly sweet with honey, grass, and more floral notes. Not my favorite flavor profile but not bad... The finish is short, slightly smoky and dry. Online price for this whisky is $58, at least for a retailer that will deliver to my area. Not a bad dram, but not one I will be looking to buy. 3.75/5 overall. Cheers!

Being a very popular whiskey I purchased a bottle recently. It's reasonabley priced at about $33. This whiskey tries to be all things to all people and succeeds fairly well. It's not bad neat, but is a great mixer. I prefer rye in my Manhattans and this makes a pretty great Manhattan. In the glass it's a medium gold color. It has a nice oily coating on the glass and leaves sparse, long legs. This dram is a 95% rye mashbill, with the other 5% being malted barley. So no corn at all. This results in a fairly dry, spicy whiskey that works great in cocktails. It's not bad neat, but it really shines with some ice or in a cocktail. The nose is very different from a standard bourbon whiskey. Instead of the bourbon caramel/vanilla/toffee notes there is mint, lemon, spice, cinnamon, and cloves. The nose is probably the best part of this dram. In the mouth it is hot, hotter than a 90 proof whiskey should be. This is a little surprising because there was very little burn in the nose. Even after sitting in the glass a while the heat remains. Oddly enough for a 95% rye whiskey there is a distinct sweetness, along with some cinnamon notes. The finish is medium with dry, spicy, peppery tones. Overall, it's not bad, but not great. This whiskey shines as a mixer and that's where you'll see it in bars and restaurants all over the place. If there's a Bulleit Rye Manhattan on the menu you can order it with confidence that you'll be getting a decent whiskey in your drink. Just be sure to tell the bartender to add enough bitters and order it up (without ice), otherwise you'll get a watered down waste of a drink. 3.75/5. Cheers!

Oh. My. I have fallen over the cliff into the full Islay addiction. Tonight I happened to find myself in an amazing whiskey bar where the $100 glasses of Pappy 20 yr. were not the most expensive thing on the menu. So I decided to see what all the fuss was about with the big peat monsters of Islay. After all, if I found out I hated it I hadn't lost much. Spoiler alert: I didn't hate it! I decided to go with what I thought was about the peatiest thing I could find on the menu: Laphroaig cask strength. As it turns out, they were out of that. The bartender recommended Ardbeg Corryvreckan. Since I know I've read great things about that whisky I figured ok I'll try it. Little did I know what lay before me on the road to Islay. This review is based on notes taken in a crowded noisy bar so it's probably not as complete as if I had done this tasting at home. The whisky is a light to medium gold color on the glass, couldn't see much in the way of legs. Corryvreckan clocks in at 57.1% ABV. I have no idea whether it has an age statement or not, I'm thinking not. On the nose it was quite underwhelming. Light smoke and peat with some light floral notes. No alcohol burn to speak of which is amazing considering the ABV. Just a nice smoky, slightly sweet scent. In the mouth it's a whole 'nother thing altogether! The heat and the smoke exploded in my mouth like a bomb. Not overpowering but just incredibly strong and mouth-filling. Smoke and ash, but in a good way. There was a slight honey sweetness behind the smoke that balanced it out almost perfectly. There was the expected alcohol burn but not as much as I would have thought from a dram with this much alcohol. Very manageable. Just incredible. The finish was fairly long with more of the smoke, turning into a BBQ meat flavor. Very nice. Overall this is just a about the best whisky I have had to date. I will definitely have to get a bottle of this sometime soon. After tasting this I am afraid I am headed down the path to the dark side of peated Scotch to be condemned to forever seeking the next level of peat and smoke. God help me! :) I give this whisky a solid 4.75/5. Slainte M'hath!

Not sure what to make of this whisky. The experience didn't live up to my expectations. Not sure what I was expecting. A chorus of smoky peat angels? A light shining on the smoke rising from the bottle? This is Lagavulin after all, the oldest distillery on the fabled Isle of Islay. Maybe it's the price point. That being said, this is very good whisky. Just not quite what I expected. To the tasting. In the glass this whisky is a medium amber. Swirling the glencairn produces nice long legs. This dram is bottled at 43% ABV. No indication of chill filtering or not. On the nose the first impression is smoke and ash. It's a little hot considering the age with a distinct alcohol burn. After a while there is smoked meat (pork), and salt. The burn doesn't fade for at least 20-25 minutes. Much as I tried I couldn't get much else out of it. This is a good smoke. With all the talk about "band-aids" and rubber in Laphroaig I'm glad I didn't find any of that in this whisky. Laphroaig might be next on the Islay Scotch list, but I didn't want any of that yet. The palate is more of the same. Smoke, ash, and a little hot. Initially it's dry with not much sweetness. It's rich and thick in the mouth. Dry and rich at the same time is something I've not experienced before. After a while some dark sweetness (molasses, dark chocolate) comes out. This is enhanced with a splash of water. The finish is fairly long with more smoke and BBQ meat. There is some sweetness on the finish, a little unusual. Even an hour later I can still taste it. I think my problem with this bottle is the price point. $95 is the most I've ever paid for a bottle of whisky. I guess my expectations were too high. Although this is very good I'm disappointed because of the price. That being said, I give it 4.25/5. Cheers!

Finally getting around to another review. I've had this bottle for a couple of weeks now, but just getting around to giving it a formal tasting. Right off the bat, this is a mighty fine bourbon! The 1897 in the name is a nod to the year the bottled in bond act was passed. As with all BIB whiskeys, this is the requisite 50% ABV and is at least 4 years old, although there is no age statement on the bottle. In the glass this whiskey is a very nice dark amber color. Swirling creates a thick oily coating that produces legs slowly. The nose is wonderful, full of oak and caramel, with little to no burn. There is some vanilla and spice notes as well, but mostly just that amazing sweet oak. The palate is more of the same with sweet caramel, vanilla, and toffee flavors as well as some heat. The burn is noticeable as it should be with a 100 proof dram but not harsh at all. Very smooth. There are some cinnamon and peppery spice notes as well, with a fairly thick mouthfeel. The finish is fairly long, dry, and oaky. This is not a complex whiskey. This is bourbon, plain and simple, but done very well. The oak tones in this whiskey are some of the best I've tasted, just makes you want more. It's a fantastic sipper, and pretty good on the rocks as well. I will definitely save this for those times I want something straight, no mixing for this bottle. At $50 it is a tad pricey, but worth it in my opinion. 4.5/5. Cheers!

Happy World Whiskey Day! Been holding on to this one for a while and today seemed a good occasion. I had a bottle of this a year or two ago before I got into whiskey and remembered that it was pretty good. My memory did not fail me. Eagle Rare is a product of Buffalo Trace. It's bottled at a respectable 45% ABV and is aged 10 years. It's a nice dark amber color that leaves a thick oily coating in the glass with nice strong legs. The nose is sweet caramel, oak, and vanilla with a very faint burn. That's it. The only negative thing I can say about this dram is that it's one dimensional. There is no complexity to this. Just all the characteristics that make bourbon great. And in spades! In the mouth it's a sweet bomb. An explosion of caramel apple, vanilla, and oak with a smooth heat. Very mouthwatering that leaves you wanting more. The finish is fairly long with a peppery oak tone that helps balance out the sweetness. This is a pretty excellent bourbon that hits all the notes that we drink bourbon for. This is one of the first whiskies that I've had that I can honestly say is best neat. I always do my tastings neat but usually prefer to drink bourbon on the Rocks or in a cocktail, usually a Manhattan. And at $33 it's a great value as well. It's not always available so when you see it grab some. 4.25. Cheers!

In the glass this whisky has a color of burnished gold. There is no mention of filtration or coloration on the bottle or the website so I assume both are in play. HP 12 yr is 43% ABV. The legs were unimpressive, just average. Nosing this dram presents peat, some floral/grassy notes, and brine. I let it sit in the glass for quite some time before getting the slightest hint of honey. After more than 30 minutes there were some faint fruity notes as well. But mostly smoke and honey. The palate is more of the same: sweet smoky honey. It has a nice mouthwatering body and finishes with more smoke, like burning leaves. Water did not change much, just enhancing the sweetness a bit. Overall this is pretty good but surprisingly one dimensional. This dram can be summed up in two words: smoky honey. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I was expecting a little more. Solid 4.0. Cheers!