Tastes

A generous taste courtesy of Pie Chef Guy. First off, I really like a lot of sherry ages whiskeys, and at 94 proof, this masterpiece delivers on all marks. The nose is so surprisingly smooth and chocolaty. I am used to picking up on raisins first with sherry, but not this time. There is dark chocolate, dried figs and then raisins. These cover up light scents of cloves and maple candy. Even the taste is smooth. It's like eating a handful of chocolate covered raisins (Raisinets anyone?). Then I am hit with flavors of vanilla, honey roasted pecans and a touch of some kind of sweet and salty brittle. Great to the last drop!

Getting my hands on a bottle of this was a stroke of luck. I have found that Westland hardly disappoints. The first most notable notes are light, fragrant scents of dried plums, pecans and fresh rain. The taste is full of spice, floral notes, juniper and slight touch of tobacco. Earthy flavors blend with light natural aromas to create a unique take on the Westland stock. Overall, pretty good, but they have done a lot better with some of their other spirits.

A generous taste courtesy of Pie Chef Guy. To simply start off... Wow! This whiskey has fangs and flavor aplenty. It starts with the strong scents of cinnamon, fresh bread and lightly of pudding. The taste is spicy and lightly fruity. There are notes of a sweet pound cake. The finish is peppery with a lingering heat and touches of vanilla.

Not bad, but not great. This one had so much promise, but I found it failed to deliver. The nose has scents of blood orange and brown sugar. The taste is reminds me of aromatic spices, cardamom and some sort of potpourri. Simple notes, not a lot of excitement.

First word that comes to mind: Epic. This 107 proof bottle of magic can bring you to your knees. It smells strongly of vanilla, cinnamon, and molasses cookies. The taste is warm and friendly with notes of shortbread cookies, vanilla pudding, and sugar wafers. The fluid is thick and oily, yet light and flavorful.

I must admit, I was pretty excited when I opened this one for the first time. The overall scent of this one is far more subtle than the other Highland Park whiskeys I have tried. There are notes of bread flour, almonds, light brown sugar and, sugar cookies. The taste is a bit more pronounced with shades of creme brulee, flaky, buttery biscuits, and toasted sourdough. The finish has a sweet, smokey wash. The subtly of this whiskey hides a decadence full of dessert bakeries and family breakfasts.

This was a hard find. Had to drive into BC Canada to dig up the last bottle at a Canadian liquor store. And it was well worth the hunt. Yes, its a Canadian whiskey, but don' let that fool you. This one was worth the trip. The proof is 86, and this whiskey drinks very smoothly. It has subtle, sweet flavors that remind a bit of Japanese whiskey, but with vastly different tastes. The nose is a mix of grapefruit, dried apricots, ginger and sweet icing. It has a playful decadent scent. The taste matches the smell closely, with added light musk, hints of dry-roasted hazelnuts, hot popcorn and a long note of licorice. Overall, pretty good and quite different.

Not my favorite smokey whiskey, but still pretty damn good. This one starts off with burning fall leaves and a good, crackling campfire. There are touches of smoked brisket and a slab of rubbery leather. The taste is smokey, sweet and salted meat that evolves over time. There is a small fruity note that slips in behind the smokey flavor. I would really call this a fall whiskey.

This is the kind of smokey scotch that I like. Stronger smoke on the nose, but lighter and differing notes on the tongue. Ardbeg 10 year is an adventure from start to finish. And spellcheck does not like the name, go figure. The smell starts with a rubbery sweet tar, and rolls right into a sweet and salty smoked meat, kind of like a slow smoked, marinated slab of flank steak. Almost makes your mouth water. The taste runs in a totally different direction. It taste of cigar, earth, fall leaves, warm campfire and a touch of fresh fish. I had this with some smokey BBQ, and would definitely recommend the combination. Truly excellent and worth a second sip (and a third).

Wow. Just wow. This is some seriously elegant and tasty $h1t. It smells like fresh honeycomb and melted butter. The taste is sweet and smooth, almost playful. It's creamy and butter, kind of like a sweet, hot, honey-filled croissant. Despite the high proof this whiskey doesn't have a strong bite. It's warm and sweet on the finish, but quite approachable.