Tastes

This is from the last pour of my bottle. Been sitting in the glass for an hour. Nose: Wood Glue, Sweaty clothes, pickle juice, very faint sense of sweetness is stomped by the feinty smells. Still, not off putting. Taste: Butter, Grape, light caramel. Musty wood. Finish: nice warmth. Medium to long. lingering buttery sweetness. Closing Thoughts: I think the last pour is a little off. This is my 2nd or 3rd bottle of this, and I usually really love this. Great wheater to replace the now impossible to find Weller. For the price, you can't go wrong. Usually the nose is much sweater presence. Ah, such are the mysterious ways of whiskey. Don't let my notes put you off. This is worth a buy if you haven't tried.

Glenfiddich - Winter Storm - Batch #2 Poured and let sit for 1/2 hour; added a few drops of water. Nose: There is a lot of sweet and confectionary at play here. This is what I managed to isolate. Grape, light powdered sugar, spice cookie made of wood, strawberry ice cream Taste: Great medium viscosity; but also suprisingly dry; sweet is not overwhelming as the nose might lead one guess. Getting some classic scotch ceral notes, but enhanced by the ice wine and European oak. It literally tastes like an iced red grape was added to this. Some spice elements, perhaps from the European oak? Finish: Extreme drying sensation. Not sure I've had a whiskey that finished this dry. It makes you want to drink more! A very subtle grape sweet is left on the pallet. Final Thoughts: I have looked forward to this bottle for years. I finally found one and it cost 425$. Most expensive bottle I have ever purchased. I have to say, this is interesting, but not worth that price. Even at its normal retail of 250$, I dont think this quite worth that. The distiller states they filled multiple barrels with different age glenfiddich and most came out way too sweet. Only the 21 year developed a profile they found interesting and worthwhile. I think I was honestly ready for a fruity explosion on the pallet, and it that was not really to be found. It is definitely a unique scotch experience, especially the dry aspect, but one you are better off sampling at bar rather than a full bottle. I may come back and update this review if the bottle develops further complexity as it opens up.

Tried this with my friends the other night at our monthy tasting. Thought I would share my notes on it: Nose: Vannilla and Carmel are dominant, Oak, Light Varnish, Garden Weeds (rye influence), Cardboard Glue, Light Mint. Taste: GRAPE LOLLIPOP! Carmel, Oak. Mouthfeel is smooth, creamy, and powerful flavor. Finish: Medium in length. Holy cow! That grape lollipop dominates the flavor. It is also reminds me strongly of a few bottle of Eagle Rare that I have had. This dances with being on the sickely sweet side. It is a well distilled whiskey. You can tell that it has great balance outside of the grape note. I would classify this as an after dinner dessert whiskey, or something to sip on at a county fair. If the grape could be reigned in some, this would reach new heights of excellence. It is worthwhile to note that this is a single barrel bottle. So, the grape characterisitic could differ greatly depending on the barrel that your bottle came from.

Ordered a sample of this from masters of malt. Did not want to pay 300+$ to find out if I liked this or not. This whiskey really through me for a loop. I love Talikser. Talisker 10 is one of my favorite peated Scotches. It's a nice light peat, infused with that salty brine that really makes it wonderful. I've had Talisker 10 and Storm( many of both in fact) and was sure that 25 should be a similar experience, just taken to the next level. Let's get on to my notes for the truth of the thing: Nose: Glue(paste), Green Banana, Musty, Light Tangerine, Light pepper w/ time, and finally towards the end spicy bbq'd baby back ribs. Taste: sweet melon! kelp salt, rainbow sherbert icecream! Where's the peat?! Mouthfeel is light, on the watery side, but powerful flavor. Finish: Cantelope! Shortish in length. I am really torn with this whiskey. In many respects, it is a good dram! However, I was expecting classic Talisker and this is a completely different beast. So much unexpected fruit. It's like they traded the peat/smoke for fruit. It was a fun tasting experience, but I would not want to pay 300$ for this. I know of far more interesting dram's that can be had for under 100$ a bottle. I understand that this is 25 years old and it is hard to hold on to that kind of stock, but this is simply not worth the price tag. I recommend getting a sample, and trying. Maybe for some out there, this will be worth the price of a full bottle.

This is very similar to 10, but 10 is definitely worth the extra $. However, that being said, if you are looking for a lighter side of peat with nice sweetness and sea salt character, this is a great buy! Easily could be a daily sipper, and I have found this for as cheap as 35$ a bottle!

I believe the 12 has been largely replaced by the NAS "Harmony" edition. It will be harder to find. That being said, this is one of my favorite whiskys. This is very much a solid grain scotch with some serious fruit overtones. The plum on the nose is thick and a strong tangerine on the taste. It has a great viscosity and weight to it in the mouth. It also comes in one of the coolest bottles around. This use to be had for 70$. Not sure what it would run today if I could find a bottle, but it probably has appreciated quite a bit as most Japanese whisky have over the last 5 years. It's a no brainer grab if you should stumble across a bottle for the right price.