Tastes

An icon, and a must-try for any scotch fan. Moderate, medicinal peat on the nose, with a mix of sweet and savory that I liken to frying applewood smoked bacon in an apple orchard in summer. The palate is full, rich, and sweet but with some iron in it, and again that medicinal note that carries across all three phases. Lagavulin is not as smoky as its closest brethren, Laphroaig or Ardbeg. Then you hit the signature Lagavulin finish, one of the most memorable in the world--peat, smoke, a unique taste almost like burnt rubber or asphalt (but in an intoxicating way), closing out with oakiness and a medicinal, sweet coda. Elegantly warming, no burn, and one of the longest finishes you'll find.

Batch 57 - This is a unique one, and I was very excited to try it given the huge following it has in the community. The nose is lovely, especially with a few splashes of water. It fills a glass with cherry pie, raisins, guava paste, and anise. On the palate, the cherry sweetness comes through most strongly for me, with a decent bit of heat and tingle on the lips. It burns even with water. The finish is explosive, fiery, and effervescent, with a spicy and bourbon-like caramel fade, along with notes of bittersweet chocolate. My rating is informed by the fact that a lot of less expensive bourbons provide a similar flavor profile and hot finish, so much so that if I had it blind I'd think it was a cask strength bourbon.

One of the holy trinity of Islay peat monsters, Ardbeg is an incredible value at around $50 (as is Laphroaig 10). The light color of this scotch belies a full-throated, heavy metal aesthetic -- heavy smoke and peat on the nose and palate, burnt caramel sweetness with some hints of citrus acid and a smattering of herbs and spices, and then a powerful toasted finish that balances spice, smoke, and salt. 7/9/17 Update: I had a dram of Ardbeg 10 while smoking a cigar. The fun thing about combining certain sensory experiences (like wine and cheese, or cigars and whiskey) is that both constituent elements change, in a way that can enhance one's appreciation or understanding of both. I've heard people say that Ardbeg or Islay scotches in general have a seafood or fish-like note to them, and I had never picked up on it. But when I nosed Ardbeg after a few puffs of a Montecristo No. 1, the smoke from the scotch was no longer perceptible and that seafood scent dominated the glass. To be honest, I'm not a big seafood guy, so I'm going to stick to Ardbeg without a cigar in the future. Definitely an interesting experience!

This scotch breaks into two parts for me, a wonderful nose and palate and then a discordant finish. The wonderful vanilla, fruit, sweet, and mildly tart features of the first two give way to a strong but not pleasant (to me) finish that is oversweet, a bit acidic, and long-lasting, with too much of the rum influence. I also get a lot of mintiness at the end, almost like a breath mint. For those who like rum this could be quite the hit, but it's not for me.

My favorite scotch, alongside Talisker 10. This one opens with a beautiful char, almost like searing a filet, and yet layers in dark berry notes quickly. There is a perfect call and response between the smoke and peat, on the one hand, and moderate sweetness, on the other. Pepper arrives first on the palate, then smoke curls in from around the edges of the mouth. There are hints of saltiness, but the longer it mingles in the mouth, the more caramel and honey emerge. The finish is the highlight here, impossibly long (new flavors emerging even minutes later) and complex, with hickory smoke and a flowering of 60+% dark chocolate.

I've visited Catoctin Creek and found them to be enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and I have high hopes for them. But at the time we visited (2014), their spirits were still aged for a fairly short time, and it showed--lots of new spirit burn and a particular burn on the nose. It does have rich, syrup-y flavors with some pepperiness that shows promise, so I look forward to older aged versions of their products.

This is an eminently drinkable scotch, but not one that I'd sit around contemplating at length. As expected, there's some smokiness in all three phases, although less than advertised (at least to me). The palate has fulsome honey and malt flavors, but it doesn't bring to mind particularly distinct notes beyond that. Like Black, it's a solid value at $30-35. Both the nose and the finish have a waft of new-make spirit, although it's been aged enough and is bottled at a low enough ABV that there's no burn.

I rated this a 4/5 here but, as a caveat, I'm a huge lover of peated Islay scotch. For those who are less interested in being overwhelmed with peat, this one is practically perfect. Every stage of drinking this scotch is complex. The nose first presents rich, dark fruits and sherry and shortbread cookies, but after a few breaths a creamy vanilla wafts up. The palate is well-rounded, with faint background tones of peat and smoke, mild spiciness, and tart citrus fruits, with a richness or creaminess that binds all flavors together. The finish seems to mutate from sip to sip, with the fruit sometimes expressing itself with smoke, sometimes mint, sometimes with a touch of grassy or herbal bitterness. The final notes return to fragrant ash or smoke, like the memory of a cigar smoked an hour or two earlier.

Rather than piling on I'll offer a suggestion for how to use this: mix it 3:1:1 with Cointreau and amaretto, serve up with an orange rind to garnish. It produces a fine cocktail. I agree it's not a sipping whisky (perhaps not even a whisky at all). But if it's on discount (and I got it at a pretty steep discount that brought it down to around $30), it's a fair mixer! Here's another odd scent note: when I poured a little of this and had it with a cigar, the aroma was a dead ringer for chocolate ice cream, so much so that it was a little eerie. So there is some nice quality hiding in this scotch, and I'd be intrigued to try a version that is aged a little longer and not rolled out to the market with this over-the-top, Beckham-fueled marketing hype.

Remarkable amounts of charcoal and cigar on the nose, like a smoldering barbecue pit and burnt ends. The palate carries through on that promise, with rich ash and then a burgeoning sweetness of grilled pineapple. The finish lingers beautifully, smoke curling upward from a spent cooking fire. Warm, even hot, throughout. Amazing for such a young scotch. Similar to Ardbeg 10 with more citrus on the palate and finish.