Tastes

Had a sample bottle from the 60s/70s. Nose: rather strong newmake perfume, but somehow also rounded. Floral. Honey. Heather. Palate: Honey, marshmallow, slight oak, nuttiness. Finish: Alcohol sting, floral perfume, moderately long. Not keen to have another, even if given for free.

Nice, fruity light sherry, a little sweet and salty/sour (in a good way), good mouthfeel. Discontinued, does that mean I will seek out more bottles for collecting sake? I'm afraid this one has not reached that status. Will just hang on and enjoy the remaining bottles I have! Recommendation: Nice to have, I will buy a bottle if I see one at a reasonable price.

Nose: Rich ripe plums, a funky sour note, some woody hints and a nutty undertone. Palate: Sweet spices, that funky sour note again (albeit not as strong as the nose suggests), medium body. Finish: Rather long, dry, wood notes, a little hot Overall: So this is rare, doesn't make me wanna go out and search for more bottles. The taste just doesn't excite me that much. For the price, I'd rather get a few entry level bottles from Campbeltown or Islay (granted, different taste profiles, but hey I am the reviewer!). Reminds me somewhat of Macallan's Select Oak. Which is 1/3 the price. Go figure.

Better than previous incarnation..

Some rubbing alcohol astringency at first whiff but with a bit of time, it settles down to a softer citrusy note. Adequately full mouthfeel, with hints of oak behind the malt.

This NAS blows almost every whisky that is twice or thrice its price out of the water! Smooth, rich, sweet, umami, fruity - talk about being complex! This is the girl I wanna date! A no-brainer for stocking up your cabinet for good times with friends (aficionados or otherwise!)

Somehow I preferred the Original over this, and that is worrisome because I am partial to sweetness and buttery crusty biscuity creme brulee-ish descriptors (as suggested by the expert reviewer). But I just couldn't find them that easily when the body is a little on the weak side - I didn't get the rich fullness, instead the consistency felt ever so slightly thin and not at all creamy. Maybe I had an off day. Maybe the dram had an off day. I so much wanted to give this a 5-star rating. But I couldn't myself in the mirror the next morning if I did that.

For a NAS that is touted to be a replacement for the 12 yo, I had inadvertently compared this to the latter. Nothing bad to say about it, just that it is NOT better than the 12. Different, yes, better, no. Sweet floral malt wafts through my sinuses in the finish. Good, but nothing to write to Tokyo about. Cheers!

I remember a good friend of mine was saying Makers Mark is a must-try (mainly because he was told the same). I guess it is a must-try so that we all will learn what not to buy a bottle of. It was the hard of 'hard liquor', loads of wood upfront and swallowing it was an unpleasant experience. That's what she said.