Tastes

Sweet and spicy aroma with a strong alcoholic opening. Given a few minutes to breathe, the alcohol mellows significantly revealing notes of sharp Granny Smith apple dipped in caramel, baking spices, rye bread, sour cherries, and milk chocolate. Hot, sour, and then sweet upon first sip. After the initial shock to the palate subsides, rich, classic bourbon flavors including brown sugar syrup, vanilla, barrel spice, hot cinnamon, dill pickle brine, and chocolate covered dried cherries appear. Also, ruby grapefruit and mandarin citrus. The body is supple, with an almost oily texture. Despite the luxurious mouthfeel, legs struggle to take shape as the liquid crashes swiftly after a swirl. Although, beautiful fat droplets do hang on. The medium-long finish is semidry and nutty, but not overly tannic from the charred oak, kind of like cocoa dusted pecans with a hint of raisins and green herbs. Aroma: 8 Taste: 9 Body: 9 Finish: 8

A lively floral nose with hints of fruit and biscuity malt. Notes of sweet honeysuckle, peach, ripe barley, feint lemon citrus, underripe strawberry, mild spice hinting at chai tea, and golden syrup. Equally lively on the tongue, with a peppery entry that is quickly accompanied by intense sweetness. White pepper, followed by fresh orchard fruits, white peach, apple, and Bartlett pear in light syrup, strawberries in cream, then white chocolate. Medium bodied, pillowy and semi-viscous, it has sparse legs that fall fairly quickly in irregular intervals before dissipating from the walls of the glass like frost melting away. The finish is slightly bitter, with a touch of oak, yet still sweet with vanilla and chalky old timey fruit candies. A nice summer dram. Aroma: 9 Taste: 9 Body: 9 Finish: 9

A mild and inviting aroma from this island malt. Vanilla and citrus saltwater taffy, digestive biscuits with a dollop of honey, and sea breeze carrying just a hint of pears ripening in a nearby orchard. Anything but mild on the tongue, with a surprisingly spicy entry that is packed with flavor. Rich, sweet and fruity, but kicked up with red pepper, plus baking spices. It is like hot and spicy stewed pears and apples in syrup with a honey oat vanilla crumble on top. Medium-full bodied with a nice oily texture that really coats the mouth. Legs are neat, even, and relatively slow. Some bitterness in the long finish, walnuts, oak, and eventually dried fruits, raisins and dried apples. A superb dram! Nose: 8.5 Taste: 10 Body: 9 Finish: 9

A classic sherried Speyside nose. Complex notes opening with citrus tree blossoms, crisp apple slices drizzled with honey, marmalade, oats, and Muscadine grapes are followed by some vanilla taffy and caramel chews, all balanced pristinely. Delightfully fruity and lively on the palate. Caramel blends with a mix of orchard fruits including pears, apples, Seville oranges, and Ruby grapefruit, plus a robust punch of pepper, candied cherries, as well as a dash of baking spices, besides a dusting of cocoa. The mouthfeel is silky, albeit a tad thin. No discernible legs in the glass, yet it does move rather unhurriedly and uniformly as it makes its attractive descent after a swirl. The finish is pleasant, mild but long. Slightly dry with delicate tannins revealing well chosen casks. Oak vanillin, Brazil nuts, cherry rope candy, a touch of coconut, raisins, plus a pinch of nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon. Aroma: 10 Taste: 9 Body: 8 finish: 9

This whiskey in one word… funky. Not necessarily a bad thing though. Hay barn, ethyl alcohol, corn bread, a smidge of chocolate dipped banana, and a suggestion of agave nectar. Sweet to the taste, yet vegetal, with a dusky raw element, like dark unrefined corn syrup. Spice like ancho chilies that prickles the tongue like a cactus, but at the same time comfortably warms the palate, follows adding to the intrigue. A beaded skirt like the fringed dress of a Mexican Hat Dancer forms in the glass preceding legs that fall as quickly as the dancer’s steps in the performance’s crescendo. Syrupy on the tongue, with a rather full mouthfeel. The finish is apple skins and wild cherry sanded candy drops alongside Grape Nuts or All Bran cereals, plus a final hint of oak. Certainly interesting! Aroma: 6 Taste: 6 Body: 8 Finish: 7

Sweet vanilla caramel Cow Tails candy and candy corn, plus a hint of apple blossoms, premiere in the aroma. Continued nosing drums up barrel influence in the form of herbaceous spice, charred oak, and esters, all calling to mind such baked treats as banana bread and apple crumble. The longer you let it breathe the richer it gets, with dark maple syrup, honey, and molasses emerging amidst tobacco tinged suede leather and even a note of Oud. Spicy sweet on the tongue, like cinnamon Red Hots candy, summarily followed by caramel apple strudel, and chocolate pecan pie. Legs are wide set, marching slow and steady to the bottom while leaving a breadcrumb trail of droplets scattered in their paths. The mouthfeel is full and satiny. It finishes long with dusky tannins amidst residual sweetness and diminished spice. Traces of tobacco, walnuts, coffee, and cocoa can be found too. Holds up OK with ice, but this dram’s drumbeat is best enjoyed neat. Aroma: 10 Taste: 10 Body: 8 Finish: 8

A gentle and inviting malt forward nose. Top notes are crisp green pears and underripe stone fruit lightly seasoned with white pepper, cinnamon, plus sea salt. Beneath these are heartier layers of honey, malted barley, and butter cookie. The base is a modest note of clean earthy peat, plus a nearly imperceptible oak vanillin. The taste is well balanced, sweet, spicy, smoky, and salty. Orchard fruits amid butterscotch give way to cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, some licorice root, and a drop of brine. Medium bodied, with a comfortable slickness on the tongue. However, in the glass it’s as legless as a serpent. The finish is ashy at the start, with some lingering warming spice and salinity. Eventually, it fades to a very soft honied woodiness with black tea tannins and green citrus notes landing it somewhere between vanilla chai and Earl Grey. Aroma: 8 Taste: 9 Body: 7 Finish: 9

Rich, deep, dark and phenolic. Heavy peat smoke dominates at first, but doesn’t overwhelm. Nosing sees the smoke dissipate, coaxing greater sweetness and woody spice from this nuanced aroma. Notes of dark honey, vanilla bean, Plumeria/Frangipani, red berries/grapes, candied lemon-lime citrus, fig, and crystallized ginger intertwine with peat phenols, toasted nuts, plus slight saline and sulfur. Tasting radiates hot peppery spice and citric acid first. Then the complexity of the flavor unfolds as the heat gives way to luxuriant dried fruits in dark syrup. Apricot, pineapple, coconut, and prunes. Next comes a cooling spearmint. Medium-full bodied with good viscosity. Legs are quick but thick, starting off a bit disorderly, but immediately falling in line, descending evenly spaced and in unison. The finish is dry, phenol forward, almost mentholated. The fruit and syrup sweetness fades to vegetal, somewhere between cavendish and mint. Oak tannins are pronounced, even for its age, suggesting lightly salted mixed nuts. Finally, ginger takes the farewell bow. Aroma: 10 Taste: 10 Body: 9 Finish: 8