Tastes

Smells rich and fruity. Sweet that melts into wood, followed by burn. The richness lets the burn spread, but it's still a little too much bite for me. I get peach up front, cherries at the end. Honey sweetness too. Very good.

Lacking body but good for the price. Easy vanilla flavor.

Sweet, grainy. Easy and approachable, nothing groundbreaking. But better than average

Beautifully balanced. Medium bodied richness to start, then slips from a great balance of wood and grain and subtle spice into an excellent fiery smokey tail. Long and lingering.

Light colored, fairly thin. Tastes like a whiskey spin on Okinawan Awamori I've had in the past. Sharp and bright, especially into the tail. I can't pick out flavors beyond cedar and that shochu aroma. It's alright, mostly gets points for originality. It's not often whiskey makes me think of Okinawa.

Smells like chocolate. Wonderful aroma. Has a deep sweetness to it with the grain. Big spike of burn separates the tail, which is more lingering chocolate. Love the taste on the finish. Stout adds a lot of character.

Not half bad in a hot toddy in the snow

Light, sweet, with mostly grain flavors. Easy to drink, like Glen moray Sherry, I'd probably have this with dessert. Might be a great choice for people who don't think of themselves as whiskey drinkers.

Nice and rich, light oak and grain flavors coming through, with some salt. More complex than the base version, and much heavier than what I'm used to out of Japan. Great balance between the flavors, despite the high proof making it a bit aggressive.