Tastes

Nose: vanilla, peat and some bacon upfront and some sort of tarmac comes through. The taste starts with sweet vanilla a distinct alcohol burn takes you to a metal youthfulness and a bitter smokey finish which is a sprinter and fades very quickly. Only a unpleasant bitterness sticks to your mouth for quite some time. The balance of this whisky is rather off and all in all it is by far not my favourite dram. Not recommended.

The nose delivers salt, peaty bacon, some alcohol (no surprise with 48% ABV), vanilla and some dried fruits from the sherry influence. Neat the taste starts boldly sweet with a short burn which quickly fades and brings you to some raisins, tamed wood, some peat and a whole barn full of bacon. If you add some drops of water (it takes quite a few) you get a much more smooth dram. It gets very sweet with vanilla from the bourbon casks and the peat gets tamed significantly. The finish is very pleasant with citrus, peat and interesting wood. In conclusion it is a remarkable Laphroig. In terms of maturation it is in the section of Ardbeg Uigedail and Lagavulin DE. It is much cheaper but still very viable option and I really recommend to give it a sip.

Holy moly, this is very sweet and sticky on the nose. Much like this plum liqueur you sometimes get as a digestive at Chinese restaurants. But the nose is not only asian as it offers sherry, caramel and fruity notes as well. The taste starts with a blast of brown sugar along with caramel, some juicy orange and a hint of PX sherry. After some alcohol burn you get the usual dry Sherry notes with dark fruits, maybe some cinnamon and red grapes. This brings you to a medium long, rather dry finish which is typical for Auchentoshan. As it delivers citrus, some oak and a flavour, which I always associate with cheddar cheese but that might be just my twisted palate. In order to rap it up, it's a very nice whisky which offers a lot regarding the price tag. The double maturation in two different sherry casks is a nice touch and it results in a very smooth and easy drinking dram. I recommend to give this whisky a try.

The nose starts with fresh green apples and brings you to a usual Speyside sniff with honey, vanilla and sweet fruits. If you really dig into this one you might find some nuts and a faint smoke as well. When you take a sip you first experience sweet apricots. Then you get bourbon flavours with vanilla and a beehive full of honey. I personally find Sherry notes and rum raisins as well before a citrus influenced pleasant oaky finish stays for some time before your brains asks for another sip. This bottle really surprised me. It's a smooth and well balanced cheap Speysider. The perfect situation for this dram would be a warm summer night or if you are trying to convince a novice for single malt. I only give three stars as this dram has nothing that really shines in order to make it unforgettable.

The first impression is fresh fruits combined with the usual dried fruits from the PX sherry maturation. In addition you will find caramel, honey and sweet toffee notes. It starts with brown sugar and fruity juiciness on the palate. Then there is a slight alcohol burn and pleasant dry sherry notes with Christmas spices. Then you get beautiful toffee/caramel from the direct fired stills before you experience a mouthwatering finish with oak, citrus and a faint breeze of smoke. In comparison with other 'younger' expressions of sherry monsters (like Glenfarclas 12yo) this is the best I had so far. I absolutely adore the caramel note from the direct fired stills and it's a shame they changed their production to steam powered stills in 2005!!!

The nose is fruity, sweet and spirit driven. Maybe some salt and dark sugar after some time. It starts sweet on the palate, with fresh fruits and dried fruits, I can't really pin it down. You also find honey, vanilla, salt, some citrus and a faint hint of smoke. Sweet caramel influenced aftertaste without too much oak. The smoke assures a long lingering very pleasant aftertaste. This dram has all the coastal characters you would expect, but feels somewhat young considering the 14 years. It's a classic and for good reason though, but for me it has nothing really special which would make me buy it again. Still you should have a bottle in your shelves once.

The nose is sweeter than the 10yo. It delivers sweet and salted caramel, some peat and vanilla. Maybe pear and banana as well. It seems a much more tamed expression than the Talisker Storm and the 10 yo. Taste: sweet, peat and alcohol. Then fresh fruits, lots of caramel and vanilla with a dry peat knocking at the door every now and then. The finish is rather short for a peated malt. With sour and peated notes without to much oak influence. It is worth mentioning that the famous Talisker chilly catch is turned down substantially, which is surprising for such a young and spirit driven whisky. Here in Germany the price difference between the Skye and 10yo is around 5 €, so I will always lean to the age statement but this NAS is not a bad choice either. (81/100)

Nose: this is a spirit driven nose with lemon, nuts and cleaning detergent (I know that sounds horrible but the nose reminds me of something I used for cleaning my kitchen). On the palate you find floral and fruity notes, citrus, some oak and marzipan. The finish a light and easy going but with a unpleasant bitterness. This a decent dram with a fair prize tag but it is simply a little boring for me, despite the nutty character. (74/100)

Honey, vanilla, an unpinnable smoke and the 46 abv on the nose. Quite flat on the palate. There a wooden cedar notes up front with honey and smoke that ends in a bitter aftertaste. This is a rather one dimensional malt. I like the non chilfiltration but this is not my dram. (70/100)