Tastes

Nose: Dark brown sugar and the typical roasted oak notes dominate. Then, there is some caramel, vanilla, light coconut and cheap maraschino cherries. Some light ethanol and floral notes give it a light varnish-like smell (which combined with the burnt notes can be somewhat interpreted as light rubber). T: The dark brown sugar dominates the taste with strong oak char notes that end up being molasse-like. A bit less vanilla than in the smell but a deep toffee is also there with some floral notes. Cheap maraschino cherries are still there. There is a light saltiness that combined with the char notes and caramel end up being slightly peanut-y, which I really love. Light ethanol, not as varnish-like as in the smell. Mouthfeel: Medium to light Finish: Dry with charred oak, peanuts, orange peel (zest and pith), pepper and cinnamon. Medium in length and is my favorite part of this whisky. This is a weird one. I try to be objective with my score and I know there are obvious flaws in this whisky, but I do enjoy it quite a bit more than the score might indicate. A great every day sipper.

Nose: You get the typical Highland Park profile with tons of delicious red apples, nutmeg, cinnamon and very slight cardamom. In the back, you have some custard and angel's food cake. Some light smoke and ash are present. I find that the ash (not the smoke) clashes a bit weirdly. Palate: Powerful taste with the red apples and raisins, a strong spicy punch with a ton of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and general oak spice. The spices are much more present than the smell let on. The custard and angel's food cake like notes I've picked are still there with the egg-like flavors being more present than in the smell. A little salty. Again, the smoke and ash are there, not being the biggest fan of the ash. Mouthfeel: Medium body with some oiliness. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Finish: Smoky, spicy, vanilla custard, light chocolate and a little salty. Longer than expected and maybe the highlight of this dram. Overall: This is a very nice fruity and smoky whisky. You get quite a bit of oak spice from the older whiskies in this "blend" and some edginess from the younger ones. This is powerful whisky that feels a bit higher proof than what it is. Still, I find the ash a bit distracting and would have score this a bit higher if it weren't for that.

Maroon Label Nose: Red delicious apples, vanilla, light honey, graham crackers, a little potpourri and a little non-sweet strawberries. Palate: Vanilla, light honey and red delicious apples are at the front. Then, you get some graininess with graham crackers and light coconut. The strawberries come out a little with a touch of water. Mouthfeel: Medium, with some oiliness. Finish: Spicy with cardamom, cinnamon, Szechuan peppercorns, oak tannins, orange pith/bitters. A touch of potpourri. A little bourbon-like cherry. Overall: Very nice lighter scotch with very good balance and overall construction. Lacks the wow factor to score higher, but this is still a very good creamy/fruity whisky.