Tastes

Another of the bonus samples from the SDT. This one was provided by @LeeEvolved. Peated Portwood is a European exclusive release from GlenDronach that Lee was so excited about he blindly ordered 3 bottles. This NAS is bottled at 46% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of a beautiful ruby peach. The nose opens with a sugary sweetness and plenty of red fruits. Raspberries, red grapes and strawberries, but more like strawberry candy than actual strawberries, think Jolly Rancher candy. Some sweet port wine notes. A very mild smoke and more fruits. Peaches and apricots. Floral notes, light honey and oak. Not much more than that really, which is disappointing. The palate follows the nose, both in flavors and lack of complexity. Sweetness followed by a mid level peat. A little earthy and ever so slightly bitter with a bit of a vegetal feel. Some light spice, maybe white pepper. Peaches, sea salt, faint port notes and some light oak. A medium to light bodied mouthfeel that is oily and mouthwatering. The finish is medium short with smoky peaches, faint port notes and a light peat. The nose showed promise, but it quickly failed to deliver on that promise by showing a fairly simplistic profile. Sweet with a little peat, a little port and a decent amount of fruits. At times the fruits felt more artificial than natural, but honestly this is a nice easy sipper. One to sip and relax with and not one to ponder over. Probably best for late spring/ early summer. At first it was a 4, then a 3.75, then a 3.5, but late in the game it came back to a 3.75 so that’s where it will stay. Cheers

I’m sure many of you have noticed all of the review transfers I’ve been doing over the past few weeks. This has been an effort to try and even out my totals between the two apps I use. I started out on Barreled at least a year before here. I’ve gone about as far as I can but there are some bottles that just don’t exist here yet. Anyways it was all leading up this this review, number 200 when counting on Barreled. Well ladies and germs, I have now reached the 200 review milestone. For this occasion I have chosen another bonus sample from my friends in the Scottish Distillery Tour group. The Kilchoman red wine cask matured. A NAS from the newest Islay distillery (newest with product on the shelves anyway). It is matured entirely in casks that held red wine from Portugal, but not Port wine. Port wine is fortified with brandy and this wine was not. Bottled at 50% ABV and it is non chill filtered and natural color of a dark copper. Only around 10,000 bottles were released worldwide. The nose is a little closed off at first, even after 10 minutes sitting in the glass. Nothing but a little peat and a vague sweetness. I gave it another 5 minutes and the sweet red wines notes started to emerge along with some mint and an earthiness. Light honey and florals. Thick fruity notes follow. Raspberry and blackberry jams and plums. Subtle notes of toffee and chocolate, brown sugar and some maple. Water brings out some oranges, tangerines and some light tobacco notes. A little more water brings out more florals like lavender and more mint. The palate has peat, but it’s lighter than I have come to expect from Kilchoman. A dark fruitiness behind that peat. Mixed berry jam, red grapes, a touch of oak and dark chocolate. Red wine notes with a little orange rind. Kind of like a sangria without the rum and added sugar. Water brings out more sweetness but not more flavors. A medium bodied mouthfeel, a touch watery but it’s mouth coating and turns dry. The finish is medium long with a light peat and wine notes and a distant mint. Pretty good stuff here, but honestly I was expecting a little more. I had to coax the flavors out instead of being smacked in the face with them. Perhaps if this was finished with a strong Oloroso cask it would have given it that extra oomph I was hoping for. Still this is good whisky. $110 good? Maybe. Still, not a bad choice for number 200. 4.25 and another thanks to @Telex for the sample. Cheers

Another of the bonus samples from the SDT. Toiteach, pronounced...Gaelicly I’m sure, means smoky in Gaelic. Bottled at 46% ABV, this NAS single malt is non chill filtered and I believe it is a natural color of yellow gold. The nose is thick with lemony citrus. Grilled plums, pineapple, peaches and apricots...all covered in salt, set ablaze and put out with a fist full of dirt. Plenty of peat smoke, earthy and brine. Rubbery notes like tennis balls. A little pepper and some floral notes with a subtle roasted nut aroma. It’s young and not very complex but it’s good The palate is heavy with smoke, burnt peat and charred fruits. Ashes, rubber, medicinal/bandages. Earthy with a little dry grass. Again, not complex at all but done very well. A medium light bodied mouthfeel that is super oily and mouthwatering. For an Islay it has a somewhat short finish. Smoke, ashes, light fruits and florals and a touch of bitter tannins. The smoke does linger quite a while. Really there is little going on here, but it’s still quite good. The mouthfeel is great, not the best I’ve ever had but still worth noting. The nose is robust. It’s straight forward with no fancy finish, but this Bunnahabhain stands on its own merits. At around $70 it’s not the best value for a NAS but the quality is there. I’m giving a 3.75 but it could be a 4. Thanks for the sample @Telex Cheers

Review transfer from Barreled from April 2017. I figured it's finally time to do a review of Fireball. A "Whiskey with natural cinnamon flavor" according to the 50ml miniature bottle I have. This NAS whiskey is 33% ABV. I do believe it is chill filtered and has colorant added. Wow! Incredible cinnamon on the nose. Red Hot candies, a big ol cinnamon stick shoved up your nose. There is some elegant oak behind it once you get acclimated to the big cinnamon. Hints of maple syrup, pine, roasted nuts, and some unexpected mango and pineapple. It's really a wonderful nose worth spending all day on. The palate is even better! Like there's a party in my mouth and everyone just celebrated the New Year. Big Red gum, Atomic Jaw Breakers are the dominate notes, but my oh my there is so much more! Blackberries, figs, vanilla cake, chocolate cake, red velvet cake, Pop Rocks with Coke. Unbelievable! The finish of everlasting and full of oak and cinnamon. Can't get enough What can I say? It's just one of those whiskies that redefines what it is to be a whiskey. Oh and the best part is... April Fools!! But seriously, this stuff is horrible and should be avoided unless you are tailgating or at a party with a bunch of 22 years olds, which should also be avoided. It's ridiculously sweet and full of artificial cinnamon flavoring with none of the notes I mentioned. 1 star

Review transfer from Barreled from September 2016 I want to start by saying I have a very low opinion of Jack Daniels. I find them to be overpriced, overrated, over branded and over engineered. That being said I will try to be fair and objective. 47% ABV and I believe Jack is natural color but is chill filtered. Initially on the nose I got a glue or adhesive smell, but it quickly faded once my nose adjusted, but never completely disappeared. Very sweet aromas of maple, red fruits, overripe bananas. There is some vanilla and caramel but not much. The sugar maple charcoal really shows its influence. The palate is harsh and slightly hot with an ever present alcohol burn. Both sweet and bitter at the same time. Not my cup of tea. After adding a decent amount of water the harshness waned, and it became much smoother, but also flatter. Overall, better than the standard Old No. 7, but I'm glad I only bought a 50ml bottle. Still, not the worst thing I've ever had. 2.25

Review transfer from Barreled from October 2016. This is the first Cairdeas (Gaelic for friendship) that I've had. Tasting comes from a sample not a full bottle. This Laphroaig comes in at a hefty 51.6% ABV, the highest strength Laphroaig I've had to date. The color is a sort of strawberry gold, no word on if it is natural color or not. Non chill filtered. On the nose, this is very un-Laphroaig. Sweet oranges are dominant, showing off the influence of the Madeira casks. The peat that is typical Laphroaig is quite muted at first. Slightly nutty. Bourbon-y oak, but on the sweeter side, no vanilla or cinnamon that I could detect. More oranges. The peat seems to become more apparent after time in the glass. A very curious nosing experience. The arrival on the palate is very sweet. Oranges and cream with apricot and peach. It quickly turns spicy, very spicy. Slightly salty. After swallowing you get a blast of burnt peat. More of a burnt sensation than the typical ashy one associated with Laphroaig. The finish is dry, spicy and a bit nutty with more of the burnt/ashy quality. Medium-short in length. I added water (which I don't normally do) due to the higher strength just to see what would happen. The peat is pushed further back on the nose and allows more fruit to come through. It tones down the burnt feel and becomes more ashy on the palate, but it loses something overall. Overall I like this one. It's so atypical for Laphroaig that it's worth at least a try. At $80 I would buy a full bottle and enjoy it very much. 4.25

Review transfer from Barreled from October 2016. Right off the bat this scotch has a thumbs up. 46.3% ABV, natural color of copper gold and non chill filtered. The nose is initially very sweet and I am immediately reminded of the Bowmore 15 YO Darkest. Heavy Sherry influence even though it is only finished in sherry casks. Orange peel, raisins, figs, dates. I don't pick up too much on the peat smoke but it is there. Slightly spicy with salty notes. There is a tobacco note once it sits in the glass for a while. Not much oak which is surprising for an 18 YO. The palate was quite unexpected after the nosing. Powerful and spicy. The peat smoke shows up but it's not like an Islay peat. This is Highland peat, less medicinal and more herbal. The more you drink, the heavier the peat smoke becomes which is very nice indeed. Sherried fruits are abundant once you get past the spice and peat. The finish is medium-long to long and there is an anise/black licorice after taste, but it's very subdued. This is what I was hoping for when I bought the Bowmore 15 YO, which was a let down for me. This is a very different type of sherried/peated scotch. The palate is much more balanced than the nose which is very sweet. Given the price tag, I don't think I would buy a full bottle of this Ledaig. It is complex, but not as much as the Ardbeg Corryvreckan, one of my all time favorites. I don't want to take anything away from this one because it's very good. It just has a little too much Sherry and not enough peat for my preference. 4.25

Review transfer from Barreled from September 2016. The newest NAS release from Laphroaig (not counting the annual Cairdeas releases). 48% ABV and non chill filtered. I do believe colorant is being used, but not much. From everything I have read, Lore will be a permanent addition to its core lineup, replacing the 18 YO which will be discontinued. The nose is heavy medicinal/iodine/bandaid as are most Laphroaigs. Brine, seaweed and maritime air. Bonfire smoke and ashes, like smelling the clothes you wore around a bonfire the next morning. Once you get past the peat and smoke there is a slight vanilla note. Dark chocolate and some sherry fruitiness. If you are strong willed enough to let this sit in the glass for a while you will get a sweet toffee and light floral note Rich oily mouthfeel that is hard to find in most other scotches. Slightly peppery on the palate with more brine, smoke, bonfire ashes and a gentle sweetness The finish is medium long with more smoke/ashes, slightly peppery and sweet This is classic Laphroaig but kicked up a notch. If you are a fan of the Quarter Cask, as I am, you will love Lore. It's like QC + Awesome. The only reason I am not giving this a full 5 stars is because of the price. $140 for a NAS is a bit steep considering QC is nearly as good at less than half the price. Still, amazing stuff. My favorite Laphroaig yet! 4.75

Review transfer from Barreled from October 2016. Wow. This is one fantastic scotch. Simply amazing. Now for the non superlative stuff... Typical 45.8% ABV for Talisker. It is an amber gold color. It appears to have some colorant added but hard to tell since it is a blend of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. No word on if it is chill filtered but the slightly oily mouthfeel would suggest that there may not be. Or at most some light chill filtration. The nose is so complex and sophisticated for a Talisker. Dark berries, plumbs, figs, a hint of light pears and even underripe bananas. Subtle oak spices, toffee, vanilla, orange oil. Low levels of smoky goodness. No alcohol burn. Absolutely wonderful. The palate is sweet with sherried fruits. Lightly peppered that intensifies the more you drink it. Oaky with some smoke. More of a bonfire smoke than cold ash smoke. They took the wild nature of the 10 YO, tamed it, sweetened it, matured it and sent it to finishing school. I could drink this all day. This is incredibly smooth and drinkable. At $165 per bottle it's not for everyday, but this will be my go to for special occasions. Today being my birthday, I'm happy to have reviewed this amazing scotch. If the 25 and 30 year olds are better than this I may not be able to handle it. 4.75 but only because I would have liked more smoke. Cheers!

Review transfer from Barreled from September 2016. This review is for the newer bottle style that is labeled as Bourbon & Sherry and not just Sherry Finished as stated on the old style bottle. 43% ABV and it appears to be colored and chill filtered. Nosing the cork, which I always do before a pour, I pick up on the bourbon barrel influence immediately. I also wipe any excess whisky from the neck after the pour with my hand, rub my hands together and nose that (it really gives a good indication of what you can expect in the glass). Again I get more sweet bourbon with vanilla. Nosing the glass however is very different in this case. The bourbon is there, but the Sherry cask influence really shows up with the typical raisin/dried fruit notes. Red apples and pears are present with some brown sugar, showing there is still some bright youthfulness to this single malt. The longer it sits in the glass the more sweetness comes out. On the palate there is an initial mild spicy arrival and it actually has some peaty undertones. Very sweet in the development after about 15-20 minutes in the glass. Nice oily mouth feel that may indicate that it is not chill filtered after all. Oak spices, vanilla and a sort of spicy sweetness on the finish, which is medium in length. My guess is that Tomatin is fully maturing in both ex-bourbon and ex-Sherry casks, then blending rather than Sherry cask finishing. Even though it is quite diverse and fun to nose, this is still a middle of the road scotch. Good for guests who like bourbon and scotch but don't want anything too powerful. I would give this a 3.5, but the fact that I got this for $33 raises it to 3.75