Tastes

Stop number 78 on the Scottish Distillery Tour, and the last of the official samples for round 5, is Ben Nevis. I have no real info on this Highland distillery, but this is my first from them (a recurring theme during this little adventure). Bottled at 46% ABV and I am fairly certain it is non chill filtered and also fairly certain that there is colorant added making it a dark amber. Sweet fruits with a fair amount of sulfur are my initial impressions on the nose. Lots of berries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberry jam. Heavy sherry notes of honeyed dates and raisins. Slightly earthy with a distant nuttiness. Polished oak, cherry cordials, dark toffee and caramel with a slight coffee note. Orange pith, maple syrup, black licorice and a touch of mint The palate starts with a hit of medical and sulfuric notes behind a strong sweetness. Very fruity, mostly tropical in taste. Mango, oranges, blackberries. Milk and dark chocolate, black licorice and mint. More of those luscious mangos round it all out. Medium bodied mouthfeel that is mouth coating and a touch creamy. A medium long finish with sherry, blackberries and mango trailing on forever. This had real promise upon first nosing and tasting. Subsequent nosings and tastings revealed more of those sulfur notes and it put me off a little. There are really nice sherry and fruity notes in here that hint that there are casks much older than 10 years old at play here. I think that aging this another 2-4 years would do wonders. Would have been a 4 or 4.25 were those sulfur notes less prevalent. 3.75 it is. A big thanks to @Telex for the sample Cheers

Review transfer from Barreled from August 2016. A bit confused why Laphroaig insists on adding color to their product when they put it in a green bottle that is then put into a cardboard tube so you can't see the color until you pour it. 43% ABV and it is chill filtered. Anyway, being that it's Laphroaig I love it! Classic medicinal iodine and brine nose with a faint lemon-y citrus note, and of course loads of bonfire smoke. The phenols from the peat smoke overpower almost everything else. The palate is smoke,smoke, smoke, with salt and bit of pepper and a surprising sweetness. The finish is salty smoke that goes on forever. Even though the Quarter Cask is at 48% ABV I think this one has more of a punch in the palate. Love the fact that Laphroaig was sold as a tonic during prohibition because the government figured the taste was so awful no one would possibly drink it to get drunk. And nearly 100 years later it's a favorite of many a peat head. 4.5 Slante mhath!

Stop number 77 on the SDT is Clynelish. Basically the successor to the soon to be reopened Brora distillery, this Diageo owned Highland distillery has quietly made a name for itself with this 14 year old single malt. Bottled at 46% ABV, and even though it’s not stated on the bottle it is non chill filtered. It does appear that there is a generous amount of colorant added making it a honey color. While coming off as “not as strong as you’d expect from a 46% scotch”, the nose shows a fair bit of complexity. Oranges, tangerine marmalade, beeswax and some cinnamon. A sanded oak table with a candelabra slowly dripping wax down upon it. Floral with dry grasses and faintly herbal, oregano or sage. A sherry type nuttiness even though I believe it is all bourbon matured. Lots of vanilla comes through with some caramel and brown sugar. Creamy. A very light mint and a brief hit of cumin. Odd as it may sound, there is a fresh laundry detergent smell. It works though. A whiff of smoke even though it is unpeated. Not a powerhouse of a nose but quite enjoyable. The palate arrives silky smooth with a waxy/floral/fruity burst. Orange blossom, tangerine, creamy vanilla. A little pepper, maybe white pepper and a light oak. The palate is less complex than the nose and quickly transitions to the finish. A medium-light bodied mouthfeel. Oily, waxy and mouth coating. The finish is medium length. Waxy, slightly bitter. A little oak with some spices. I really enjoyed the overall waxy sensation throughout the whole experience. It’s a lighter, mostly easy drinking whisky but it really works well. The finish is a little off but doesn’t hurt it too much. I have to applaud Diageo on this one. Choosing not to chill filtered was a great move. I would love to see this at 48%. At $68 locally it’s a good price for its age. We’re the finish a little better it would be a solid 4. As is it’s a 3.75. Thanks to @Scott_E for the sample. Cheers

Stop number 76 on the SDT is Glen Keith. I really don’t know anything about this Speyside distillery and today was so hectic I didn’t have time to look up any info on them. This bottle comes by way of the independent bottlers at Alexander Murray. A 21 year old that was distilled in 1995. Bottled at 43% ABV and I believe it is both non chill filtered and natural color of yellow gold. The nose starts with honey and lots of oak. Sweet fruity notes. Apples, pears, plums, white grape/peach juice. Almost sticky sweet. Subtle toffee and brown sugar. Powdered ginger, some nutmeg and more oak. Very perfumed. The palate arrives very sweet like the nose. Unfortunately that’s where the similarities ended. Bitter oak with sharp tannins. A little cinnamon, anise and ginger. There are some fruity notes like plums, apples, underripe melons and apricots. That bitter oak comes back and dominates everything. Light bodied mouthfeel, oily, creamy and dry. The finish is short to medium short. The mouthfeel disappears quickly and just leaves that dry bitterness with some oak and a vague afterthought of apricots. I have to say that I was fairly distracted while reviewing this single malt. It’s @LeeEvolved ’s Birthday and we were texting back and forth giving each other the business. Even if that wasn’t the case, I don’t think I could have gotten into this one. That bitterness ruined almost the entire experience. The nose was the only saving grace. For a 21 year old the price of $125 isn’t that bad, but the quality just isn’t there. Oh well, move on to the next one. Thanks to @Telex for the sample. 3.5 Cheers

Stop number 75 on the SDT is Loch Lomond. This Highland distillery is fairly unique in that it produces both single malt and single grain whiskies. They make their own blended scotch under the Loch Lomond label and have two other brands under the Loch Lomond name; Inchmurrin and Inchmoan. It’s a fairly young distillery as well, having been established in 1964. This 12 year old is bottled at 46% ABV and is non chill filtered. It seems that there is a generous amount of colorant added making it an amber color. Floral at first on the nose with plenty of heather honey. Sweet bourbon oak. Ripe orchard fruits, apricots, peaches, clementines, orange juice, lemon/lime and grilled apricots (yes I said apricots twice but I picked up on two different styles). Vanilla, creamy and a bit nutty - maybe hazelnut or Brazil. Earthy peat and a thread of smoke. The peat is subtle but serves as a much needed layer of complexity. A few tropical notes like pineapple and kiwi come in. Salty with a bit of ginger and a touch of herbs. If you let a small amount sit in the glass long enough, some light syrupy goodness shows itself. The palate starts with tangy orange/pineapple juice. Apricots, nectarines and peaches. Tropical notes like coconut, papaya or maybe passion fruit. A nice vanilla buttercream, honey and floral notes. Cardboard, oak, a touch salty and a vague nuttiness. Earthy peat underneath all of it, but not quite smoky. Medium bodied mouthfeel that is mouthwatering and mouth coating but turns dry. A medium long finish with floral peat, peaches, apricots and pineapple. Dry and the peaty feel lingers on. A surprisingly solid dram. A typical Highland single malt made atypical with a respectable amount of peat. Without that peat it would have probably been white noise amongst a cacophony of Highland stridulation. Though there may be better Highland single malts out there, this one does stand out. At $73 it’s a bit overpriced for a 12 year old, but only just. Recommend for those who enjoy a mid level peat with lots of fruits. A solid 4. Cheers

Review transfer from Barreled from October 2016 I am doing another side by side review. This time I have Talisker Storm and Dark Storm (previously reviewed). Both of these NAS whiskies are bottles at the standard Talisker strength of 45.8% ABV. The first thing that jumps out is the difference in color. The storm is a golden straw while the dark storm is dark amber. Darker than the heavily colored JWB 12, but I think it is natural color from the heavily charred casks. I don it know if the Storm is natural color but if it has colorant added it is very little. Nose for the Storm is initially heavy cereal malt with smoke. Once it sits a couple minutes the youth of this whisky really becomes apparent. There is abundant oak but the best way I can describe it is green oak or wet oak. Not sure I can elaborate on that other than it's young. Signature Talisker pepper. There is vanilla, light peat smoke, and maybe a hint of honey. I picked up a touch of cacao or dark chocolate but it didn't stick around very long. Oddly enough, I got a distinct smell of a garage. I've worked at a Belle Tire and my dad has been a mechanic for 40 years so I've been around them all my life and that's what smelled. In no way was this unpleasant and it disappeared after it sat in the glass, but it was very interesting. The Dark Storm also showed its youth, but it was very different. Heavier on the pepper and oak. The heavy char of the casks gives a sense of overdone/burnt BBQ chicken. Quite nice. The palate of the Storm is smokey sweet and warming but not hot. It's medium bodied. More of the pepper and oak. Light salty/maritime character. The finish is medium length. The Dark Storm is spicier and saltier. More of that BBQ quality. The oak is harder to detect due to the heavier pepper influence but it is there. Med-full body. The finish is longer than the Storm. Hard to say which one I prefer. It would depend on what kind of mood I'm in. The Dark Storm is more intense but the Storm has more subtle details. Both are very good, however I think I would take the standard 10 YO over both as it is more well balanced. I gave the Dark Storm a 4.25 and that is exactly what I am giving Storm.

Review transfer from Barreled from March 2016 A nice NAS from Talisker. Typical 45.8% ABV. Nice dark amber color from the heavily charred casks being used (I think it's natural color, but not sure). Smoky and sweet on the nose with vanilla and oak spices and the unmistakable Talisker briny but also peppery maritime sea air. I get a taste of an overdone/burnt BBQ chicken. The palate has more of a charred character than smoky, but smoky nevertheless. The signature Talisker peppery spice makes itself known right away. The BBQ comes in again. The finish is spicy/peppery and quite dry with decent length. Not as well rounded as the 10 YO but still very good, especially if you enjoy the huge Talisker punch to the face. 4.25

Review transfer from Barreled from March 2016 Deep amber or bronze in color and being a straight bourbon it is natural color. Typical bourbon corn sweetness on the nose with vanilla, toffee, green caramel apple and a bit of alcohol burn. Very warm and spicy palate but still smooth even at 50% ABV with the corn sweetness coming through. The finish is medium long and peppery. This bourbon will take a fair amount of water and is good over ice. 3.25

Review transfer from Barreled from March 2016 Dark amber in color no doubt thanks to artificial coloring. Wonderful oak spices on the nose along with baked apples, light honey and the faintest trace of smoke. The palate is medium light and unobtrusive but still very good. The oak comes through the most and is quite smooth, although I get a definite tingling on the roof of the mouth. The finish isn't too long and again the French oak comes through and with a bit of roasted, smokey nuts. A good scotch that is a step above an entry level single malt, but still meant to be easy drinking and appeal to a very large consumer base. 46%ABV or even 43% would have really made this one great. 3.5

Review transfer from Barreled from March 2016 Natural color of an orange-amber and non chill filtered to the best of my knowledge. Bottled at 43%. The nose of HP12 is exactly what used to think all whisky smelled like before I knew any better. The nose is intense and has dried pineapple, raisins, honey and peat. The peat is different from Islay peat. Not overly phenolic or medical but more floral due to the heather. After it sits in the glass for 20 minutes the aromas really become more developed. The palate arrives slightly spicy but turns sweet as the sherry casks' influence shows up. The finish has silky smoke and turns dry with medium-long length. A very nice dram. 4.25