Tastes

Wow! I could really get attached to this stuff! Peat, fruit, toffee - if only I had more than just a taste. I may have evaporated half of the small sampling I got by just inhaling it from the glass.

Had a quick taste of this at the Baltimore Whiskey Festival. It was much more balanced than I expected with vanilla and a wonderful mouth feel balancing the well-stated peat.

So I learned three lessons with this whisky. First, don't put much stock in what a sales clerk recommends. Apparently, the staff at a major discount liquor store has been instructed to push particular brands, and that takes precedence over anything that they might know otherwise. I should have known better (I do now for sure). I can't even claim that it was a pretty face that temporarily clouded my judgement. Second - don't get taken in by the packaging and appearance (duh!). The cardboard container and the bottle label look very classy with embossed copper-colored lettering, the bottle is solid, no-nonsense, and the whisky is dark and rich-looking. Compared to a Lagavulin label, this one would look so much better on your shelf. So, the nose is just what you would expect given the blend's Islay origin. Peat, pure and simple. And that is exactly what you get in tasting it. But that is ALL that you get. I really could not pick up anything else, barrel notes, brine, nothing that could balance out the peat. This is a one dimensional whisky. Thankfully the finish was short because peat by itself is not very pleasant. And the third lesson - mixing in good whiskey with a poor whiskey doesn't necessarily improve it; it will likely just drag down the god whisky. I really don't know what I'm going to do with the rest of this bottle.

The nose is initially citrusy with raisins and a slight peatiness. Giving it time to breathe, I get a French bread yeastiness. Neat, the palate is one of anise, pepper, flowers and a long, chest-deep burn. With a bit of water the spiciness subsides a bit allowing a note of toasted cashew to emerge. The finish is a sweet lingering burn with a slight cigar taste. Dry glass - the holiday bowl of mixed nuts still in their shells.

I tried this with dinner while traveling for business in Arlington TX. Wanted something local and this was all they had (passed up a MacAllan 15 for this). Intense sweet vanilla nose, almost confectionary. I knew there had to be some alcohol in there somewhere but I be darned if I could find it. Based on its nose, the taste was unsurprisingly sweet vanilla with a peppery aftertaste (ah! there's the alcohol). It had a very nice full mouth feel, kinda like a mouthful of marshmallows. Not one for an experienced sipper, this could be a great starter whiskey. Dry glass - vanilla ice cream.