Tastes

The nose has a nice sweetness to it, highlighting vanilla and toffee off the bat. However, if you linger it gives way to ethanol rather quickly. The palate is hot right out the gate, abandoning the promise of sweetness for immediate cinnamon spice, but with a little water it becomes more like pancakes and maple syrup. The long finish lingers, but at cask strength all it brings is the continued sensation of that burn from the palate. The water softens the finish back into that mild sweetness again. Read the full review: https://helladrunk.com/barrell-dovetail-2019/

Fresh, pure peat permeates the nose cleanly, without a hint of ethanol. The peat mixes with the sweet and salty flavor of candied almonds, producing a well-balanced palate. The finish is short and slightly bitter, but it burns with a nice spice that leaves you wanting more. Read the full review: https://helladrunk.com/caol-ila-8-2010/

The nose has nice caramel and vanilla over oak, with just a hint of ethanol sticking around in the glass. The palate reinforces this experience nicely, with all three notes coming through confidently and with great balance. Spice kicks in during the medium-length finish, lingering on top of a pleasant burn. Read the full review: https://helladrunk.com/uncle-nearest-1884

The nose has a mild sweetness that gives way to a light campfire smell. The lack of ethanol is pleasant, but overall the nose doesn't have much substance. The palate turns that sweetness into something almost reminiscent of bubblegum and honey, while the wood begins to come in just a tad to cut through that taste. The finish is short, almost bitter, without much else going on. Read the full review: https://helladrunk.com/akashi-white-oak

The nose has strong notes of toffee and maple syrup, as well as almond. The palate develops nicely, bringing in dark chocolate with a deep nutty flavor on top of oak spice. The medium finish is mostly heat, but not unpleasant in nature, as the influence of the pure barley malt is clear. Read the full review: https://helladrunk.com/hudson-single-malt/

The nose is sickly sweet and high on ethanol, though some caramel and a hint of orange come through underneath. The palate is surprisingly smooth, with the sweetness carrying through flavors of toffee and vanilla over only the barest traces of the barrel itself. The finish is short, but I wish it was shorter, as the burn comes in late and mixes poorly with the sickly flavors. Read the full review: https://helladrunk.com/windsor-canadian/

The nose kicks in strong with heavy notes of vanilla, caramel, and spice over just a hint of ethanol. The palate brings in a beautiful oak flavor with the spice continuing throughout. The long finish burns refreshingly on the tongue, with a hint of that vanilla resurfacing at the end. Read the full review: https://helladrunk.com/makers-mark

The nose starts off with hints of cinnamon over a mild oakiness, with a slight tinge of ethanol lingering. On the palate, a nice caramel emerges on top of the oak with some vanilla swirling around, giving us that classic bourbon flavor. The finish is medium to long, as the palate gives way to a slight burnt effect on the caramel, not altogether unlike a crème brûlée. Read the full review: https://helladrunk.com/woodford-reserve-distiller's-select