Tastes

Sixty percent. Six. Zero. Yeesh. While there’s no taming the heat, a few drops of water helps to open everything up. Lots of burn on the nose, with a heavy sherry influence all around. Despite the atmospherically high ABV the subtleties still peek through - sherry wood, raisins, cherries, red apples and a sharp vanilla spice. I’m not big on cask strength whiskey, but A’Bunadh represents an honest, respectable dram for what it is. (AT)

Beautiful color! Cherry-vanilla and a light spice on the nose. Rich and malty on the palate with notes of dark cherries, chocolate, and candied almonds. Surprisingly not as sweet as expected, but the sherry cask shines with just the right amount of flavor. An excellent first fill whiskey, especially for the price.

The ‘Budweiser’ of Highland whiskey. From nose to palate - lightly sweet with a well balanced oak, vanilla malt, and a hint of spice. A cultural classic and easy to sip, but sometimes just as easy to forget.

I assumed a Talisker and Caol Ila blend to have a much heavier peat presence. Nope. Sweeter than expected, fruity, with a very thin honey finish and just a faint hint of smoke. For the same price give me a Cardhu 12... a Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban... a Jura anything. A good sipper, but a 95 expert review? Get real.

The packaging and presentation are excellent, with a mould-lined box and a beautifully embossed bottle. Auburn in color, and mellow on the nose with hints of butterscotch, figs, and just a wisp of smoke which all transfer nicely to the palate. A collection of Highland, Islay, and grain whiskies comprise the majority of the blend making for an especially smooth malt, albeit a slight lack of character. Still, very good and right on par with JW Platinum and Blue in the world of premium blends.

After letting it sit for a few minutes, the nose opened up into a full array of dark cherries, fruity florals, and buttercream icing. The palate is more of the same but turns extra special with, you guessed it, cake. Red velvet, vanilla bundt, and cheesecake chasers. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

Excellent coat and color, sweet smoked oak, and the peat. Ahhh the peat. Orange notes and cinnamon spice meet a heavy, sherry-infused smoke. Not bad overall, and better than most Sweet Peat’s but still a marriage I’m not in love with.

Lightly smoked melon in a rich golden dram. Is that a thing? Is now.

This week on ‘Sweet Peat (Cask Strength Edition)’... Brine-soaked bacon, a brisket campfire, and maritime smoke... on the nose. But the palate tells a different story and, for me, cask strength sweet and peat don’t mix. Not well at least. I wanted to like this whiskey, but the 57.1% ABV ends up being medicinal and too bitter on the back end to be enjoyable. Just me? Probably. But I’ve made my peace with it.

Lightly spiced but creamy and smooth with rich caramel, vanilla, toffee, and cocoa notes on the finish. Excellent. Since the first sip, I’ve never not had a bottle in the quiver. Great showing from Aberfeldy. Club taste (SK) - 2/26/21