Tastes

Cask number: 31524-31528 Distilled: November 2000 Bottled: May 2012 Cask type: First Fill Bourbon Barrels Soft, sweet and peaty upfront. There’s a good hit of vanilla which fades slowly away to a salty, ashy aftertaste. Part of the Secret Stills range, it’s not much of a secret that this is a Bowmore - it’s all over the internet! This is a nice light peaty dram. It’s very dry on the aftertaste which means it doesn’t really work as a ‘session’ whisky, but it is a pleasant dram.

The first taste is sweet and peppery. It has a slightly alcohol heavy initial taste with some light oak and fruit, but it’s reasonably smooth with it. Salty and very slightly bitter on the aftertaste and a medium long finish. As a NAS Bunnahabhain it’s not bad. Unfortunately, it promises more than it delivers. Still a decent dram, but it just tastes too young and loses some of the layers and complexity of a typical Bunnahabhain for it.

If there is such a thing, this is a session whisky. One of the easiest drinking whiskies I know. First sip is oak, biscuity and mid-sweet (toffee apple sweet rather than sugar). There are some ginger and cinnamon spices on the short finish. From this expression you can tell that Cardhu is a major ingredient to Johnnie Walker blends, but this NAS does have its own character. It’s not a whisky that you’d likely be raving about, but it’s a nice, unassuming and easy to drink dram.

2002/2013 Edition TD-S: 5PB This has been a firm favourite for several years, sadly I’m on my last dram from my bottle, so it now feels like a last hurrah. At first sip this tastes like a sweet sherry, with those wonderful standard Talisker notes of salt and campfires. Quickly, the taste develops into a seriously fruity dram, with dark jammy fruit. The fruit is layered between spice and vanilla as it fades to leave just sweet smoke on the aftertaste that sours pleasantly as lingers. Overall, a very lovely dram. I hope I manage to find another bottle at some point in the future.

Upfront this is a fairly typical Speyside sherry-bomb. It tastes young, but that could just be the bourbon influence from some of the barrels. It’s a medium bodied whisky, that has a strong Christmassy feeling. There’s spice, raisin and orange and as it mellows it leaves a pleasant spicy aftertaste. It’s a decent, uncomplicated dram that’s very easy to drink a few in a row.

Peat! Peat! Peat! When they call this a ‘Super Heavily Peated Whisky’ they are not kidding! This is a wonderfully full bodied whisky. Yes, it’s heavy on the peat, but this is a warm and rounded dram. There are dark fruits, cinnamon and cloves, tobacco and a strange bitter sweetness that lingers for ages. This is exactly my taste and close to a perfect dram for me. I need to ration my bottle - I could finish this in a single sitting and to hell with tomorrow!

Less of the standard Laphroaig TCP medicinal taste than normal, but it’s definitely still there. The upfront taste is that PX sherry bolstered with a full bodied smokiness. It’s sweetness is well balanced with smoke, chilli and salt making it a well rounded dram. The finish is sweet and smoke that lingers beautifully on the palate. Another lovely NAS dram from Laphroaig.

After years as a struggling student drinking the cheapest Bell’s and Whyte & Mackay I could get at the student union, Glenmorangie was my gateway malt! I’ve always had a real soft spot for their whiskies and, while I’m more of an Islay man these days, I still love a dram from The Sixteen Men of Tain. This expression is a lovely NAS Christmassy winter expression. The initial hit is warm and orangey, with apple, cinnamon and pepper as it develops. The aftertaste is more of the same with added lemon peel and sherry that stays with you for a long while. Overall a lovely warming dram. I’ve nearly finished my bottle and it’s a hard one to find these days, so it’s one I’m likely to miss once it’s gone.

As is always the case with a Laphroaig, there is that typical TCP, medicinal taste up front, but this expression is richer than the typical 10y/o. The upfront taste is rich and spicy with a good hit of alcohol that quickly disperses into a sweet, dry and spicy finish. I’ve said before that Laphroaig is my ‘go to’ dram and I suspect a bottle of Lore may become a regular addition to my drinks cabinet. An excellent NAS dram!