Tastes

I’m not normally one to quibble over heat, but this is too hot when going down. It’s a nice candy sweetness at first, but then the burn overwhelms.

A pleasant experience. Lightly sweet at first, then fading into spice and cinnamon. Not hot despite the proofing.

I’m used to a peaty Islay being meaty, or salty, or herbal. This is sweet and honeyed, a fascinating relationship with the smoke. I suspect this isn’t for everyone, but it has a dedicated following.

A significant step up from the 12.

This wouldn’t be a terrible choice for someone new to Scotch. And it has a bright, fruity nose. But it’s just too watery.

Hey, a Laphroaig I enjoyed! The band-aid dominance of the 10 isn’t here, nor is the dissonant sweetness of the Cairdeas. Instead, a touch of sweet complements the classic briny, ashy, meaty Islay character.

You know how there’s one movie everyone’s seen except for your one friend, and you’re like, how have you never seen that? 1792 was like that for me. Never had it. It was not worth the wait. I couldn’t extract anything interesting from the nose or the taste. Completely ordinary.

I like a whiskey I can just sit there and nose. This rye’s decadent aroma of French toast and caramel had me almost sad to drink it. This is no ordinary rye; it is almost overwhelmingly sweet. The trademark spice is a backup singer here and doesn’t appear until after the initial wave of eum and sugar. Nevertheless, this is a stellar offering.

The harsh stringency of the nose worried me, but this ended up being kind of OK, especially after if had a minute to open up. I could see this as a passable mixer. There’s not a ton going on here, but the sherry casks give it a little taste profile and the mouthfeel isn’t too bad.