Tastes

Had a couple of bottles a while back. This review is based on 1/2yr old memory... Nose: Medium peat, with a mash, boggy/sour quality. Peppery licorice tones as well. A bit of sweetness. The boggy note may sound a bit off, but strangely enough it works well. Palate:The palate is medium thick, and confirms the nose. Quite smooth texture. Maybe it’s the added caramel fooling me, but it feels quite dark and full in taste for burbon cask. Finish: Smooth lingering light peat and licorice. Overall: Not too complex but very accessible and casual to drink while not being boring, though the boggy style of peat may ny appeal to everyone. I score it 3, i.e. a decently good whisky. I’ve read some bad reviews on this (e.g. Jim Murray), that I do not believe are fair at all.

Nose: Peat ofc., with a hay-like quality. Like smoldering wet hay. I mean this in a nice way. The peat is neatly balanced by a definite but not overpowering fruity sweetness (both citrus and darker fruits). There is also black pepper notes that borders to salty, sweet licorice. Palate: Intense. The hay and pepper carries over to the palate. The peat is less ”wet” than on the nose - it’s more bonfire-like smoke. The smoke blends well with the fruity sweetness (again, not just sherry-typical ”dark” fruits, but also citrus) resulting in a spicy bacon like tone (like bacon snacks). Finish: Long. Salty licorice, pepper, sweet bacon, and a long lingering firey smoke, almost like burned black bitter toast, or ash even (would in my opinion have benefited from being slightly less so). Overall: Few whiskies I tried are so thick with flavours as this one. It really taste A LOT. Still, it’s well balanced and the flavours come together beautifully, which is impressive for such a vibrant and relatively young (one must assume 10yo or less?) whisky. 4.5 it is, being a bit on the generous side, but it deserves it! This one is a must try for any fan of peated whisky.

I tasted the current version of this available in Sweden, 350ml, 63% abv. Nose: Moist, almost boggy. Like wet leaves fallen from the trees and turned brown. But there is also a marmelade swetness. Light peat, not in a firey way but more damped. It’s ok, not too interesting. Palate: The marmelade comes through. Dark strawberry jam. Well balanced by the light peat. Very nice. Finish: Medium short. The peat and moist lingers a bit and so does the marmelade. No real bitterness, but a slight nutty character. Quite nice. Overall: High abv. I watered it down to just below 50%. The boggy note (decay almost) is not overly pleasant. It is however held back by the jammy qualities which comes through very well, especially on the palate. The light peat is just sugficient to balance and lift the sweet sherry notes. In the end 3.75 (being a bit generous). I prefer this to the 12 yo. Yet to try the 18 yo (have a bottle, soon to be opened).

Nose: Smoke. No surprise here. The peat is different from other Islays though. I read someone describing Ardbeg peat like a campfire and Laphroaig peat as a car fire and I agree - there is an industrial tone to the Laphroaig smoke. (I suppose this is what folks relate to as ”medicinal”? Or is that the brine?) Like it though, gives ton of character. There’s also briney notes and tar ofc. All is covered in a thick sweetness. Palate: Thick and oily, intense, massive peat fighting the sweetness in a balanced battle. Again sea-notes (or ”boat”-notes rather?) like tar, slight saltiness and (burning) seaweed. Hints of black pepper. Finish: Long and thick. Like an ocean oil spil. Nice. Overall: The one drawback with this one is that the key flavours are so strong that they seem to overpower many of the small nuances of the whisky, the result of which is that it comes through as slightly flat. It’s a rough one. I score it a solid 4.0 though, driven by its knock-out qualities.

Red apples comes theough both nose and taste wise. Light in taste. Fragrant. The fruitiness seems a bit artificial though. Some grain bitterness. Nah, doesn’t really come together that well for me. It’s ok at best. Wouldn’t buy again, but a bit of fun having tried. I prefer the original to this by a small but unmistaken margin.

Nose: Dark with a warming sweetness. Dried plums. Candied fruits (orange peels?). All covered by a woody character. Lovely. I can sniff this again and again. Palate: Though there are certainly elements of the same notes as on the nose, the palate is a bit dissapointing in my opinion. There is an oaky bitterness and the taste is not quite as sweet as on the nose. A but earthy (in a good way though - like really dark chocholate). Finish: Medium-length. The oak lingers more than the fruits. A nutty taste. Overall: I had the bottle for some time and my opinion on this whisky varied from dram to dram. The nose was always great though. Some days I would have scored it over 4, but some days in the 3.25-3.5 range. I put 3.5 in the end as I, though it definitely had some really great moments, probably wouldn’t buy it again. Note though that I’m not a sherry-fan overall (unless peated), but I hope to find a whisky to change my mind.

Nose: Light and fresh, citrus fruits & apples, with cereal notes. Also a vague hint of something ”industrial”, which is hard to pin-point, but not unplessant -> Characterfull. Touch of vanilla. Palate: Spirit driven (young) and again fresh. Milky Almonds, apples (or perhaps pears?), and a sweetness well balanced by some salty bitter (but not oaky) undertones. Finish: The almonds turn into milk chocholate, but with a certain freshness. Medium-long. Like it. Overall: Great combination of being light, but yet characterfull. Great when yor not in the mood for a dark complex aged whisky, but still don’t want a ”meh” experience. I just killed my bottle an I may very well pick up a new one next time I travel. Solid 3.75 and very close to an even higher mark.