Tastes

Nose: Deeply sweet with lucious red fruit backed heavily with oak char and dark chocolate and a hint of warm smoke. Palate: The perfect balance of a sherried scotch. The age comes through significantly on the palate. It's a wave of red fruits and a crash of oak and tobacco. Finish: Long and sweet, like raspberry jam with oak and a spice at the end that bites at the tongue.

A must-try. Nose: Pineapple is here, iodine and a rubber like smoke, and peat. Very interesting nose. Palate: The pineapple comes through and a mild peat. It's definitely a little bit funky and characteristic. Full bodied and oily. Finish: Long and peppery. Dry, tart and really delicious.

A beautiful port finish scotch. Nose: Light floral sweetness. Dried red fruit, honey and cinnamon. Palate: Yummy. Sweet dried fruits dance around the palate. It's tart too, and the balance is very pleasant. Finish: Medium finish. Dry and is definitely a lip smacking whiskey.

A full-bodied, rich and unpeated Islay. This is a must try for sure. Nose: Nutty, vanilla, bananas and pears. Delicious prime that just enriches the nose. This is a full nose and quite delicious. Palate: So great. Briny, sweet and creamy. The malty sweetness with the coastal brine is amazing. Finish: Medium but sweet yet tart, makes you pucker and I'm personally enjoying the updated islay's quite a bit.

A full-bodied peated delight. Nose: Wow, yummy. Briny, peaty and meaty. Iodine is there. Dried fruits are sutble but the nose is very rich. Palate: Tart and peaty with subtle dried fruit sweetness. Iodine like a campfire and the oak comes through. Finish: Medium long finish. Dry, tart and makes you smack your lips.

This is a delicious whiskey, and one of my favorite peated drams. It's a delicate balance with a rich, full body. Nose: Delicously peated and briny. Hidden notes of citrus and honey sweetness. Palate: Less peat on the palate than the nose leads you on to believe. Brine, dried fruit sweetness and black pepper. A really beautiful balance of flavor. Finish: Medium long finish filled with mixed peat and fruity sweetness.

A friendly and inviting peated whisky. Nose: Medium peat and sweet prunes. Palate: Balanced peat on the palate, with sweet dark dried fruits. Finish: Nice and mild peaty finish.

A syrupy sweet yet spicy high proof bourbon. Nose: Very sweet and medicinal. Honey and dark red cherries. Palate: Spicy and syrupy. Pretty hot whiskey, but it's also incredibly smooth and sweet after the initial spice. Finish: Long finish that leaves your palate coated in a sweet cherry candy syrup. It's easy to tell why this is a favorite for most people.

Barrel No: 8564 Barreled On: 4-13-09 Very complex and balance bourbon somewhere between Vanilla sugar and spicey. Nose: Heavy vanilla, a bit of menthol, oak and wood spice. Very complex and delicious. Palate: More vanillas and toffee, back by heavy baking spices. Menthol and citrus, this is as complex as a bourbon gets. Finish: Medium finish. Spicey, and leaves you with a fresh menthol note.

I initially rated this Angel's much higher but alas I was naive and had fallen victim to their great marketing team. A port finished bourbon can be a great thing, but the Angel's falls short because it is barely a bourbon to begin with. The flavors are deeply muted and all that really comes across is sweetness. I'm looking for to try other port finished whiskies. Nose: Raisins, vanilla, minor oak and musk. Palate: Light and sweet. Finish: Short and sweet.