Tastes

kind of a bourbon compromise. If you enjoy the aroma of a good bourbon, the sweetness, the charred wood, but not as big a fan of the sharpness and warmth that usually follows, then this could be for you. The nose is a lot like a bourbon, but the pallatte is soft and sweet like most any crown royal. A decent compromise, but I prefer regular old Crown when I want Canadian, and a solid bourbon like anything from Buffalo Trace when I want bourbon.

I have definitely fallen in love with coastals like Old Pulteney and Bruichladdich. This offering has a nice vanilla cereal on the nose, with a spritz of fresh sea salt. The pallette follows suit, with the trademark brine but a little more muted than the Classic Laddie. Some sharpness in the finish from the young age and 50% abv. Overall very pleasant and when had side by side with the Classic Laddie, I prefer the Islay Barley 2009.

The best part of this is the nose. Sweet dried fruits, a little floral, inviting you in like a friend happy to see you. Palate follows suit, sweet like raisins or figs, but with a little fruit tart tang in there as well. The mouth feel is a bit of a letdown for me, as its thin. I prefer a richer creamier mouth feel on my scotches. The finish is warm but not unpleasantly so, dry and lingers just enough to invite you to the next sip.

oh the smoke! if you could taste a campfire on the shore of a lake, this would be it. I love Laphroig and Lagavulin as well, but for my money Ardbeg 10 is my preference. Lots of smoke on the nose and palate, but there's some fruit sweetness in there and an oily character that smoothes out the rough edges. Drink this last on the night, because that finish will linger on through whatever else you have after.

what a lovely dram this is! Has a little bit of brine and sweetness on the nose and palate, but not as heavy handed as Bruichladdich Classic Laddie (which I like as well). There's a complexity here, nice vanilla sweetness a pleasant richness with maritime notes and a smooth creamy finish. This has become one of favorite single malts.

I was iffy on this after some recent reviews but I found it to be a pleasant dram. Has hints of peat smoke through the malty sweetness of the nose, the palate is pretty sweet with caramel but there is a nice subtle bit of peat to balance it out. finish is smooth but very short. Overall I enjoyed it, and I would rank it up there with Famous Grouse as an easy drinking every day type of dram for me.