Tastes

I figured that for 25 bucks it's always worth a try. Nice golfball-type bottle. The whisky itself looks golden brown and is very invitating. Nose starts with acetone but quickly transforms to slightly sweet notes of caramelized sugar and apple. A whiff of peat. I expected it to be very light and sweet, but it's a bit darker upfront. Tones of dirt, ginger, figs, followed by a liquorice type of sweetness. Nice, dry mouthfeel. When swallowing, the smokiness appears and is followed by bitterness. Dark chocolate and espresso. Dark brown sugar. Bitter aftertaste. Lingers a bit. This whisky is definately not life changing, but for this amount it's a very good bottle. Lacks a bit of depth, but what can you expect. Alltogether a suprisingly reasonable dram.

Mmmmyeahh... What can I say. It's a peated single malt. I'm not the peat-kinda-guy, but I picked it up because the social media ads were quite convincing and I liked the look of the bottle :-D. Typical nose, filled with fruity hints like pear and apple cider, but already the smokiness pops up quite firmly. Fresh but smoky. Thin mouthfeel, chocolate, rhubarb, vanilla, loads of oak, surprisingly little smoke in the taste itself. But don't worry. The smoke kicks in after the swallow. Huge kick of peat and alcohol. Loads of burn, dryness. Bacon and honey. Tad of bitterness. Meh. It's not awful, but I think I will drink this one quickly to get rid of it. Not my steal.

Didn't really know what to think of an Indian whisky but I am pleasantly surprised. Light in colour, very clear, golden. Lovely. Extremely sweet nose, honey, cinnamon, freshly baked gingerbread, lemon and rosehip fruit. Soft on the tongue, light sting, cinnamon, fennel, white chocolate chip cookies, then comes the bitterness of salmiac liquorice, combined with dark chocolate. All along there is this 'syrupy' sweetness, like it's infused with honey. Full of baked pears and caramelized sugar. Not one for the purists, but I like them this way. Would buy again for sure.

Bowsaw Small Batch is a nice, but slightly too sweet corn whiskey, I am surprised about the small amount of reviews of this fairly good bourbon. Nose is a bit off, definately a lot of sweet tones of vanilla, toffee, cotton candy, clotted cream, but also a whiff of... let's say beef jerky or something. Odd. Nice, caramelly flavour, rich, thick, hints of fresh apples and kiwifruit, toffee again, a bit like the famous Ikea DAIM candybars. Slight kick, good and solid burn, sugary aftertaste with a hint of liquorice root. Nice. I like them more without a strong burn, this one you feel with every sip. It's good, well layered, definately not a budget bottle, but no gamechanger either.

Beautiful dram with a chestnut brown colour, a classic peated single malt from a small distillery. A lovely nose, with a smell of dark cacao, mocca, honey and nutmeg; until now, this little beauty ticks all the boxes. The taste is very well layered, quite a thin mouthfeel but in a good way. Dark and earthy. Loads of wood, almonds, nuts, a whiff of cane sugar and acacia honey, thyme. I taste almonds, caramelised almonds. Sweet. A bit like a cognac. Dark and mouth tingling aftertaste of dark roasted coffee beans, cacao and quinine. Dry wood. Lovely. Not as fruity as I like them to be, but it tastes like something special. This review is merely a summary of the notes I taste te most. There is a lot more to discover in this glass. Not the first choice, but lovely though. Recommendable.

I really liked the Akashi Red and the Tenjaku blended whisky and thus decided to try the Suntory Toki, which is in the same price range. I see good ratings, so I have good expectations. Very light colour, almost 'beerish'. Sweet scent of vanilla sugar and licor 43, sweetness overload. Dried apricots and pineapple. Tropical. Light and mellow in the mouth, white chocolate, vanilla. But: barely any fruitiness. I miss the layers of freshness and crisp acidity. Bit too soft too. Hardly any burn. Doesn't linger. Aftertaste is too short. It's nice, but not a frequent flyer for me.

Maybe... Just maybe, the Buffalo Trace Bourbon will one day become my standard go-to bourbon. Right now, I still have Bulleit slightly ahead of this lovely and soft whiskey, but it grows on me with every bottle. Cheap looking bottle but great looking bourbon, nicely brownish golden colour. Typical bourbon nose, sweet and lively, vanilla, toffee, banana, citrus and a whiff of skim yoghurt. Sweet, rich, creamy mouthfeel, thick, with hints of honey, vanilla, cinnamon and candybars. Soft. Doesn't 'kick' the tongue when swirling it around. Soft drop as well, nice aftertaste, slightly bitter, liquorice, vanilla again. Merengue. Nice. A tad too sturdy, though. This bourbon is definately not exceptional, but it is just what it needs to be: simple, good & amazing value for money. *orders another bottle*

Being a resident of The Netherlands, I find this Belgium single malt being on sale quite often in our liquor stores and online whisky shops. This time, I couldn't resist to give it a try. Tasted this right after tasting the Balcones Bourbon, which was a quite unsatisfying and dusty little kicker. In the nose very surprising, loads of strawberries, yoghurt, smells like a good glass of Beaujolais wine, combined with the - clearly smellable - beer origins of the brewer. Fresh mouthfeel, fitting the scent. Red fruits, caramel, light dairy like fresh light yoghurt and buttermilk, loads of wood. Then: turns dry. Few tannins. More wood. Bourbon notes. Very strong aftertaste, dry, bitter but in a good way, liquorice and salmiac. Can definately taste the triple beer. I taste fresh sourdough bread and croissants. Excellent whisky which I will drink with pleasure, and WILL buy again!

Got this bottle for my birthday from some friends, who got themselves advised by a liquor shop based on the bourbons that I like. Therefore, I am really looking forward to try this specifically, professionally advised bourbon! Very tough opening, sweet, faint strawberries, yoghurt, vanilla, mint. Explosion of scent. That changes when you take a sip. Dark and dusty, faint caramel and cinnamon, but also hints of celery and nutmeg. Bitter finish, dark chocolate. Then that little, annoying celery again. No kick, but the bitter and quite unpleasant aftertaste of old liquorice root keeps lingering in the back of my mouth. Will take some time to empty this bottle. Hmm. Odd. Average advise by the liquor shop. Not my bourbon.