Tastes

If you can smell bananas and Chinese five spices, you're a wizard and deserve to work for the great perfume houses in Paris, because this whisky has one of the most underwhelming bouquets I've ever come across. It's basically light oak aromas with a hint of fruit, so long as you're willing to allow your imagination to run free. The palate itself is wood spices with a touch of char. All very nice but all very weak. As for the finish... what finish? It all came and went so soon.

A very nice and smooth whisky by Macallan, and in many ways almost a twin sister to the No. 2. Thanks to the sherry casks, you have a syrupy liquid with notes of clove and dried prune. Raisins and vanilla also dance in your tongue as it leads into a finish that is regretfully too quick and too forgotten. Still, it's good.

You know that commercial with Nick Offerman? "That's not a Lagavulin"? Yeah... THAT. I liked this whisky from start to finish, but it did not come across as a Lagavulin. It barely even came across as an Islay - more like something you know comes from the Hebrides without being quite certain where. It's slightly peated without really being smoky, and quite fruity with touches of Macintosh apples. There's also a nice layer of malted barley, with a certain level of maturity you don't expect from an eight-year-old dram. And while the finish was nothing to scream about, it certainly was enough to write about. Cheers!

There's sherry, and then there's SHERRY. There's absolutely no ambiguity here as to how this whisky was aged and finished the moment it touches your nose and lips. Sultana raisins, figs and dried prunes coated with a touch of salt and sweet caramel really deliver on the bold flavours. And while the finish is much shorter than you would expect, considering the No. 2's confidence, you'll still have a hard time leaving disappointed.

A delicious whisky that is eerily similar to the Glenlivet Nadurra (unpeated) but without the finess. You'll find vanilla, oak and pleasant orchard notes with a finish that is a tad harsh and unbalanced. Still, I like it.

Outstanding whisky with notes of caramel, toasted barley, spice (I can never figure out which ones), oak, and weak fruity aromas that become ripe summer peaches to the palate. Start to finish I loved this!

Most whiskies are neither terrible nor angelic choir invoking delicious. They're instead somewhere in the middle, and good. But this... This is maybe one of the best things I've ever had in my life. The nose has faint hints of fruit and plenty of toasted barley, like sweet breakfast cereal you can't wait to pour milk into. The body is full and mouth coating with a touch of oak spice. The palate is rich with pear and cinnamon, like a compote. The finish has heat, which can be lowered with water, but it's long and richly satisfying. MINDBLOWN!

I enjoyed this whiskey, but contrary to the hype, it was not the second coming. The nose is like waking through an orchard when all the fruits are ripe and ready to be picked - pears and apples with delicious undertones of spice and vanilla, almost like tea (not quite tobacco though). The palate continues to be fruity, with a finish that is creamy and smooth. Very well done!

This is a delicious whisky, with layers of flavour to keep you enthralled for minutes on end. Generous notes of pear with spiced vanilla and almond are the first thing that greet your nose. To the palate you have additional aromas of oak and almond paste. The finish is mellow and velvety with touches of spice and brown sugar. Very good!

Really delicious stuff! Honey, vanilla and spices come together with persistent yet delicious notes of wood. The body is solid while the finish is a tad harsh yet long. All in all fantastic.