Tastes

For 50.5% abv, this bourbon has a surprisingly delicate nose. It definitely smells like a bourbon, but it’s not loud. On the palate however, there’s MUCH more of a punch. On the first few sips you feel the proof, and as you start to adjust all of the friendly sweet notes start to shine more and more. It’s honey, vanilla and even a light bit of sweet citrus. Then comes the long spicy finish. This originally was a go-to shooter/mixer for me back in the day, but I’ve started to keep it on hand for late-night neat sipping more. I especially like this with a cigar.

Nose is very sweet and oat-y. In fact it reminds me quite a lot of the original Cheerios cereal, nothing added. Same can be said for the palate but with a little more spice to it. The finish is crisp and dry, and not long at all. The simple finish won’t blow anyone away, but for $20, this is a perfectly solid (if unremarkable) blend to keep on hand at the bar. Works well enough in just about any mix.

Delicate nose at first, with lots of light fruity notes, and some lemon citrus as well. Then you find a bit of vanilla and wood char, which I would imagine could be attributed to the American Oak barrels. The expert review mentioned ginger and I have to say I’m super impressed because it took me a long while to hunt for that note but it is there for sure, if you look deep. Ironically as soon as I found the ginger note I lost that charred note and was left with those sweet fruity notes again. This whiskey has a lot going on for a lowland, but it’s never aggressive. For the price, I’d highly recommend it.

The nose is defined by a crisp fruity sweetness, specifically fuji or honeycrisp apples and maybe pear as well, with some nice vanilla in the background. This is all accompanied by a very gentle smoke. More on that in a second. On the palate, there’s many of the same fruity notes but it’s so much more rich. The vanilla turns more into honey, and the fruits linger quietly on the very long finish. This is technically peated, but the smoke is somewhat subtle. It’s most notable on the finish, and on the nose, but unlike many other peated malts, the smoke is far from the dominant note. It blends in with the aforementioned fruity notes and some earthy, and nutty characteristics as well. Overall, this is an astoundingly well-crafted whiskey. It’s rich, full-bodied and yet somehow very easy on the palate and so drinkable at any time. A classic!

On the nose, there’s a lot of density. Mostly sweetness and smoke with a little bit of spice to it as well. The palate opens up super salty at first, then there’s a burst of brown sugar sweet notes, before it finishes with a heavy smoke. It’s not a peat smoke though. Think more grilled-vegetable smoke. This is definitely an experience whiskey. I could see it being very polarizing. For enthusiasts, especially fans of craft whiskies, this will be easy to love because it’s rich, bold and has a long complex finish. But it’s not for the faint-of-heart. This would probably scare off a lot of newcomers. For uniqueness alone, I enjoyed this, but it’s not necessarily in line with my personal palate. Side note: add a little water and the smoke subdues considerably.

Both the nose and the palate can be described as cream soda, but turn up the sweetness. It’s just as friendly and approachable as it sounds. This would make for a very good entry-level whiskey, especially within the world of American blends. For most experienced whiskey enthusiasts, this will probably be pretty boring, as there’s almost no complexity at all, and the flavor that is there fades pretty quickly. In that regard, “thin” would be a good word to use to describe this, and it’s bordering on being a one-note whiskey. But again, it’s incredibly easy to drink and very affordable as well.

It’s very grassy and sweet. The sweetness is mainly vanilla, and on the palate specifically, it reminds me of some Speyside blends. The finish is mineral-y in a good way. The label describes it as “Smooth and Easy” which I think is a very apt description. It’s not a challenging drink in any way, and it goes down effortlessly.

The peat is very prominent, but it’s not the kind of meaty, savory peat you’d get from say…a Lagavulin. It’s more of an earthy, mossy type of peat. Afterwards there’s a gentle sweet cream note that takes you through towards the finish. This to me is very much a Lowlands take on an Islay, in that it’s smoky, briny and rich, but all of those qualities are subdued slightly to make for a more approachable dram that goes down like butter. Overall, i like this A LOT, perhaps even as a daily drink given the price.

I’d be interested to taste the two whiskies that make up this blend separately, to get a better idea. But from the nose, the sourced scotch seems to dominate. Definitely wouldn’t have been hard to guess Highland, even if it wasn’t labeled. Where the American influence seems to come in (to me) is more on the charred quality of the finish. It has a dry fruitiness on the palate and finishes sweet and spicy. Overall, it’s very nice, albeit sort of familiar if you’re a frequent scotch drinker.