Tastes

Nose: floral lilac, maple syrup, a little spiritous sting in the nostrils but that calms down with time. Palate: oak, bitter dark chocolate, mild roasted walnuts, strawberries, vanilla (but not a sweet vanilla), a trace of brown sugar. Not as sweet as nose would suggest. Finish: bitter oak, strawberry, slight menthol Staves: 0 Baked American Pure 2 Seared French Cuvee 2 Makers Mark 46 3 Roasted French Mendiant 3 Toasted French Spice NAS 53.85 ABV Bottled Nov. 2011 for Downtown Fine Spirits & Wine in Colorado Springs, CO

Nose: initially spiritous, a little nail polish. After it sits in the glass that dissipates. Roasted walnuts, milk chocolate, strawberries, some brown sugar. But it’s BOOZY. Palate: citrus peel, some fresh red fruit, white pepper, menthol, a little oak astringency and slight charcoal. A little thin. Finish: the walnuts reappear, the white pepper transitions to cayenne, strawberry menthol, and lemon juice. Hot. The heat lingers and drinks even a little hotter than its proof of 113.7 would suggest. With water: nose is much improved amd I get dark fruits like prunes. Nice. Palte is calmed down and the heat geeatly controlled and vanilla carsmels come to the forefront. Finish has a lot less heat and oak makes an appearance. A little more balanced. This is massively improved with water, but while a solid, quality bourbon, its price is hard to justify.

Nose: fruit cocktail, freshly struck flint Palate: vanilla, mild pineapple, heathery peat Finish: short and clean, the mild coal smoke arrives, hint of white pepper, vanilla, and waaay in the back strawberry menthol and orange blossom. This is simple, good, and smooth as glass at 43% and is an excellent 12 yr old daily drinker. (As this sits in the glass for about 15 minutes the pineapple shows up on the nose and after several sips begins to build on the finish as well. Finally, as the flavor builds with multiple “chews,” the finish finally picks up some baking spices like cinnamon)

Nose: band aid, freshly opened tennis ball can, mossy peat, and lurking underneath cinnamon and strawberries. Some walnut develops as well. Palate: fresh plastic toy covered in red fruit syrup. Finish: strawberry menthol, hint of citrus, beach tar, mossy peat. More vegetal than smoky. After a minute the red fruit syrup and fresh plastic toy re-emerge. A fruitier and somewhat tamer Laphroaig. Nice sweetness from the sherry cask. Complex.

Distilled 2006 and bottled in 2021. Nose: not as smoky as the standard 16 year. The peat influence is a bit more mossy than the 16 year old. Raisins. Grilled beef. Baking spices. Palate: while the PX finish has diminished the smoke, it has amped up the sweetness. Caramel. Ripe cantaloupe? More old spice cabinet. Fruit cocktail syrup. Finish: there’s the smoke. Some cigarette ash on the back of the tongue. Grilled beef. Cinnamon menthol. This is complex, sweet and tasty. The PX finish is evident…but I think it distracts a bit from what makes Lagavulin great. I prefer the standard 16 year a little more…but not by a lot.

Take Black Label, make it a little rougher around the edges, dial back the peat smoke a tad, and increase the barrel spice (cinnamon, etc), and you have Red Label. I can see why this was intended as a mixer as it would probably make a nice Scotch and soda.

Nose: mild mossy peat and with water, maple syrup. Palate: soft vanilla sweets, some lurking fresh green fruit (apples?) waaaay in the background. A little thin. Finish: mild white pepper, mild (MILD) peat smoke, indistinct sweetness…like maybe maple or vanilla candy. While this is designed to be inoffensive and mild, it is expertly put together. The whiff of smoke a nice “toe in the water” for beginners, and the cereal sweetness is pleasant and not overpowering. Smooth as glass with nary a hint of ethanol bite. Would be really interesting at 46% rather than 40%, but it’s a home and restaurant bar staple for a reason…without wowing, it still appeals to everybody. A classic blended Scotch. Timeless.

Warehouse: L Floor: 5 Rick: 025 Barrel date: 9-14-2016 Pick date: 10-26-21 115 proof This stuff is freaking amazing. -Nose: it evolves as it sits with a little water. It starts out with some mint, grass, cherry, and oak and after it sits for ten minutes turns completely into maple syrup. Mouthwatering. -Palate: something green and vegetal like fresh cut grass; lemon rind; cherry; dark sweets like dark brown sugar -Finish: menthol; oak; cherry cough syrup Complex. Good.

Nose: dark dried fruits, brown sugar, and a little ethanol. Smells both mouthwatering and a little boozy. Pink bubblegum develops late Palate: citrus, celery, vanilla, caramel, menthol, fresh red fruit Finish: menthol, citrus rind, cherries, white pepper, cough syrup A tasty and complex bourbon with nice sweetness. Pricey, however.

Nose: grapes, cheap perfume, and with a dash of water and a few minutes in the glass maple and caramel Palate: mildly sweet caramel, citrus, white pepper, some faint red fruit Finish: short. Melon, a bit more citrus. This is solid. It’s not fancy, or has a wow factor. But it’s tasty and inoffensive and should have appeal to a wide variety of palates. Would be interesting to see this as a 14 yr at 46% abv like their Quinta Ruban.