Tastes

Nose: apple juice, some maple, hint of raisins, grapes Palate: again, apple juice. Some fresh fruits like pears, light grapes, hint of sherry Finish: some drying oak, potpourri, brown sugar, mild leather This wasn't quite as sweet as the nose let on. Also, mouthfeel was a little thinner than I expected. However, you can occasionally find this for under $100-$110, which for a solid 18 yr old Scotch with a sherry character, ain't too bad. Solid pour.

Nose: dark sweets, prunes, maple syrup, maybe a hint of orange blossom, whiff of iodine Palate: caramel, pepper, another hint of orange blossom Finish: oak, orange blossom, mild aromatic pepper corns (green), brown sugar, hint of iodine I like this much better than the MacAllans.

Nose: floral, some brown sugar and dark sweets, prunes Palate: brown sugar, white pepper, hint of red stewed fruit Finish: more of the floral essence, white pepper, red orchard fruit It’s pretty good. But I don’t understand the hype.

Nose: dried fruit, brown sugar, a touch of iodine Palate: caramel, fruit, mild brown sugar, some iodine, walnuts, raisin (this developed after bottle had oxidized a bit) Finish: citrus, hint of vegetal peat, caramel, white pepper A solid pour when you want a nice, sherried Scotch.

Nose: although faint you get some sweet cereals, some dark dried fruits, and dark honey Palate: honey, malt, sweet cereal, and brown sugar Finish: honey, malt, and sweet cereal grains A smooth, sweet, and easy sipper.

Nose: floral honey, hint of maple, trace of smoke, some faint grape Palate: honey, vanilla custard, light smoke, some charcoal, and that faint grape again Finish: honey, light smoke, vanilla custard, some floral notes, trace of charcoal Another great scotch that never disappoints. An easy sipper, smooth as glass, and a great introduction for folks who are wanting an introduction to smokier flavors (mild smoke. It’s a stepping stone to the Islay beasts).

Nose: cigarette smoke, menthol, vanilla wafers Palate: cigarette smoke, caramel, menthol, a little band-aid Finish: cigarette smoke, menthol, custard, a little white pepper, malt My favorite Islay. A classic. Delicious. Smooth as glass. Edit: 2024 all of the above but with some dried fruit lurking beneath with some citrus on the finish. There’s a hint of sherry barrel here I’m really noticing for the first time.

Stave selection by Downtown Fine Spirits and Wine in Colorado Springs, CO: 2-1-3-3-1 Nose: initially very spiritous due to the high ABV with ethanol, perfume and slight nail polish remover. After a few minutes and a little water, maple syrup with an underlying cherry come through. Some woodsmoke and charcoal also present. Quite nice once it has opened up and settled down. Palate: salted caramel and cherry. Finish: cherry, some charcoal, unsweetened vanilla and cinnamon, black pepper, and unsalted caramel. This is a complex bourbon that really needs water and a few minutes in the glass. But with water and a little time, it evolves nicely, and is a quality bourbon.

The nose on this is initially closed, but with a little water it opens up a bit: vanilla, mild grape, some mustiness, a little nutty, some glue and maybe a hint of indistinct pastry shop. As bottle oxidizes you also get Luxardo cherries in syrup and maple donuts. Palate is initially sharp and softens with a little water: mild vanilla, brown sugar, white pepper, maybe some cereal grain, and a little apple at the end. As bottle oxidizes you also get a ton of buttery maple syrup. Finish is malt, cereal, a little apple and more white pepper. With oxidation the finish gains that Luxardo cherry again on the tail end and pepper lingers longer. Not a bad sherried single malt, but I don’t get the hype. Update: after bottle oxidizes for a few months it gets massively better. I upped score to a 4 because it takes on a heavy vanilla, maple syrup palate that is dessert like. This bottle needs time to really get to its best.