Tastes

Body: Very gentle color like, like white grape juice. Not exceptionally heavy. The combination is inviting. Nose: this is the first peated whisky I’ve had. I was surprised at the smokiness at first, but let the scent linger for a moment, and then went back to my glass to find vanilla, burnt sugar, and Brach’s candies (candy corn, circus peanuts), and barbecue. There’s also a noticeable buttery smell. Palate: the way this looks in the glass is not representative of the mouth feel, which is creamy. This has a lot of tongue bite, and it’s dry. I love both of those characteristics. My poor palate isn’t trained enough to work out the flavors, but I don’t find it overly complex; just enough to keep me interested and keep it enjoyable. I’ll revise this when I take another crack at it. Finish: the smoke ligers, and has some orange peal and zest to it. The smoke keeps going but the rest passes quickly.

First impression: a friend brought me a small, two-ounce dram of this and in the small glass bottle it’s astonishingly clear and delicate. Body: upon pouring it’s apparent that delicate is a proper term for this. It seems clean and clear, and light in the bottom of the glass, but it’s clinging and flows slowly and then beads on the glass. Nose: refreshing and fruity. I found some sugar and caramel, lots of apples, oranges, and some lemon there’s also some wine notes present. I wasn’t hit with a strong alcohol or astringent. It’s just wonderful. I went back for another waft and was greeted by an unmistakable maple syrup smell. Palate: chocolate and caramel and a buttery mouth feel right away. I next found cinnamon and cereal with a bit of smoke and oak notes. Finish: oak and dark chocolate fade into a peppery cereal or bread. Very nice and long, and certainly not sweet (which I prefer). Overall: I wish I had more of this! It’s my first experience with Japanese whisky and you can bet that I’ll have a bottle for my collection. An excellent whisky and I can see that Japan has its own amazing heritage in whisky to be proud of.

Admittedly, I am new to scotch. This is only the second bottle that I’ve ever purchased. Body: light in color and body. The color is like white grape juice, though that’s where that analogy halts. Nose: heavy in grain and sweet like sugar and apples. There’s also a bit of an earth smell, like freshly plowed farm soil. Palate: Smokey chocolate and grain. There is a sweet flavor but it isn’t affronting. It’s a nice complement. Finish: it starts as a Granny Smith apple pie and ends in a nice, gentle smoke.

Body: It just grabs the glass and doesn’t let go. The viscosity paired with the reddish-brown color let’s you know immediately that it’s uncut. Nose: Brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, and citrus. I also caught a waft of pumpkin. Very inviting. Palate: It has bite with strong alcohol up front. But it’s buttery, peppery, and a melting salted caramel. There is just a small pinch of citrus and oat sweet oat cereal on the back. This was a one ounce pour, and adding two drops of distilled water brings out a flavor of scratch biscuits and toffee. Finish: Smokey, full city roast black coffee, cinnamon, and pastry crust. The smoke takes over quickly in an enjoyable way. Overall: I loved this and I’ll be hunting for it for my collection. It’s a complex enough bourbon to keep me interested.

Body: looks fairly heavy and clings to the glass. The color is a healthy dark brown like lighter maple syrup. Nose: Caramel, apples, vanilla, cinnamon rolls. Palate: with just a sip on the tip of my tongue and lips it tasted like aromatic tobaccos. Exceptionally smooth mouth feel. Sweet corn, toasted oak, and nuts. Very little burn and the sweetness lingers with a variety of tobaccos, oat, and just a touch of the rye. Two drops of water awoke more a char and vanilla caramel notes. Absolutely superb. Finish: cinnamon, a very strong and enjoyable toasted oak, and fried apples. Overall: I hate that I opened this, but at the same time I am overjoyed by the product. It’s delicious and I wish it was more readily available. If it was I’d guzzle this bottle and find another one immediately. As it is, I will be taking my time.

Reasonably heavy-bodied with color like apple juice. The nose is very sweet with cinnamon, apples, brown sugar, orange peel, anise, and a bit of black cracked pepper. The taste is not what I expected. It’s a bit thinner than I’d anticipate based on how it clings to the glass. Bananas, cinnamon, oats, oak, and the pepper I picked up on the nose. The finish is not very complex; a bit of spice, pepper, and apple sauce, but not very sweet.

Darker amber, almost like weak tea in color. Fairly heavy body that clings to the cup. Tobacco, honey, lime, brine, and corn sweetness in the nose. Creamy texture complements of the heavy body, sweet with a nice rye burn. Ends with a leather and tobacco flavors. There’s a pretty long finish that fades to corn and floral tones. Ultimately I ended up with a cinnamon flavor for a few minutes at the very end. The finish is the best part of this bourbon, though it’s quite good at all stages.

For the higher proof and (presumably) older age, the body in this is rather thin and light when compared to the Special Reserve. The nose presents alcohol up front, somewhat astringent. Citrus is the first thing I noticed after the initial waft, with fresh cut grass and flowers. Its very refreshing overall. Lemon, clove, honey, and wheat bread. There’s a bit of cinnamon and vanilla, though it’s not as apparent as some of the reviews would suggest. The finish is very grain-heavy, with a nice toasted nut and some sugary sweetness, but fades into apples and cinnamon. Compared to other similarly-priced bourbons, this is a very light and flavorful pour. Not as spicy and biting as Four Roses Single Barrel, nor is it as sweet and heavy as Willet. The wheat definitely comes through in a great way. I wasn’t blown away by Special Reserve, but this is something special for sure. A very happy medium between the SR and the 12 Year.