Tastes

One of those bottles you never expect to try. This Japanese blend (it says malt & grain whisky) is amazing on the nose and very complex in the palate, but not quite tasty (at least for me). Very interesting though. Bottled at 46%, burnished gold color. On the nose it is absolutely fantastic. It is by far its best feature. So so sweet. Red fruits jam, Vanilla, Banana and two "deaf" or dim notes: herbal and salt in the back. On the palate it has a lot of layers and every sip is different but in this case is not a good feature, since it becomes more a grain than a malt whisky. Cereal, Brownies, White wine grapy note in the first sip. Grain whisky coming up after a few sips, Chocolate and corn sensation typical from grain. Herbal grassy note from grain becomes stronger. Finish is short/mediun with clove notes. Overall i give this dram an 85 over 100 and maybe a +1 for complexity. Cheers!

The only other Yamazaki i had was the distiller's reserve and i treasured it for a long time. Now i have tasted the 12yo, which is the real entry to the core expressions and it did not dissapoint. This is a fine, complex dram, very well crafted and absolutely enjoyable. Maybe the score could be higher, but i try to be fair to my feelings when tasting a new whisky, and even if it is a very balanced dram, it wasn't perfect in any of the scoring criteria, but was high enough to be a dram that i recommend. Bottled at 43%abv, burnished gold. On the nose, a lot is going on: Blackberry marmalade, Heather, Sweet figs, Prunes, Vanilla, Earthy peatiness, Spent matches, Sherry. On the palate it was delicious, but a little bitter. Prunes, Heather, Sherry, Ashes, Rum, Nuts. Aftertaste was nice too: Ashy, sulphuric finish, grapes. Hints of smoke and pepper. Overall i give this dram a 89 over 100. Just one point more would make it a 4.5 star dram, maybe it deserves it and this time i am been too harsh. Its a great dram and you should totally try it and see for yourselves if it deserved more or not.

I waited too long to finally taste this dram. I even have an unopened bottle in my house that i leave it that way since the price went berserk and you can find it in some stores up to $1000. Really i think i expected a mind-blowing, award winning, new top 1, but this was not it for me. Dont get me wrong, this is a great dram, i just don't think it is what i was expecting. Bottled at 43% beautiful chesnut color. On the nose, it was perfect. Incredibly sweet: Orange, Cotton candy. Thick Sugar but the one that is left after you drink a cup of coffee and there is this little sugar in the bottom of the cup. Orange hard candy. Some sherry after letting it breath. After a perfect score on the nose i got excited for what was coming, palate and aftertaste but it didn't live to the promise of the aroma. On the palate: A little watery. A little spicy. Very smooth., Caramel. There is a dim sherriness. There is a fruitiness like a speysider whisky but all too smooth and easy. I call this the curse of fancy whiskies. There is nothing off putting, "au contraire" they are delicious and too smooth. But in my book, that is not so interesting. Finish is short with a ginger finish and chocolate with salt but very dim. Overall this is a good dram. Many will love it. I just dont find it too interesting. 85 over 100 is fair for it, i would not pay $1000 not even $300 for it, but at least i got it out of my whisky bucket list. I believe it is too "soft".

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto! Japanese Whisky Always good (read that in a Japanese Accent). Bottled at 43%abv, it has a mahogany color. This one was my third dram of the night, and even if it felt similar than Macallan's Whisky Makers Edition, i can tell you this: Yamazaki was a lot better (and cheaper). On the nose: cherry cola, wet forest, sherry, toasted bread, orange peel, maple honey, grape juice notes. On.the palate: oak, grape juice, sherry, orange, pepper, maple honey and liquorice. Full bodied and a nice finish. Wonderful. Overall it is a powerful 94 out of a 100, very recommended.

This Woodford reserve bottled at 45.2%abv with a chesnut color is a dram i have been wanting to try for a long time. On the nose is wonderful, complex and full of layers that change with time. Banana, Spicy on the nose, vanilla Ice cream, METALLIC COINS (Yes. That is one note) and a sweet found in ecuadorian weddings called "yemita acaramelada" that translates into "caramelized egg". Lovely. On the palate it is not as good but it is still a good dram. A little Watery at the beggining, then Liquorice, fine Tobacco, Nuts; a Bitter sensation but in a pleasant way. Mint/ginger finish, long, mouth numbing. Overall it is a very good dram, worthy in every aspect. 87 over 100. Cheers!

I had this beauty a couple of weeks ago. I really liked it and that is no standard thing since rye whiskies are not my cup of tea. Lots of red fruits on the nose, specially strawberry. On the palate is very sweet with a lot of bite, its spicyness of pepper, clove and ginger is very balanced with the sweetness. Even its color is beautiful. Quite a nice dram. 85/100.

Famous for been an ingredient in barbecue sauces, this bourbon is a very solid offer for a low price, and i definitively recommend it. Bottled at 50.5%abv, but so so sooooo smooth. On the nose, banana, bronzer (tanning cream), cinnamon and Vanilla. A very sweet bourbon on the nose. On the palate, peppery, citric and very Mellowed. Finish long full of liquorice. Overall this is a fine dram, and i give it an 88 over 100. Really a fine offer for the price

This was a free drink from the bartender who gave me the two Pappy Van Winkle and the Glenfiddich Winter Storm, and it was a good one, a little normal with some interesting notes. What is great about this dram is that all bottles are single barrel bottles. Bottled at 45.5%abv. On the nose was actually something i didn't found before: kiwi and starfruits (in spanish the name of the fruit is "carambola"), sour aromas, prunes. Banana comes up after a couple minutes, fresh herbal vanilla. On the palate, salty, peppery, mango with salt (reminded me of a girl who ate mango with salt in the high school bus) some smoke in the back but mostly salty. Overall this is a dram that deserves an 85 over 100, i would recommended as something a little different. Cheers!

While in whisky live Buenos Aires, i made my mind into tasting the most quantity of whiskies that were available. This means i took 30 drams in two days and some of them were like this blended scotch, something you shouldn't normally buy because it competes with a JW red label. Pleased to tell you, i really liked it, perhaps it was the whole scenario that drove me, since this was the first whisky i tasted there. Bottled at 40%abv, burnished gold color. On the nose is sweet mostly, with vanilla, honey, prunes, a little peat and english sauce (the one you use to cook meat). On the palate is easy drinkable, with tobbacco, ashes, very smooth, caramel and ginger. Finish was long and it was very balanced. Since this is the same company as dalmore and jura is no surprise they can make a nice blend. I give this NAS and cheap dram an 84 over 100. Cheers!

My final review on Wemyss malts, is this peat chimney a not so peaty whisky that lacks some balance. It is a blended malt from 16 whiskies and one of them is an islay malt 12yo. Bottled at 40%abv On the nose, lemon, dim peatiness, very citric and medicinal. Prunes and.... gasoline. On the palate, it is very nice. Chocolate, dry, ashy. Bonfire and a chimney would be a nice description for it. Aftertaste is where everything fails, without been bad or off-putting. It is like an ashtray and it is way too burning and powerful not in the most pleasant of ways. Overall this is a good whisky, but you can get more refined peaty expressions for the price and far more enjoyable. 85 over 100.