Tastes

Is this my graduation day? This is not a dram, this is a "dream". For my 300th whisky review i decided (like 20 whiskies ago) to finally taste the world most awarded blended whisky ever, the Japanese Hibiki 21yo, and it was everything it was supposed to be, the best blended whisky ever made. Very similar to my other favorite blended whisky, the Extinct Johnnie Walker Premier (also made only for Japan). On the nose it is absolutely spectacular. The end of the world in the nose. Paradise. Notes i got on the nose: Amontillado sherry, Fresh orange jam, Coffee; Couple of minutes later: tiramisu, Citric note, orange note, Hay; So complex. Sugar syrup notes hidden in the back. Very fresh aroma, Interior of prunes, Orange peel with dark chocolate; Floral notes. Viscocity is so high that i have written all this and still they havent reached the base of the dram. The aroma is strong. Wonderful. Rose stem, Mostly coffee notes, absolutely Adictive. After the first sip maple honey appears on the nose as well as créme caramel. More and more caramel on the nose. Slight Vanilla. All that. In the nose. The most complex nose ever. Ever. For obvious reasons the palate wasn't going to match the super super super complexity on the nose. Still it is a marvelous dram. Wonderful on the palate. It is amazingly balanced, the right amount of spicyness, with the right amount of oak, with the right amount of sweetness all happening at the same time. Incredibly easy to drink and pleasant. Sherry, Clove, Bitter coffee beans, Dark chocolate, Almonds and butterscotch. Vanilla. After the third sip: caramel and oregano. Finish is a mixture of ginger and herbal notes in such a pleasant way that you feel rewarded. Thick créme caramel. I did left one micro sip to taste it with water. One drop later, nose dilutes to milk powder with lemon peel. Becomes super herbal on the palate, almost medicinal, exactly like drinking magnesium chloride. No grain was felt. The score, easy to guess: 100 over 100. It might be 200 easily. Something i must tell you, i am not sure that this one has beaten my all time favorite the Glenmorangie Signet, but it is surely the only one that has stood up to it. I would definitively pay (if i had the money lol) the $550 it costs, and i will save it to drink a dram in special occasions.

Believe the hype about this one. It is an amazing dram, specially for the price. Matured 10 years in oak casks, and 2 years in oporto casks (portugal) it is what you expect to be from a port finish. 46%abv, with a mahogany color. On the nose it is a port. Only seagulls are missing. Salt, beach, peat, prunes with salt, sherry and caramel are the main notes on the nose. On the palate is delicious and a little complex. Oranges, mild hotness, pleasant, not very spicy, salt, caramel, fungi, with a beautiful finish, smoke comes out from your nose, like having a cigarrette. The aftertaste is long and interesting, makes your mouth sleep like the dentist local anesthesia. Amazing. The most incredible part: it cost 39 dollars, a full 700ml bottle. I give this baby a solid 97 over 100 and i truly recommend this dram. Slaintè!

OH MY GOD. Oh my god. Oh my god. This is, after 175 whiskies, the best dram i have ever had. It was only a 3cl sample but there is no comparison to this. It is fairly expensive (around $150) but it is worthy for its content and remarkably beautifull bottle. This perfect dram comes at 46%abv, with a perfect russetmuscat color. On the nose is so freaking great, very sweet. As soon as i opened the sample i got an earthy aroma, and i ask to myself: peat? On a glenmorangie? This shall be interesting. Well, in the glencairn it became absolutely outstanding: sherry, toasted caramel, jellybeans (the most powerful note), some dim peat reek, old orange peel, sugar and cotton. Complex, sweet, dim peatiness, just amazing. On the palate, the aroma promise became true. First sip: spicy pleasant elegant bomb. Ashy aftertaste. The rest of the dram threw me a lot more: milk chocolate, bitter chocolate, toasted sugar, hay, sugar, ashes, smoke, cinnamon in a superb way. Finish is so long i still taste chocolate after half an hour. Sublime. Full mouth spice and chocolate aftertaste. Truly a perfect work of craftmanship. I give this dram a perfect score, 100 out 100, it might just be 1000 over 100. Never drink anything else. Absolutely recomended. Even now i still smell cremè brulee from the glass that is 50cm far from me. I have now a new ruler in the whisky kingdom, long live Glenmorangie Signet.

I kept my "impressive Whisky Reviews from Scotland" for last, and i have finally taken some time to write about them. I started with the Dalmore 25yo and now i will talk about this beautiful Glenfiddich 30yo. There has been a lot of different Expressions of Glenfiddich 30yo, this one is the 40%abv, old bottle, the one with the triple XXX in the lower label. I also had this one at the great "The Grill" bar in Aberdeen. I really didn't know what to expect since the 18yo Glenfiddich felt "too fancy" to be any good; the 21yo is a different "animal" since it is matured in reserva rum casks; and the Snow Phoenix was superb but still lacked something. Well, lets talk about this 30yo. On the nose it is amazingly complex and great. Very old, thick caramel. Actually peaty! Heathery/smoky. I believe they used some peat 30 or more years ago, and that was something more normal back then; nowadays they use unpeated barley for every expression. Lots of chocolate coming. Coffee; Red fruits that feels like old, Cherries. Lemon, Nice baked apples, Everything feels sweet but old. Smells just like the caramel that comes out of the cask and naturally seals them. Very complex. Oranges. After first sip vanilla just came out. Very refined. AND THAT IS ONLY THE NOSE. On the palate, it is not as complex, still very good, not perfect. Super smooth. Oranges right away. There is oak spice very dim and pleasant. After 10 seconds in the mouth some sider/apple flavor comes along. Vanilla very watered flavor also present. Aftertaste is lovely: smoky, oaky, old books, tobacco, super pleasant. Its like everything has been tuned down for you to enjoy it. Balance is the key here. Wonderful dram. Even for a super fancy flavor, it is fruity and enjoyable. No alcohol or burn whatsoever. Great whisky, expensive, 98/100. Sláinte!

I know what you are going to say, that i often give super high scores to some whiskies. But, what can i do if i truly love this beverage and sometimes i find an amazingly rewarding dram? This review is about the suprisingly extraordinary Glenfiddich 21, Rum Reserva. It is so delicious that i am considering buying a whole bottle. I am sure that a lot of you guys have tasted it and you might not score it as high as i do, but i am also sure that you have enjoyed this dram. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose, lets go to the beach and have some fun: Molasses.Rum. Brown sugar. Coffee with sugar, that thick sugar that is left in a cup after drinking the coffee. Oranges, Candy, Sawdust and Chocolate milk. AMAZING. On the palate, Pineapple pulp. Sugar; Pleasant pepper. Sweet and Incredibly fine in a good way, no overly fancy. Orange peel. Aftertaste is great. A little dry, Ginger notes, Mouth numbing. Some sweet/saltiness and Acid flavors from tropical fruits. Overall i score this dram with a well deserved 100 over a 100. If it is complex enough, amazing on the nose, palate and finish; and, you can enjoy it in almost every occasion, that is a perfect score in my book. Well done Glenfiddich, well done. Sláinte!

Hail to the new king! This is now my favorite scotch of all time. From the moment it is poured into the glencairn this incredible aroma gets into your nose and you know you are about to experience something amazing. I think is safe to say that Glendronach is one of the top 3 or at least top 5 best whisky distilleries, everything they do is great and 2 out of my 3 favorite whiskies are from them. This expression is called "Parliament", and it has nothing to do with politics or government. Actually "parliament" is an english word for "a group of owls" which happen to be something common near glendronach distillery. It seems like the owls live near the distillery and when tourists come near they just fly away and then they return after the visitors are gone. Bottled at 48%abv, the most beautiful mahogany color. On the nose, it was fantastic. Coffee, Tiramisu, Walnut, hazelnut, Incredible sherry, maraschino cherries, Milk powder, Dulce de leche ice cream, Orange liquor and Chocolate notes. Cocoa butter after first sip, and then lots of chocolate. Amazing. On the palate, it is a spicy little fellow. Instant cherry flavor but then a spicy explosion, but super pleasant, black pepper, oak spice, sherry. Sweet but not too sweet, bitter chocolate. Tiramisú, hazelnut, cocoa butter, maraschino cherry syrup. Lots of delicious stuff going on. Aftertaste is WONDERFUL. A puff of smoke from burnt hay, incredibly long, with ginger and allspice. Just marvelous. Letting it breath will release chocolate with caramel with bitter herbal notes to the palate. Overall, hands down this is my favorite dram from 2018, and it is now my new favorite whisky. I score it 110 out of 100. Slainte Mhath, friends!

Go buy this. Now. It is everything you have read before. Simply the best 18yo whisky i have ever tasted, and one of my top 5 whiskies up to this date. Buying this automatically makes you a whisky connoisseur lol. Bottled at 46%abv, with an SPECTACULAR AND FIRST TIME SEEN, burnt umber color (this is super red). Lets start talking about this baby. As soon as you open the bottle, this sweet aroma starts overwhelming your nose. RED FRUITS: Strawberries and raspberry. A very elegant sherry note, chocolate bathed raisins, maple syrup and raspberry marmalade. Incredible. On the palate: it is everything. Yes, everything. It is: Sweet. Hot. Spicy. Bitter. Sherried. Slightly smoky (just a touch in the aftertaste) UMAMI (which is an explosion of flavors or "delicious" in japanese) There are also grape and peppery notes, the finish is so long and powerful, that you must sigh to live it. Sublime. Overall, you know it: 100 over 100. A masterpiece, a work of art. GO BUY THIS NOW. SLAINTE MHATH!!!

My first Glen Scotia from Campbeltown, was here in the Whisky Live event in Buenos Aires and i really need to have more of this dram in my life. WONDERFUL. It is very simple and straightforward but such a good whisky. Bottled at 46%. On the nose: dude, this is not whisky, this is the actual wedding cake. No othe whisky has deliver this note like this one. I can even taste the cake by nosing this dram. Superb sherry from the Px casks. On the palate, sherry, oaky and cake note delivered in such a wonderful way. Simply outstanding. Finish was medium long, spicy but pleasant. Here is where it lost the 2 points. Very balanced and well made, i give this baby a 98 over 100 and was the highlight of my night. (Among 3 other whiskies lol)

Oh wow, so this is what bourbon should be. Very very complex and well made. I got to say that when i first nosed it, i thought "here goes another 3.25 whiskey", and i didn't even pour that much on the glass for that reason. After the whole experience, i was so glad i bought a full bottle of this and i will fully describe every step of what i did to really enjoy this dram. Bottled at 47%abv, with an auburn, polished mahogany color. First of all, when pouring this dram into the glencairn, there is a strong alcohol note on the nose, and the typical grape bourbon profile. Nevertheless i stuck my nose there, surviving the alcohol note, i found: chocolate bathed raisins, wine grapes like cabernet sauvignon, and vanilla cream. For some reason, i decided to let the dram rest for 10 minutes. BEST DECISION EVER! After letting the dram rest, all alcohol notes were gone, and it opened up to release nosing notes such as: Lime, Christmas Cake, more vanilla cream, slight stinky peat, more grapes, and i nosed it for a long time without even sipping it, at some point i was addicted to the aroma. On the palate was perfectly balanced, and didn't resemble to any othe bourbon, it was more like scotch. Flavors were coming in a certain order that was easily identifiable, and i started writing them down as they appeared in the proper order: 1.- orange syrup, orange caramel syrup. 2.- wood, oak. 3.- ashes. 4.- A spicy, ashy burn. Pleasant, like a treatment for stress, beatiful. Brown sugar taste is also present at the finish. Full bodied, long lasting finish. It was a 5.0 already but i decided to add a drop of water just to see what happens. After doing it: on the nose: Vanilla cream, Christmas Cake with candied fruits. On the palate: black pepper and vanilla cake. Overall is 98 over 100, and that is because you have to let it rest because of the alcohol note. Fantastic dram. Best bourbon i have had, a jewel to taste and enjoy. Cheers!

My first Edradour was a sherry bomb, 56.1%abv of pure sherriness. Amazing dram from the "scotland's little gem". Only two people work for this destillery. And they sure did a great job in this expression. On the nose: Sherry bomb right from the start. Glazed pork. Tobbacco / smokey note here. Christmas stuffing and Blackberry marmalade. On the palate, it is beautiful. Dry sherriness, So sweet. Again glazed pork. Dry sherry. Blackberries. Astringent and powerful. Aftertaste is full of cinnamon and ginger. Great experience. Overall this is a 99 over 100. I loved it, i have a 10yo bottle unopened in my bar, 59.9%abv and i now cherish it more. Go buy this one.