Tastes

I believe i have had only one Auchroisk before, or maybe i haven't at all... and now that feels unfortunate. The whisky i am about to describe to you is one of the greatest expressions i have ever tasted, and one that will definitively be on my top 10 whiskies from this year. Auchroisk belongs to Diageo, and it is the heart of one of the world's most acclaimed blends, J&B. On the other hand, St. Margaret was a queen of Scotland and she is also a Catholic Saint, because of her good and charity deeds back in the 11 century. Bottled at 60.3%abv, this is one of 260 bottles ever made, and released for a charity held by St. Margaret church in Scotland. Beautiful chesnut color. On the nose this is so spectacular that you don't even need to taste it. You can just nose it forever and be happy. Hazelnut, nutmeg, red fruits, berries, prunes. It feels powdery; Hershey's strawberry syrup, very sweet. Pumpkin. After a first sip, the aroma changed into "tres leches" sweet dessert. Cherries, cream and cocoa. Just amazing. More sips made the aroma change into molasses, gooseberries and macerated fruits. This is the good stuff. On the palate, this is one great whisky. Oranges, brown sugar, cherries, christmas cake and molasses are the main notes. More sips revealed dulce de leche, cocoa truffles and sawdust.again this "tres leches" sweet dessert. Aftertaste is the perfect ending to one of my favorite drams ever. Prunes, pepper bomb; red fruits, mint. Super dry, the second sip gave me sulphuric notes such as metallic, pepper and fruit spices. A third sip gave me... peat? Smoke, salt and burnt hay. Salty chocolate. This is just outstanding. Overall, this whisky is one that i will remember forever. The Auchroisk spirit has obtained the best from the port cask maturation and it was delivered in an incredible way. It doesn't feel like a 60.3%abv dram at all, but it is also a powerful single malt. I don't think it has anything that i can call a flaw, that is why my score for it is a 100 over 100. Best whisky of the year? Maybe.

Back in 1494 (MCDXCIV), in Lindores Abbey, a famous friar, John Cor, was authorized by the king to make "AquaVitæ" using 8 bowls of barley. Little did John Cor knew that 527 years later there would be a whisky release that tells his story, the one about the first scotch whisky ever made. Lindores is a new distillery, that has released their first single malt, bottled at 46%abv. Golden color. On the nose, very clean and well delivered. Maize, chocolate, brownies, malty. Hay and coconut oil; it has this buttery and cereal feeling. Bananas are also present on the aroma. On the palate, it has 3 notes, but they are easy to recognize. Vanilla, Pineapple heart and coconut sweet. Aftertaste has a little peaty profile. Salt, earth and hay. There is a dim pepper note also present. Overall, this is a young dram that needs more time. Having said that, it is not a bad whisky, and there is nothing off-putting about it. It is just too simple and the notes found here scream "standard american white oak". My score for it is 75 over 100.

A now iconic fancy bottle form Arran, is this "The Devil's Punch Bowl" III, which was a limited release of only 6660 bottles, and the whisky was drawn from 21 different casks: 7 Sherry Butts, 7 French Oak Casks and 7 ex-bourbon Barrels. The Devil's Punch Bowl III is the third release in the collection and it is labeled as "The Fiendish Finale". It gets its name from a mountain zone in the isle of Arran, and also makes reference to a "Punch Bowl" by mixing 21 casks for this exceptional dram. Bottled at 53.4% abv, tawny color. On the nose, perfect score. Oranges, sherry, tangerine, peaches and brown sugar. Milk chocolate appears after a few minutes, very winey. Banana, milk powder, cream and vanilla. Tropical aromas are rising. After a first sip, it released orange caramel, "Palo Santo", hazelnut, pecans and orange leaf. More sips made the aroma even better, with herbal notes, red fruits and coconut. It is literally a punch. I loved it. On the palate; it was delicious. Starts with milk chocolate, hazelnut, almonds. It is exactly like a Ritter's white chocolate. Peaches and tropical flavors; coconut, ashy and salty. Great. Aftertaste was great, with hints of peaty feelings. Pepper, ginger; oranges and tobacco. Chilli, earthy and ashy. Mild spiciness, very well delivered. Overall, this is an outstanding dram. Very complex, layers and layers of flavors and aromas can be found in here. Lovely looking bottle, with an amazing case, holding a superb juice, that is my kind of dram. My score for it is 94 over 100.

It is very possible that you haven't even heard of one of Diageo's most selling products in South America, the Grand Old Parr. Its production goes mostly to Colombia, where then is delivered to Ecuador, Panama, Perú and Venezuela. It is almost impossible to find elsewhere, but don't worry you are not missing anything memorable. Old Parr is Chivas Regal real competition in this south american countries, and they have now released an 18yo expression. Bottled at 40%abv, golden color. On the nose, it is very sweet and creamy. Pastry cream, fondant and Vainilla. Almonds, Candied almonds and oranges. After a first sip the aroma changed into this vanilla ice cream, rum and raisins ice cream and there is a slightly stinky note that i can only describe as fish. On the palate, it is not very complex, and it is fairly enjoyable. Vanilla ice cream, prunes, pepper and salt. Dulce de leche. Aftertaste follows the sweet path. Hard toffee, caramel and some saltiness. Overall, this is quite inferior to its competitors in South America, which are Johnnie Walker 18, Chivas 18 and Buchanan's 18. It is not a bad whisky, but a very "normal" one for an 18yo. My score for it is 84/100.

"Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast For it is a human number Its number is six hundred and sixty-six" -Iron Maiden- & -The Bible- Signatory Vintage, famous for their independent bottlings, on 2017 released for a german retail store, this 66.6%abv Glenlivet. Because of its curious strength, they called it "The Number of the Beast" as the famous Apocalypse Bible passage written by John. This Whisky from Hell, has been matured in first fill sherry casks, for 10 years. Witj a natural chesnut color, this is quite the dram. On the nose, it is incredible. LOTS OF COFFEE NOTES, that is the most accurate aroma here. Cherries, red fruits, maple syrup, pencils and thick vanilla. Chocolate powder, dehydrated bananas, rum, molasses, glazed pork and chilli. After the first sip, it gave me more coffee, lemon, cinnamon. Powerful, amazing. On the palate, strong, robust and incredible. Cherries, figs, dehydrated fruits, and BBQ sauce. Fried Chicken wings. A second sip gave me milk chocolate, vanilla and marshmallows. The third sip was all about chocolate fudge, snack pack. A massive aftertaste. Chilli, fireworks, gunpowder. Finish is eternal, sulphur, pepper and cinnamon. BBQ sauce. Overall, this is massive, brutal, it will condemn you to suffer if you end the bottle since only 316 where ever made, and you won't find another one. An incredible offering, a sherry bomb, it doesn't feel as you are drinking 66.6%abv, it has a feeling that resembles a 55%abv whisky. My score for it is a solid 100 over 100. Slàinte.

I have had this bottle for quite a while now. I really don't know why i didn't open it till today, but i always thought of it as an special dram. This Edradour has been bottled from a single sherry cask, at 59.4%abv. A lovely chesnut color. On the nose, the strength of the alcohol is not felt at all. Christmas cake, marzipan, glazed pork. Lemon peel, orange plant and this "date juice". Hazelnut, blackberries, Chocolate  and Figs. Very sweet, Plums and dulce de leche. Quite an amazing aroma. On the palate it is way too powerful. Starts with Bbq sauce, but then it gets too oily. A second sip was a lot easier to taste. Oranges, A sherry bomb. Chocolate powder and Prunes. Aftertaste is astringent and full of sherry. Coffee, sour blackberries, raisins, cinnamon and brown sugar. Overall, this whisky is a great offering as most Edradour are. Having said that, it is way too powerful and the overload of sherriness makes it a little difficult to enjoy. I don't think it is very complex, which is somehow dissapointing, because Edradour is one of my favorite distilleries and i would have bet that the cask strength was going to give it a good amount of different flavors and aromas. My score for it is 88 over 100.

Amrut is always making experiments to enhance the whisky experience of their consumers. Naaragi, is a single malt that had been matured 3 years on a traditional oak cask, to then be finished for another 3 years in a cask that previously held a combination of oloroso sherry, matured wine and orange peels. Bottled at 50%abv, tawny color. On the nose, it is all about oranges. Old orange peel, orange caramel, orange spices. Bbq sauce, super citric. Lemon and citric green apples. On the nose, it follows the same path: Tangerine, lime, lemoncello. A second sip gave me burnt paper and raw cereal. Aftertaste is a mildly peated. Burnt hay; sulphuric and copper notes. Dry and peaty; tobacco ashes. Overall, this is exactly what it has to be, a tribute to all things that are related to oranges. Naarangi must mean "oranges" or something like that, since it sounds very similar to "naranjas" which the spanish word for Oranges. A citric, but strong dram, my score for it is a solid 84 over 100.

When you find an Edradour, you should buy it. This is one distillery that i personally love, and i think that their spirit is very malleable to wine cask finishes. Having said that, this 8yo Edradour was drawn from 6 different casks, 3 ex bourbon ones, and the other 3 are Sherry butts. This was a special bottling, made for Kirsh store in Germany. Bottled at 48.1%abv, red blood color. On the nose, it is just perfect. The most accurate red wine note ever. Watermelon, floral and red apples. Blackberry Marmalade and blueberries. Melon, papaya, vanilla and toffee. Red berries. Incredible. On the palate, it mantains the good stuff. Red fruits, christmas cake, antioxidant red juice, plums, beetrot, chocolate and dulce de leche. Aftertaste is still very good, but a little short. Strawberries, figs, mango. A little earthy, it has this feeling that hits your nerve spine; such an experience. Overall, this is a whisky that is very fancy, very elegant, and delicious. If you pour it on a date, you will blow anyone's mind with it. It has a nice amount of power (48.1%abv) but no alcohol note is ever felt. Amazing single malt, my score for it is 97 over 100. Slàinte!

Before 1824, every whisky distillery in Scotland was illicit. It was actually The Glenlivet the one to obtain the very first legal permit to distill and sell whisky. It was also the first distillery to get an certificate of Intelectual Property, to be the only one y that can use "The Glenlivet" name. This expression called "Illicit Stills", tells the stories of this distillery back in the early 1800s, and it has been designed to taste like the original Glenlivet, the one that existed before legalization. Bottled at 48%abv, golden color. On the nose it is very complex and nice. Green apples, detergent, toffee and ginger. Very clean and fruity. There is this apple spice that is lovely. No alcohol note, but feels strong on the nose, very appealing. After 3 minutes a recently baked brownies note has appeared. Amazing. It feels cold, gooseberries and dry grass. After the first sip, the aroma was all about peaches. Syrup. On the palate, i find it delicious. Raw rice, pears, honey, cardbox, oak spices. The second sip was sweeter, a nice caramel note, peaches, gooseberries, burnt hay. It is very nice. It is like licking the glue to close an envelope. Fantastic dram. Papers, old books. Aftertaste... was peaty? Paper, cardbox, hay, earthy. Wonderful. Ashtray, cigarrettes, very peaty finish. Overall, i had heard that this one was good, but i never expected it to be THIS GOOD. An enormous, very enjoyable, complex, fairly strong dram; full of fruity, spicy and peaty flavors. This is what whisky should be. I don't think this is the best whisky ever, but it is a lovely expression that should be tasted by all whisky lovers. My score for it is 96 over 100.

Called No.1, this Bowmore honours a famous vault in the distillery, which happens to be the oldest in Islay, allegedly. Bowmore is indeed the oldest still working distillery on Islay, since its foundation in 1779. Bowmore is not my favorite distillery from the most famous whisky island of the world; and i actually believe it is not very peaty and most of its expressions are just normal. This one has been bottled at 40%abv, light gold color. On the nose, this is a typical Bowmore expression matured in american white oak. Horse saddle, coffee, coconut, burnt tires, horse stable, burnt hay, latex, muscle liniment, men's bathroom. On the palate, it is coconut water. It is incredible how accurate this coconut water note is. The problem here is that it is way too light and watery. Barley and... a dollar bill. It tastes like licking cash. (I know you haven't licked a dollar bill, but YOU KNOW HOW IT TASTES LIKE). Aftertaste drops the ball a little. Chemicals, sawdust and ashtray. Light and short finish. Overall, i believe this whisky starts amazing, with a great aroma, but then the palate fails to deliver the promise of the nose, and then the aftertaste fails to reach a decent score. Not a bad dram, you can definitively get something better for your money, (this bottle is not very expensive though). My score for it is 77 over 100.