Tastes

Amrut is one distillery that i love. Everything they do is amazing and this Kadhambam is no exception. The name of this expression is the Tamil word for "Mixture" and it is matured in blue brandy casks, Oloroso Sherry butts and Rum barrels; a promise for a complex whisky. Bottled at 50%abv, beautiful copper color. On the nose, right from the moment you uncork the bottle, it gives you this feeling that you are in the presence of something truly special. Thick sherry  syrup; Crazy good aroma. Coffee and molasses, pineapple and coconut (the rum barrel hit here). Glazed pork. After a first sip it gave me lemon and caramelized oranges. Heavy lemon zest and condensed milk. On the palate it was amazing. Starts quite sulphuric and almost peaty, with leather notes. Red fruits and cognac. Vanilla cake, prunes and lulo fruit. Aftertaste was magnificent as well. Lots of earthy profiles here: a leather wallet, salt and pepper. Very winey and dry. Ginger. After a third sip it gave me a wonderful peaty/ashy note that took me to heaven. Overall, this is a fantastic whisky. I don't think it is overly expensive, goes for $120 if you have a normal skill in searching for online whiskies, and it is very hard to beat at that price point. Super complex, delicious, with a fairly amount of power; the mixture between the peaty, brandy, rum and sherry flavors is very well delivered. Amazing dram, i don't really feel i can deduct points anywhere here, so, perfect score. 100 over 100. P.S.: don't you really love when you find a whisky that blows your mind?

A wonderful expression is this Kavalan Distillery Select No. 2, far better than the first one. An elegant, fruity and floral single malt. Bottled at 40%abv, burnished gold color. On the nose it is very appealing. Starts with a lulo fruit note (called Naranjilla in my country, lulo is a citric fruit); acetone and earthy profile. After a first sip, the aroma changed into some humid notes as cork or an old library, to then release a citric explosion, like nosing a freshly cut orange. On the palate, it is very fruity but acid. Again this lulo fruit flavor, incredibly nice. Very oily, acid prunes appear. Aftertaste followed mostly the same path. A metallic, sulphuric note. Very citric, with a remarkable orange juice note. Overall, this is not a very expensive whisky and it really is an enjoyable malt. I would drink it without hesitation, you won't regret having a bottle of this. My score for it is 87 over 100.

Don't you just love when you don't expect anything from a whisky, and when you taste it, it really is a great expression that leaves you with a happy feeling? Well, tasting a Suntory Old can give you one of those nice moments. Suntory Old Whisky is one of this brand's most renowned blended expressions and has been around for a long time, specially from 1940 to the late 1980s where it started to dissapear from the shelves. This one has the most quantity of different looking labels i have ever seen in a whisky (even more than Johnnie Walker Black Label), and it seems like one of those drams that only an older generation tried, praised and now has been forgotten. Bottled at 43%abv, burnished gold color. On the nose, quite surprising. Vanilla and Chocolate. Pears and Apples. Everything normal so far. Oranges rise after a minute and then maize. Almonds. After a first sip it gave me a beautiful melon note, feels velvety. Very mineral and "Rocky". On the palate it is creamy, fruity and very easy drinkable. Apple pie, sawdust, mild pepper, melon. After one sip, it became more "mainstream" with toffee, caramel and vanilla notes. Very nice though. Aftertaste is a little crazy, which in this case makes it interesting. My first impression was that i was licking the glue of an envelope to seal it. Raw rice, salty in a pleasant very well delivered way and a ghostly sulphuric note. Overall, this one was very cool to drink. I thought i was going to find a raw, young, harsh dram, but it was nothing like that. Very fruity and sweet, super easy to drink and enjoyable, this whisky is one that i will remember. My score for it is a well deserved 88 over 100. Kanpai!

In june 2018, Arran released a series of expressions called "The Explorer Series". In the labels of this new collection, you can find different scenes from the Isle of Arran, that show its nature and most popular places. Brodick bay is the first release, a 20 year old single malt, matured in bourbon and sherry casks, to then be finished in an oloroso sherry butt. Bottled at 49.8%abv, with a honey color. This is a limited release of 9.000 bottles. On the nose, it is just perfect from the moment you uncork it. Espectacular honey aroma. Coffee beans, hazelnut, homemade toffee. Thick sweet bee honey.There is a ghostly red fruitiness and Vanilla biscuits. After a first sip, a floral aroma has appeared, adding itself to everything else. The other aromas didn't fade, it just added a lot of things. Sawdust, recently baked Brownies. Cherry syrup just appeared. The toffee here is just fantastic. Even some citric aromas are rising. After a couple of sips, all the tropical and red fresh fruits have overpowered everything else. This is a fantastic aroma. On the palate it is very pleasant. Instant melting marshmallows, vanilla, salt, pepper, some very pleasant spiciness, and the typical arran pineapple. A second sip felt very maritime, like sea water; i have never experienced that in an arran before. The tropical fruits rise after a couple of seconds. Coconut. After a couple of sips, it tastes like the milk left in the plate after you finished your cereal, lots of spices. Very latic. Cherry syrup. Aftertaste wasn't as great, but still gets a nice score. Hay, ginger, very dry. A Pineapple heart (the one you should not eat); Very long lasting. A secomd sip gave me sawdust, its like licking a new white wood stave. Cotton candy has appeared. Overall, this is a great dram. A solid, fancy, tropical single malt. It has the best of the Arran Profile and manages to show the salty scene from the bay shown in the label. A wonderful whisky, my score for it is 91 over 100. Slàinte!

Finally The Dalmore returned with a Single Malt that truly deserves everyone's attention. The final release of a 2020 travel retail series; this Dalmore The Quintet is a five cask finished whisky, inspired in the King Alexander III (and it is actually better). Finished in Moscatel, Madeira, Tawny Port, Cabernet Sauvignon and Matusalem Sherry, this is an amazingly complex, flavorful dram. Bottled at 44.5%abv, chesnut color. On the nose, it is so good i don't need to drink it; i could spend hours just nosing it. Candied fruits, marzipan, figs, aniseed, blackberries. Dr. Pepper, almonds; wedding cake. After a first sip, it gave me cinnamon, hazelnuts, blueberries and marmalade. It is very cakey/spicy. Dehydrated and red fruits. Incredible. On the palate it is delicious. The most accurate dark wedding cake with raisins i have ever met in a whisky. Cinnamon, cherries, cognac and red fruits. Caramelized apples and Baklava. Aftertaste is also a work of art. Silicone, nuts, red wine, salt and ginger. Brandy and a red fruit marmalade. Very long. Caramelized apples. Overall, this is perfection. A dram to enjoy, and the best part, is that it is not super expensive. Actually cheaper than the King Alexander III, you can get one of the best expressions that Dalmore has made in recent years. My score is a flawless 100 over 100, since no points were deducted in any criteria. Amazing whisky.

The second edition of the whisky picked by David Coulthard, a recognized Scottish Formula 1 driver who won 13 grand prix, and Highland Park released this particular expression to honour Scotland's flag, called "Saltire". Bottled at 43%abv, tawny color. On the nose, the heathery peat and the sherriness are very present. As soon as you nose it, it seems that it needs some time to open, everything feels unpacked. Cinnamon, floral notes, oranges. A dusty aroma, figs and sherry. After a first sip, it released orange leaf, marshmallows, maple syrup and hazelnut. Earth fertilizer. On the palate, it tastes nice, but it tends to drop its power with every sip, which isn't a good thing. Liquorice, cinnamon, clove and mild spices. Earthy, hay and grass. The second sip is exactly as drinking water with salt. Chocolate is present. Very salty, metallic, it tastes "bloody". Aftertaste is sulphuric, the Highland Park way. Smokey, hay, pepper. The next few sips, it dropped dramatically. Salt. Overall, it is sad that every sip gave me a little less. If it mantained the flavors and aromas from the first impression, it would have achieved at least 86 points, but since the experience dropped, without ruining the dram completely, a fair score for it is 80 over 100.

In 2018, John Glaser along with the whole Compass Box people, held a special contest. They recruited bartenders from all over the world and the one who made the best whisky cocktail would have the chance to make their own Compass Box blend. The contest was named "The Circle" and was won by Rosey Mitchell who picked this special recipe, made by: 78.8% Tamdhu 14.8% Clynelish 4.9 % Highland Park 1.5 % a Highland malt blend. The label has a sun, since Rosey tried to make a whisky that resembles a sunshine. Bottled at 46%abv, burnished gold. On the nose, it is very appealing. Starts with a solid chocolate fudge, Cinnamon, pineapple, the most incredible white chocolate aroma note ever. Stewed apples, very creamy, coconut. Very elegant stuff. On the palate, it is not as good, but not bad, just mediocre. Very light and creamy; vanilla and dulce de leche. White chocolate; salmon. Super smooth and spicy. Aftertaste is peaty and nice. Earthy, pepper, metallic. It has this amazing recently-baked brownies note, very long finish. Overall, i liked this dram, but it won't rock anyone's world. The palate could be better, but i guess it is a very balanced whisky. The white chocolate notes are really nice. My score for this blended malt is a solid 85 over 100.

This is not your typical Ardbeg (nowadays almost monthly) release. This one has made with love. To commemorate Mickey Heads, who has been Ardbeg's Master Distiller for 13 years and is now retiring. He wouldn't pick any normal Ardbeg for his own tribute, so, there is this Arrrrrrrdbeg! (With 13 letters, one for each year). A lovely looking label with Mickey Heads drawed as a pirate with shortie the dog in his arm. Bottled at 51.8%abv, finished in Rye casks. On the nose... KABOOOM! Bacon, car tires, white wine, green grapes, plastic, horse saddle, pork rind, thick vanilla and Smoke. Yes, it is THAT crazy. After a first sip, the aroma changed into a more maritime profile. Gooseberries, iodine, povidine, and those diet rice rounded cookies. Smells like a pond, a nerf toy, or a water ballon. Very "Rocky" and mineral. Fantastic stuff. On the palate, it is an amazing rollercoaster. Starts with chocolate fudge, salt, sulphur, red fruits, spiciness from rye whiskies. Powerful, yet friendly. Super smooth, smokey, thick delicious vanilla. Aftertaste just follows on how great this whisky is. Chocolate, mint, a pair of new cotton socks, a leather wallet, aniseed and smoke. Very long finish, smokey, tar, petroleum oil. INCREDIBLE. Overall, this whisky felt perfect. Everyone on the tasting event i hosted loved it big time. It is not harsh at all, but super powerful and incredibly complex. A marvelous dram, my score for it is 100 over a 100. Slàinte Mhath Mickey Heads!

A 2016 release from Glenmorangie, this "Milsean" is part of the Private collection; a whisky i have seen a lot and i passed from buying it, and now that i have had a sample, i am glad i did. Milsean is pronounced "Meel-Shawn" and is gaelic for "sweet things". It is actually marketed as very sweet and spicy. Bottled at 46%abv, burnished gold color, matured in bourbon casks and finished in red wine cask from Portugal. On the nose, it is cold, fresh and a little harsh. Starts with a little spiciness on the nose; fresh fruitiness like Pineapple. Feels cold on the nose, vanilla powder and white wine. Chocolate fudge. Acetone. It is not super easy to nose. After a couple of minutes it opens into gooseberries. Green grapes is a very accurate note of this whisky. After a first sip, it gave me hard mint candy and more cold aromas. Jellybeans. On the palate, it is a little simple and mostly spicy. Chocolate fudge and Chilli spice. A second sip released this earthy note like the one you can find in red wines. Dusty, there are some red fruits also present. Aftertaste is dry and short. Powdery finish, it is so earthy it almost feels peaty. Ginger. Overall, this one didn't do much for me. Frankly, it felt a little young due to the spiciness that were not compensated by other sweeter notes, and it didn't actually felt very sweet at all. If your whisky expression is called "sweet things" and it is not sweet, people are going to feel dissapointed because you are literally telling them they are going to feel something that is not real. My score for this whisky is a very fair 76 over 100.

The fourth release of The Macallan's Quest Collection, Enigma is one fancy dram. I have to say that i wasn't impressed with the other 3 expressions of this travel retail series, (Quest, Lumina and Terra); but i really think this is the best of the whole range. Entirely matured in european sherry seasoned casks, bottled at 44.9%abv, with a beautiful reddish, chesnut color. On the nose, absolute perfection. Lovely aroma of dates and dehydrated fruits, chocolate bathed raisins, cherry syrup, hazelnut and waffer. Ginger and spices, very winey. Very fancy, after 3 minutes a very herbal note has overpowered the rest of the notes. Sawdust, even some citric appeared: lemon. A second sip gave me almonds. On the palate, it is very smooth, easy drinkable but a little simple. Sawdust, vanilla, red fruits. You can hold it forever. Some mild cinnamon and ginger spices rise after 10 seconds holding it in the palate. Aftertaste is a little bitter. It has a woody profile: oak and sawdust. Ginger. Medium long. Not too complex. Overall, i believe this is a very enjoyable whisky, but it is far from being a fantastic dram, and the reason is that it has this spectacular aroma, out of this world, and then the palate and aftertaste is very normal. It is very smooth, but simple, it has an interesting bitterness that not everyone will love. The box of the whisky shows a tree that has been cut, and it actually is pretty woody. The sherriness is shown mostly in the nose. My score for this single malt is 89 over 100, and that shows you how unbalanced it really is, since it got a perfect score in the nose that wasn't matched by the rest of the criterias.