Tastes

Edradour is always fantastic. The only problem i have with it, is that there is not too much whisky from this distillery in the world due to its small size. I would definitively be happier if i had more Edradour in my life. Having said that, just imagine a 22yo Edradour that has been finished for at least 9 years in a Barolo Wine Cask, the true king of wines. You just can get anything better. This marvelous dram was bottled at 55.2%abv to make it even better. The bloodish red color is the first beautiful experience that i had with this single malt. On the nose, this is so complex and beautiful. Chocolate, red wine, red fruits, marmalade and some herbal profile. It is like a frozen drink made of pralines and spices. Very floral, very grapy, very winey. It is like a Lindt chocolate with almonds. If you have ever been to a vineyard, that is the exact aroma here. On the palate, it is soooo rewarding! The most marvelous chocolate note ever, with some spices and red fruits. Cotton candy and hazelnut. More chocolate. Outstanding. Aftertaste was as good as the nose and palate. Dry and winey; it has ginger notes, chocolate and a frozen strawberry juice. Overall this is one great whisky. If most single malts were something near to this, nobody would drink water. An incredible dram, full bodied and very complex; the Barolo influence here is enormous. My score for it is 96 over 100 and i feel i am being a little harsh because it deserved more. Slàinte!

This year's Lagavulin Distillery Exclusive release, was a different looking one. An Ex-Bourbon & Heavily Charred American Oak cask matured single malt, bottled at a nice strength of 56.5%abv. I was actually very interested in this dram, since i had a previous heavily charred Lagavulin, the third Offerman edition, which was fantastic. It only made sense that a cask strength version of that whisky should be even better. On the nose, i get some bourbon & peat notes. A pair of wet Converse shoes; Rubber tires. Vanilla custard and coconut, but also a Sharpie marker. Crazy but appealing. Vanilla fondant, coconut and meringue. On the palate, three very bourbonish notes, well delivered. It is like a vanilla ice cream with ashes. Lemon and gooseberries. Aftertaste was fantastic. Ashes, bonfire, chilli. A very "meaty" finish. Lots of character here, with a slight maritime ending. Overall, i believe that most Lagavulins are stunning; but this one was too straightforward and not complex. Nevertheless, the notes it had, were very well crafted and delicious. It is a wonderfull whisky, but it loses some points because it feels like it has a sleepy soul, i mean that it could be better. My score for it is 94 over 100.

It might sound crazy, but after 1200+ whisky reviews, i was checking my notes and i realized that i have never tasted the core range mainstream Glendronach Portwood. I have even sold this bottle to some friends because i was completely sure that i have had it before, being the "Glendro" super fan that i am. Well, good for me, i had the chance to rate one more single malt. Bottled at 46%abv, this one has been matured in Port casks. On the nose it is wonderful. Blackberries, school glue, dark fruits, purple fruits. Blueberries and moka. It smells absolutely incredible. After 4 minutes it started giving me port wine notes. Sawdust and bitter coffee beans. Burnt hay and tobacco. I also loved the palate. Red fruits, gooseberries. A powerful winey spirit. Mocaccino and oranges. Aftertaste lost one point in comparison to then great nose and palate. Tobacco, red fruits and tomato cherry. Dark chocolate 100% cocoa. Overall, this might be the best whisky ever if you consider price vs quality. It is not expensive at all and it is absolutely rewarding. Great single malt, very complex and full of flavor. Listen to me, go grab one now. Always have one in your house. Impressive, my score for it is 94 over 100.

I had my second "Double Barrel", a special brand from Douglas Laing, where they made a limited blended malt from to prestigious distilleries; was this beautiful Bowmore & Highland Park. A 10yo expression, bottled at 46%abv, makes me feel like i am going to have a peaty time. On the nose, some peaty notes, but delivered in a mild way. A pair of rubber shoes, red chilli, mud. It also has a buttery/cake profile, like recently made brownies. Oily feeling on the nose. After a first sip, the aroma changed into a sandy beach. More sips released a lactic profile. On the palate, only three notes: ashtray, spices and sweet peat. Aftertaste was very smoky and appealing. Ashes, super salty. Nice spiciness. Overall, this one delivered the peaty profile, but everything was mild and even can be described as muted. I think this was a safe dram, enjoyable but not memorable. When you hear Bowmore & Highland Park, you think of a Rollercoaster, that just did not happen. My score for this one is 84 over 100.

I don't know if the "Queen's Award for Export Achievement" still exist, but Chivas Regal won this prize quite a few times back in the day. Actually i know for a fact that Chivas have won it at least 4 times, in 1973, 1976, 1990 and 1995; and i know this, because i have the commemorative bottle of 1990 & 1995. This is the review of "Chivas Regal Jubilee Reserve" which is the 1990's special bottling to celebrate the award i previously explained. Of course the decanter and the label doesn't look at all as a traditional Chivas Regal, let's see if the "juice" inside is any good. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose, this is very good. Caramelized oranges, marmalades and impalpable sugar. Acid fruits; Moka mixed with orange peels. It also has notes of recently baked brownies. After a couple of sips, i got lemon meringue, and a magnificent note of cremee brulee. On the palate, it flows on the same rythm: Vanilla, lemon meringue, almonds. Very nutty. Aftertaste is also nice. Lemon zest, salt and ginger. Acid fruits. Overall, this felt elegant on the nose, palate and it was very rewarding in the finish. This is clearly a fancier Chivas Regal, intended to be a celebration dram, a truly limited edition of only 2000 bottles. I think this is very well crafted, and that is why my score for it is a solid 91 over 100.

My friends, let me tell you about a wonderful Bourbon i had. A beauty that came from Woodford Reserve, this one is called double XO Blend. It actually states that it is a blend of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskies, finished in heavily toasted & in XO Cognac Casks. "XO" is actually a term to say "Extra Old", so this should have a nice amount of flavor to it. Bottled at 45.2%abv, this one has the most appealing red copper color ever. On the nose, it starts with the most impressive maraschino cherries note i have ever had in a whiskey. Lemon; a strong herbal note like oregano. Sawdust. After the first sip, it gave me strawberry marmalade. Moka with caramel. Brigadeiro sweets. This is incredible. On the palate, the cherry note just went crazy. Super sweet red fruits, beautiful. Fruitspice and a slight note of an orange peel. Aftertaste follows the same rythm. Cherry syrup, macerated fruit liquor. Amazing. This is very well crafted. Overall, this is one memorable, sweet dram. If you are a fond fan of cherries, you are just going to have your senses blown by this dram. Absolutely enjoyable, my score for it is a well deserved 95 over 100.

You don't often find a single grain whisky. Specially not in an Ecuadorian restaurant. Well, i had the chance to taste one that i haven't seen before, this Tweeddale, a peated single grain from the scottish highlands. With a pale straw color, this one has been bottled at 50%abv, and it is made 50% out of peated malted barley and 50% out of wheat. On the nose, this is peaty!! A fresh can of new tennis balls and Converse shoes. Lemon. It is very yeasty, it has nice bread notes. Smells pretty nice. After a couple of sips the aroma changed into a fish market and a taxi's lemon air freshener. On the palate you find this thick vanilla and lemongrass notes. Spicy. It feels a little young. On the second sip i got black thick pepper and ashes. It is very complex for grain whisky. Aftertaste gave me a very refined thick vanilla. Wonderful really. The creaminess from the grain is actually very well delivered. Overall, this might be the best grain whisky ever. I actually enjoyed it, despite my prejudice to this types of whiskies. The higher abv and the peatiness made a miracle. Also, the usage of wheat made it a lot more refined. Super recommended, mi score for it is 89 over 100.

So, i was in Cuenca, a very beautiful city in the ecuadorian highlands, in a quite nice restaurant, when suddenly the manager recognized me (because of my instagram page) and he offered me some whiskies that i have never seen before. Indeed he showed me an irish whiskey, called "Barr un Uisce", a single malt actually, 16yo, bottled no.0502 of only 1803 ever made. Pretty neat stuff. Bottled at 46%. On the nose this is the greenest apple of all the green apples ever made. Pears. Super fruity. If i would taste this on a blind tasting i would have guessed it to be a Glenfiddich 12yo. On the palate, again this green apple profile. Clove, recently cut grass. Hay. Aftertaste gave me a very interesting little puff of smoke; burnt hay and apple pie. Overall, if this one was a scottish dram, it would feel as the most standard whisky ever. Since it is an Irish single malt, this one feela completely well crafted and very different from your standard whiskies from that great country. I believe Ireland is making a comeback and this type of releases are a living proof of that statement. My score for it is a solid 84 over 100.

Its been a long time since i last reviewed an american whiskey. And i guess the best way to get this reviews back is having a very hard to find one, specially in my country Ecuador. Whistlepig is a synonym for great american whiskies, and this one called "Old World Rye" is a 12yo offering; and the great part is that the spirit was divided into three barrels –Madeira (63%), Sauternes (30%) and Port (7%) for its maturation. Bottled at 46%abv On the nose, this smells good!. Cherries, glazed pork; port wine & herbal spiciness. Gooseberries. After a couple if sips the aroma gave me notes of a greasy BBQ, red chilli and maraschino cherries. On the palate, you can actually tell this is a fancy rye whiskey. Red fruits & herbal spiciness. The red fruits are imcredible here because it has a full spicy profile mix to them. Aftertaste was amazing as well. Balsamic oil; red fruits maramalade and pepper. Red chilli. Overall, this was truly a lovely dram. I had the chance to taste it in a very fancy restaurant in Cuenca, Ecuador; which made things even greater, since you wouldn't normally expect to find such a rarity in the ecuadorian highlands. My score for this beauty is a solid 92 over 100.