Tastes

As a Laphroaig lover, and a Cask Strength fan, i was really excited to finally have a higher abv expression, and i held a cask strength whiskies tasting night, leaving this one for last. But, was it good? Let's see: Bottled at 58.6%abv, burnished gold color. On the nose, it is very herbal. Starts with a very recognizable aroma note of a cigarrette ashtray that someone threw water to put out. Grassy. Salty, maritime, old oranges. After first sip it gave me burnt wood and socks. On the palate, it is normal. Toffee, oranges, a pepper bomb, oranges. Very one directional. Aftertaste is dry. Burnt grass, a little ashy. Aromatic peat, very powerful. Overall, i believe this is a boring inferior Laphroiag. Almost all other Laphroaigs are a lot better. Even the standard 10yo is a nicer whisky than this one. Very one directional, not fun at all. It is not an off-putting dram, but i would not buy it again. As i told you i tasted this along with other 9 people, and almost all of them said this was the worst laphroaig they have had. My score for it is a very dissapointing 82 over 100.

Almost every Amrut i have had, are great whiskies. But, the last one i had, the "normal" Amrut peated Single Malt, was not memorable. I had a Cask Strength Whisky Tasting a couple of nights ago, and one of the drams i had was the Amrut Peated CASK STRENGTH, which i was a little skeptical about, since the "softer version" wasn't really good. But, this actually was a very good whisky, let's talk about it. Bottled at 62.8%abv, tawny color. On the nose, it is very close to a perfect score. "Lulo" fruit (Naranjilla), fruit salad, strawberry, oranges. A heathery peat, medicinal notes, bananas, chocolate. Very earthy also, but mostly tropical. Old oranges; bananas bathed in chocolate. After a couple of sips, it becomes very maritime. Ceviche, passionfruit and oysters. Bacon also present. On the palate, it is fairly enjoyable, with a very fancy toffee note that turns into a sulphuric peppery note. Milk chocolate. Oranges. Aftertaste is where the peat really is found. Very peaty, grassy, very sulphuric. Spicy: wasabi and ginger. Overall this is one great whisky, very balanced. It can definitively surprise you. My score for it is a solid 90 over 100 and i do recommend it, specially since in my tasting class i was the one with the lowest score for it; there where people who absolutely loved it to the point of saying this was maybe the greatest dram they had so far in their lives.

Perfection. That is my review, thank you very much, we will meet on my next whisky review... Ok, i think you deserve more analysis from me, a guy who loves Glendronach, and now is obsessed with this bottle. This whisky is just amazing. I now know there are other 7 batches, so, we can safely say the journey on great drams has just started. Bottled at 61%abv, tawny natural color. Matured in Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso Sherry casks. On the nose, a work of art. The most powerful Mocca Aroma, Coffee, Chocolate. Oranges, Orange Marmalade, dark chocolate. Dehydrated oranges, like turkish delight. After the first sip, you get maraschino cherries and more chocolate. Cough syrup, cotton candy, sugar syrup; humid notes also present, like an old library. The palate is so good, no alcohol, just amazing flavors: orange syrup, milk chocolate, brown sugar, maple honey and peaches in syrup. Everything surrounded by a peppery note, absolutely incredible. Aftertaste is also marvelous. Coffee, oranges and some sulphuric notes. There is this pepper note mix with dark chocolate. It also gave me hay, chocolate milk powder and a mild smoke. Even the empty glass is an experience. It smells like an american breakfast restaurant, pancakes and maple. OUT OF THIS WORLD. Overall, go buy this now. Great price, great whisky i have no doubt it will be in my top ten whiskies of this year, and i have give it a 100 over 100 score, because it is perfect. Don't even share it, keep it to yourself. Sláinte Mhath.

I usually love whiskies from campbeltown since they often give me a little from each scottish whisky zone, the balance from Highlands, the fruitiness from speyside, the peat from the islands, the chocolate from the lowlands. And i have to say, that i've seen this bottle a lot in social media, and some whisky groups, and it always called my attention. Now i have tasted it, and i can tell you about it, in my own subjective way, because that is the way reviews work. Kilkerran actually comes from the Glengyle distillery, bottled at 56.5%abv, amber natural color. On the nose, it is great. Starts with chocolate, the switches into a little, very well balanced, smoke. Prunes, lemon, creamy vanilla. Wet grass, almond oil and meringue. Nice. After the first sip, it becomes very maritime, with saltiness overall. Toffee, orange and grapefruit appear. Champagne cola. On the palate, it is a solid dram. Dulce de leche, toffee; pepper, vanilla and salt. Powerful but pleasant. Aftertaste is long, and well delivered, even though it is very spicy. Smoke, salt, red chilli. Sulphuric; mostly salty, pleasant. Overall i believe this is a good whisky, specially for a 8yo age statement, because you don't actually feel any alcohol, or anything off-putting, and it is fairly delicious. I believe it has good tasting and aroma notes, but it feels it could be better with 2-4 years more, without losing its abv. My score for it is 89.50 over 100, and i took away for the first time 0.50 points, only to keep it under the 4.5 stars score, since it actually doesn't feel like it deserves it, even if it is a nice, pleasant dram as i recognize it is. Sláinte!

Before making the actual review of this whisky i have to give you some facts about me, that are important to this review: First, i am not the fondest fan of port matured whiskies; and Second, when i had the original Quinta Ruban, i was starting in the world of whiskies and i loved it, i even gave it a 100 points. Maybe nowadays i would give it a little less, but i have good memories about it. Having said that, i had high expectations for this 14yo Quinta Ruban, since it is supposed to be better than the 12yo but in the world of whisky, things are really not that easy. Let's see if this one is really better or not. Bottled at 46%abv, matured initially im bourbon casks and then finished in Ruby Port Casks. On the nose, it is very appealing. Oranges, a rare tonic for skin wounds called "Piovidine". Very Winey, Red fruits and Vanilla cake. It is mostly Buttery, with a nice Toffee note. On the palate it is sweet and quite nice. Strawberries, Cherry syrup, pepper and caramel. Aftertaste is a little straightforward, but still very pleasant. Mineral and smokey. I actually find this interesting in a Glenmorangie. Overall this is a very good whisky, very balanced but it also plays safe, maybe too safe to be interesting enough to earn a higher score. I truly believe that 87 over 100 for it is fair, and for what i remember, the 12yo was better ;)

You know i love Highland Park; and i was eager to try this one since the whole marketing is very "Rock and Roll". The Name is Full Volume, and the box of the whisky is shaped as a Guitar Amp. Distilled in 1999 and matured in 2017, matured in first filled bourbon casks. Bottled at 47.4%abv. On the nose, grassy young peat, vanilla, hay, some citrus like lemongrass. Sulphuric. Dim chocolate almost imperceptible; Very peaty, young peat and some saltiness. After the first sip i got vanilla cream and quince. On the palate, it is not very good. Vanilla Sulphur, Pepper. Feels very young; Raw very raw. Aftertaste is nice. Hay, perfumed peat, ashes, Pepper. Very aromatic and also "Scorching". My conclusion: this was very dissapointing. The nose and the aftertaste were not that bad, but the palate is very raw and overall it feels like a very one directional whisky, that is not bad, but also not fun. My score for it is a 79 over 100 and considering that i always give high scores to whiskies, you must believe this is an avoidable one. Move along, nothing to see here.

Oh i love Arran. Everything they do is so rewarding and fancy and easy drinkable. This time a 50%abv dram, finished in sauternes wine casks for extra depth. On the nose, lots of winey profile notes like white chocolate, peaches, vanilla, milk formula, cocoa powder, and a beautiful buttery chocolate called "Bon o bon" very popular in South America. On the palate, even if it is a little straightforward and one-dimensional, it is so enjoyable. First time i got this from a whisky: CONDENSED MILK. As a fat guy, it is imposible for me, not to love that. Pineapple. Very tropical, vanilla and pineapple. A very pleasant pepper spice. Aftertaste is almost perfect. Very mineral, very "rocky". Salt. Chilli "Jalapeño" and a "Crazy dips" effervescence. Quite nice. Overall this is an amazing, tropical, fresh whisky. Totally recommended, specially for a beach day. My score for it is 92 over 100. Loved it.

Some days i am just plain happy that one day i learned how to properly taste whisky. This is one of those days. I simply loved this dram, because it felt exactly what i needed. I really had a sample for months without even caring to open it, and boy was i mistaken. Highland Park the Dark is the counterpart of "The light", both 17yo whiskies. It represents the winter and autumn weathers in Orkney, and it has one of those vikings snakes as a logo. Matured in sherried european oak casks. Bottled at 52.9%abv, tawny color. On the nose, it is a complex mixture between Chocolate sweetness, Citrus aromas and mild peatiness. Starts very perfumed, with an amazing chocolate bathed raisins. Prunes, chocolate powder. The heathery peat is dim, but it is there. Chocolate cake. It actually FEELS dark colored; chocolate, dried dark fruits. Lemon, mashmallow. Not very peaty. After the first sip, aroma became peatier and also a caramel note arrived. After the third sip, it just went crazy, all about oranges, caramel and thick chocolate. On the palate, it is so amazing, you can actually hold it in your mouth for 3 minutes. Starts very winey, with grapes and dried fruits. Peat and smoke in a very mild and pleasant way. Also pepper and sulphuric notes, very well delivered. Prunes. Aftertaste is all about peat. It is incredibly rewarding. Starts smokey, cigarrettes, very dry from the peat. Earthy, amazingly smokey and peaty. Hidden chocolate exists under the peat. Overall, when i started writting this review, the whisky had something near 95 points. As i took more sips, it felt even greater. It gave me a nice, complex experience. For a 52.9%abv, no alcohol note is felt, but it gives you enough power to inmidiately feel electricity in your body. It ended with a 98 over 100 score, and it should be 100. It felt like perfection. I will stick to the 98 because of my scoring system, but as an experience, i loved it, and i recommend it. Slàinte Mhath.

A good offering from the Kirayoshi Distillery, this Matsui Mizunara Cask has won the double gold in San Francisco's World Spirits Competition, and usually when a Whisky wins prizes, it might not be as good as it claims. I believe this is a nice whisky but nothing too memorable. The bottle has a famous painting as its label, it is one of the "36 views of Mount Fuji" made by Katsushika Hokusai between 1831 and 1833, and it shows the "Manchurian Crane" which is a very rare bird. Bottled at 48%abv, amber color. On the nose, very tropical... maybe unexpected. Pineapples, apples, tropical fruits, white wine, bananas, apricot, maraschino cherries. After the first sip, it revealed pears, vanilla. On the palate, a little straightforward. Very fancy toffee, apple, pepper and cinnamon. It gets dimer and watery as you sip it more, not nice for it to lose flavor. Aftertaste its a little mineral, feels rocky. Also apples, like sider; pears and pepper. Overall this is a very fresh whisky. Very fruity. It is easy to enjoy and very easy for a 48%abv dram, no alcohol whatsoever. I get that this will be great for most people but it is a little boring. I just did not get the japanese profile on this one. My score for it is a fair 85 over 100.

At age 37, i have come to terms that there are some things i will not see in my lifetime. Maybe the Yeti, Ecuador winning the Fifa World cup or a bad Kilchoman Islay Whisky. They just make amazing whisky. This time, i had the chance to taste the 2019 Loch Gorm, which is matured in 20 different oloroso sherry casks from 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. Only 15.000 bottles of this expression were made, and man, it is a good dram. Bottled at 46% abv, deep copper color. On the nose; just impressive. Leather, new shoes, fresh can of tennis balls, tar, moss, citric lemon, naphtalene, sand and seaweed. It is as peaty as you can imagine. On the palate, perfection. Sweet Molasses, raisins bathed in chocolate, smoke. Second sip revealed strawberries, toffee and more molasses. All the sherriness was found here, with a dim smoke surrounding it. Aftertaste is smokey. Cigarrettes, ashes, log bonfire. Very maritime. Amazing. Overall this is an amazing whisky, from the youngest working distillery on Islay, who seems to have gathered all the islay profile and added some depth and boldness with the sherriness. The palate on this is delicious. My score for it is 95 over 100. Marvelous.