Tastes

I am so proud about this review. The reason why, is that i have been reviewing whiskies for four years and one that i always wanted to try, was a Port Ellen. I know this is one from an independent bottler, but it has a lot of magic on it. For me it was very important to actually had one before the re-opening that is set to occur sometime in the near future, just to taste a dram from a distillery that closed its doors back in 1983, the year i was born. From that moment on, whiskies became a collectors item and prices went crazy. I was in this amazing bar in Aberdeen, called the grill, and i saw it. A 26yo, 50%abv islay malt, old malt cask's Port Ellen. So... how was it? ..... It was fantastic. On the nose: a super interesting note of "Box of Cigarretes". lemon Zest, Oranges, Dry grass. Citric, peaty, simple but great. A Lemon note that feels super fancy comes up after first sip. Prunes and LEMON PIE. On the palate it was a superb dram: Super smooth; Fancy peat with Mild pepper. Vanilla, lemon, pepper and Chocolate. Perfect score here. Afteraste is the most "normal" part of this experience, but still a good one. Ginger/peppery spice and hints of peat. Chocolate milk aftertaste. Overall, this lived up to my expectations, you know that i try to be as objective as i can in my reviews, and this was great and my pre-feelings had nothing to with my score for it which is a solid 96 over 100. Mission accomplished, i had a Port Ellen. Sláinte Mhath!!

Another expression from this beautiful "The Distillery Reserve Collection", this time the heart and soul in every Chivas Regal, the Strathisla Single Malt. A 13yo whisky, cask strenght, single cask, a real rarity and a nice treat. Bottle 58.3%abv very Reddish color. On the nose: Pedro Ximenez sherry. I Don't if any PX was used but it definitively has its aroma. Berries. Marmalade. Sherriness. On the palate it is SUPER SMOOTH. A real Sherry bomb. Chocolate. Figs. Marmalade and Dark chocolate. Incredible. Aftertaste is perfect. A raisin, plum, blackberry jam madness. Overall this is such an amazing dram. 5 stars without a doubt. Very enjoyable, no alcohol at all at this high strength, my score is 97 over 100.

Oh! Look! Its another 5 stars Talisker!! This time is the distiller's edition 1996, bottled in 2008, with its traditional strength of 45.8%abv, a jewel on its own. The color of this dram... unreal deep copper. On the nose: LET THIS BREATH FOR FULL ACTION: Sweet sherry madness, Pepper, Blacberry, Herbal, Medicinal. Nice aroma. Starts sweet, becomes peaty. Maraschino cherries syrup. Bacon. On the palate: Mild peat, Sherry, cinnamon spice. Ashes and Salt. Incredible smooth. Delicious. Aftertaste is super mouth numbing. Ginger atomic bomb. Salt and sherry sweetness. What an experience. Overall this dram is a 96 over 100, talisker does it again.

As soon as you read "talisker" in the title of this review, you knew the score. Man, this was absolutely amazing. Its like "Talisker 10 meets Glendronach 18". I haven't even heard of amoroso wood cask before, it seems to be a type of fortified wine / sherry. Amoroso in spanish, my native tongue, means "a person who loves". I am very "amoroso" with this dram. Bottled at talisker's classic 45.8%abv, tawny color. On the nose, it is heaven. Wonderful peat, Sherry, figs, Marmalade blackberry, Mostly earthy; Not as peaty as other talisker, Salty And Plums. On the palate is... well, perfect. Glazed pork mixed with a Pepper bomb; Butterscoth, Citric, Gunpowder, Bonfire. Such a strange but wonderful combo. Aftertaste is eternal. Super smoky, Salty, Citric and Burnt meat. There are no easy parts here, this is a fight against an ufc fighter, no rest here, from the first second it just explodes in your palate. My score for it? 99 over 100. Amazing. Slainte. Go buy it now.

Hi, my name is José and i am a talisker fan. I was dictating a whisky course and the house host asked me to review one of his whiskies. Excitement was felt right away. He grabbed his 1999 D.E. of Talisker and i knew i was going to have a nice time. This is actually a very different Talisker, specially on the nose. It is finished in Amoroso casks. As always, 45.8% abv, tawny color. On the nose, bacon, bonfire, vanilla, salt, cherries, coastal, maritime aroma notes. It is very sweet but also salty and also peaty. Great. On the palate is beautiful: cake, toffee, pepper, MINT LIQUOR (lovely), peat. Amazing. Finish is very long, herbal and salty, very peaty. Earthy peat. Heather peat. Overall this is a spectacular dram, didn't make it to a perfect score but it was close: 96/100. Slainte!

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, every now and then you get to REALLY drink whisky. Good, balanced, rich, wonderful Whisky that is. Most of the times when you drink Talisker, you get this sensation that something great has happened. Well, today i had the chance to taste a whisky distilled in 1955 and bottled in 2005, a 50yo scotch, FROM THE ISLE OF SKYE WHERE ONLY EXISTS ONE DISTILLER: TALISKER. So, the new make on this was distilled on the 27th of may of 1955, and rest in a sherry cask (no. 1312) for 50 years. A Talisker new make. (Or a "secret still" if you may). Bottled at 45%abv, the most dark old oak color. Beautiful. On the nose it wasn't perfect but it was beautiful. Sherry, Heather, Lemon, Stairfruit, Leather, Red fruits, Oranges, Caramel. Peat presents itself in a heather note. 23/25. On the palate it was SUBLIME. My first sip i had it for at least one minute in my mouth without drinking it. It was an explosion of flavor, perfectly balanced, absolutely pleasant. Red fruits, Strawberry, Pepper, Oaky but incredibly refined, Heather. AMAZING STUFF. Maybe the best i have had.  25/25. Aftertaste was simply outstanding. Tobbacco, Dry grass, So refined so balanced. Oakyness incredible ginger, Ashy. It was eternal. The longest aftertaste ever. I did have it in my mouth for at least 10 minutes before it completely faded. Perfect score. Overall, this is what angels search in their share. This is without a doubt one of the greatest drams i  have had. I believe it is super expensive (around $2.200) but i got a sample from a friend and every drop is a miracle. My score system says 98, but who gives a damn about my score system; THIS IS A 100 OVER 100. PERFECT SCORE. May the force be with you, young Skywalker. Slainte mhath!

Excited to review a Whiskey which Bobby Axelrod from the tv series "BILLIONS" always drinks. I believe this is the best american whiskey i have ever tasted (excluding bourbons). Bottled at 43% with a russetmuscat color On the nose is nice, complex. Starts very sweet, with sugar, bananas, powdered sugar, and if you let it breath a little it will become fruity and citric, with orange and lemon peel notes. Finally it mutates to lemon pie. On the palate is FANTASTIC. i even gave it a 27 over 25 to throw some extra points in there. Oranges, apricots, pleasant oakyness, ginger, pepper, some smoke, very thick very chewable. Finish is short but amazing. Like an instant ginger bomb, enjoyable. Overall i give this beauty a score of 97 over 100 and i recommend it.

I want to believe that i have a moral obligation to rate whiskies not for what i like but for what they are. This is one of those cases. My first Kavalan, the taiwanese awarded malt, gave me some interesting things to write about and a moral dilemma, whether to give it a 5.0 or not, because i really think it is a masterpiece, just not MY masterpiece. Bottled at 57.8%abv, with a chesnut oloroso sherry color. Yes, it is a cask strenght, yes it hits your face like a nuclear spice bomb. On the nose it might just be one of the best drams ever, so complex and rich, sweet and wonderful. So many notes, so much going on there. Fresh banana, vanilla, cinnamon, banana ice cream, prunes, lemon, coconut (first time i find this on a dram), pine tree, pancakes, cocoa powder, an dim blackberry marmalade note, are the aromas i got from this baby. Truly a work of art and i believe it only has 5yo of maturation, but, due to Taiwan's tropical climate, the process is faster. On the nose it fools you as if it were a cold dram, that is a feeling i got from it. On the palate is just too strong to have it neat. I drank it all neat and it was great and also difficult. A very dim caramel and apricot note starts the experience to turn into an inmidiate NUCLEAR SPICE BOMB. Very hot, a lot of barley and cereal notes, there are some oranges there but hidden, ashes, tobbacco, pepper, cinnamon, clove, vanilla cake, all spice is the main note. It is so powerful that in my first sip it forced me to involuntary close one eye. It is a full palate experience, the finish is ETERNAL, with a banana aftertaste (typical of bourbons) and there is always a dim sherry note coming and going on the nose and palate. After two sips you get the hang of it and learn how to taste it without dying because of its power. It is not a punch in the face, its like Mike Tyson's punch in the face, and for me, that is not too appealing. I am not a big fan of cask strenght whiskies because of that. If it is not enjoyable easily, why even bother. This super complex dram is maybe too powerful for me, but i recognize that it is a work of art. Overall i give this baby a 97 over 100, and i know most experienced whisky lovers will give it a 100 without doubt. Cheers.

I know you haven't heard of this before. But now, you need it. Where did i found it? In St. Petersburg, Russia. In a restaurant called "the tsar" (very recommended too). A REMARKABLY BEAUTIFUL GLENFIDDICH, Called the Cask of Dreams, Russian cask, 2012. It is now in my top 3 or 4 whiskies ever. Bottled at 48.8%, with a light gold color. On the nose, you will find: salt, raisins, dates, blackberry marmalade, vanilla cake, and a slight peatyness. On the palate it is just wonderful. Cherry candy, red fruits, gentle hotness, tobacco, allspice, all wrapped up in a beautiful balanced way, with a long sweet finish of creme brulee and ashes. Just fantastic. Medium body, this one is a delicatessen. 97 over 100, the most interesting, breathtaking whisky i will have for a long time. CHEERS!

Everyone knows by now that Glendronach is my favorite distillery. They just make the best whisky there is, period. But even for them this is a new achievement: this is a relatively young one, and it manages to be amazingly perfect. It belongs from a 2003 vintage, 13yo, Single Sherry Cask #4034. Bottled at 52.5%abv FOR EXTRA FLAVOR, chesnut color. On the nose, Perfection. Inmidiately you get this chocolate bathed oranges; Cocoa milk powder, Maraschino cherry syrup. There is an alcohol note, strong but it doesn't bother you. The best description is a citric chocolate note overall. Hazelnuts. A Winey - grape note, Cinnamom spice not sweet but spicy. Acetone. After 5 mins resting: hazelnuts, cough syrup and chocolate fudge. After a first sip, red fruits appear. So marvelous you just want to keep nosing it and never stop. On the palate, Sweet cherries!! super sweet cherries and red fruits. That feeling after eating raisins, that is a flavor that persists. Peach syrup. Almonds in chocolate like a ritter almond chocolate bar. Aftertaste is also a work of art. Chocolate and pepper. Ginger. Very dry. Cocoa milk powder in the walls of the mouth are also present. Overall this whisky made me think about something: i should just stop buying samples and bottles that are not the single casks expressions of Glendronach. They are just out of this world. Grab them, any one of them and be happy. 100/100, Sláinte Mhath.