Tastes

When i had the Bowmore 12, i was dissapointed. Everybody talks about how good Bowmore is, but 12 yo didn't live up to that expectation for me. I have now tried the 15yo Darkest and i have the feeling that it is better than the 12yo but lacks of some things to make it a great whisky. Bottled at 43%abv it has a beautiful mahogany color. On the nose is Spectacular. Its aroma is one of the best i have perceived in a dram. Perfumed Peat, almonds, prunes and toffee in a beautiful way. I got excited about it and then when i tasted it, it brought me down. starts like water, to change into a nice Tobacco Flavor, then gets hot but not too much, a little bit oaky and malty. Light bodied, finish is medium with not much flavor on it. (nevertheless i just added 0.6 points to the score because i just felt more chewable tobacco while writting this, 5 minutes after i drank the whole thing). Nothing special here, no peat on the palate, it just doesn't feel that much "Islay". I pour 2 drops of water on it. Other things appeared but not to change the score. On the nose: chocolate and some spices. On the palate: Ginger, bitter chocolate, caramel and more tobacco. Now i have had 2 bowmore, not impressing me at all so far. The hype is not real, at least not yet. I have the 18 yo waiting, hope to find something better there. 76 over a 100; 3.75 if you prefer that score.

Ok, let me first tell you how i did not know it was 63% abv. I drank it neat and got wasted very quickly. Lol 63%abv tawny color. On the nose: Cigar smoke, Brown grass Burning like a forest fire. Old rotten prunes. On the palate: Hot Chilli: Oaky powerful. Prunes and a bourbon influence appears when taking a small sip. Finish is ashy and sulfuric. Very long. Overall, i give this unpleasant drink a 60 over 100, understanding that someone else might love it, but not me.

Cheap whisky that keeps surprising. This is not great, nor very good, but good. I would describe it as "taste friendly", and definitively an easy drink. Bottled at 40%abv, with a tawny color. On the nose is very "common", which makes it a decent dram: peat, orange, prunes, vanilla, caramel, almonds and some medicinal plants. Nothing out of the ordinary. On the palate is very very very easy to drink, it is like a candy. Caramel, bonfire, tobbacco, ashes notes, all in small proportions, smooth is the word. Finish is medium with oaky notes. Ordinary, maybe an everyday whisky. 69/100.

My first Ben Nevis, a distillery that i have seen a lot lately. This is the most traditional expression, bottled at 46%abv. On the nose, Honey, Malt and Cereal. Very gentle. Dry grass; Hay. Typical highland malt. Caramel developing after the first sip. Malted barley. On the palate, more of the same profile, very straightforward. Nice caramel. Vanilla. Very easy drinkable. Cereal and Honey. Aftertaste is not spicy at all. Honeyed finish. Like breakfast cereal with honey. A very unidirectional whisky, which feels like a very standarized dram. Good taste, bit definitively for begginers. 66 over 100.

A very almondy and young malt, with a 46%abv strength that i think could have spent a little two more years in a cask for a better offering. On the nose, Almonds, Chesnuts, some citrus notes coming up; First time i get this: cough syrup medicine made up from honey mixed with lemon. Here in Ecuador taxi drivers have this lemon car freshener, this is just like this. Caramel aromas develop after first sip. There is a bitter like aroma. On the palate, way too underdeveloped. Spicy mild. Burnt oak. Has character but it is mostly oaky spice. Cereal. Very bitter. Aftertaste is the best part without been anything to die for. Burnt hay with a slight smokey and honey note. Overall i give this dram a 68 over 100.

A very interesting whiskey, a blend of two rye whiskies and a cask finish in californian port wood gives this dram a strange palette of flavors, some that i have never had before in a dram. Bottled at 40%abv, Chesnut color, very red. On the nose: Rye upfront. Cherries, Red fruits and strawberry Jam. On the palate: here things get crazy. Starts sour. Normal Syrup. Sweet and sour. Then gets Yeasty. Sugary and prunes. Very rare flavor. Not bad. Not amazing though. Aftertaste has notes of prunes and lemoncello. Overall this is a very interesting maybe awkward dram, to drink it neat is quite the experience, but i am sure this makes great cocktails. 78 over 100.

My final review of the whisky tasting i had for world whisky day, the Balvenie Triple Cask was fun, but nothing to remember for ages. Bottled at 40%abv, russetmuscat color. On the nose: Bananas, caramel, honey and Salt. On the Palate, it was spicy in a pleasant way, with pepper; chilli and ashes. Caramel was present there. The finish was medium long. Overall it was a 75/100, a fair dram.

Nothing extraordinary but not bad at all. On the nose you will first find a honey note that will quickly fade into a medicinal plant aroma will also fade into a long lasting never ending plum note with and almond there somewhere. It sounds amazing but it really doesnt penetrate your nose, it is just there if you nose it hard enough. On the palate is not complex, is woody. Lots and lots of wood and oak, hot but gentle, medium bodied, almost sweet at first, with a medium finish also filled with wood and cinnamon. It is so straightforward what you perceive from it that i got the notes at my first attempt and after writing them down i went to the official website and found just the same. I often do this to check if my nose and palate are getting the job done. It is not a bad whisky, but for a 12 year old, there are far superior whiskies out there. Wouldn't buy it again. If someone gave it to me as a present i will surely drink it all but i wouldn't buy it for myself

After i had 5 balvenies i finally got my veredict on the distillery and that is a THUMBS DOWN. It just feels that any other expression older than 12yo is plain water. The 25yo was a complete dissapointment and this one follows that path. Bottled at 43%abv. On the nose it was great. I have to be honest. Super fruity, tropical fruits. Oranges, prunes, cherry, cranberries, coffee beans. It was simply beaitiful. But then.... water. On the palate is just plain water. Ok lets be fair. There is a hint of vanilla. A hint of oak and some spiciness but it doesn't give you anything. It is not a rewarding dram. It is water. Aftertaste is short and dry. Hints of oak spice. Nothing else. Overall i give this dram a 68 over 100 and that is because the nose was great. Then it fell apart drastically. Not recommended.

A higher abv expression of the traditional Ballantine's that gives it a little more depth in flavor. Bottled at 43%abv. On the nose, very straightforward. Vanilla, custard cream, Cookie Dough. Mostly sweet. On the palate, Vanilla, Herbal spices, Tea, Chocolate, Caramel and "melcocha". Aftertaste has a ginger note mixed with puffs of smoke. It is your typical Ballantine's with a little more power. Overall, this is a 78/100 dram.