Tastes

Burnt barrel to the nose, with some smoke. The tons of heavy fresh oak, oh. Some aged wine. And some chocolate to the core, what later raises into buckwheat honey and carnation. Reminds of dense forests and rivers really. Lovely color. Deep chestnut and amber. All the same to the tongue with a slight, very pleasant sweetness (vanilla and caramel, some coconut on palate), juicy pear. Very warm. Burns your tongue a bit. Finish is amazing. Not that long, not that short. Smoky and oaky. As a result - brilliantly balanced and complex bourbon but a bit heavy due to all the components of the taste are heavy. Seems to come great with a cigar.

The colour is purely natural, so it might not deliver you the effect that Laga does - muted, not bright golden barley. To the nose at first - singed rubber, smoked and burnt wood, even wood chips (like inside the wood), peat and bitumen but more balanced and calm in comparison with the young anCnocs. But sharper than the elder brother Laga 16. It is also classics, but I put it under Laga. Laga is warmer, more balanced, stays true all the time, less sharp and intense, much more full-bodied. After adding some water it becomes softer but lacks of variation (again according to Laga) and the character feels a bit empty. Also some damp wood appears. Laga is more about smoke, peat, medicine, iodine and CI tends to have rubber/wooden/asphalt character. Definitely much sulphur as well. Even being compared to Laga 8 it shows a weaker character, less smoke, a bit more sweet and spiritous. Some bitter notes start to appear. But still a great example of a young self-consistent, powerful whisky. Definitely will replace as soon as I try all the standard Islanders.

For me it is a lighter, a simpler and a bit more sweet version of Corner Creek Bourbon. Two main components - burnt oak and caramel sweetness. A bit spicy, but not that intense. Some fruits and vanilla. Wild berries on a palate and tongue. Sometimes tastes like rum - there is much brown sugar. To the third sip it becomes beautifully balanced. Finish is good - short, a bit sweet and just beautiful. Just to mark after some time spending with Buffalo Trace - absolute favorite from the majority of middle-class bourbons. Gorgeous rum notes with wild berries along with strong bourbon nature - just unbelievable. Might be an all-time classic in my bourbon range.

Having a 2017 year of bottling. Very nice, soft and fruity to the nose. And to the contrary - very sharp at the beginning, like even knocking to my taste. Very fruity (citrus at most, lemon and the orange peel), with honey and vanilla hints both to the nose and to the tongue. Not that spicy and with a slight shade of smoke (not peated). Also one can feel a barrel and oak at some point. And of course green apples. Also a small nuance of flower dust and pollen (like from the meadows). Finish is very pleasant and soft. Really gentle and fulfilling. Very warm and calming. Satisfying in fine.

Well, quite unusual. Somewhat like wooden dust and grass, fermented grapes, tons of citrus zest and notes of polish there to the nose. But the aroma is not strongly marked - it is some kind of very viscid but not pronounced. Again some polish, zest and acetone to the tongue. Sherry and spirit notes on a palate and on the edges of a tongue. After some time it gives pleasant sweetness. Not very gentle whiskey (to say it right) and not very usual. Not very complex though but weird. Finish is again with chemical notes, some spirit, bitter citrus zest too. So, after the first acquaintance I have to say - there are two main taste components which are vanilla sweetness and polish/zest. It remains weird to me and I did not like it much personally but something’s in it.

A decent but inconveniently a standard one. Among the other releases of the peated collection of anCnocs the Rascan is the one to be the closest to the original 12 year old. It is obviously younger what is well expressed in a bold, audacious and sharp character but still the core of this malt remains true coconut-y sweet with vanilla sweetness with smoke-dried meat covered by the slight hint of smoke and peat. To be honest, there is no actual peat both to the nose and to the tongue. A massive salt water mixed with sugar what makes it a bit strange in comparison to the other peated anCnocs. Also some bare barley and malt, some wood as well, leather, spice. It’s fresh, striking and heavy at the same time. Also some unripe lively green apples to the nose. But I have no reason to call it a bad experiment or all the more a bad whisky. I liked it but I am not quite fond of the Rascan. The one obvious misfire is about the degree of peatiness - it should have been done either more or less peaty if it was about leaving to me. Finish is sharp, smoky and malty again. Aftertaste is truly pleasant as the taste fades away evenly and so does the intensity.

A more “classic” peated malt as compared to Rutter. Still one can feel that this whiskey is young as it is really sharp in a “spirituous” sense. Very pleasant to the nose - smoked and peated heaviness with some awesome sweetness of caramel, fresh fruits, raisins and chocolate. Very strong to the tongue but without a bitumen note as it was with Rutter. Again there are all the classic anCnoc features - cocoa on a palate, caramel, toffee which are mixed with a strong peated taste and iodine. Hints of liquorice on a palate in the finish. Finish is long, not very sweet and nicely peated - as it is required.

The first thing you admit - the strong wine aroma (very nice, more likely dry white like Pinot Grigio or Verdejo). A bit spiced, definitely fermented grapes, fresh grapes and raisins. A marking taste of coconut on the roof of the mouth. Felt neither caramel nor honey. A hint of red fruits but not that much. Not peaty at all. Not stubborn, not sharp. Somewhat calm. Very warm and sweet. Finish is great. The aftertaste is predictable yet also remarkable.

Immortal and undying classics. Beautiful dark-dark amber bronze color. Nose is heavily peated, very warming with strong iodine, medicinal notes. But the peat and smoke just form the shape whilst the core is ultimately sweet based on burnt sugar and rough vanilla and creme-brûlée aroma. Some citrus as well. Yet in the taste dominates the sweetness which is paramount to the tongue. Again vanilla, burnt sugar. Peat is recognizable, but it is more about bitumen, iodine and tar. Almost no smoky notes. Finish is massive and overwhelming with spicy notes. Shockingly intense. Aftertaste is long and full of peat and, again, iodine. It is supposed to be sipped quietly with no haste during the long dark winter nights. All-time favorite among the peated malts.