Tastes

It happens to be a slight disappointment due to the rather high expectations towards it. The colour is old dusty gold. The nose is a bit spiritous at first but after a short aeration it acquires something like an oakish frame with classic sweet terms - caramel, honey, creamy vanilla - along with some bitter/sour fruits and ashberry and well expressed grain notes (surprising due to its single malt origin). The taste is again a classic sweet Glenmorangie - honey, toffee, caramel, some citruses. Some spices and ginger notes can be mentioned too. As it was quoted on one of the websites: “it seems to be there a conflict between the well-aged spirits with the younger ones”, what is probably true. The finish is nice what is a tradition to Glenmorangie and it little matters whether a whisky was really good or near to average. The aftertaste contains all the hints mentioned above with something that reminds litchee. Not very long and not very short - nice in a word.

Colour is pale orange-brown. The nose is quite satisfying - not very spiritous with a hint of smoke, fruity sweetness with bold grain and wood tones; even some steak meat notes show up sometimes along with smoke-dried salami however the overall aroma might not be called very bright - it’s just neutral. The taste is more prominent. It obtains notes of grass, bread, vanilla, spices and citruses which are the most defining here. Also some flower dust. Some peat and smoked salami. Though, again, the taste is a bit spiritous and bitter. Finish is more about burnt oak and bread with some light sweet notes. LL Reserve is not that simple, though all the terms are not well expressed but decent in general. Well, I rate it fairly high above average relatively to the cheapest blends (such as Tullamore D.E.W or Ballantines). And I even might choose it over some of the single malts as well.

Very simple and not really smooth what contadicts the statement on the label. Vanilla, spices and some citrus to the nose. And way too spiritous. Same to the tongue - vanilla, creamy caramel, some grain and not the faintest sniff of malt. Finish is not remarkable at all. One feels spirit and sweetness on the tongue, but without any special nuances. Definitely not a one to have at home, even for a daily drink.

Run into this bourbon randomly while inspecting the spirits in the nearest store and it cost a sharp price. Well, I have expected nothing but a standard whiskey you usually get for such a price, but I haven't been disappointed by a purchase since the only thing I was driven by was a curiosity. And it performed high above my expectations despite having a quite tawdry and flashy cartoonish label. Aroma resembles the one of Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon with tons of caramel, nuts, sweet spices, figs and butterscotch. While the aroma delivers some decent yet standard notes the taste gives you a fabulous experience. Fighting Cock is one of the sweetest bourbons I've tried so far. The taste is utterly sweet with many different fruity notes - there are peaches, apricots, even mangos. Some caramel, honey, nuts along with wooden and rye notes as well. This sweetness does not disappear at once but lingers for quite a long time and expresses the bourbon's rich and appetizing charachter. After adding some water it gives a true bubble gum taste. Gorgeous. Finish is long and spicy sweet again. I liked it much and definitely would purchase it as soon as I find it for the same price.

The colour is very same to Inchmurrin, literally no difference. The nose contains almost no peat while the taste is full of peat and smoke. The aroma is heavily spiced with some herbal and medicinal notes combined with wood, malt and vanilla. The taste is much more peated, what really deflects it towards the Islay style. The sweetness is soft and less prominent than in Laphroaig for example - it tastes like a heavily watered sugary syrup. Many spices again and a boistering pepper. At first it can literally burn your tongue though it has only 46 abv. It’s closest alternative might really be the Laphroaig 10 but with some important remarks. The main thing that comes to mind to sum up the feelings is the one where the world of whisky represents the education system and Inchmoan is like a very hard-working student while Lagavulin, Talisker or Bunnahabhain are the professors. Inchmoan 12 tries to be a tough nut, shows much potential but lacks something significant in total. But if you are not ready to pay for the Islay giants then this peated recruit might become a great substitute.

By trying to recollect my memories of this whisky the first thing that appears in my mind is that I described it as a sweeter and a more intense version of the classic blended scotches (Red label, Ballantine’s - the cheapest ones). Strong spiritous and caramel sweet aroma, some citrus obviously. The taste is sweet with caramel and vanilla hints. Nothing remarkable at all, unfortunately.

Not great but decent. It’s unusual to what I usually drink. There are some new notes to me as it is a blended malt. But still you can recognize typical nonsmoke single malt moments (as it consists of Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie). Sweet both to the nose and to the tongue. It’s more candy-alike not as in Glenmorangie for example. But it's not that overwhelming sweetness you expect but more like evenly lasting. Pleasant oaky spice. Some vanilla and honey. Not complex at all. Very gentle. Finish is not deep, vanishes really quickly. Can’t feel nothing more, really. Not that mouthfilling too. Tbh, I did not like it much. It’s decent but not to my taste.

The first whisky ever tried apart from the rare times my parents gave me a try. I remember it being an average of all typical highland single malts on the market - and by average here I also mean mediocre, toneless and inexpressive but it was not too bad. Aroma is spiritous with faint vanilla/caramel sweetness, a bit spiced. Same to the taste; it’s balanced despite its young age, but again - spiritous. Not a choice for an evening, but rather for a party.

In the beginning it seemed very intriguing: natural juice matured with American whiskey for several months, an interesting aroma flavor. But eventually it appears to be disappointment, probably due to the expectations were a bit high. Concentrated cherry juice (more sour than sweet), some rye and classic American whiskey notes and (might be a result of mixing the previous two) a strong leather and asphalt aroma to the nose. But the taste is not that interesting and satisfying - what seemed to be a successful mixture turns out to be plain and inappropriate - the leather note does not quite correlate with an extremely sweet juice and whiskey so it may make a drinker feel uncomfortable. The finish and the aftertaste are the only things to be ultimately satisfying and pleasurable.