Tastes

On the nose, Peat jumps out of the glass way before any ethanol. Briny campfire mixed with smoked cod or whiting. The flavors on the palate are spikey with green grassy notes, unripe apples and pears as well as a bit of harsh cigar. The finish is long without losing the spikeyness of the palate. Makes you want to slightly clear your throat after the finish. Perfect for those of us that occasionally want the smoked meat to run over the barrel influence and dial down the sherry a little!

Buttered biscuits, vanilla and sherry coming through on the nose. Needs to sit in the glass for a while to really open up. It coats the glass like a much older whisky. The palate follows the nose. First to appear is the biscuit but more like a short bread biscuit without too much sugar. The sherry influence comes across with dried apricots and dates. The finish is long with a bit of butterscotch and peppery bite without the typical ethanol singe. Great balance of salty and sweet!

The nose is bright with cherries, Orange Julius, lemon zest and a hint of sherry. The palate takes some lingering to really open it up. Dreamcicle is first to show up followed by baking spices and hints of sweet lemons. The finish is light and bright for an 18 year old whisky. The last lingering notes are sherry and vanilla Very nice and reasonably priced for an 18 year aged scotch!

Nose is fruitcake, spruce and mint. The longer it sits, the sweeter it noses and smells like Christmas! The palate is spicy pepper, Wild Turkey Dust/Must, sour apple and mint. Finish is pretty good with more Turkey Dust, tobacco, pine and mint. Darn good rye for the money!

Definitely one of my top 5 go to whiskys. Typically enjoy in a Glencairn and occasionally in a James Bentley glass. The nose is sweet campfire with lots of bourbon cask influence. Vanilla, caramel and oak are at the top with citrus and herbs eventually showing up. At the end of the nose, stone fruits show up with cherry and apricot being dominant. The mouthfeel is stupendous for a 10 year old giving you an oily complex chew. The palate starts with smoked kippers, Iberico ham and sea air. The lemon peel grabs the back of your tongue and eventually yields to sweet vanilla and caramel. May sound like an odd combo but it really works! The finish is long for a fairly week ABV and leaves you with cherry pipe tobacco and just a hint of mint and tannins.

Enjoyed a double pour in a James Bentley glass (similar to Norlan). This was a Ryan’s store pick in Spring TX just North of Houston. The nose is very vanilla and oak forward as you expect from a double-oaked bourbon. The stone fruits are lively just after pouring but disappear once it breathes for a while. There is also a hint of leather and tobacco but definitely in the background. The palate follows the nose with the first few sips being vanilla, oak and some cherry. The bourbon could use a little higher proof to improve the mouth feel but oak would likely over power if it was higher in ABV. As it sits in the glass, the stone fruits completely disappear as does much of the oak. What your left with is pure salted caramel, honey and peanut butter toffee. Really surprised by the saltiness however, it pairs well with the brown sugar and honey sweetness. The finish is nice and easy. No Kentucky hug but a nice long taste of Werther’s Original and Bit-O-Honey candy. This is a great bourbon to just sit and relax while embracing a sweet tooth! Very easy to drink and reminisce of your childhood visits to your grandparents at Christmas time!

The nose is heavy Sherry, Cherries, Raisins, Sweet Apple Wood and Fermented Sweet Grasses we used on the farm (Lespedeza, Rye, Oats and Barley). Brings back great memories! The palate is unsweetened baking chocolate, apples cooked over a roaring fire, nutmeg and Ceylon Cinnamon. There is a very slight hint of salty sea air but no where near as strong as an Islay. The layers are soft and rounded as you would expect from an 18 year old Scotch. The finish is floral with a bit of mint and green grass that has baked in the sun. There’s also a lingering powdery freshness that was very unique to Highland Park. The mouthfeel lingers for a good while with a good amount of oilyness. Fruits come on dead last with cherries, pineapple and apricot. Really nice Scotch with flavors that meld together in a way I’ve not experienced before

This is a whisky you chose when you are having a sweet tooth! The pineapple, Granny Smith and light vanilla come on like a sweet gentle summer breeze. The palate agrees with the nose with just a bit of baking spice added in. The finish is longer than the Original Glenmorangie! My wife isn’t a typical Scotch fan but she really likes this expression

Weller is one of the best screw top bourbons on the market! It really benefits from resting in the glass for 10-15 min. If you go in too early, the nose is pretty unidimensional with only oak and vanilla showing up. Once is breaths, apple-cinnamon and caramel start to shine through. The palate starts out the way a 90% ABV would be expected. A little weak then building in complexity following the nose to a tee. The finish is long with some additional notes of herb and baking spice showing up along with a hint of young grass most likely from the younger age and high wheat mashbill. Weller is a great entry level bourbon due to the wheated mashbill and is a step above other wheated choices especially if you’re new to drinking whiskey neat. Easy to drink and easier to enjoy when you want to relax and not overthink what’s in your glass!