Tastes

Nose: red apple, cereal grains, touch of lemon, light oak Palate: more malty grains, some orange Finish: vanilla, mint, light smoke, sweet apple Not the most complex whiskey ever, but it does have a unique taste as the nose really features the cider cask aroma, the palate reveals the youth of the whiskey grains, and the finish reveals the gentle peating from the mixing with scotch. Value: B+, is this the best whiskey ever? No. A great whiskey? No. But for $40 I think it’s a steal.

Nose: salt water splashing on rocks, hint of caramel and orange, loads of peat, iodine and brine Palate: starts with charred peat and moves into lighter salty and smoked dried fish with some hints of red apple, burnt hazelnut, toffee and caramel finish off the palate Finish: vanilla, mint and heavy pepper underly more peat This is a great scotch for being under $100. If you like heavy medicinal and peat aromas and flavors this is a great pour for the average night. Not quite as heavy as Ardbeg Uigeadall but still plenty of smoke. The finish is nice and lasting on this one. Value: A, for $100 I don’t think you’ll get a much better scotch than this

Nose: fig, honey, tiny amount of sea salt Palate: creamy butterscotch, banana Finish: cinnamon raisin, plums, ginger spice First sip seemed lack lustered but the more I drink it the more it grows on me. Not sure if it’s worth the price tag though. First whiskey I’ve had that’s almost too fruity. Value: B-, it’s a good whiskey but a touch overpriced at $75 a bottle

Nose: Oak, leather, vanilla Palate: toffee, candy apple, meringue Finish: cinnamon, clove, black pepper, oak tannins Sweet nose and palate with an overly spicy finish. Not a rye connoisseur so hard to tell if this one is a good value or not. Value: C-, it’s good, but at $50 a bottle there’s much better rye to be had

Nose: vanilla, orange, apple, touch of lemongrass Palate: almonds, caramel Finish: meringue, honey, hint of allspice Very sweet for scotch but not overly so. Not the best unpeated scotch ever but amazing value at less than $50 a bottle and I’d take it over the Glenlivet or Glennfiddich 12. Value: A, at $40 a bottle this is quite a great scotch

Nose: vanilla, burnt toast, over sweet cherries, ethanol Palate: creamy caramel and chocolate banana, followed with a hint of dried plum Finish: rye and black pepper spice, cinnamon, heavy oak char Great nose, good palate, finish is a touch harsh (even after considering abv). Seems like the high abv makes the palate much better after the first sip. This would be much higher rated if the finish lasted longer and didn’t seem like an intense amount of dry oak with black pepper. Add 3 drops of water and everything changes. The complexity of the nose is dulled and gets worse. The palate become a beauty of coffee cake, almonds and toffee. The finish turns into a slightly less char heavy black pepper and cinnamon fading to spearmint and honey. Is this better? I think the nose is worse and the palate and finish are better but the finish remains extra dry. Value: B-, I want to be clear. This is still a very good bourbon, but for living in the US, I expect an amazing bottle for over $100 and this doesn’t live up to it. If you want a bourbon that makes you feel like your teeth dig into the char of the barrel, here’s your finish.

Nose: Raisin, plum, underripe banana Palate: clementines, light wood Finish: cloves, red grapes, light spice Palate leaves something to be desired but a fav for its smooth and light mouthfeel and sweet (but not overly) nose. Value: B+, for only $56 it’s a pretty decent bottle

Nose: oak, tobacco, butterscotch Palate: caramel apple, toffee Finish: oak, cayenne pepper, vanilla Pleasantly surprised with how long the oaky finish is on this one. One of the best bourbons for its low price point. Value: A-, by no means a phenomenal bourbon but for only $32 a bottle it’s a great deal

Nose: flowers, apple, vanilla Palate: berries and orchard fruit with a oily mouthfeel Finish: fresh grass, oak, cinnamon Nose and finish are quite pleasant but not a very distinctive palate. A nice light and airy whiskey. Value: C+, for me there are other bottles at similar price points and aging that are much better, and this whiskey is good but has nothing very special that really draws me to it. The one unique thing I do like about this whiskey is it’s light and citrusy enough to drink on a warm day but I would still take some other Irish whiskeys over this.

Nose: spicy cinnamon, caramel, sour apple, vanilla Palate: maple syrup, banana, dried fruit Finish: tart cherry, black pepper, light butterscotch Very tart and dry finish, not long lasting. The flavors are there, but not very bold. More oak influence than the Glennfiddich 12. Value: B-, I’d take this over the Glennfiddich but I think I’m just partial to the oak influence similar to bourbons