Tastes

The nose like 12 year Old Parr is rich and not overpowering. Again we have honeyed malts with light citrus but unlike the 12 year old we also have more burnt oak and a touch of tobacco mixed with demerara sugar and burnt caramel. Taste is not as initially as sweet or as rounded as the 12 year Old Parr. First off I really noticed milk chocolate and coffee. Vanilla and orange are also present. The finish is very light on spice. Again it's very refined like the 12 Year Old Parr but maybe a little less Technicolor. Certainly not picking up cloves and cinnamon that I noticed on 12 Year Old Parr. Overall I do pick up more bourbon cask influence with the 18year Old Parr - more burnt sugars and ginger spice. The the finish is only medium but it is certainly longer than the 12 year Old Parr. All in all a very nice old school whisky but I actually prefer the 12 year Old Parr for its extra spice and richness. Thanks Cascade for the sample.

The nose on this is not huge but its rich with honey, fruit cake and roasted nuts. Orange peel and a small hint of wood. Sherry as well but all very muted. Taste is full round malt sweetness mixed with fruit, a hint of dark chocolate with a light spice ending. Oak, cloves and cinnamon mixed with black tea tannins are the real show stopper here because it’s all done with such refinement. The taste definitely follows the nose but with bolder colours and a touch of character that the nose only hints at. A lot to like about this dram. Its winter in Australia as I write this and this is an almost perfect dram to have on the sofa with a book. Enjoy. Thanks to Cascade for the sample.

The nose could be described as faint or subtle depending on your outlook. What is there is malt driven with faint vanilla and a touch of orange peel. While one can certainly can find bigger noses what is there is actually nice. Tased. Sweet malt and that orange on the nose is presented, touch of ginger and light tannin. It's short and sweet as they say. Having said that nothing unpleasant sticks out and clearly all the whiskies used while very young are decent in quality and the overall balance is grain and malt driven. That is old school - old fashioned blend that its not trying to be anything other than what it is. Certainly can be drunk straight and while lacking in lots of character or thrills it is a perfectly pleasant blend. For the price it is decent value for money and while Loch Lomond might outgun it in power and thrills there certainly are far worse blends to be had. Solid. Thanks to Cascode for the sample.

This one is a Scallywag and I think a bit of fun. Nose is stewed fruits, sherry, malt and vanilla, citrus maybe blood orange and hint of something funky. Nose is reasonably complex. Taste is like the nose in many ways being fruit driven but quickly it all gets blended in with a burnt sugars and the sugar note is not one note it's complex. Think bake fruits covered in brown sugar topped in dark chocolate. Finish has hints of ginger spice and a decent dash of pepper and tannin. Medium long finish. Water brings out more citrus notes in the nose but removes the Scallywag from the taste and it become a bit smooth and boring. But straight up this is an exciting and fun dram. Thanks to Cascode for the sample!

It's Aussie so must be good! OK - I'll put my patriotism to one side and give this an objective review. Nose is pleasant with sweet fruits, vanilla , hint of floral notes some esters like bananas in the background. Taste is creamy, rich and forward loaded with stone fruits, french vanilla and ending in mild spice and light tannin. Not a long finish has to be said. This is a whisky where all the action is up front. OK so if you can find a bottle and also afford it you do get a very pleasant and kind of old school whisky experience. A bit like a Glenmorangie in many ways. In the end very decent and doesn't put a foot wrong but it is also in many ways not very complex or exciting. When you factor in the price it becomes a bit of a non starter. Having said that it is stone cold proof that Australia can make really good whisky but maybe not enough of it to keep the price connected to planet Earth. Big thanks to Cascode for the sample!

Nose was initially very much asleep but a couple of minutes and it sprung to life and once open you get apple, banana peel, honeysuckle and sweet vanilla. The vanilla is sweet like kids perfume. Fragrant would be the one word to sum it all up. Taste is sweet and almost like butterscotch and creamy....but very quickly jumping to lemon, coriander seeds and strong but not unpleasant ginger spice finish. It's all a bit over too quickly and almost seems in a hurry minus the lingering lemon and spice notes that do hang around. So in the end you do get a decent range of flavours and there are no rough edges as such but it is not outstanding minus being a little different. So, while it is fairly well balanced and approachable when all is said and done it fails to move the heart. Thanks to Cascode for a sample PS: If you let it stay in the glass for a bit it will lose some of its sweet perfume qualities and becomes more like a traditional Speyside.

Nose is forward orange peel and dried apricots with vanilla. Spice note buried deep in the background like ginger nut biscuits maybe peat as well but way down in the noise floor if there at all. Taste is initially sweet and full. Almost buttery...with citrus notes and a hint of peat. Not a super long finish and the sweet rush quickly moves to a tart and spicy finish but very much controlled. No real sharp edges here. This is a largely a subdued and refined dram. I like it but its not outstanding in any particular way - minus the mouth feel. For the price its solid but I would find it hard to recommend. Having said that it is probably not a bad place to start if you are new to single malts - it won't spook the horses. Thanks to Cascode for the sample.

Bourbon with a decent amount of rye on the nose. Creamy fruit and vanilla balance on an almost perfume floral nose. Very nice. Taste is sweet corn with a decent amount of complexity for a bourbon. Initial sweetness quickly transitions to tart baked green apples and controlled spice finish - black pepper and a touch of ginger. The finish is not short nor super long but satisfying. Wish the rye character punched through a tad more on the taste but it certainly is a very decent bourbon. Need to try this in an old fashioned.... Thanks to Cascode for the sample.

Nose: Lots of green apples and vanilla. Faint spice notes like cinnamon and ginger round off an OK nose. The taste is forwarded loaded with a quick dry finish and ending with mild spice. Initial taste is full malt and sweet with tart apple and spice quickly bringing up the rear. In many ways its a decent dram just never gets out of first gear. In short it has many of the elements of something more special but the construction is missing. In its price range its fine and you can do a lot worse but maybe also a few others around give a more complete and enjoyable ride. Thanks to Cascode for the sample.

Nose: Nice stuff. Sweet malt, vanilla and light stewed fruits. The nose could easily be mistaken for something little more expensive. Taste: Forward driven sweetness and light tannin spice. There is abundant burnt caramel and sugars mixed with a light herbal funk….hinting at the presence of smoke but I haven’t detected any. For a cheap blend this is big on flavour and decent enough to drink straight. Having said that its not outstanding in any way as the taste profile is a bit up and down and it lacks subtlety. Still at least this is not like many cheap blends where the malt is diluted to a whisper. Finally the grain whisky base is good. I think if you approach this as bottle shelf blend there is much to like and admire in this bottle. Finally the idea that this built around Cragganmore certainly doesn’t seem like fake news after tasting it and thanks to Cascode for the sample.