Tastes

I opened this early on in my whisky tasting hobby and was overwhelmed at first, so it has sat in the cabinet for several months. Only recently have I developed a bigger appreciation for heavy peated scotches. This is still the biggest smoke bomb I've tried and I've had multiple styles and vintages of Laphroaig, so that tells me a lot. If you enjoy this style you will be rewarded when you finally pop the cork.

Significantly more flavor than its major competitor, Glenlivet 18. Finishes stronger and longer. Makes you sit up and pay attention. Very good

Excellent nose, body and a nice warm, long finish. Tasty

Again, too harsh and dry for any 18 YO single malt. Maybe it's trying to be too complex and in your face.

Sadly, I finished off the last of this bottle last night. So boozy, yet perfectly sweet. A great whisky to build a bridge between bourbon and scotch drinkers. I will buy this one again

I get a kick out of highland distillers trying their hand at peat smoked single malts, especially when they are done pretty well. This one is no exception- it's appearance is light, like most highland styles and it feels light on the palate, but it packs a nice, velvety smoke all the way through the finish. Reminds me of the Port Charlotte Heavy Peat. Very smooth, not too dry and really enjoyable. I imagine this would pair very well with smoked meats like pork BBQ or beef brisket.

It's time to kick off the third wave of samples from our Scotch trade team. This one was supplied by my friend Ryan, and it continues the theme he established back in the very beginning: scotch that is similar to bourbon. This one strays a bit from that line, but the heavy vanilla and oak notes fall right in line. The smell is very inviting- soothing vanilla, lots of soft floral notes and a hint of herbal citrus. The taste is very oaky. Lots and lots of oak. Not too harsh. There is the typical lowland-style delicacy in place here, though. The palate is very lightly charred oak spice with just the right amount of cinnamon and heat. It's delightfully smooth through the entire sip, while the finish is pretty short. It's solid. It's light. It's ridiculously drinkable. It's a great pre-dinner dram on a warm, late summer evening. I'd even enjoy this one as a kick starter to a tasting event. Thanks, Ryan. 3.5 stars. Cheers.

One of the biggest surprise scotches of the night. So much flavor is packed into this Lowland single malt that I didn't believe it was an Auchentoshan. Those Pedro Ximenez sherry casks must contain some sort of magic in them because every bourbon and scotch I've had that has spent some time in them rank high on my fav lists. The amazing thing is that we had a small sample of Macallan Rare cask and drank it beside this and I was amazed at how similar they are in flavor. Layers of sweetness and a pretty smooth and lingering finish. You can tell the Macallan is more refined but at 3-4x the price that is easy to overlook.