Tastes
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Highland Park 12 Year
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed July 28, 2016 (edited August 5, 2017)Nice smoky flavor throughout the entire sip. Finishes a bit harsh, with even more smoke. -
Glenmorangie 18 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed July 28, 2016 (edited January 1, 2022)Excellent highland single malt. Nice and sweet on the nose and up front, with a slight peppery, medium length finish. I'm still not sure I prefer this to the La Santa or the Ruban because they both pack a good bit more flavor and are significantly cheaper. It's still an excellent 18 year old- IMO it's hands down better than the 'fiddich and 'livet 18s. -
Dalmore 12 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed July 28, 2016 (edited September 13, 2018)It’s time to revisit the entry level malt from another Highland distillery, the Dalmore 12. I originally reviewed this one about 2 years ago and I’m able to try this one again thanks to my friend Scott. This single malt spent around 9 years in ex-American white oak bourbon casks before being “finished” for 3 years in ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It comes in at a distillery-blended 40% ABV and I believe it has been chill filtered and has E150 color added to make it appear a deep, rich mahogany in the taster. The nose is pretty sweet, right from the start, with vanilla, raisins and sherry wine notes. There’s a nice awakening after 30 minutes of swirling that releases some spicier, Christmas cake aromas. I almost didn’t wait around for those, but I’m kinda glad I did. It smelled very one dimensional (sweet) up to that point. The palate begins innocent enough with some bittersweet chocolate covered orange wedges, then livens up with those spice cake notes and just a faint bit of oak barrel. It’s warming and smooth, but a tad too oily. It takes the overall mouthfeel to a point that it feels thick and tacky. The flavors are fine, it’s the feel that seems out of place. It doesn’t seem like whisky at this point. The finish is medium length with more chocolate notes overpowering the any resemblance of heat or power. It’s too much like a rich dessert- if there is such a thing. This needs more ABV in a bad way. Overall, it’s a very sweet and non-offending dram that a lot of beginners could really get behind, but most experienced scotch drinkers might think it’s over-engineered and tinkered with a bit too much. At least that’s my $0.02. It’s a middle of the road dram, 3.5-3.75 stars. Thanks again to Scott for letting me revisit this one. Cheers, fellas. -
Compass Box The Peat Monster (Classic Brown Label)
Blended Malt — Scotland
Reviewed July 28, 2016 (edited November 19, 2019)Edit: I’d like to take an opportunity to redo my original review based on a recent tasting from 1/1/18. The Peat Monster is a core offering from Compass Box that tickles that peaty itch one might have. It’s a NCF’d, no color added blend of Laphroaig, LeDaig, Caol Ila, Ardmore and base CBW whisky (2 year old Clynelish, Teaninich And Dailuaine aged in French oak). The nose has so much depth to it that it’s amazing. Juicy orchard fruits, mixed berries along with heavy fire BBQ’d meats. They left out the salt, seaside qualities that are contained in the blends used and that’s what I think really makes this blend tick. The aroma is so enticing. There’s nothing abrasive and the 46% ABV holds it all together quite well. The palate starts with all those soft, ripe fruits awakening your taste dubs just in time for an oily dose of salted pork and charred oak. It works so damn well. The finish is short, but smoky and sweet all the same. There’s a wonderful oily, mouthwatering finale that just encourages another sip. In the end, this is another must have bottle. I wouldn’t say this is an entry level peat whisky, but it’s just very well done. If you’re one of those people that likes smoky single malts, but doesn’t really want to keep searching over and over for one that hits your mark- try Peat Monster. It’s sure to check off all the right boxes without any of the hassle. It can be had for around $60 a bottle, too. That’s pretty easy on the wallet IMO. Great job, Mr Glaser. Another fine blend from CBW. Cheers. OLD (LAME) REVIEW: Pretty damn tasty. It lives up to its name for sure- lots of smoke and peat, especially on the palate. Finishes big and smoky. Very nice. I will be looking for a full bottle of this one. -
Lots of spice, on the nose and on the palate. Tons of flavor with a big spice finish. This will definitely wake up the taste buds. Very interesting and I wouldn't mind having an entire bottle of this one. To clarify: I'm drinking the Compass Box Range (5 flavor sampler). It has a really nice presentation and is an excellent way to introduce yourself to CB. Highly recommended.
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Here's to another chance to review this beautiful blended scotch from the geniuses at Compass Box. Hedonism. I originally tried this blend in their wonderful 5 flavor sample pack. It was a very nice presentation that, while somewhat expensive, did showcase their core whiskies perfectly. Hedonism and Peat Monster were clearly the stars of the sampler, but the other 3 were also quite tasty. Anyway, onto Hedonism...this is an incredible blend of several Lowland malts that are then aged again in ex-bourbon casks. Most Lowland whiskies I've had are very light on the nose and the palate. Soft, floral and mostly sweet. Hedonism takes those qualities and adds a layer of American bourbon overtop and melds them together quite gracefully. Vanilla, lemon merengue pie, marshmallow and a bit of fresh oak are all present on the nose and follow through to the palate. The finish is soft and sweet, lingering just long enough to make you crave another sip. I've had several newer blends from John Glaser and CBW so I can't say this is my favorite from them, but it sure as hell is a wonderful dram to finish off dinner with in place of a decadent dessert. The price is also pretty reasonable so there really is no reason to keep a bottle of this on hand for guests that want to venture into scotch. This would make a big splash at an entry level tasting event. Seek it out and take that step into higher quality blended whisky, you won't be disappointed. Thanks to Paul for sending me another sample of this one. I'm so glad I could give it another go and improve on my initial review on Barreled. Thanks, brother. Cheers.
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