Tastes

Impressive at both the price point and the result of their work. On the nose, I think of candy. The notes give my nose this unique sensation of sweetness that I normally get with bananas, tangy orchard fruits, and candy. Minutes later you begin to get a vanilla birthday cake with touches of caramel. Down the hatch, it’s warm but not long lasting which is nice for a 10 year, but surprisingly this isn’t as sweet as one would think. It’s creamy as it makes it way down begins to emit tangy fruit aromas up the nasal canals. Very good whisky for the price point and probably one of my more favorite Campbeltown distilleries. Solid everyday bottle.

As a big fan of the Bruichladdich distillery, it’s always hard to write these without any bias. But truthfully, this is probably the lowest score I ever gave a Bruichladdich made spirit. On the nose, I struggled to get as much as of OLoroso sweetness out as I could, but maybe if I add a dash of water (which I didn’t do) it may change. Will report back once I do. Once the earthy smoke clears, which there is a decent amount of, then you got lots of nuts, maybe some hints of fruit and quite a deep earthiness to it. Down the hatch, it is a 9 year aged cask strength, so without water it will bite, but the warmth is short lived which is surprising. The campfire is strong in the beginning which I like and as it makes it’s way down, again there’s nuttiness which a slight touch of sweetness and creaminess. Personally, I think if they left this in the oloroso hogshead for another year, then this would have been a winner and a price bump would be justified. All the cask movement is so interesting, but I don’t get enough fruit for it to tell me it took in enough of the flavor. Overall it’s an enjoyable dram for winter days, but maybe I need to try it with some water to see how much of a difference I can achieve.

Not the type of peat you would expect from an islay, but such a nice touch of smoke throughout its course of consumption. On the nose, it’s everything you expect from a classic speyside malt. Caramel, vanilla and toffee with a slight touch of peat but down the hatch it has so many layers to flavoring that I’m going to have to drink another wee dram to disseminate. Update to come soon.

This one is just full of surprises. On the nose you get a vanilla like profile with some small hints of a fruity tang. Down the hatch it does bite a bit but surprisingly emits aromas of grapes with a long finish that has that signature iodine that lasts for a very long time. Definitely an islay malt in every way.

Holy campfire batman. Being a huge lover of Islay based malts, it still shocks me at how much the smoke punches you square in the face especially with Laphroaig. Having batch #10, the abv of 568% will certainly keep those faint of heart away from this, but thankfully most of us are not of the faint of heart and adore whisky that comes straight outta the cask. On the nose: you get the usual beach side campfire that one would expect from a Laphroaig of any kind, but pour a touch of Usiage source Islay water, the character completely changes. Now there is a candy like sweetness that smells of orange peels and tang of pears. Down the hatch: Happy to report that I can still see and to my surprise, with such a heavy ABV, there was virtually no heat one would expect from a 10 year old malt. Campfire as per usual punches you right in the face, but the finish is verrrrrry long and starts revealing lots of sea spray with a light sweetness that starts rearing itself once you pass the swallow. Not much fruit on the palette, but definitely worth a drop of water. After taste is long with the lingering iodine which I can't get enough of and reminds of of Lagavuilin. Must be a Port Ellen thing. Such a kick ass malt and so glad i found a bottle.

The statement on the bottle couldn't be more true. This is a true classic Speyside in every sense of the words and after trying the imperial proof which is also great for a 10 year old malt, I was compelled to try this and my god what a solid malt. Color: Rich caramel brown that took in lots of the wood and is just mesmerizing. On the nose: Hints of toffee with slight coffee bean undertones while a series of caramel aromas begin to reveal themselves after a few good sniffs with air and straight in the glass. Down the hatch: This is where the magic of this malt begins to show it self. The taste is pure speyside and harkens to other popular counterparts like the Macallan and Balvenie of similar age rages. The oak here is strong, but the flavor is layered and lasts a while with a touch of sweet vanilla while the finish is silky smooth. Verdict: If you see it, get it. It would be hard to find a Speyside of this age range under $100 USD that punches in the same taste class as both Balvenie and Macallan. Such a job well done and not shocked since it is under the care of Gordon and Macphail after all.

I’m a fan. Beautiful complexity in flavor with a multi dimensional long lasting layered finish. Cask strength as well and add a bit of usiage source islay water changes the game completely even at 3 drops.

Solid malt. Very similar taste profile as other speyside classics like balvenie and macallan. Worthy for any collection.