Tastes

Delish, but not better than Yellow Spot for nearly $50 more USD. Check out my video review here https://youtu.be/JEoxpziZnWI .

59.3% abv (batch 1) Non chill-filtered Natural color NAS Nose: Earthy, dense peat smoke, like fresh wet concrete and charcoal on a campfire; damp wood; sweetness, like vanilla and tart apple; lemon sherbet citrus; very slight mustiness and sourdough bread. Taste: intense and sweet; heavy, viscous peated barely; vanilla; caramelized sugar; hints of dark fruits as it develops; pepper. Finish: medium; with vanilla, caramel and pepper. Hint of mint and smoked meat. Ashy burnt wood note lingers. Value: $70-80 USD. Final thoughts: an exciting young smoky single malt. This is peated at 80 ppm, putting it above nearly all other peated malts except Octomore. Despite its youth, this whisky does a lot to impress with its surprising array of notes. All in all a strong first release of their “peat in progress” line and portends good things to come for peat heads. Score: 3.5/5 (recommend trying or buying a bottle at a good price) Malt musing: “Alcohol is not the answer it just makes you forget the question.” :-)

47.8% abv Non chill-filtered Colorant possibly added Nose: fresh. sweet and grassy. Honey; bright apple; some citrus, too, like pineapple and orange. Taste: sweet and bitter/sour. a little hot and astringent in the arrival, but then sweet mocha and acidic fruit; heavy vanilla and barley sugar. Finish: medium length. sweet and acidic, with vanilla, honey,, ginger and mint, hot cocoa, and a hint of white chocolate and salted caramel. Value: $70-80 USD. Borderline worth it. Final thoughts: I really enjoy this dram. It’s not an introductory single malt, but rather an altogether singular experience (it’s a single barrel, after all). I commend Balvenie for releasing a first full single barrel that’s readily available and affordable. Unlike bourbon, single barrel/cask releases are hard to come by. Grab this if you’re looking for a unique and at time challenging Speysider. But if you’re a beginner, grab the Balvenie 12 Double Wood first; it will help you appreciate this one all the more. Score: 4/5 (highly recommend buying a bottle) Malt musing: “Drinking can cause memory loss, or even worse, memory loss.”

48.9% abv cask strength (2017 release) Non chill-filtered Color likely added Video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b44X2LnR9GY&t Nose: Complex: sweetness is balanced with a nice but not overpowering medicinal, salty peat smoke. But just underneath lies a meaty, bbq note, rich Carmel apple; orange and lemon citrus; vanilla and toffee; sea shell. Taste: medium body, oily and mouth coating. On the arrival its sweet vanilla and fresh fruit, but as it develops you get apple, chocolate and a slight floral note. The ride them continues with salted caramel and almond. Finish: seemingly endless. The pest smoke lingers in the background as brine, vanilla, and caramel pop in and out. Slight ginger bread also comes to the party, bringing along buttery cashew. Value: $400-500 USD. Hard to say this is “worth it” despite how good the dram is. Final thoughts: what can one say about a Laphroaig that’s at least 25 years old? Literally every time you nose and taste this you get something new. This is a unicorn single malt, pure and simple. Because of the price I can’t say you should stop what you’re doing and buy a bottle immediately, but should fortune’s wheel spin your way or a generous friend enter your life offering a sample, this is a cannnot miss dram. Score: 4.5/5 (highly recommend buying a bottle.) Malt musing: “It is true that whisky improves with age. The older I get, the more I like it.” - Ronnie Corbett Link to video review: https://youtu.be/b44X2LnR9GY

50% abv color added Non-chill-filtered Nose: fruity (apple, slight pear), cinnamon spice, with a hint of alcohol sharpness. Taste: fairly oily and sweet, with a big hit of peppery-cinnamon spice, toffee, vanilla, red apple, plum, hint of citrus and slight earthy peat smokiness too. Finish: pretty short, with rich cinnamon and sweet fruit, hint of barrel char and smoke. Value: $25-35 USD. Not bad at all. Final thoughts: This is a blended scotch made for cocktails. This would stand up nicely in a Rob Roy at 50% abv, but also ain't too shabby neat. In fact, I don't mind this one bit neat, but for the price, there are cheaper blends out there that can also do the trick at lower abv. Start your flight with this one to set your palate up for the good stuff. Final score: 3/5 (Recommend trying or buying a bottle at a good price) Malt Musing: "You know that burning sensation in your throat when you drink whiskey? That's just your soul healing.

Non chill-filtered 48% abv Color added Nose: deep and rich, with dark fruit dominating. Also vanilla, honey, some spice including cinnamon and clove Taste: thick and viscous. Sweet barely sugar and heather on the arrival, which quickly develops into syrupy dark fruits, chocolate, vanilla, toffee/crepe brûlée, maple, light molasses. Finish: long. Dark coffee and dark chocolate. Fruit notes like raisin, apricot and plum. A hint of oak and nuttiness note lingers at the end. Value: $50-60 bucks USD. Worth it. Final thoughts: if you didn’t know it, you’d think this was a 15 or even 18 year old. It’s intense, sweet, creamy and freaking delicious. A near perfect dram for after a meal, this is one of the best 12 year old single malts money can buy. Score: 4/5 highly recommend buying a bottle. Malt Musing: “I feel sorry for people that don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning, that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day!” - Dean Martin Link to video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22K3ChwWDoQ

Check out my review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btM1jIwW2e8

A surprise for sure. Rich dark and sweet fruits and some great chocolate/vanilla notes, all with a warm kick of spice. Wise beyond it’s ten years. Try it, but at almost $70 USD, can’t say you should buy.