Tastes

-46% abv -Non chill-filtered -Natural color -Aged in ex bourbon for 23 years then finished for 2 in oloroso sherry casks. Nose: rich, Christmas cakey and complex. Notes include: vanilla cream; honey; red apple; fresh strawberry; dark plum; pear; clove; cinnamon; lemon meringue; slight floral; slight pepper; grassy almost herbal note hiding in the background. Taste: medium viscosity but full. It starts out sweet with bright red fruits, dark fruits, and sugary plums and dates along side a hint of root beer/cola. As it develops, a gentle but assertive cinnamon spice and note of pepper kicks in along side rich toffee and dark cherry. Simply fantastic. With water, a tropical clementine orange and kiwi appears. Not. Even. Kidding. Finish: one of the longest I’ve ever experienced. Mouth watering with honey, vanilla, a slight floral note, plum, honeydew melon, iced pastry, maple syrup, golden apple, and just when you think it’s over, you get light salted caramel and a sweet spearmint to close the show. Value: while getting harder to find, you can get a bottle for between $170-200 and I suggest you do so. Final thoughts: an amazing single malt at a great price. This is what I imagine a 30 year old Highland Park might taste like. This 25 year old Balblair should not fly under your radar...so start hunting! Score: 5/5. Go out and buy it now! Malt musing. “Whisky is liquid sunshine.” - George Bernard Shaw

This stuff is just plain awesome.

43% abv Non-chill filtered Natural color Nose: Vanilla, and lots of it. Also cream soda, faint caramel and cola notes. Taste: rich, sweet and creamy, with a deep, delicate and decadent vanilla taking center stage. Also walnut/almond; tiramisu; graham cracker; coffee bean; nutmeg; touch of cinnamon and tapioca pudding. Finish: long and warming. Vanilla rides with you all the way to the end, along with a touch of dark chocolate, graininess, slight peppery barrel note and cinnamon apple cider. Value: $100. Worth it. Final thoughts: If you have a sweet tooth, this is the dram for you. This is a ”dessert whisky” at heart, but i find this enjoyable at any time. While not quite as interesting as it’s close (and cheaper) cousin The Spice Tree, this single grain blend from Compass Box is worth putting on your radar for the simple reason that it’s just so damn delicious. 4/5 Highly recommend buying a bottle

(White tube version) 48% abv Non-chill filtered Color added Nose: rich and complex, with a potent but far from overpowering peat smoke of road tar, medicinal and martine notes. Other notes include floral; dark chocolate fudge; lime; vanilla; brine; damp oak wood; sweet dark fruits like plum and raisin. Also a hint of herbs like parsley along with baked goods...gingerbread, perhaps? So much happening here. Taste: full, sweet, savory and oily. Medium bodied. The peat smoke spice hits you first but quickly makes room for an explosion of other subtle notes. I seem to pick up something new each time.l, especially after leaving sit in the glass with a few drop of water in it. In no particular order: chili pepper; lime citrus; vanilla; cinnamon sugar; caramel; floral; fudge; toffee; sea salt; umami from a hint of seaweed and fish sauce; teriyaki bbq; nuttiness like hazelnut or almond; bitter herb. Finish: medium and buttery. A slight ashy peat lingers along with sweets like vanilla, red apple and raw honey, also dark chocolate espresso, almond, lime juice/salt like from the rim of a margarita glass, menthol, and a slight tartness which reminds me of pomegranate. Value: this is discontinued, so if you see it on a shelf it may be as little as $100 (buy immediately) otherwise prepare to spend hundreds on the secondary market. Final thoughts: What a whisky. This was a dynamite expression from Laphroaig, pure and simple. It’s complexity simply mesmerizes, and has a balance so integrated it makes this 48% malt drink like its a 40%. The signature peat smoke is there, but it’s part of the orchestra with this Laphroaig. The finish is a littler shorter than I’d want, but it’s such a minor ding that it was almost not worth even mentioning. It’s a damn shame this work of art is not still available, but I’ll say this: you only live once, so if you see this for even $200, pull the trigger. Score: 4.5/5 Highly recommend buying a bottle. (I’ve got a few green tube versions as well which I’ll compare to this in the near future.)

40% abv Chill filtered Color added Nose: sweet and sour of red and green apple; cream soda; oak cask; caramel; vanilla; hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and toffee; slight alcohol note. Taste: surprisingly complex! Initially watermelon, apple, pear and a hint of pineapple develops into a medium bodied and rounded caramel, barley/grain and toffee, all backed by a very slight astringency of citrus or alcohol. Finish. Short and mouth watering, with vanilla, chocolate, cola, and a hint of pepper. Value: $60-75 USD. Solid price for an 18 year blended scotch. Final thoughts: I don’t mind this pour one bit. For a blend aged 18 years you can do far worse, and in fact this, may be the best blended 18 from a big multinational “for the masses” distillery you can get. It’s relaxed, has some complexities (which are heightened by a few drops of water) and comes at a decent price. Nothing here will blow your mind, but I can see myself having this on hand for those days where I just need a decent scotch and don’t want to think more about it, or as a pour for mildly discerning guests. As an aside, this could actually be a stellar blend at 46% or, hell, even maybe 43%, but dream on, right? ;) Score: 3/5 Recommend trying out buying a bottle at a good price.

43% abv Nose: vanilla; honey dew melon; slight butterscotch; slight caramel apple; very mild rye spice. Taste: rather delicate and rounded yet rich on the palate with toffee, melon, that classic Irish pot still grain note and again a light kick of rye spice. Develops into sweet golden apple, soft pepper tingle and vanilla/caramel. Finish: medium and warming, with hints of dark chocolate, pear and faded spices from the rye. Oh, and a wee copper penny note right at the end. Value: $35-45 USD. Tough call! See below. Final thoughts: not your average rye. The spice is quite muted and balanced with sweet tropical fruits and vanilla. This is as easy drinking of a rye as you’ll find. All in all it’s an interesting pour that could easily frustrate high-rye fans, intrigue rye sippers and open doors for rye noobs. 3/5 Recommend trying or buying a bottle at a good price.

Batch 010 58% abv Non-chill filtered Color added Nose: peat smoke! Also rich vanilla, iodine medicinal notes and lemon citrus. Taste: full, velvety and rich, with a sweetness initially hitting the palate of lemon cream pie, vanilla, and creme brûlée, wrapped in a cloud of dense peat smoke, sea salt, and hot spice like jalapeño and cracked black pepper and a hint of nutmeg. Water tames the smoke and enhances the sweetness and ashiness. Finish: long, with an amazing balance of sweet, sour and bitter. The smoke is still there but as it fades leaves orange rind, vegetal earthiness, cigar ash, barbecue, light vanilla and almond while your tongue still tingles from chili spice. Value: $60-80. 100% worth it. Buy two, actually. Final thoughts: you need this in your life. This is a cracking good Islay scotch, blowing the regular 10 year old and Quarter Cask Laphroaigs out of the water. In fact, this may be the best Laphroaig you can readily buy (sorry, Lore). If you see it, and you love smoky scotch, don’t hesitate. Score: 5/5 Go out and buy it now!

50.5% abv (101 proof) Nose: in a word, excellent. fruity, including red apple and cherry; vanilla: slight cedar; caramel; clove; cinnamon spice. Taste: full, viscous and decadent! Creamy vanilla; cherry; cola; and oak barrel. Whisp of smoke from the char nicely woven through. Finish: short-medium; drying with vanilla and cinnamon sugar dominating; slight heat from chili spice; touch of mint; syrupy sweet cotton candy and sour at the tail end. Value: $50-$60. A bit pricy. Final thoughts: an overall great Single Barrel bourbon that’s near perfect for sipping and is sure to please fans of Wild Turkey. But the finish is a bit lacking. Given the choice I think the higher abv Wild Turkey Rare Breed is superior than this more relaxed and price-comparable counterpart. Score: 3.5/5 Recommend trying or buying a bottle at a good price.