Tastes

Underwhelming vs expectations, but it’s a good price and solid enough pour.

Nose: a tad muted in terms of complexity. Mostly delicious but not overpowering peat smoke with lemon cream and generalized citrus. Palate: now we’re cooking with gas. The mouthfeel is generous and mouth-coating with a medium viscosity. The strong peat smoke steps a bit aside for sweets: caramelized sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, along with some slight floral and herbal notes popping through. Finish: the wood spice really shows itself here in the malty, drying, balanced medium finish. The sweets stick around and blend nicely with some tart, juicy red fruits, too, along with a dusting of pepper right at the end. Final thoughts: very drinkable. Being Non-chill filtered, naturally colored and 50% abv, this malt from Bruichladdich checks a lot of boxes despite being an NAS. Even as a fairly well-seasoned peat head I’m really enjoying this dram. True, it’s not overly complex, but if you’re looking for a well-balanced peaty pour that you don’t have to think too much about and aren’t craving that Laphroaig/Ardbeg peat punch in the face, grab a bottle of this stuff and sip in peace.

This is a really interesting, characterful and drinkable grain whiskey. The nose comes in with a minty, almost ethanol sharpness that can be off putting, but it blends fairly nicely with a toffee/creme brûlée creamy sweetness. The palate really shows the range of this NAS spirit when given a few drops of water, where i found vanilla, apple, cocoa, maple, anise, and more spearmint. (I’d be shocked if there’s no rye in this mash bill). The finish is medium, warming and again, minty. All in all, a whiskey worth a pour or two for those interested in exploring Irish or single grain whiskies. Unique for sure, but for me the lingering minty menthol was just too much to recommend buying a bottle.

See my review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uhmZGwvj0g