Tastes

If it was any lighter it would be a gas instead of a liquid.

There's much to love here. The beautiful color, the lovely smell of succulent fruit, and the taste. The taste! Smoothly fruity, hint of sweetness and wood. Finish has never been the selling point of whiskies like these, but this one's fine too. Lovely stuff!

The distillery takes a lot of pride into making this whisky as it does. "Nothing added but hard work and determination", "simple, handcrafted, natural", etc. Whisky puritans will surely appreciate this love for authenticity. However, the whisky itself falls a bit short: the sweet and fruity notes are too subtle, and the result is a whisky that is good, but doesn't stand out from other light, sweet whiskies. Regardless of whether that is despite its natural production or because of it, it's a real shame.

When drank neat, this bourbon is very sweet on the nose (the usual suspects: caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, etc), with some heat and spice adding to that sweetness on the palate. Very intense, almost unpleasantly so. After drinking some other bourbons, I can't help but think this type of whisky is not for me. I'll tell you what though: with some ketjap manis and brown sugar, this makes for one heck of a marinade.

Indeed similar to the 10yo, but the extra wood contact makes all the flavors more balanced. Smoke is still the alpha male, but now the vanilla, sweetness and spiciness are more pronunciated, creating a more balanced and more enjoyable Laphroaig. The finish never ends, quite a feat for a young whisky. Pairs well with classic rock, like Ulysses from Franz Ferdinand.

Just because JD is frowned upon by connoisseurs doesn't mean you should disregard it. It's actually quite okay: the nose and the taste are typical bourbon flavors, but to me it's the finish dominated by hazelnut that makes the dram as a whole actually quite pleasant.

Great entry-level Speyside that shows how interesting sweetness can be. Honey and lemon walk hand in hand and create a dram that is enjoyable by all.

This dram is like a strong and sexy woman: on the outside she appears loud and assertive, with smoke and seaweed dominating your senses. However, behind that smoke screen, there is a very gentle and lovely dram with fruits and vanilla waiting for you to embrace it. A dram that you definitely learn to love, and once you do, you're hooked.

Neatly balanced, there's something in it for everyone: fruitiness, spiciness, smokiness. I think every whisky enthusiast can find something to love in here.

If an Islay is a pleasant slap in the face, this is a warm embrace even more pleasant. Looks beautiful, from the classy bottle to the deep ruby color. Smells like a strawberry pie tastes: hints of vanilla and red fruit, even a tiny hint of that salty, buttery crust. On the palate, the strawberry taste intensifies and shows its sweet and succulent qualities. It's not surprising we call strawberries the kings of summer ("zomerkoninkjes") in the Netherlands. Finishes slightly bitter like dark chocolate (i.e. in a good way). This certainly is a dram with a personality, and you can hate it or love it. I happen to love it.