Tastes

Now, the Laphroaig 18 is a much more refined version of this. This... doesn't bother just showing you its guns. It will sock you in the face with peat, smoke, and meat. But it has manners – it tastes like the plaster it brought you to stem your bloody nose, but it's still hurting of peat, smoke, and salt. It finishes of more bandage. It's almost off-putting in its intensity. Would I buy this? Maybe. I'd buy the 18 first.

Oh hello Islay. This dram comes at you with its sleeves up and guns showing, greeting you with the typical BBQ profile. Take a sip, and be astonished by the thick and salty campfire, BBQ spices, and unmentionable dark things. It might as well be medicinal, that's how it finishes, and it lasts about 8 hours – when you need your next dose. Water kinda ruins it, if you consider "putting out the smoke and fire" to be a bad thing.

Always mentioned in the same breath as Laphroaig and Ardbeg, this lovely Islay dram greets you with smoke and peat, almost meaty in its intensity. It follows with a sweet and slightly salty taste in your mouth, and finishes with a bit of spicy barbecue sauce. Oily dram. Lovely, but I still like my Ardbeg better.

Picked up the glass, and found this aromatic... strangely enticing. Going in, it was subtle, with hints of peat/leather and a little spice. Found the finish to sort of spike wood and zest.

Maybe it was because this was the FIFTH Glenmorangie fellow Distiller user yliu and I were tasting... but the nose was almost herbal. Going in, it was somewhat syrupy in flavor, with a hint of spice. The finish was long and still sweet. Perhaps it's the Sauternes.

Wafts of spice and wood hit you, followed by sweetness, but also undertones of bitterness and spice. A silky lingering finish. It mellows out a bit with water.

After pouring this dram, you'll ask yourself, "is this sherry?" – it's very much a lot of oak, a bit of cork, hello sherry profile. As you take a sip, the sweetness hits you. A little spicy. Finishes with something orangey and spicy. Adding a little water brings a little caramel out, a little burntness.

As the glass approaches your nose, you catch a waft of indistinct maltiness. The first sip hints at vanilla, and finishes up with a slightly sweet and clean taste. Oddly, adding a little water gave it a little zing. All in all, an absolutely uninteresting and inoffensive everyday dram.

Speyside fresh and fruity greets you as you take a sniff, especially apple. Apple pie as you take a sip. Smooth finish, leaving you wanting another bite... er, sip. It's a great everyday dram, but it's... kinda boring, if you've been off exploring.

Noses floral and fruity, and it tastes lighter... a white wine amongst whisk(e)ys. The finish is dry and subtle. It's easy to drink, but not for anyone who expects fire and brimstone from their dram.