Tastes

On the nose, sasaparilla, a dry bubble gum like old school Hubba Bubba, a remembrance of newly unwrapped 90's cassette tape and a distinct yet distant moth ball note. On arrival, an ashy dry peat, white fruits, longan berry, with no sweetness to speak of. Probably the dryest Ardbeg I have tried. Development is short and the finish is lingering ash. The nose is my favorite part of this dram with the mouth feel on the thin side which was unexpected. Worth the experience but no need to lament not getting your hand on this release.

On first approach the peat, like with most Part Charlotte expressions, is center stage. Time however reveals a savory note, almost like canned black olives or frankincense. The wine cask starts to punch through along with pie crust, citrus rind, and a distinct vanilla extract note. At cask strength it's super dense and I find myself pulling away from the glass if I nose it too close. On arrival the high ABV has this youthful malt in knots, the finish as the ethanol fades is sharp and tannic. Water unravels it and slowly this malt presents a dry sweetness, along with some pleasant woody notes and anise. Checks all the right boxes and promises to reveal even more as you spend time with it.

New tires, fresh sneakers, neoprene, moth balls and glazed smoked ham on the nose. Something floral that I can't pin down as well, all of it is wonderful. On arrival neat... soot, spice, salt and languidly sweet. Finish for days. Best of their core range.

Candy corn, rice pudding, cellophane wrapped carmel squares and muted cardamom on the nose. On arrival, soft, grain whisky dominant, slightly sour, fleeting sharpness but nothing off-putting. Finish is vapour, slight tongue tingle and that is all. For $21 and 46% hard to criticize. States un chill-filtered but scotch mist was absent. Water kills this whisky and drowns the pleasant notes on the nose.

Surprise find on a trip to Montgomery County. This limited release is aged 12 years, non-chill filtered and bottled at 46%. On the nose is the biscuity, malty, baking spice goodness that you would expect, along with an extra punch of ethanol. Arrival is sharp, bright, grain forward and those baking spices are revealed later in the mid-palate. Finish falls away quickly but some mild very pleasant tannins linger. Excellent Irish whiskey at an extremely affordable price.

A clear stand out in our tasting at Kavalan. On the nose sweet figs, raisins, cherry cordials, toffee and in the background a dusty vintage bookshelf which took me by complete surprise. This is a NAS Taiwan whisky, and it has a note I have smelled before in a 21 year old Glendronach. Arrival is soft, with a rounded sweetness that could only come from a stunner of a Moscatel Sherry cask. Finish was languid, sweet and warm. Fantastic!

Nose is sweet and sharp with stone fruits, baked apples and vanilla. Arrival is all of the sweetness the nose promised along with a minty green note and ends with a dry sourness. Finish is short, dry and mostly tannic. All in all, pleasant. Wish I had access to the un-chill filtered version to see what this malt is missing.