Tastes

One of my favorite scotches, maybe my absolute favorite. It’s got Orkney peat, its got smoke, it’s got brine, honey, heather, light citrus, sherry cask dark fruit...it’s got everything. A bit aggressive but I like that. It’d be worth the original msrp of $80, but I hunted down 3 bottles clearanced for $40. Bummer they discontinued this! But it has made me a HP fan.

The first Islay peat monster I ever tried and it had me hooked immediately! Put on your big boy pants...this tastes like eating a mermaids poon at a Kraken’s Viking funeral!

That little 4-pak of samplers made me an instant fan. Look for the Pioneer pack which gives you 2 free minis—LaSanta and Quinta Ruban. Honey, floral with plenty of lemony and almond flavors. A lot like those almond cookies at Chinese restaurants. Just a damned good highland scotch. No peat/smoke and this is proof that a more ‘sparkly and pretty’ whisky can still satisfy a seasoned scotch man.

One of my favorite sherried Speyside malts. On the nose, it reminds me of Pussers navy rum. Lots of dark fruit and deep nutty aromas and flavors...a lot like a liquefied boozy fruitcake. Dangerously good!

Definitely a cut above the normal Chivas 12, the added sherry casking definitely adds substance. Used to be $42 a fifth in OR, it’s now $29...but I think it’s clearance. Definitely a good buy as it’s cheaper than the 12.

This was my first scotch ever and where I became a scotch man. One more thing I get from my pop. It’s been price hiked to $38 a fifth here in OR, cant justify that. The gift packs that include a mini each of Extra and 18 yr for $35...ok sold. C’mon OLCC...get your shit together!

For budget blends (under$20) this is a go-to. More peat and smoke, a bit richer flavor all around than most at this price. No it’s not a single malt. But you wouldn’t put those in a scotch n soda.

Not really ‘better’ than the standard Tully but definitely different. More apple on the nose and palette. It’s worth a couple bucks more every now and again for a change of pace. But keep in mind the XO rum cask is a bit better and higher ABV for the same money.

By far the best Tullamore I’ve tasted—although the 14 yr single malt is sitting sealed for whenever this is on its last oz or so. The higher concentration of pot still and single malt is apparent by how much richer and fuller bodied it is vs the lower DEWs. The time in the barrels really shows up on the pallet too. Instead of refilling The Crock with this one, I had to break tradition. I couldn’t bring myself to dilute this with the lesser Tullys (I never let the crock get less than about 1/5 full) so only spiked it with a full pour of this and will do the same with the 14 year, so as to bring the overall blend up.

Higher ABV than standard Tully for that little extra KA-POW, and flavor. You definitely notice the rum influence in the pineapple/coconut/ambiguous tropical notes on top of it. Subtle, but it’s there. It’s in my bar crock right now for the second time.