Tastes

Appearance: Straw yellow is the color of this Irish whiskey. Thin and very viscous legs hang to the glass interior. Nose: Floral and fruity is the first impression. Notes of honey, wildflowers, various grains, and strawberry tease my senses. Taste: The palate contains notes of orange citrus, watermelon, a maltiness, some cinnamon, brown sugar, and Cherrios cereal. Finish: There is a little heat coming off from the swallow, and a note of red apples stays behind in the medium length finish. Thoughts: I enjoyed this. It was a good representation, in my opinion, of a “traditional Irish whiskey.” Nothing extraordinary, but still really good. I agree with our friend Mr. Allison that a higher ABV would do this whiskey some good, but all in all, I'd recommend it. Sláinte!

Appearance: The color for this Irish Whiskey was a light gold, while the legs were thick and strangely both viscous and watery. Nose: The nose journey began bready with yeast notes. After that notes like orange and other citrus fruits, cinnamon, ginger, cherry and a very small bubblegum note all followed in the procession. Taste: The palate began with the familiar “sparkly” grain whiskey taste, and a shortbread cookie note, followed by cherry candy and lemon zest. It was a simple palate, but unoffensive. Finish: The finish started with a sting of heat at first and then mellowed out into an average finish. Thoughts: This Irish Whiskey was nice, pleasant, inoffensive, but boring. As a mixer or for one who is transitioning from clear to brown spirits, specifically whisk(e)y, I could recommend it. For anything else though, It’s cheap but I’d just save my money a little longer. Thanks Paddy! Sláinte!

Appearance: The color in this rye whiskey is a beautiful dark caramel color. Thin very viscous legs cling to the glass interior like a mynock clings to a Corellian freighter. Nose: The nose begins with a sweet greeting that quickly fades into more dominant notes of licorice, brown sugar, and Nilla Wafers. After letting it breathe a bit a note of leather, and a smell similar to that of walking through a damp forest enter in as well. By adding a splash of water the complexity dies and a boring sweeter note takes over. Taste: The palate starts with Whoppers chocolate malt ball candy, followed by cereal grains, and a cherry note ending with some heat and spice. There is a rich oily body in the whiskey, but the taste starts off great and to me it then seems to drop and dissipate. Like going down a seemingly exhilarating slide then reaching the bottom way too soon. (I like their creative addition of charcoal filter/mellowing however that may have stripped some of the flavor from the whiskey.) Adding a splash of water, like with the nose, tones down what little variety was present and leaves behind just the familiar rye spiciness. Finish: The finish starts with a hot bite at first, but then it transitions into a pleasant downhill ride into a medium long almost malty finish. Thoughts: From my experience so far, this a really nice rye and whiskey in general. The higher proof does it justice and adding water definitely makes it boring. Though the palate could use a few more fireworks in my opinion, this is a phenomenal whiskey for the price! I do recommend it, and wouldn’t mind buying it again. Luxco, thanks for your quality Ezra Brooks whiskeys! Cheers!

Appearance: The color of this Canadian blend is a khaki or dark gold. Thin and exceedingly viscous legs cling to the interior of the glass. Nose: The nose starts off nice then shows its true colors, but overall, it’s boring. Notes of honey and floral come first, followed by caramel, nail polish remover, and car exhaust. The nose then drops and it becomes hard to detect anything, which probably isn’t a bad thing at this point. Taste: For lack of a better word, it's very smooth. There’s no bite, (which is something their old advertisements hit on often) there's a note of caramel candy, a herbal note mixed with green grapes, then a bitter note toward the end of the swallow. Overall, not bad. Finish: There is a medium length finish with no burn, followed by a grain spirit aftertaste. Thoughts: I feel this whisky could use a higher proof, and that would make it a bit more interesting, but I know there are better things in the world than this. It’s one of the cheaper Canadian whiskies out there, but I would fork over a few more dollars for something higher quality. It is, for the most part, inoffensive but it’s boring. I won’t buy it again and don’t recommend it. Sorry Canadian Hunter. Cheers!

Appearance: The color was a honey / amber and the legs were thin and very viscous. Nose: The nose started off for me with strong notes of peat, seaweed, and brine. As the whisky breathed though, subtler notes of honey and flowers arose as well. Taste: The palate was delicious and very unique. I started of getting notes of salt, various herbs, and even baked broccoli. But again with a little patience sweeter notes of lemon and cinnamon / snickerdoodle cookies came up after a few minutes. Finish: The finish was long, lingering, and warm. Thoughts: Wow. So I just had this dram as a bonus whisky at a Whisky Ambassador training near me in Denver and I was very impressed. I really liked this Scotch! Would I buy it again? Oh yeah! Would I recommend it! Definitely yes. Kilchoman, keep up the quality work! Sláinte!

Appearance: In my glass I noted a golden honey color. Thin and semi-viscous legs coated the interior after a swirl. Nose: On the nose, notes of honey and smoke greeted me first; salty brine came in next with orange zest and a stout or porter-like note after a while. Taste: On the palate, there were notes of caramel, salt, cherries, and honey; a bright sparkly body with the essence of a cheaper red wine would be how it felt to me. Finish: The finish had a slight burn with a “spikey” salty finish. Thoughts: This dram wasn't bad for a blended scotch, I can see why it's popular and basically everywhere. I probably won’t buy it again, but it was a nice simple dram, probably better for mixing than sipping, but still not bad. Thank you Famous Grouse! Sláinte!

Appearance: The color was a caramel syrup amber hue. Thin and very oily legs griped the glass interior for all they were worth. Nose: On the nose, a heavy caramel note hit first, then notes of nail polish remover, oak wood shavings, and peanuts. Taste: The palate started out with a note of cinnamon sugar then a harshness that reminded me of Hot Tamales candy. There were notes of orange rind and cherry in there too. If you were to take too big a gulp, much like myself I’d be willing to wager you’d experience a burn and a bad case of “the willies” Finish: There was a medium lasting finish after those initial shivers then a hard to describe musty yet fresh aftertaste. Thoughts: Overall, this whiskey was not bad. It was a bit harsh, but in a kind of rugged way. I think as a mixer for sure it would be great, but as a sipper I won’t be asking for seconds. Brown-Forman, thanks for this product and its long history. I do hope it continues for a long time in the hands of its fans! Cheers!

Appearance: The color was a light honey gold. The dram had medium to thick legs that were extra oily. Nose: The nose was overall floral and had notes of honeysuckle, smoke, grapes, and orange peel. Taste: The palate had a nice round body, with fruity notes of apples, pear, smoke, orange and a bitter note like grapefruit towards the end. Finish: There was medium length finish leaving a fresh aftertaste, though it did go down with a little bite. Thoughts: So I bought this scotch for the superbowl yesterday, not expecting much. But I was actually impressed with the drinkability and value despite being a bottom-shelf blend. It was an honorable dram for $14.00 and I quite enjoyed it and would recommend it. Clan MacGregor, thank you for the enjoyable dram. “Will the MacGregor’s ever be kings again?” “All men with honor are kings. But not all kings have honor.” -Rob Roy. Sláinte!

Appearance: The color I see in my Glencairn is a honey or a straw yellow. With a swirl I notice the legs, medium in thickness, easing their way back down slowly. Nose: On the nose a light smoke note starts off the ride quickly pairing with a honey floral sweetness. Caramel and earthy moss come together following the honey-smoke like one of those awkward couples that realize by the end of the movie they were made for eachother. Taste: Notes of vanilla and red apple lead the way into the palate. I also get n essence of ripe peach, whole grain toast, and cherries. Finish: The finish lasts decently long after an initial bite in the swallow, and, to quote HM’s website, ends, “with subdued smoke and late peat.” Thoughts: Well my consensus is, for an apparently lower shelf pick, this is a really good dram for your money. It’s affordable, the well designed packaging doesn’t cause it to look like a bottom shelfer, it's approachable and inoffensive to most palates I would wager, all around though there are better tasting options this is still good! HM The King, thanks for the taste! Sláinte!

Appearance: The color is clearly pure, with no added coloring as it is so light nearly to the point of water. Imagine liquified white corn, or you put a tea bag of white tea in hot water for a second realizing it’s not the flavor you wanted so you pull it out quick. I imagine that would give it the same hue. The legs are thin and semi viscous as they work their way back down the glass. Nose: The nose starts off sugary cotton candy sweet and flawlessly transitions into a smoky note. Behind that, notes of peat, moss, wet leaves and ash, and honey round out the remainder of the bouquet. I really like this nose! I added a splash of water and did the nose no favors unfortunately. It made it very weak and flowery. Taste: The body is really nice and oily. The palate consists of a sea saltiness, which then shifts and translates in my head as a soy sauce note. From that, I would wager this would be a fun whisky to have with sushi! After that the peat notes come in, as well as herbs and crispy baked green vegetables. By adding a splash of water I made it even more salty but clingy too. Again, no favors. Finish: The finish is long warm and lingering. I really enjoy how it lasts; it personally makes me both want to drink some more, yet also not, and be content and enjoy the aftertaste a while. I’d say it’s a good conflict. Thoughts: Dang! I really liked this scotch! This is a blended malt that really impressed me! I would definitely recommend this scotch and would happily buy it again! I really like the thought that went into this blend and into the other regional blends in the family too, which I am now very excited to try! Douglas Laing & Co., many thank yous, and keep doing great work! Sláinte!