Tastes

Nose: Honey, grain forward, citrus, slight brine, oil, and generic herbal and floral notes. Taste: Sweet honey paired with tart lemon peel, brine, slight pepper, oily, slight fruit (could be pear?), generic herbal notes. Final notes: I'm going to be frank. Cutty Sark is pretty much point A to point B on the nose and taste. There is no bloom, no flurry, no surprises. It is simply monotone, absolutely no peaks or lows, just monotone. It's like the yard-gar (yard cigar) of scotches. Pleasant enough to enjoy but nothing special and does not break the bank. However, there is still a lot going for me in this whisky. One, by far my favorite scotch for under $20. I can mix it without sacrificing a $50 bottle and I can also still sip it neat and still enjoy it without having to think too hard. It's also just very easy sipping with no burn. It doesn't have near the amount of shiny grain-forwardness that makes other cheap blended scotches rather unpleasant for me personally. It also has particular notes that I really do enjoy, they just happen to be rather thin in profile. Those notes include the combination of the sweet honey, lemon peel, and brine. That being said, a 3.25/5 rating seems appropriate and anything higher would be a far stretch but anything less seems rather unfair for what this budget blend brings to the table. If I had a friend who wanted to try a scotch but their other whisky experiences were generally Jack and Jameson and I didn't want to pour them a $50 that they may or may not like, I'd pour them Cutty Sark. Old Fashioned Recipe: Pour on a large cube of ice. Barspoon (or 2) of simple syrup, 2-3 dashes of mint bitters+dash of Angostura (I used homemade clove bitters), 1.5-2oz Cutty Sark. Stir. Orange peel twist to garnish (lemon peel works too).

Nose: immediately met with sweet notes vanilla cream, lemon meringue, pear, buttered waffle, and possibly a light note of mint. Digging deeper, you find layers of Islay funk consisting of light brine, damp moss and earth, with a distinct sage. Taste: initial burst of fresh black pepper and Islay funk (all the funk from the nose). Mid-palate shifts tones with the addition of sweeter notes including vanilla cream, waffle, pear, and lemon tart. The sweetness gradually tapers off into a lingering peppery earth. Final notes: just a classic example of the beauty that can be found in an unpeated Islay whisky. Bruichladdich already sets a standard with their Classic Laddie but their Islay Barley releases are rather unique derivatives. This is full of complexities that I'm sure I have not completely explored and I expect to find more as I continue to return back to this bottle. Returning to the nose after a sip is also rather refreshing because the sweeter qualities condense. Definitely a great whiskey that offers an enjoyably complex nose and taste. Disclaimer: If you cannot find the 2009 release anymore, consider just purchasing the Classic Laddie. I would say their profile is only 10-15% different with much of the core notes still being present in the Laddie. This happens to just be much sweeter.

Nose: Rich cinnamoned apples, orange peel, dark fruits, and honey. Taste: sweet honey that opens into cinnamon, tart apple, bright orange peel, dates, and a vibrant spice. Final notes: I think this is an excellent expression that offers incredible balance without sacrificing complexity. One thing that sets it apart from other Speyside malts is the vibrant spice that begins in the nose, through the initial sip, and lingers well after you swallow. A particular thing that I find buried compared to other malts of similar profile is the dark fruits. They are there and I can specifically identify dates, but they take a backseat to the apple, honey, cinnamon, and orange peel. Another thing I quite enjoy about this malt is how it punches above its weight in body without being overbearing. At 40% abv, I would have expected a thinner profile. Overall this malt offers a great contrast from other fruity malts like Glenfarclas 12 and Glendronach 12. Just an excellent whisky to sip neat and pair with a medium bodied cigar.

Nose: A vibrant red wine note. To best describe, it's a combination of rich, dark fruits including plum and fig. There is also a tart fruit note that comes across as both cranberry and blackberry. Included is effervescent spice, herbal essence, and barrel ding. Taste: Bold black pepper and sweet, spicy honey quickly explodes into a dense, sweet, smoked wood note. It tapers to a lingering sweet, spicy oil coating and the tingle of freshly cracked pepper. Later sips reveal herbal notes, black tea, dense caramel and brown sugar, and indiscriminate dark fruits beneath the dense wood note. Final notes: This is a tricky bottle for me to be decisive on, particularly due to a very polarizing nose and taste. I do like this whisky and would purchase again, but there are things that just fell below the mark I wanted. As someone that values taste over nose when drinking a whisky, I must say the nose on this whisky is wonderful. However, parts of the nose I badly wanted in the taste failed to show or fully reveal themselves. The fruits notes that finally snuck out on the taste were generic dark fruits that never developed into particular plums or figs that I found on the nose and the tart cran-blackberry just failed to show at all. I did love the combination of freshly cracked black pepper and sweet & spicy honey with the smoked wood note (mesquite?). It was fun and reminded me of a 4th of July BBQ. This would be a fun whisky to try in an old fashioned, as well as explore with the addition of water. Very interesting bottle overall.

Nose: Brilliant, metallic iodine and rubber, briney peat moss, dark sage, sweet fish oil, citrusy ethanol, and a cracked black pepper dusting. Taste: sweet-salty vanilla oil, sea salted rubber, iodine, earthy/salty peat. The first florish of oil is reminiscent of anchovies in olive oil, but then the vanilla suddenly takes over with slight flirtation of citrus. As the oil settles, the rubber and iodine push to the front of the palate with a fresh cracked pepper. It finishes with a lingering salted peat with nuances of sage and other herbs and a freshly cracked pepper coating. Final notes: simply another bold expression of the classic 10 year amped up to explore Laphroaig at some of its purest. I will say I am biased when it comes to Laphroaig as I am a massive fan of the flavor profile they generally deliver. Also for some reason, the nose always makes me think of bass fishing on an early spring morning during the fish spawn. This is also a very oily whisky, so everything lingers on the palate for quite some time. I equally enjoyed Batch 0011 and would need to compare to see how different they are (2% difference in abv). To put simply, if you are a fan of Laphroaig in general this is a bottle that would be very appropriate in your collection and I doubt you will be disappointed. Equally, if you are a fan of bold, Islay profile whiskies or peat in general, I would recommend exploring this bottle.

Nose: Fruit funk (overly ripe bananas and coconut), salted caramel, barrel ding and black pepper, and a gentle smoke note. Palate: Tart fruits. Rich dates, raisins, even almost a raspberry. The coconut shows up as does the overly ripe banana funk, but in a good way. The tart fruits open into a dark chocolate and salted caramel and finishes with lingering fruits and a gentle smoked finish. Light black pepper notes stay with the entire sip, almost like a texture. Final notes: This whisky completely surprised me. I have a strong love for many of Campbeltown's offerings and this is currently my favorite. I was expecting a much bigger peat explosion but was pleasantly surprised, and yes, I love peat bombs. The palate and nose are incredibly rich and oily and stay with you long after a sip. In a way, it gives a slight rum impression with the coconut and banana funk but it's absolutely lovely. I think this is a bottle that any Campbeltown lover should have in their collection and honestly is a perfect expression to introduce any whisky lover into the region. Realistically, I'd prefer to rate this truly as a 4.6 rather than a 4.5, but Distiller does not give me that option and I wouldn't particularly call it a 4.75. If a cask strength bottling was ever released (if it hasn't been), that would be a bottle I would equally be interested in to explore it's purest form. Overall it's an excellent whisky to explore on it's own, however it does a remarkable job of holding it's own if you were pairing with food or a cigar. I'd recommend a heavier, oily cigar with darker caramel notes or something with umami notes. Personal recommendations would be a RoMa Craft Aquitaine or D&T Red Meat Lovers cigar. Disclaimer: I did not see a distinction on here between the first and second edition of the Springbank 18 bottlings. The bottle I am reviewing is the first edition.

Nose: peat smoke forward, slight fruit undertones, iodine, and pepper. Palate: bold, oily smoke, black pepper, slight medicinal notes, sweet, overrippened fruits, and an earthy funk. The finish is very oily with the black pepper and medicinal smoke clinging to the tongue. Final notes: for $28, it's an excellent bottle for a peat lover on a budget and has a very rich and vibrant palate. In a way, it's also a little disappointing for me but that's because I am a huge fan of the original Laphroaig 10. I'm a huge fan that it retained the black pepper notes that I'm such a fan of in Laphroaig 10, however, there's the coastal brine, fish oil, and heavy medicinal note that's missing and I wish it was there. I also enjoy the rich, spikey profile I get from Laphroaig 10, and this is far more balanced and rounded. However, the sweet fruits in the Lonach is a nice touch. Best way to describe this whisky is that it's a less coastal influenced impression of Laphroaig 10. Takes on a more highland profile in a way with Islay peat influence. Disclaimer: I paid $28, however, the original pricing where I bought it was actually about $40. Depending on if it's even available where you live, pricing will likely vary.

Nose: bold, sweet honey, vanilla, caramel, and cherry with a dusting of corn and light baking spices. Palate: oily and rich mouthfeel. Honey, vanilla, light cherry, with a caramelized corn note. Towards the back half of the taste a eucalyptus and herbal note shows and finishes with an oak ding and baking spice. Final notes: I was recommended to purchase this from my Spec's guy (Texas liquor store), because "it tastes like a $60 whisky in a $37 bottle". If this was priced at $60, I'd still buy it. It's just a very rich and flavorful experience both on the nose and palate. For pairing, I'd argue that this is a whisky to be enjoyed by itself. However, a cigar pairing that has medium/medium-full bodied notes of cinnamon, oak, and baking spices would be very enjoyable. Disclaimer: the requested whisky lists a 55.8% abv, however, my identical bottle is 50.5%. I believe proof on this whisky varies from batch to batch. Mine is specifically batch 7.

Nose: smoke, caramel, vanilla malt, spice, slight honey and grass Taste: the smoke is far more underwhelming on the palate than the nose. It's there as wood smoke but immediately opens up to balanced notes of honey, vanilla malt, baking spices, and a slight herbal/botanical note. The finish is a malted barrel spice. Final notes: on the sweeter side but has nice barrel notes and complexity to avoid being one dimensional. If you are a fan of any of the ryes High West has to offer you will be a fan. It simply adds a new dimension with the peated scotch and bourbon blended together for a very balanced and enjoyable whisky to sip alone or with a earth and spice heavy cigar.