Tastes

Nose: Baking spices Caramel Herbs Almond-like nuttiness Rice pudding Light cherry Palate: Caramel Leather Earthiness Herbs (rosemary, bay leaf) Much better than some of Koval's other offerings (except the oat whiskey, which I forgot to rate). Actually prefer to the cask strength version.

Nose: Granny Smith apple Oily, like a pot still Irish or an oily single malt Whole wheat bread Light yeast notes Little bit of caramel and vanilla Intense aroma, hard to nose Palate: Barrel sweetness rushes around the palate Leads to a long barrel tannin finish Oakiness, like furniture Spice Barrel tannins are overwhelming, which is a shame because I like the nose on this whiskey. The oiliness reminded me of the Koval millet whiskey, which I actually liked a lot. As usual with Koval products, it could use a lot longer in the barrel.

Nose: Brown sugar Butterscotch Spice Golden raisin Palate: Buttery pot still mouthfeel Tannins Saltiness Cherry? Rye spice hiding under everything I don't know if I got a bad bottle or what, but this is overwhelming with the tannin and saltiness. Very hard for me to get past the intense tannin bitterness to taste anything else. Unfortunately I am not enjoying this, which is a shame since I was really looking forward to it and had high expectations.

Nose: Intense Caramel Butterscotch Earth Creaminess, like a non-dairy milk Taste: Musty Earth Brown sugar Slightly medicinal Barrel 18, bottle 80, 56.3 abv. An interesting bourbon. Not complex in terms of range of flavors, but the flavors most forward are not usually found in bourbons. Not bad for the presumably 2-4 year age. Wish they were more open about where this was coming from. I assume they distill it, but the label days "bottled by", so idk.

Nose: Oak Green apple Spiced stewed apricot Very spicy, like an American rye Hot pepper sauce Pickle Caramel Vanilla Palate: Barrel oakiness Slight tannins Dill and/or fennel Green grapes Overall a very barrel forward whisky. I'm not super experienced in Irish single malts, but this doesn't have the buttery mouthfeel, leading me to believe it is not strictly pot still. Very enjoyable.

Nose: Peat Malt Toffee Caramel Taste: Rich Peppery finish Malty sweetness turns bitter Rich, creamy scotch. Got in Gatwick Duty Free and wish I could get a bottle in the US.

Nose: Standard bourbon nose + Baking spice heavy Concentrated orange, like a liquer Taste: Pinecone Not unpleasant oak bite Dark chocolate that dissolves into spiciness Full mouthfeel, but not heavy

Nose: Spice, almost like a rye heavy bourbon (ex-bourbon cask?) Rich buttery cookie Apricot Vanilla Taste: Buttery, rich mouthfeel Tannin and spice on back of palate Caramel

Nose: Not unpleasant ethanol Green Apple Shortbread Caramel Taste: Very barrely, intense oak on the tip of the tongue then sharp bitterness as it slides off the sides. Not necessarily tannin, though. Back of the tongue reacts as if just ate very salty food Oily, buttery mouthfeel Smooth, dry finish on top of tongue Overall a really interesting whiskey. I think it could do with a little more sweetness, which could maybe be achieved by more barrel time. I don't know if I would want to mess with the weird, not unpleasant saltiness (not that it's actually salty, but my tongue reacts like it's salty), though, which would probably mellow out if left in the barrel longer. I was initially uncertain about the low proof, but it works. Feels and sort of noses like a pot still Irish whiskey.