Tastes

Light fruits(pear/apple) on the nose with an unmistakable grassy and sweet aroma. Proof comes through on the palate, with anise/licorice featuring prominently. It’s got a nice viscous quality unlike most glenlivet. The proof livens it up but makes for a slightly astringent taste that may not be for beginners. I’m enjoying this bottle although I feel it’s overpriced.

Woody, sweet peat,sour apple/pear. Tasted blind and I couldn’t identify it as a campbeltown. Perhaps the age and wood contact overwhelms the spirit. I prefer the 15. This is just too long in the cask for my taste and not particularly well balanced.

Nice pear, honey and light fruit jammy sherry finish. the abv is a nice, hefty 48% which keeps it from being too boring. A bit of spice and a nice medium-full body Pleasant. Inoffensive. A textbook sherried speyside. It’s easy and very pleasant to drink but not getting anything special or complicated from it.

I have to admit that I don’t know how to review or score this. I tasted it as part of an advent calendar put together by a peated islay loving friend. So on first and second taste the only question I had is, what wood did they use to finish this islay so it’s so damn sweet and buttery? The reveal only deepened the mystery given the incomplete and somewhat obtuse story surrounding this malt. The peat and malt do indeed seem to be from islay which explains some of the tasting notes. Then ok it took a sea voyage, thus the salty notes. But that sweet, buttery texture is screaming a special wood finish. Thought maybe white dessert wine. But the wood I couldn’t place. Guess I’ve never had mizunara. I’d like to try it again. I think it comes together rather well and in a unique way. I need to spend some time with a bottle to see if this rating is too high. But I really enjoyed the sample. It’s the most unique scotch I’ve had in awhile.

Medicinal peat and brine greet your nose as it descends into the glencairn. Burnt rubber and tar linger as you go to take a sip. The taste starts with an astringent peat, then some sweetness and seaweed come in. Finally, it ends with a medicinal tar that can be somewhat off putting. Generally I like this dram but I’m not sure it delivers on the smell and early tasting notes. I might prefer the 10 over this but it’s close, with the abv of 48% perhaps winning the match. The cask strength is still my favorite from the core range.

Orange, spices, cinnamon on the nose. Big bold flavors come out immediately on the palate, with vanilla, oak, allspice and caramelized sugar out front with menthol and cinnamon-rye taking over in the middle. Nice lingering finish as the sweet and spicy fight for dominance. It’s not for beginners and a bit hot for its proof but a quality dram for those looking for complexity in a bourbon.

What’s the eternal question around this scotch? Most would agree it’s very good, the sherry balancing well with the Balvenie core malty, luscious spirit. But is it good enough to be worth 2x the 12 year? That’s a very good question. The extra years in the barrel add a complexity and viscous malty mouthfeel to the relatively thin and flat 12yr. My verdict? Yes, but only once.