Tastes

Just a very balanced Scotch - good sweetness, a solid amount of graininess, and a hint of tropical notes, particularly bananas. It’s so balanced it’s almost underwhelming, though I can see how this would be excellent entry-level Scotch and one of those that you could order at pretty much any bar and know you are getting something solid.

A very complex “dessert-y” Scotch. Vegetal notes on the nose, but the taste is sweeter, with prominent notes of cocoa, toffee, and coffee. Oddly “hot” in terms of alcohol mouthfeel, and not the longest finish, but overall a very pleasant, interesting Scotch.

This is a phenomenal after-dinner Scotch. Super complex with a hint of peat balanced by a healthy dose of char and a sweet, chocolatey flavor as well that makes this almost taste like an adult version of s’mores in a glass. No one is going to want something this sweet consistently, but it’s a nice change of pace.

Never going to have the depth of longer-aged drams, but there is a real brineyness to this that’s both interesting and comforting at the same time. The pest is not as strong as I expected - if anything it’s more of a peppery sensation that caught my taste buds slightly off guard (but not in a bad way). Not sure there is a ton that separates this from something like, say, Ledaig, but that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Islands Scotches are my favorite scotches, and this is no exception. Warm toffee notes at first give way to a hit of salinity and just the right amount of peat. Subtler notes of banana and caramel add up to a very complex and layered experience.

Better than I expected. Smooth - perhaps too smooth. But a great expression of Tennessee whiskey in the sense that the white charcoal is super prominent, giving this a taste very much foreign to a traditional bourbon or really any other American whiskey. I wish it was a bit more complex but for a mass-produced whiskey from a major distiller this is very solid.