Tastes

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.

This, to me, is a phenomenal sipping bourbon. It’s almost 100 proof but is ridiculously smooth, with heavy caramel notes at first giving way to banana and orange peel, and with unique red corn mash coming through as well.

A very, nice, smooth, if not particularly extraordinary whiskey. It’s actually pretty impressive Ichiro was able to blend 5 whiskies from five countries in a way that feels like a coherent whole, but at the same time while this whiskey is a fine sipper, no one quality or flavor stands out, though there are some generally pleasant banana and tropical fruit flavors most notable.

This is a very nice, very balanced Scotch that probably any whiskey lover will enjoy. There are some smoky notes at the start, but it then gives way to honey/sugar followed by some chocolatey notes at the end.

A fine if largely unremarkable, lighter bourbon with vanilla notes but a rather hot, spicy finish due to the higher proof. I wouldn’t ever seek this out, but there’s not wrong with it.

This is a great Scotch for people who don’t like Scotch because, as you might expect, it almost tastes more like a bourbon. Not much in the way of aromas but it has a nice sweet, chocolatey taste that, while not particularly complex, is a pretty good marriage of Scotch and bourbon.

A somewhat sweet, full bodied Japanese whisky with notes of chocolate and caramel. I don’t really agree with the official Distiller review - I think this is quite tasty and works well as an after-dinner nightcap.

A peated but not particularly smoky, very light blended scotch. Some lighter notes of toast and lemon on the nose, with the peat mostly coming through not in the aromas but rather in the taste, which also includes some interestingly notes of white pepper. Not the most complex Scotch and not one I’d particularly care about drinking a whole bottle of, but nothing really wrong with this either.