Tastes

Act 6, Scene 6 Packaged beautifully; slight glint to the glass & nice hand-numbered labels. Nose: Huge rye. Some plum, but it is buried behind the allspice Palate: Vanilla. Really nice oak. Spice and smoke. Mild port. Cloves hit with the.... Finish: Delicate warmth. Dessert. Melted vanilla icecream....still some of that wood. Very much prefer this neat, with no water. Dilution flattens it out....bitter meringue and zest. Still a long finish, but I miss the creamy vanilla notes that moves to the background. Love it. I'm biased, as this was a wonderful gift from the wife. But: I. Want. More.

Campfire in a glass. While it is a bit one-note for enjoying neat with frequency, it still stands up if I don't have anything more interesting to drink. I will happily keep this in my bar at almost times for mixing when an Islay is called for.

Caramel, honey, cereal, sweet, and inoffensive.

3cL Sample from Fine Drams Nose: Rubber cement; tropical; mellows to tobacco Palate: Fruit, almond, vanilla lingering smoke Finish: Long; sweet and some brine Water makes this a snickerdoodle Really nice, but over-priced at $1300/bottle

3cL Sample from Fine Drams Nose: Caramel delights; rich, but still smooth Palate: Wow. Cedar, heat, sherry, raisin, mild iodine Finish: VERY Long, but surprisingly muted. Woody and mild smoke. Water brings out the cream. I'm getting much less of the vanilla notes I was expecting until that finish. A nice sweet dram, but may be a bit too rich for Scotchtoberfest.

Go-to for Manhattans due to price and proof. The older and pricier Pikesville may be a worthy successor for me, though this sub-$20 bottle is really incredible. Smoke; honey; mild iodine; clove; cherry and vanilla.

Raw grain and young wood on nose. Grass, honey, fire. Shorter bitter finish. This is too young and too flat for the price. I have higher hopes for the gin and aquavit.

3cL Sample from Fine Drams of the 6-yr Nose: vanilla, orange zest, butterscotch Palate: Wet cereal with milk. Just a ton of that vanilla. Hides proof well. Finish: Moderately long. Pepper, leather, smoke Water opens this one up really well. I think this is a good $50 bottle. I may purchase to try in an OF, as the sample isn't adequate for that.

3cL Sample from Fine Drams. Nose: cumin, toffee, tobacco, cooked apricot Palate: Very SWEET custard. Honey and caramel. Super mild spice. This is all short lived, though. Finish: Also Sweet, but some more smoke and heat. Lingering Pretty unique compared to other tastes today. I think this is a cheaper bottle if in Europe & is likely worth it for a moderately older rye than stuff at a similar price point in the US.

3cL Sample from Fine Drams. Nose: sweet rye, leather, vanilla, anise Palate: Medium spice, vanilla, caramel, coriander. Rich, complex, sweet, delicious neat. No burn. Wet grass on the second sip, but it doesn't last. Hides the young age well. Finish: Longer with no burn. Declicious. I'd probably buy more of this just because it is so affordable. Wish it was higher proof, but this is a great enough neat sipper and should be big enough for most cocktails. Need a bit more in an OF, though.