Tastes

Sweet and malty nose, with warm pot still spices. The palate is sweet, malty, and rather fruity, with a touch of spice. It's surprisingly smooth for being 114 proof. Altogether, it's delicious and I highly recommend it.

This superb whisky is aged 18 years entirely in ex-sherry casks, and then bottled at 46.3% ABV with no chill filtration or added coloring. The nose is full of dried fruits and malt. The palate is rich, with dried fruits, toffee, warm malt, and a touch of lightly salted nuts. This is a great whisky and one worth purchasing again, even at $150.

If you want an all-out peat bomb, here it is. This is a big, burly bruiser replete with old-timey medicinal notes and powerful smoke, with a good bit of brine. It benefits from a little water to tone down the ethanol and really let the peat and smoke shine, and even give some malty sweetness its time on stage. Overall it's a full, rich, super-Laphroaig-y Laphroaig that's sure to satisfy the ardent peathead--and repel most everyone else. With no dilution, no chill-filtration, and (to the best of my knowledge) no added coloring, this expression of Laphroaig enhances everything I like about the standard 10 and fixes everything I don't. It's pure Laphroaig, for better or for worse. I say it's very much for the better.

Much better than the standard Maker's. There's vanilla and caramel, of course, and a brown-sugary sweetness balanced by oaky spice. There's a little fruitiness in there as well.

Sweet and simple is the name of the game. To me, it gives an impression of artificial sweetness, a light mouthfeel, and little else.

Vanilla and corny sweetness dominate the nose and palate. I find this bourbon to be high-toned, too sweet, and without appreciable depth. It's definitely too thin for ice. Clearly, this is not my style; however, I can easily see why other people would enjoy it. It's smooth, it's sweet, it's unchallenging. In terms of value, it's a decent value at $20-$25 (that is, MSRP), but it's not worth any more than that.

Smoke, peat, brine, and medicinal weirdness dominate from nose to finish. Beneath all this, there's some malty sweetness and a little vanilla and caramel on the palate. Quite drying in the end. It's polarizing, to be sure, but damn is it something. I only wish it were bottled at a slightly higher proof and not chill-filtered. Still, it's a very good peat bomb for those who enjoy such things. In my opinion, this is one of the best affordable examples of all that peat can do.

Creamy and smooth all around, with vanilla, caramel, and honey abounding on the nose and palate. It's quite floral on the nose as well, while on the palate that familiar Glenlivet maltiness shines through. Overall this is a richer and more interesting whisky than the regular 12, and worth the extra money in my opinion. Very smooth but not boring.

This is a truly scrumptious whisky with smoke, peat, and sweet wonderfully balanced. Raisins, peat smoke, and bacon on the nose give way to a palate of strong ashy smoke, barley malt, and notable raisin-like sweetness, with a sprinkling of sea salt. A flash of molasses begins the long and smoky finish. Rich, complex, delicious.