Tastes

Very solidly malty and peaty. Feels like a compromise between a highland and an Islay without sacrificing much.

Floral and fruity on the nose. Palate immediately opens to woody notes. Moderate finish with strong notes of cinnamon and barrel spice. Would drink this a lot if it were affordable!

Huge peaty notes, the closest thing to drinking a campfire of any Islay I’ve tried. Has a lingering finish with notes of barbecued meats.

Nose: sweet and dessert like, vanilla, caramel, maple, with some rickhouse must Palate: much drier than the nose lets on, spice, salted peanuts, maple Finish: lingering and spicy, but not hot at all Also makes a pretty decent cocktail

Everything you love about Laphroaig, but dialed up to 11. Smoke, peat, iodine, and seawater. Despite the intensity, it’s beautifully balanced and finishes like an inviting campfire. I plan to keep a bottle of this on my shelf whenever possible.

Appearance: Amber Nose: cherry, citrus, honey, vanilla, mint, dusty cocoa beans Palate: surprisingly light for 100 proof, cherry, rye spice, light citrus Finish: moderate, honeyed, dried fruits 7.5/10 overall, but easily 8 or 8.5 factoring in value.

Appearance: Dark amber Nose: huge vanilla bomb characteristic of WT, brown sugar, treacle, chocolate, caramel, very lovely Palate: lighter flavor, nice mouthfeel, fairly sweet, slight vanilla, burnt sugar Finish: warm, as expected for the proof, faint grainy notes, honey

Appearance: light caramel Nose: ethanol, rubber, green apple, very slight oak and cherry that dissipates quickly Palate: not much of anything, thin mouthfeel, corn, cereal grains, but overall lacks character Finish: blink and you’ll miss it, slightly bitter, not particularly memorable for better or worse Very cheap bottle that would be fine as a mixing whiskey, but definitely isn’t for sipping.

Stitzel-Weller Master Blender pick at the distillery. Accompanying notes describe a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, making it lower rye than typical Bulleit. This clearly shows, as it is far sweeter and tames the peppery rye spice into more of a pleasing clove and vanilla. Bought a bottle as it was both unique and enjoyable!

The pinnacle of bourbon. Nose is endless vanilla, honey, and even cake batter. Extremely pleasant to drink despite the sky high proof, with immense notes of caramel, spice, vanilla, and dried fruit. The finish is understandably intense but clean, with more notes of dried fruit and apricot. High proof gives it a pleasantly astringent mouthfeel.