Tastes

Almost 4.25--tough call.

Great mouthfeel, honey, spice, and wood notes, but a little too sour to go any higher.

Lightly-peated scotches are a strange animal to me maybe because they can come across very earthy, but Compass Box can seemingly do no wrong. Honey melds into that solid peat note perfectly, and the mouthfeel is as smooth as can be. I could see raising this to 4 stars based on its value.

Big Red and cinnamon lead the way in my Total Wine pick, and it's delicious. That profile is so dominant and easy to discern, I'm surprised others haven't mentioned it, but maybe the batches or barrels have a lot of variation.

Heavenly honey notes with an unusually waxy mouthfeel make this an instant winner. The chestnut finish also adds an interesting, faint wood note that reminds me of cork, but maybe also pistachio or almond shells. Very good, but I don't think I would care to replace it.

The nose is flat-out awful and fishy. On the palate , the mizunara treatment adds a spicy, fig, worm-wood taste that plays well with fruity Irish whiskey notes.