Tastes

Honey sticks

Nose: A vat of high fructose corn syrup sitting in a sugar cane processing facility. Sugar, sugar, sugar. Palate: Roof of the mouth, watery, aspartame sugar. Finish: Hot, spicy. Well made but not for me.

Nose: Fruity, floral, honey, mint, oak, red apple. Palate: Mouthfeel is viscous. Mellow for first half, with a huge ramp up to a spicy finish. Not as impressed with the palate to be honest. Finish: Medium length of roasted malt and spice. Yellow spot still better in totality than this.

Finally found an Octomore in the wild! Very excited. Nose: obviously smoke and peat. Campfire, floral notes, sweetness, some eucalyptus perhaps? Taste: Definitely peaty, which is good. Some spice. Mouthfeel is watery/oily/light. Some motor oil tastes as well which is welcome. Finish: short to medium with smoke and peat bombing through in a spicy manner. It’s as advertised - a huge peaty, smoky dram and some spice to top it off. I don’t know why I expected more complexity with a ppm level this high, but I did. It’s beautiful for what it is and a celebration of Islay.

Nose is honey, nuts, and oh so beautiful barley. It really is the best ingredient for whisky and this is a testament to that fact. Getting a bottle as soon as I return home from Poland. Mouthfeel hits before the taste. Creamy, velvety, and warm. There’s smoke, oak, malt, and more honey. Finish is medium long and the main component is the smokiness - just lovely. This dram feels like a hug from a good friend.

Came into this expecting more to be honest. I have a 2016 blend bottle. Once you get past the peat and salt, the nose is ethanol, honeysuckle, and a hint of butter. The good: I feel there’s Laphroaig in here which is nice as it adds the medicinal and iodine notes from nose to palate. Saltiness comes through on the tongue. Not hot or spicy, but wouldn’t expect it to be at 86 abv. All in all, the peat and medicinal notes are here, but smokiness is less so than other islays. Mouthfeel is more watery than I’d prefer. It’s a peaty, islay whiskey so it’s not gonna get a bad rating from me :) The not so good: I also think there is Caol Ila in here, which at this point in my journey, is not my favorite. Picked it up on the finish where you’re left with more floral notes instead of the sunset beach campfire I’m used to with islays. Of course, I’m guessing and could certainly be wrong but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was Caol Ila too. Ethanol comes through at the beginning which wasn’t a plus. Not sure I’d buy a whole bottle again, but I’m gonna enjoy reaching for this while I have it.

Hot, fruity, rum whiskey. Apricots and other Caribbean fruits. Tasted in the back room of a liquor store with the owner so couldn’t write too much. Of the two Barrell whiskies I’ve had, I’ve quite liked them. Should explore them more.

Light peat on the nose. Honey and malt. Pitted fruits. Short finish but peat lingers as it should with some sweetness. Low alcohol with no bite. Boring honestly but rated higher as I’d reach for this over many bourbons due to the savory peat.