Tastes

Crap this is good. This review is for the Auchroisk 11 yr old by Exclusive Mlats. I'm not rating it here, so not to throw off the average for this Flora & Fauna listing, but I'd give it a solid 4 stars. Thanks to Lee, as part of the round 4 sampling team, I got to try this distillery that I didn't even know existed prior till today. Scottish butter cookies on the nose, with a healthy topping of lemon cream. I can nose this all day. Palette changes to earthy mineral with a vanillla backbone. Really full oily mouth. Great balance and deep complexity. Thank you Lee!

I bought a sample of this recently, and expected actually to be disappointed since this is on the lower end of the Diageo special release offerings. They reserve the highest prices for their least accessible ones like Brora. In this case, low price and readily accessible doesn't mean lower quality. I think I've had maybe 1 or 2 of their Lagavulin special releases over the years, and none really stood out. This one is a different beast. Simply amazing! Maybe the best Lagavulin I've had ( which, quite transparently only includes 2 special releases, the 16, their 8 yr old, and a few DLs). Amazing combination of sweet honey and charcoal barbecued meats; chocolate over campfire; a bit of Mezcal style minerality...all in all, amazing. For the price (approx $100), it's a no-brainer must buy. You can do a whole lot worse for much more, but not any better for any less. Stunning craftsmanship. I'm really not one to write here to "go get some"...but frankly, go get this one. Worth every penny.

I'm not a huge fan of Glenmorangie NAS, but I kind of liked this one. A big bold dessert dram, but not overly sweet like their Milsean. Rather nuttier with strong hazelnut flavor. Not sure I'd go out of my way to buy this, but I sure am thankful to have tried it, especially being a TRE ( thanks to Paul as part of our trading team in providing the sample).

Thanks to Scott as part of our little trading team, I got to sample this one. Here's a whisky you don't come across too often, at least I don't...probably hidden in the shadows of it's other Highland brethren. I love the nose on this: delectable tropical fruits. Mangoes, kiwi, Asian pear. But seems to fall apart totally in the palette. Shortbread and cereal...I wish that Asian pear / mango combination carried to the palette. Great starter malt, especially for those not ready to dip into those peaty Islays or briny Islanders. Thanks @Scott_E for the sample!

Viva la France! My first French whiskey ( you never forget your first, right?). Courtesy of Richard. This I believe comes from Breton, where the dialect is distinctly non-typical French and the distance to the U.K. is a mere tunnel ride. It's also where crepes were invented, so there you go---this already looks promising. Aromas of hazelnuts and raisins. Palette is more nuts and dark berries, almost Christmas-y spices. I wish this had more time to age---I'm going to be a buyer of this at a mature age statement. Thanks Richard!

Dear Mr. Glenmorangie, with much regret I must inform you that your services as our Highland single malt of choice will no longer be needed. We have decided to move on to a lower cost model that delivers the same level of quality in Ms. Balblair. She offers the same orchard fruit aromas. Followed by the same chocolate-y taste, but at a more reasonable price. I'm sorry, but in today's economic climate, we need to look at ways of maximizing ROI and reduce costs. But, we're offering you a great severance package. Also, please feel free to use us as a reference, should some other shmuck decide to pay your premium price.

Plowing through the samples of our little Scottish Distillery trading team ( name is a bit of a misnomer, since many of our non-official samples have been anything but Scottish), I thought of trying this one provided by Telex. This is really a peculiar beast. It's savory, not spicy as some malts, or even that Sherry sweet as others. But savory as in an Indian spice mixture of ginger, turmeric, ground coriander seeds ( not to be confused with coriander leaves, which are herbal). It's as if my mom opened up her spices to make samosas or aloo gobi . Solid dram, but you have to go in wanting that savory samosa taste; if you're expecting spicy or sweet, you'll be either disappointed or surprised. Note to all Indian and South Asian chefs and cooks: in case you run out of your masala mix, just add a dram of this into your samosas. Thanks Telex

Finally after a week in Denver for business meetings, I was looking forward to coming home and starting on round 4 of our little trading team. We got maybe 3-4 more rounds till we've covered all the active distilleries in Scotland. So...this one came my way courtesy of Telex. I don't think I've ever had a Tomatin before, despite seeing it countless times on shelves. But this particular version is that much more appreciated since it's harder to find...at least I've personally never seen it. Apparently it's a mix of 5 decades of stock...which means is there a small part here from 50 years ago? Wasn't sure how to infer that. Either way...a knockout of a dram. Cereals and chocolate. Orchard fruits like apricots and peaches. Keep away the ice...gets bland with it. Have it with just a few drops of water. I can see this going well with some Asian spicy food pairing, since the chocolate -fruit would balance it well. Thanks Telex!

This is for the Boutique-y Whisky Company Bladnoch 26 yr old. So the first time I had this, I didn't like it much. I had it while pouring out samples for round 4 as part of our tasting team. I thought it tasted bitter and too farmy, not what I'd expect from a Lowlander. But then I heeded Paul's advice below and gave it a second chance. It not only helped airing it out, but the reduced amount in the bottle probably already started some oxidation. A hidden little gem; I've had products from That Boutique-y Whisky Company before, and generally found them well made, but never even heard of Bladnoch. Sounds like something the cat threw up. Fortunately taste much better. Tropical fruits, sort of like a well aged Irish single malt. Coyingling simple in being fruit forward, but loaded with fruits...mangoes, passion fruit, coconut. All sorts of exotic fruits. Finish is short, but you get an interesting pink peppercorn taste---slightly spicy, but not as much as black pepper, and not as grassy as green peppercorns...more floral spicy. I got it for about $150 for 500ml...so that translates to $225 for a regular bottle. Personally I'd much rather pay for a smaller bottle at a lower equivalent price, just because I can't finish a full bottle. I'd rather not spend the extra $75 then waste it in totality. So was it worth it? For me...yes, given a lower price and a smaller bottle.

Compass Box's peatiest whisky yet. Makes their Peat Monster look like a pussycat. This is a mix of Ardbeg, Caol Ila, and Clynelish. Kids, this is not for the faint of heart, and in fact I thought it has a bigger punch than a recently tasted Octomore 7.3. Again, ppm is misleading. Open the cork, and you can smell burnt embers. My wife, a room away, asked if something was left burning in the oven. Taste: Charred meat, brine and smoked herring with a slice of lemon. Bigger emphasis on the charred meat. Long finish. I don't smoke, but I can imagine this being similar to a cigar finish. I got it for $100, but I'm going to guess that it'll end up becoming more as it makes its appearance stateside. I was asking myself why bother buying this if you can get Ardbeg 10 for much less. Well...I think what you get in here is the waxiness from Clynelish that you wouldn't otherwise from Ardbeg or Caol Ila alone. Sum of the parts is worth more than the individual pieces in this case. If price points are about the same---If I had to choose only one bottle---either Ardbeg 10, Corry, Lag16, or Caol Ila...I'd instead choose this.