Tastes

Part of our Scottish distillery trade team, this was provided by Ryan. I was so looking forward to this. It's like back in high school. Graduation day. You go to the podium, give the valedictorian speech, collect your awards in math and science. And then then comes the real fun, you've been looking forward to the night post ceremonies. You go out with all your friends , pocket full of singles, to your first strip club. EXCEPT...you're only 17, and your friends are all 18!!!! And you don't have a fake license. (sure...get a scholarship to University of Michigan, but can't get a fake license). And oh..thanks mom and dad for making me skip that extra grade in grammar school...now I'm stuck in Joe's Diner having coffee and pound cake, while my friends are inside the strip club. Yes. That's what this felt like. Was looking forward to my first Tomintoul, especially with a name like Peaty Tang. But, instead it's more like a watered down Lagavulin or Ardbeg. Save yourself the money, and instead pour a dram of Ardbeg, and top it with three drams of water. Voila, there's your Peaty Tang. What's the lesson learned in all this? DON'T MAKE YOUR KIDS SKIP A GRADE.

First of all...kudos to the Distiller team. I asked them just yesterday if this can be added...and VOILA! It's here. Thank you for the amazing customer service! Okay...so, to the review....I'm a huge fan of Amrut. They've really come a long way, and placed India on the distillery map producing top notch whiskey. Their 10 yr Greedy Angels remains on of my favorites, along with the Intermediate Sherry. In this case, they've done a US-India-Europe crossover. They've taken American barrels, European rye, and Indian climate. And it's worked...it's unusual, not your typical rye, so some may like it, others may not...but, in my opinion, seems to work. It's potent, but in a very un-Amrut like fashion, has a floral elegance to it. Amrut is a brute, with hair growing whiskey, so this is a bit of a departure. Or so you'd think...until that 50% ABV hits you. Nose isn't like other ryes. It's a bit more sweetly potent, like you're about to have strong bourbon. Tastes kicks you in the teeth with traditional rye flavors, but amped up (influence of the Bangalore climate). If you're not a rye fan, don't bother. If you're a standard old fashioned rye fan, don't bother. It doesn't have the typical rye profile. But, if you're adventurous, and would love to try a rye that comes at you stronger (think Buffalo Trace's Thomas Handy ) and yet elegant (think Sazerac 18), this is for you. It's pricey...might want to hold off on the bottle, and sample it first somewhere, just in case you find it too forward and off-the-beaten path.

One more sample as part of our trading team--courtesy of Ryan. Here's a bit of a dilemma. I couldn't stand the aroma of this, was almost like fermented vegetables, like cabbage. But the palette then turns into a mix of chocolate and orchard fruits, with a hefty dose of hazelnuts. I I loved the palette and finish, but I couldn't get past the aroma. Maybe I let it stand out too long? Not sure. Obviously something I did, since seems like no other reviewer mentioned fermented cabbage as an aroma. ( tainted Glencairn? Tainted water? Who knows)

Thanks to my friend Lee, as part of our Scottish distillery sampling team, I got to try this peaty Highlander. Till this evening, I don't think I ever even heard of Ancnoc ( how the hell do you pronounce that? A-Knock?). This is a mini-me version of a young Caol Ila, minus any salinity or briny elements. Peat hits you right away, with a hefty dose of citrus, and a short sharp finish with a bit of earthy aftertaste. Not bad. This is something I'd like to have on a cold rainy night. It may not be earth shattering, but it's a solid middle of the pack peaty whisky. Thanks Lee!

Disclaimer: this is for Exclusive Grain 10 yr old rum finished Girvan. This was one of my contributions to our little Scottish sample trading team. We have a list of all the Scottish active distilleries, and every quarter, we each choose a few to send to the other members. We then grade the samples. This sample will clearly get the "most likely to get spat out" by us all. It's horrible. Can be doubled as paint thinner.

Tasted blind, I'd never have guessed this was a HP. I'd probably think it was a Highlander or Speysider, well aged, but definately bourbon casks. Thanks to my friend Lee, I got to sample this beauty. Toasted corn on the nose, with a slight burn if you whiff it too much. Probably a function of that high ABV. Now on the palette, I get an initial HP DNA, but it quickly disappears into a more bourbon-esque taste. A very different profile for HP. I like this better than the Fire, from what I remember at least. If this was about $150, it's a no brainer. At close to $300, I'm not convinced I'd choose this over the amazing 18 yr old. Thanks Lee for the sample!

Oh this is really good. It's not kick in the face Ardbeg 10 good, or the complexity of Uigi good---but right up there in a very different way. Wet tar and brine on the nose. Ropes sitting by the ocean. The aroma really takes me back to our cabin we rented on vacation in northern Norway on Lofoten Islands. I can smell this all day. Taste is oily and briny. Anchovies? I'm so glad this is part of the regular line up. And affordable too! Thanks to Richard@ModernDrinking. After having this, I bought a bottle immediately.

A sample provided by Ryan as part of our Scottish distillery trading. This is probably the 2nd or 3rd Auchenstoshan I've had, and all have been fairly young. Light and creamy, but you can tell its youth by that certain bite on the palette and finish. Even though it's triple distilled, it's very unlike its Irish cousins across the sea. Really good as an intro whisky to the white wine drinker. I'm curious to try this distillery at the older ages like 18'or 21. Wondering if more of the creamy fruity character comes out then?