Tastes

It's probably not deserving of the '3' stars I gave it...it's really not bad, quite good actually...creamy, full bodied, and a bit floral. But, after having their Hibiki 12 and 17, this one is quite not to that level. I'm sure they have a tiny bit of their 21 in here, along with 17, 12, and majority of it younger than 12. For the price, not sure I'd buy this again...but then again, Japanese whiskeys have skyrocketed in price, and some aren't even available anymore (Yamazaki 18?). So...I guess this will have to do. Oh wait...maybe for the price, I can get better quality in another country...plenty of good American bourbons, Indian Amruts and, of course, Scottish ones available (Benromach easily comes to mind).

Sweden is finally on the whiskey producing map. They have a long way to go to catch up to Scotland and Japan naturally, but this first product of theirs seems promising. The nose is really weak, surprisingly so, and the taste is sharp and indicative of its young age...but strong influences of vanilla ( a bit different than the American oak vanilla...seems like an influence of the Swedish wood). Finish is short and sharp. This isn't one of my top 10, but it's really not bad especially considering f the price. I'm very much looking forward to a more mature product down the line from this distillery. Reminds me of how I first felt when I had Kilchoman ...new but promising.

I can't believe this is in the under $30 range!! I've had bourbons Half as good and twice as much ( I'm looking at you Forged Oak, Rhetoric, and Barterhouse!). The nose is a sweet marzipan. Taste is smooth vanilla with a touch of wood, finish is long cinnamon. Aside from the price and taste, what i really about this is that it's totally devoid of the over done marketing hype. You don't get a sexy made up backstory of some possibly lost barrel in Stitzel Weller, or a fancy but useless wooden stand ( yes, you Highland Park Norse gods series), or some sexy name that translates into a deer once spotted by the spring near the distillery, it's down to earth, humble, and full of flavor. Just as simple as that, and priced well enough that we don't have to refinance our house ( I'm looking at you Macallan )

In my continuing quest for a low priced enjoyable malt...I come across another dismal failure, almost taking me to the brink of vomiting. Nose is like something dead, burned and charred. Reminded me of when I once drove across Death Valley, and got a whiff of this roadkill that was getting roasted by the intense heat. Taste isn't much better...I never wanted to have a burnt roadkill, but now at least I know what it taste like. If I'm ever born a vulture in my next life, I'm well prepared now. Why do I do this to myself...three low cost failed attempts that resulted in near-ejection of bodily fluids? Why did I not simply splurge for the extra few bucks and get a better bottle? Or go over to the wine section of the store, and have my choice of countless offerings anywhere from an Oregon Pinot to an Argentinian Malbec, at the same price I spent on this. I must have some deep masochistic issues that need years of therapy to resolve.

White chocolate on the nose, followed by creamy fruit on the palette. It has a slight bitter burn in the finish, and acts younger than its age of 21 yrs. You can't get a comparable 21 yr old for the same price, but you can certainly get better quality for the same price, even if it's less than 21 yrs. Like a Talisker 10, Balvenie 12, Yamazaki 12, and countless others. Retasted 1/6: This time from a bottle as opposed to a bar sample. Much better second time around---warm bread pudding with a tinge of chocolate. Really good for the price.

I don't know why, but when I had this, I kept having Jimmy Cliff's lyrics on my mind----" I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, and it's a sunshiny day". This blend was so light and fruity, so summery...so lemon-y/orange-y/sunshine-y. I loved it. I'm a huge fan of John Glaser's creations, and this was right up there with my favorites from Compass Box. It's dangerously drinkable. If you're not careful, you just might end up singing Jimmy Cliff's song, butt naked, bare chested (or bare breasted...whichever) in the middle of someone's living room. (note: just for the record...I've not done that)

After funding so many distillery startups and ending up disappointed, is was such a welcome change. You can tell its Islay , but it's not your typical Islay. Much more citrus forward and fresher...it's young but doesn't act it's age. I can't wait to try it's other products ( Loch Gorm or their sherry).

I've only tried one Lowlander previously...which was an amazing Rosebank. I fell in love with it...it was light, fruity, citrusy, and yet layers of complexity. But, it was EXPENSIVE. So...I wanted to try another Lowlander...and I purchased this one, for a fraction of the Rosebank cost. Huge mistake. The aroma is not too different than what you'd get when you take that first whiff of a hospital room. Ah yes....gotta love that camphor smell. The taste is even worse. It then goes downhill...the finish is unfortunately really long, which is not a positive in this case. This is pure torture. One more sip of this sewage and I'll probably go blind. On the bright side...I just found a new antiseptic for when my daughter gets soccer burns.

Really unique. I'm still quite not sure if I like it or not. The nose is really like BBQ chipotle pineapples or peaches, then the taste is smoky brisket. It's not the same smoke as what you'd expect in an Islay or Islands scotch. I can almost imagine myself having this when I'm grilling outside. Big bold Texas flavors. Definitely worth trying, not sure if I'd buy again. Was interesting to try once though. Between this and their Balcones 1, I'd go with the latter. Given this is about $80, it's pricey...but you really don't have this flavor profile elsewhere.

This is much more than their standard 10 yr old , I guess from paying the extra admin costs to get the organic certificate. Is the taste that much significantly better because it's organic?