Tastes

I tasted this 10 year old single malt Islay scotch neat at 43%abv in the evening. It is chill-filtered with artificial colour. This whisky really does take you over on the first sniff - Loads of peat and a fishy seaweed that takes me back to a rocky ocean beach. The nose is the most flavourful and sharp peat smell I have only once ever experienced when opened the door of my grand-père's old wood furnace, with its sooty-black ash that chips away when you toss in a wood log. There is an "iodine" sting in the peat that is distinct to Laphroaig. On the taste, there's a gorgeous lemon and vanilla flourish with a smoky pepper and charcoal that pulls the sweetness together. The finish is nice and long and so satisfying. Nothing quite fills the void like this.

I tasted this non-age statement blended Canadian whisky neat at 40%abv in the evening. It is chill-filtered with artificial colour. This is the whisky that started it all for me, back in the Crown and Cola era of my young adulthood. On its own it has a distinct synthetic caramel note. It reminds me of the Dollarstore caramel cubes, melted plastic and all. It has just enough alcohol bite to open the senses. The palate is pleasant with apple, caramel, vanilla ice cream, some cereal and grains. The finish is nearly non-existent. For a whisky supposedly composed of a blend of 50 other whiskies, it is disappointingly simple. That may be the benefit of its use with a mixer, but alone it falls short of satisfying.

I tasted this 10 year old Irish single malt whiskey at 40%abv in the evening. It is chill-filtered with artificial colour. This is a gorgeous Irish that has everything I enjoy from the Original blended expression, without the young malt effects. The nose has bright green apple, pear, some menthol or camphor, and a grass and herb character that is delightful. Strangely the palate on this was initially disappointing, but really punches up after 5 to 15 minutes in open air and a drop of water. The sweet fruit on the nose is dulled on the palate to reveal loads of vanilla and orange peel. Enough time allows the juicy flavours to appear, so don't give up too soon. The finish of honeyed apples and pears is short, however I do enjoy it while it lasts. I'd pair this with booty shorts that have JUICY written on the back in all caps or italics.

I tasted this non-age statement single malt Islay scotch neat at 54.2%abv, and again with a little added water, in the evening. It is non-chill filtered with natural colour. The warm Ardbeg peat smoke does not take the lead, surprisingly, but lays the ground for a whole ton of notes on the nose and palate. I will do my best to identify those that I can. Raisin and damp forest wood on the nose with a soft sweetness that lingers. The taste is an immaculate force of nature with the most perfect balance of dark fruit, some roses, campfire smoke, and a characteristic Ardbeg brine. The finish is very long with lingering raisin, rye bread, some black peppercorn, and the smoke evolving into a specific umami flavour I adore but cannot quite identify. I would like to have seen this as an age statement with more information on the label. Nonetheless, this is as perfect as it gets for my tastes in an Islay scotch.

I tasted this 18 year old Speyside single malt scotch at 47.2%abv, and again with a little added water, in the evening. It is non-chill filtered with artificial colour. This has been a good study for me on on aging scotch in American oak - Lemon, vanilla, and banana on the nose which also appear on the palate. However, the wood character explodes on the tongue at first sip, belieing the smooth and light smell. The palate burns with spice and alcohol. Behind that, you'll feel buttery toffee and some sweet lingering floral notes. A drop of water helps differentiate the flavours pleasantly. The finish is long, light and ever so slightly sweet. I like it!

This is remarkably light-bodied. Low ETOH burn, and low character in general. If you're lucky, you get some vanilla or tea flavours that spring up, but just enough to let you know that you're drinking whisky at all. There's no off-putting flavour or scent, but nothing remarkable either. I had to grab a dram of an Islay I had on hand just to check that I didn't catch COVID and lost my sense of taste and smell. Quite disappointing, but I could see its merits as a mixer. I recommend this as an Old Fashioned ingredient just to finish the bottle, with a bit extra Angostura to make it palateable.

There's vanilla on the nose, with bananas foster sweetness on the palate. Shortly, the flavour becomes overpowered by Port wine and grapes. There's very mild spice and low ETOH burn. It's a tasty easy sipper that suffers from a disappointingly short finish and little originality as a wine cask statement.

I tasted this neat at 43%abv. in the evening. It is chill-filtered with artificial colour. Intense honey and vanilla right off the bat, followed by a characteristic sherry which brings nuts and grapes to the field. I think sensed a bit of banana too, and a freshly-cut grass smell. After a sip, the grapes pop up a fair bit harder with some classic vanilla and toffee. It almost turns into grape juice flavour. The bourbon cask wood backboard stages it all, leading into a sweet medium-length homestretch. It's a very pleasant experience.

I tasted this single malt scotch neat at 46.3%abv. in the evening. It is non-chill filtered with natural colour. I get citrus zest on the nose. There's a subtle floral scent that really explodes on the palate. A delicate heather field, this is not - It's more like burying your face in a bouquet of diverse flowering plants. There's no smoke but a bit of an ETOH kick which is refreshing. Orange zest appears after a while, after a bit of added water. The finish is medium-length with a floral vanilla sweetness. This is colourful juice that I would pair with looking for someone to share with an adventure.

I tasted this single malt scotch neat at 40%abv. in the evening. It is chill-filtered with artificial colour. Gentle honey on the nose with an occasional mandarin tang, cinnamon, and nuts. I expected glazing sweetness on the palate but was pleasantly surprised to find just a light lemon and vanilla. No bite of any sort. The vanilla lingers into a disappointingly medium-short finish. Clean and easy, but just a bit too easy for my preferences. I'd grab this for a cocktail.