Tastes

After many years I return to what was once a staple of many late evening adventures. Jameson has many memories for me which is why this tasting hurts a little. There’s essentially no nose, the dried fruit palate is gone in an instant leaving just the grain on the tail but thats gone soon as well. Its certainly drinkable but its just got so little going on. The main thing it has going for it is how smooth it is, amazingly smooth, but it seems to have achieved that by sacrificing flavor. Would probably be good in ginger ale. It hurts my younger self to say this but I don’t think I’ll be buying another bottle of this soon.

I’d thought there wasn't budget smoke but maybe I’m wrong. Glasgow blend has a nice spiral of smoke running through it and full sweet body. The bit of grain whiskey in it actually adds a nice depth and clarity to the drink, usually that’s just for fill but its been chosen carefully here. Absolutely needs a drop of water, its muddled without it but a few drops make this dram sing. Its taking the form of blend and approaching it with craft. Glasgow Blend for its taste and budget are likely entering my regular rotation.

Never tried a Bunna before because I’d been told they don’t peat. Turns out thats a lie! This is interesting the Brine and Anise dance in and out and the smoke doesnt show up until later. But it is there. Less wood influence than I’d like but very crisp. Lots of little hits of other flavors that are quite interesting, if a little unfocused. Fun worth a try, makes me wanna see what else Bunna has goin on.

Sweet and delicate, Kilchoman isn’t going to smack you in the face like some other Islays. This is more of a tickle. But that’s not a bad thing, shockingly fruity and floral, sweetness from the bourbon casks but the sherry makes itself known too. And none of that sulfur note I hate that you get from some sherry casks. The smoke is papery not woody, more similar to Coal Ila than Laphroaig or Ardbeg peat wise. It all comes together with a surprisingly fresh mineral taste sort of like Fiji water. Entirely unique, totally clean and crisp from nose to tail. Ill be keeping my eye on Kilchoman this new distillery has a lot of promise.

This is the only special celebrity tie in whiskey I’ve ever liked. And frankly its amazing. It starts with a touch of sawdust and blossoms into a forest fire. A shorter tail than you’d expect but still wonderful. I’d take this over the 16 or 8 year standard offerings any day. Massively peaty but with some lovely subtlies to it. The tail is a little shorter than I’d like but save that this is close to a perfect dram.

Dry, Chocolate, Leather, a spice and honey finish and body dominated by that unrefined grain alcohol ethanol taste. Even after settling all those notes are fairly thin except the ethanol. Although if that ethanol note is really your thing this is a way to get a shocking amount of it at a much lower proof than you'd expect. I think the chocolatey and honey presences in this spirit are nice, I get what people like about them but I always feel like makers is unrefined and confused. The pieces lack coherence and the whole thing is lacking in wood influence. If I want anything going on here I'm much more likely to reach for a bottle of Larceny or Wild Turkey.

A huge wave of maple syrup thats gone almost immediately. It gives way to brine and a lingering sawdust which the maple subtly reemerges in. Some bite but not a ton for something 100 proof. Good value, unfiltered definitely sells this experience well. Raw and elemental.

Elijah Craig is the bourbon I give people to start them into bourbons. Its pleasant, inoffesive affordable and manages to be all of these while maintaining a distinct identity. I have yet to find someone who hates this and I’ve met several who love it. The barrel influence is clear on this spirit but it adds that lively young wood taste american spirits have to a surprising degree on something so young. That young toasty wood carries this spirit for me.

All my favorite smells are things you can't eat. Woodshops, coal furnances, ironworking, instrument repair stores, fresh hot tar, campfires, burning rubber, gasoline, leather tanning, old libraries, dried out paint cans, the air on the beach after it rains. Laphroaig lets me taste these. If you want smoke there's very little that can match this. If Tom Waits songs had a taste it would be Laphroaig.

Its got a lot going for it, strong honey presence on the nose and tongue. Not quite as smoky as other Laphroaig offerings. For being 16 years old and 48% its frankly a little weak tasting. Still great and preserves a lot of great flavor but its just very gentle as compared to their standard offerings and the time has not added much in the way of woody taste to it. Still good, the worst Laphroaigs are better than most other spirits but for the money you can you get much better.