Tastes

Color: Light, soft amber. Nose: Mellow dried fruits with crushed black pepper and campfire smoke. Sherry finish really pops here. Palate: Mild salinity arrives with heady coastal peat. Sherry notes are more muted, but a pleasant raisin sweetness remains. Finish: Long and loaded. Syrupy, spicy, and savory. The star of the show. Diluted: Nose sees distinct cinnamon emerge along with fresh floral notes. Palate is honeyed but loses a little body, while the finish finds a little black fireplace soot but otherwise shortens. (If you add water, only add a dash.)

Color: Rose gold. Nose: Savory hickory smoke and barbecued pork. A spray of sea salt meets full, heathery peat. Palate: Raspberries and strawberries at the outset, which quickly transition to soft, fatty bacon. A little spice from the Rioja casks is softened by rich honey. Finish: Stellar. Delicious and powerful. Sweet peat. Diluted: Nose peels back a bit to reveal more of the red wine notes, while the palate sheds a bit of the sweetness for more dryness and smoke. The finish is still outstanding! Deep and sturdy.

Color: Light gold. Nose: Fresh-cut grass and a little delicate vanilla. Faint sherry notes and a grainy sweetness. Palate: Yellow pears, honey, green apple, and buttered scones. Finish: Herbal and juicy with orchard fruit and blackberries. Diluted: Sweet cinnamon bun on the nose, and more apple (but soft, mushy Golden Delicious) on the palate. Finish is gossamer brown sugar and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Color: Dark maple syrup. Nose: Hot buttered cider, rich caramels straight out of the oven, and gooey campfire marshmallows. Palate: Exploding with berries in milk chocolate and sweet, mild toffee. Finish: Hot and full, with a ton of oak and toasted graham cracker. Diluted: Slightly spicy, salty nose, while the palate spreads a bit into brown sugar and crème brûlée. The finish is smooth with a little richness, like molasses.

Color: Sunburnt apricot. Nose: Light, bright fruits--white grapes in particular--with a dusting of sweet cocoa. Palate: Herbal and crisp. A touch of light caramel joins soft tobacco and an earthy petrichor. Finish: A tad spicy for me. But a pleasant note of butterscotch endures. Diluted: Rich honeysuckle and vanilla meet hot buttered popcorn on the nose. Palate continues the increased sweetness, with cake frosting and cinnamon buns really surprising here. The finish is lingering, minty, and warm.

Color: Deep, deep amber. Nose: Cherries, red apples, raisins, and currants. Fresh, fruity, and tart with a lingering suggestion of dried leather and fresh-cut hardwood. Palate: Soft marshmallows and creamy manuka honey welcome you in, while rich molasses and delicate vanilla persist. Finish: Here a little young, but makes up for it in verve. Sweet and hot, like a stack of fresh pancakes doused in maple syrup. Diluted: Nose grows more vegetative, with some mint and tobacco emerging, while the palate unfortunately only thins. The finish with a splash of water develops a distinctly mineralic character -- don't add water to this.

Color: Light amber. Nose: Plenty of vanilla with fresh baked goods. Warm coffee cake and cinnamon buns. Hot honey and butter on toast. Palate: Smooth syrupy notes, drenched in maple and brown sugar. A little herbal and earthy tobacco with a touch of mint. Finish: Warmth spready slowly but steadily, with a cinnamon twinge and pleasant woody dryness. Diluted: Nose glows with caramel and butterscotch, while the palate adds some tart applesauce and the finish almost crunches with brilliant caramel apple.

Color: Deep copper. Nose: Soft fudge, spun sugar. Aromatic vanilla and warm caramels. Palate: Maple syrup and brown sugar set the tone, with more of the sugary cotton candy notes. Very slight mineral tinge. Finish: Long and slow, with a warmth that really develops as you sit with it. Still a little mineralic (but not unpleasantly so). Diluted: Some sweet maraschino cherry but still largely warm baked goods -- toffee springs forward. The palate is sprightlier and fruitier, with a juicy, delicate finish.

Color: Strawberry blond. Nose: Rainwater dousing a beachside fire. Reminiscent of a fresh, dry, empty wood cupboard after tending to the barbecue. Palate: Sweet and rich butterscotch and bananas foster. Crème brûlée shines through the traditional Islay smoke, which is present in abundance. Finish: Nicely acidic and medicinal. A pungent tidal pool. Diluted: Nose reminds you of the wine casks, with deep fruits emerging. White chocolate and manuka honey show up on the palate, but hold onto those fruit notes. The finish stays dry, spicy, and ashy, which I love (personally).

Color: Autumn leafpile. Nose: Marshmallows, peanut butter, and raw vanilla. Some very light fruit notes but decidedly sweet and confectionary. Maybe a hint of orange citrus. Palate: Molasses and honey fade into more pleasant orange flavors, this time almost a marmalade. There's also a little funk and bitterness, like espresso beans or dark chocolate. Finish: Smooth caramel and a dusting of cinnamon spice, with more fantastic honey notes. Diluted: Nose is freshly-sanded wood, pancakes, bananas, and pears. The palate continues the fruity sweetness with a bushel of golden delicious apples. The finish is the only place it suffers, a little more mineralic but nonetheless pleasant.