Tastes

Color: Flashing gold (or orange wine) Nose: Marine smoke with candied apples. Rich wood fire with a creamy sweetness. Palate: More assertive sherry on the palate, with a dry, nutty start and a sharp, smoky progression. Smoked sweet fish with a fruity glaze, or rich aromatic wood fire. Finish: Really chewy finish. Can taste the youth with burnt, bitter peat at the end, but powerful and lingering. Diluted: Rounder, fuller wood smoke with some sweet citrus as well. Palate is so much sweeter, with strong honey notes amidst the smoke. Still a spicy sting on the finish.

Color: Wet hay Nose: Classic brine. Ocean spray over tidal pools. Pickled peppers on the beach. Palate: Cracked pepper and ripe vanilla extract. Ashes from a doused campfire sprinkled with sea salt. Muted sweetness up front with smoky and savory notes on the back. Finish: Salt and pepper! Not much wood, just peated malt character. Diluted: More smoke on the nose, but an acrid, tingy smoke. Palate is smoother and less prickly, with a little honey and some of that same classic smoke (though only some). Same with the finish -- sweeter and gentler.

Color: Polished violin. Nose: Cinnamon and fresh-baked raisin bread. Overripe plums dipped in brown sugar, with whiffs of vanilla and baking spices. Palate: Roasted nuts with tannic red and purple fruit jams. Candied apples, marzipan, and warm molasses meet currants and prunes. Finish: Sherry and warm cider predominate, with a little clove spice. Diluted: Even more brown sugar on the nose. Fruitier sherry character on the palate. Lighter fudge and white chocolate as well. Mellow barrel wood on the finish.

Color: Soft gold. Nose: Pickles and brine, with a little raw mackerel and some acidic smoke. Loamy, vegetative, coastal. Palate: Jalapeno tincture hits first, almost expecting to get a couple of pepper seeds. Salty and spicy without a lot of smoke on the palate. More of a medicinal peat character. Finish: Heavy and savory, with vanilla amidst the salty waves. Diluted: Sweeter and maltier on the nose, and carrying over to the palate with a little honey and cereal. Some bitter dark chocolate creeps in as well, and the finish stays spicy.

Color: Bright sulfur. Nose: Red berries and coal fumes. Sweet wine and barbecued meats. Palate: Rich peat dominates, with bacon fat and ripe orchard fruits. Hints of light spice, like cinnamon roll, linger. Finish: Wine notes stronger, with a pleasant dryness and a few tendrils of smoke. Diluted: Rich floral bouquets, overripe pears, and golden apple skins on the nose. Palate is richer too, with more vanilla and much less smoke. Finish weaker, with light mellow sweetness.

Color: Burnt caramel. Nose: Raisins, sherry, and toasted brown sugar. Red wine sweetness with rich baking notes. Palate: Chocolate, cinnamon, and cloves with candied dates and rich red fruit preserves. Finish: Spicy and warm, with barrel wood and rich vanilla. Diluted: Warm sugar remains on the nose, with lighter fruit notes on the palate -- cherries and gala apples. Finish is mellow with bourbon notes.

Color: Dirty gold. Nose: Petrichor, fresh-cut grass, and ripe lemon trees. Palate: Pepper and vanilla. Briny marine spray with a citrus acidity. Finish: Harsh and dry, with flavors of barrel wood and a little sweetness. Diluted: Mellow vegetation, like crumbly squash, on the nose. The palate has a warmer sweetness, like raw honey. Softer, oakier finish.

Color: Orange marmalade. Nose: Spicy red wine, oak, rich vanilla and caramel. Mild sweet baking spices, like a holiday fruitcake. Palate: Dried orchard fruit skins sprinkled with cocoa powder and garnished with orange zest. Finish: Barrel wood, saturated with sweet syrup. Dry and savory. With water: Lighter and sweeter on the nose, with extra-sweet cinnamon rolls on the palate. Jars of jam complement rich musty oak.

Color: Goldenrod. Nose: Crumbling firewood ash after a cold rain. Beneath the smoke, there's iodine and pungent citrus blossoms. Vanilla and savory, salty brine burst through. Palate: Astringent, chemical kick up front mellows into warmer, sweeter notes of pork fat and caramel glaze. Still some vanilla, though not as powerful, swept away by saline band-aids and white plumes of charcoal smoke. Finish: Sticky tar hangs with you, as does the sensation of bitter seaweed. Brackish ocean water with a little tannic vegetation. With water: Much more vanilla on the nose, but still redolent of salty sea air. The palate and finish got a little shorter and sweeter, with honeycomb and butterscotch coming out in lieu of the original harsher notes.

Color: Maple syrup. Nose: Loads of vanilla with strong barrel oak. Tanned leather comes through with aggressive sweetness -- maybe chocolate? Something baked, like chocolate cake with almonds. Palate: Almond dominates, almost shoving other flavors aside. Definitely a lighter sweetness too, with notes of honey and icing, but the marzipan really takes over. Plenty of vanilla as well, with a little spice on the back end. Finish: Mild and smooth, with light baking spice and wood finish. Keeps its vanilla, though, and stays mellow. With water: Mose is toastier, with a little sweet char. Palate is *very* sweet, with candy front and center. Finish is shorter, and still features a ton of sweetness, like a candied apple.