Tastes

Local bar has it at $90 a pour. A hard ask to be sure. Nose: Cream, Apricot Jam, Honey, Apple pie Palate: Mostly the same. Overwhelmingly rich, orange blossom honey. Prune trickles in at the side. Maple notes accompany pound cake Finish: Not as effortlessly distinguished as the palate. Lemon curd and deep char balance the robust sweetness of the nose and palate. Had I paid for the pour, I'd be inclined to rate a 3~3.5. While this bottle is an exceptional whiskey, it falls short in many of the ways NAS whiskeys do. Namely a short-lived and relatively unforgiving finish. A lemony oak lingers briefly, forgetting the rich syrupy palate. If that creamy honey stayed along for the ride I'd say it is near the top of the regions best offerings.

At $700 this falls far short of anything I would consider spending that level of money on. Being in the trade has its perks though and this is a very excellent bourbon. Caramel, Butterscotch, Cinnamon Red Hots, Walnut shell Very good. Very not worth the price unless money is meaningless to you.

So very light. The mouthfeel is bold, but holds little to no flavor. Just soft sweetness, lightly floral, and a small zing of lemon zest. The finish is unexpectedly short and leaves you wondering why on earth someone would pay anywhere close to MSRP for the inoffensive if not bland addition to the Whistlepig line up.

This is a wild ride. It tastes like the cornfields in the dog days of summer of my youth. It tastes like the sunset after a day of field hockey and soccer. It's unmistakably Mexican in origin, but anyone from the southern US will have a memory of the smell. The tight slate and sweet corn comes right on through. Nose: Graphite, Corn on the cob Palate: Slate, butter, sweet corn Finish: medium and dry. A truly unique experience from a truly phenomenal mezcal producer.

A bold choice makes a weird combination. Instead of meaty smoke making way for rich red fruit, Drum reveals secondhand smoke and a strange array of tropical fruits. Nose: An old smokers hotel room, lemon peel, banana Palate: Coconut, Papaya, Harsh smoke Finish: Short and forgettable. Mostly lemon zest Overall E for effort, but leave the rum casks for Balvenie

Bacon fat. Peat. Truffle. Best enjoyed with a bold cigar on a cold winter night. It's a brilliant dram for the peat lover and without much provocation reminds its drinker of newly smoked brisket. One cannot idly sip, Uigeadail demands your full attention.

An exceptional NAS Japanese whisky. Nose: Barnyard, Sherry, Honey, Breath of smoke Palate: Picking season cherry orchard. Finish: Long and light sweetness carried on for minutes after a taste. To be most honest, when tasting a friend on it, the finish was still lingering 15~20 minutes after. One of my favorite Japanese whiskys from one of the most consistently excellent distillers.

One of the few scotches made quite exceptional with a large ice ball, Valknut delivers a fudgey briney experience to the NAS offerings of this Orkney distillery. Nose: A little hay backed with malt, biscuits, orange-blossom honey, and what will be revealed to be dark chocolate. Palate: Fudge, Spearmint, a little hay, and a lasting brininess to balance out the otherwise decadent palate Finish: relatively short, but not unappealing. The fudge and touch of hay linger. Adding Ice removes the hay, softens the salt, and brings out fudge and a touch of Red Apple.

This is one of the worst whiskey's I've ever had the displeasure to try, second only to the American Malt released by the same distiller. Nose: Wet grass, Light oak, Touch of vanilla Palate: Weird char impact, more wet grass, and an almost tequila-like smoke quality Finish: astringent, sharp, and thankfully quite short. While we put the sample bottle we were sent to good use on unsuspecting coworkers, it was ultimately poured down the drain.

Neat in Glencairn Nose: Honey, tart cherry pie filling, hint of cereal milk Palate: Scorched Pear, a green apple tartness as if in a fine Sancerre Finish: oily, rich, lemon tart lingering With a few drops of alkaline water: Tartness drips away a bit revealing more cereal milk, creme brulee-esque notes.