Tastes

More restrained than a typical Laphroaig, with a pleasant nuttiness to the nose. The finish is long but very dry, like eating a mouthful of cocoa powder. That's the influence of the smaller casks, no doubt, and while it isn't unpleasant it's not what I look for in a Laphroaig.

What better occasion for finally opening this bottle than my father's 80th birthday, for which I gave him this plus two other bottles that totaled four score years in age. It's a fascinating spin on an Ardbeg, with a light straw color and a floral nose that hints at jasmine on this warm spring night in London. There's a burst of citrusy flavors on the first sip that blossoms into an extraordinarly gusty amount of umami smoke and pepper that belies its age. A grilled mushroom taste lingers for as long as you can wait between sips, amid an abundance of moisture-draining tannins. Interesting more than essential and questionable value at the price, but a worthy reference point for fans of the distillery. For the record, I packaged this with a 50-year-old blend from That Boutiquey Whisky Company and a Bowmore 9 for a gift amounting to 80 years of exceptional malt. There will be many happy returns.

Smoky wood aromas yield to flavors of bitter orange marmalade and caramalized brûlée sugar. The finish swells to a rich and tangy crescendo. Chewy and worth savoring, this is a great showcase for sherry casking.

I've had countless samples of Balvenie at distiller events and whisky shows and always found it a perfectly fine if unremarkable drink. But spending a relaxed hour at home with a generous sample from Pranay gave me a new appreciation for the subtleties of this dram. In the calm sanctuary of my basement, I relished its nose of buttered toast. There's a creamy, clover honey flavor in the mouth that yields a very long finish of similar notes, rounded off with a touch of black tea. It's an altogether well balanced Scotch and a good lesson in how many whiskies deserve some quality time to truly take their measure. I could see myself returning frequently to a bottle of this quality.

It's always a pleasure to discover a Scotch that delivers flavor and complexity at an affordable price, so I was thrilled that the latest bottle in my birthday subscription from Ezra was not just from a distillery that had long been on my wishlist but also one that proved again that there is still good value to be found. This russet-colored treat introduces itself via a nose of trail mix, the kind that includes guava and pineapple among the nuts. It's viscous on the tongue, then slightly sweet, with an artful mix of gentle smoke and citrus notes - marmalade and lime jelly. The finish returns to the nutty theme, this time raw peanuts in their skins. An all-round delicious daily drinker.

On the nose, the smell of napalm in the morning. Complex mouth flavors of pencil shavings, beard shavings, baby vomit, cat vomit, pencil vomit.Long finish that lingers even after the emergency resuscitation. Cost me an arm and a leg on the secondary market, literally because I spilt some and it burnt through my limbs. Not as good as last year's.

An initially shy nose awakens to delicious aromas of stewed fruit after some vigorous agitation (2/3). On the palette, there are rich, melting caramel flavors with a satisfying undertone of tannic Assam tea (2/3). The peppery finish lingers long enough to make you want to close your eyes and savor it. (2/3). Bonus point: 1/1 for the lovely color and viscosity. Total: 7/10. Many thanks to Pranay for the generous sample that introduced me to a distillery I would happily revisit.

Cask-strength 100% Alberta rye finished in Macallan hogsheads? Yes please. It's dark and brooding in the glass and a cacophony of flavors on the nose, but like all high-proof WhistlePig products much smoother to sip than the ABV suggests. Still, even master distiller Dave Pickerell adds a few drops of water to his glass, which smooths out everything to reveal a typically classy rye from his Vermont farm. What distinguishes this from the rest of the range is the long, sherry-hued Scotch finish that really speaks to the previous occupants of the barrels. You can almost hear Pickerell's whisky lore emanating from this glass, or actually hear it if you're fortunate enough to be tasting it in his presence, as I was. I wouldn't pay $350-400 for a bottle, but do grab a sample if you're at all interested in rye, and especially if you like rye and Scotch.

I held off opening this for 24 hours for fear that it would disappoint. The committee releases are consistently interesting, and yet my cynicism about the industry's ever more extravagant barrel tricks and elaborate marketing has me bracing for that moment when Ardbeg jumps the basking shark. Dr Lumsden, please forgive my lack of faith. From the moment the mustard color spirit hits the glass, it's clear we're in new waters far from last year's Dark Cove. Shimmering aromas of herbal lozenges and zesty wood hint at the surprises to come, even as undertones of dark chocolate wave the Ardbegian flag. By surprises I mean, wow. An unexpected explosion of flavor from the first sip: bright citrus notes, creamy and peppery. A dazzling burst of light when I was anticipating darker sherry shades. A couple of drops of water accentuates the chocolate flavors. It finishes in a complex wave of tart and tangy chords, with those herbal flavors again, then a coda of tanins and a not unpleasant sourness. It's a dazzling turn by Ardbeg, like a Radiohead album that eschews precedent and expectations for new experiments. And yet it all makes sense when one's curiosity about this mysterious republic called Adyghe yields a Wikipedia article listing its main produce as grain, sunflowers, tea and tobacco. Coincidence or not, there's terroir in this glass.