Tastes

Nose: Oak, vanilla, toasted cereal grains - that malted barley shows up on the nose. Warm buttered bread. Grassy, vegetal, and herbaceous. Classic clove, nutmeg, cinnamon. Strawberries, Luxardo cherries. Dusty corn. The proof is helping this jump out of the glass without bowling you over. Palate: Cloves and nutmeg, followed with brown sugar, oak, and those toasted grains again. Dried thyme, star anise, dried basil, oranges, green bell peppers. Luxardo cherries. Artificial cherry - the stuff they use in medicine. Slightly prickly alcohol. Medium-light mouthfeel, the finish starts off with that classic alcohol pop, followed by nutmeg and clove-studded oranges. Strawberries and blueberries surge forward - then that medicinal shows up. Slowly fades off with oak, barrel bitter, vanilla, and burnt brown sugar staying behind. Other notes: my palate is thrashed - a little under the weather today. That being said, this stuff is very good for the price - around $25 at a grocery store in my town. Don't come to this expecting a totally typical rye. The mash bill here pulls through and shows you what happens when you dial up the rye and malted barley and pull back on the corn. A nice change of pace and a solid addition to my liquor cabinet.

Nose: Brown sugar, vanilla, oak. Green apples. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice. Char. Strawberries, bananas, cherries, mangoes. Plums. Lemon and lime zests. Icing. Palate: Brown sugar, oak. Banana bread with walnuts and icing. Cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg. Tannin. Cream. Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries. Moderate mouthfeel. Finish starts with cereal grains, honey, and strawberry - think Cheerios with sugar and fruit. Things evolve into beautiful toasted grain, baking spices, and barrel bitter character. Slowly the base sweetness and fruit lift away and there's this interesting charred oak, cream cheese frosting, vanilla, leather, cocoa thing left behind.

Nose: Sweet peat. Bananas, dragon fruit, mangoes. Wisps of campfire smoke and a rugged backbone of earthy peat. Brine. Black pepper, bell pepper, heather, orange blossoms, and honeysuckle. Oak, dark fruits, and toasted cereal grains. Lemon-lime. Creme fraiche. Deep and rich without being heavy or cloying. Palate: Toasted cereal grains. Strawberries coated in icing. Peaches, bananas. Campfire ash. Oak. Tannin. Stone fruits - there's the sherry cask. Fresh cut, wet grass. Dried basil and thyme. Eucalyptus. Wintergreen. Lime oil. Black pepper, smoked paprika. Earth. Canadian bacon, jamón ibérico. Oily but clean finish. Starts off with ash, green bell peppers, and black pepper. As things shift, plums and peaches show up, along with some blueberries. That base of ash hangs out. Mint shows up. Then things end with a dance between vanilla, fruit, mint, and citrus oils, while ash, earthy peat, and salt prop everything else up. Other notes: This hits the same notes and has all of the expressiveness of, say, Laphroaig 10 or Ardbeg An Oa, but with the drama turned down a notch or two - which I really enjoy. This is definitely Islay, make no mistake. This has the brine, the earth, the ash, but everything is wrapped in a slightly different package. Friendlier, but still complex. Bourbon barrels dominate here, but the influence of the sherry casks help bring some balance to the party that are definitely welcome. Well worth the price of admission.

Nose: Sugar and vanilla. This leans into the fruity end of the spectrum - bananas, apricots, Fuyu persimmons, strawberries, and cherries. Mild oak with just the faintest barrel char. Granola sweetened with honey. Dusty corn. Very distant ethanol note that almost presents as a lemon oil/Pin-Sol combo. Palate: Soft and rounded. The fruits on the palate show up - mostly apricot, strawberry, fuyu persimmon, and banana. Mango joins the party. Tongue-drying and slightly bitter tannin shows up for a sec. Corn sweetness, vanilla, and a little more oak with a touch of creamy character. Relatively muted overall, leaning into sweet fruit more than anything else. Balanced decently enough otherwise. Finish starts with a pop of tannin, barrel, and bananas. Sweet orange and strawberries peep their heads out. And then a cream cheese frosting, vanilla, and toasted grain character carry things to the finish. Medium-short in length. Other notes: My palate is non-optimal at the moment, so take these notes with a grain of salt. That being said, this is a friendly glass. A little simple for my personal tastes, but well worth a try, especially at this price point.

Nose: Toasted oak, vanilla, ethanol. Toasted cereal grains and salt - there's this almost Play-Doh vibe going on and I'm not mad about it. Giving me vibes of a bowl of Cheerios with sugar and banana slices. Sliced red bell peppers, dried herbs. Floral, mint, general citrus-y note. Subtle and nuanced. Very friendly. Palate: Oak - toasted and charred. Just a touch of barrel bitter. Peaches, bananas, oranges. Cream. Molasses. Mint. Nutmeg, dill. Medium-light mouthfeel, the proof is just about where it should be, adding a nice effervescent character that helps add just a hint of drama. Just like the nose, this stuff is incredibly friendly and approachable, but you could go exploring for a long time, to boot. Finish starts off with toasted grains, bananas, peaches, and very ripe strawberries topped with whipped cream. Things progress into a vanilla-flavored milk direction, with some cocoa and leather. The floral notes then come back in - roses, honeysuckle, and orange blossoms. Finish is medium in length and suits this quite well. Other notes: Very early in my whiskey journey, I wondered if anybody was doing solera-style aging with a bourbon and, if so, what that would be like. This answers that question and lives up to my expectations. The subtle, nuanced complexity you get from the oak alone is really appealing. This checks a lot of boxes and is very well balanced and very easy to sip, though I really want to know what a cask strength version of this would be like. I really enjoy this and would likely buy again.

Nose: Sweet. Citrus - reminds me of the mandarins I grow in my front yard. Strawberry, banana, cherry, blueberries, think bubblegum. The rye in the mash bill shows, which is the same bill as Basil Hayden's if memory serves. Dill, basil, clove, nutmeg. Charred oak, vanilla. Cream cheese frosting. But that corn sweetness is front and center here. Palate: Dusty corn, bubblegum sweetness - almost exactly what it was on the nose. Brown sugar. A little tannin and barrel bitter shows up, especially in the finish. Medium-bodied mouthfeel, leaning towards the lighter side. Key limes, strawberries, bananas, etc. The rye is there, but just like the barrel it doesn't really come out much until the finish. Speaking of the finish, this starts out with a bright pop of ethanol, barrel, vanilla, nutmeg, dill, and thyme. That ethanol and candy sweetness stick around, but finally give way to the barrel bitter and a little more of that tannin, which hangs out for a moderate amount of time before it disappears. Other notes: It's interesting to see the high-rye mash bill from Beam in a form other than Basil Hayden (full disclosure, BH is probably one of my least-liked whiskies). This is definitely not a refined sip - the sweetness borders on cloying, though luckily never manages to go over the edge. Absolutely appropriately priced however, and no remorse. I'd bet this would really shine in cocktails - maybe a Manhattan with a very dry vermouth. This lands squarely in my list of things to recommend to people getting started in their exploration of Bourbons. Though it may not be on my shortlist of things to keep stocked, this is an excellent case of a bottle that caters to a particular profile and owns it 100% - I can only respect that.

Nose: Earthy peat and light ash. Subtly musty funk, creamy - vanilla bean ice cream. White pepper, chipotle peppers. Peppermint. Honey ham. Toasted cereal grains. Figs, dates, bananas. Dried thyme and basil. Slightly floral - just a hint of a bright perfume. Palate: Peat, smoke, tannin. Dense with a sprinkling of ash from a fire that just finished. Bowl of vanilla yogurt and granola with honey and sliced bananas and blueberries. Salty ham. The casks are all showing up here - vanilla, brown sugar and straight oak, slightly tannic, dense and ripe/overripe fruits. Along with some more tamed character like you'd expect from, say Ardbeg 10. Finish begins with a phenol- and brightly ethanol-powered pop. As the sparkles subside, you get that ashy, toasted grain, and honeyed characteristic - Highland Park 12 and Laphroaig 10/Quarter Cask would be apt comparisons. Things eventually settle into a beautiful creamy, vanilla, cocoa powder landing. Decent oil means the finish on this is medium long. Other notes: An Oa is exemplary of what a distillery is capable of when they get creative with their casks and blending. Admittedly not my favorite Ardbeg, it's still something I enjoy and appreciate whenever I have it, even if it doesn't have a permanent home in my collection. I still occasionally re-buy this just because it's, objectively, damn good.

Nose: Dry, ashy peat. Honey, toasted cereal grains. Vegetal and slightly briney. Mint, lemon oil. Black pepper. Palate: Smokey. Peppery. Ash. Vanilla, cream. The proof is absolutely evident - prickly without being off-putting. Oily, which means it hangs out on your palate for days. Finish begins with a burst of peppery ethanol and peat. Slowly the lemon oil and mint come to the fore. Then bananas, honey, dill, and brine.

Nose: Vanilla, Luxardo cherries, molasses, oak. Well integrated front to back. Raw flour. Cream. Faint whisps of char. Bananas, apricots, persimmons, plums. Baked pears with cinnamon and the smallest pinch of nutmeg. Dusty corn buried deep. Palate: Vanilla, oak, molasses, and port cask - the port is on display with more of that Luxardo cherry syrupy sweetness. Apricots, persimmons, and pears coming through, with a dash of hot cinnamon now. Tannin and barrel bitter join the party. Finish starts off with plums and caramel apples with baking spices. There's definitely some rye in this mash - getting some dried basil, thyme, and dill while the denser flavors slowly evaporate. Tail end leaves some bitterness with vanilla bean ice cream, figs, and slight nuttiness. Other notes: I've always like this stuff. It's not perfect by any stretch - I'd personally love to see a longer initial maturation with maybe a touch more char on the barrels, but what's on display in this glass is quite good. Also a good example of a lower proof not being a bad thing. While this might be interesting at 100+, I don't think I'd be able to do more than a glass or two. Maybe not something I always have in my bar, but a fun one to revisit from time to time.

Nose: Stone fruits, white pepper, brine. There's a rich peat with beautiful threads of smoke. Oak, vanilla, icing. Oregano, basil. Black and green olives. Lemon oil, wintergreen. Charred poblanos. Bell peppers. Complex and cohesive. Unmistakably Ardbeg. Palate: Vanilla, oak, ash, peat. Icing - confectioner's sugar and cream. Tannic, with mild bitterness. Toasted oak. Toasted cereal grains with honey. Herbaceous and vegetal - tarry rope comes to mind. This gets into both Laphroaig and Lagavulin territory for me - some campfire ash and char notes as well as deep, rich, meaty character. The casks are on display, but in the best way possible. Finish begins with a bright, ashy kick alongside plums, figs, and vanilla. Slowly the fruit morphs into bananas, kiwis, and mangoes. Eventually everything settles into a honeyed toasted wheat bread, ash, brine, and light perfume. Other notes: This is my second glass of this and I'm not mad. This is Ardbeg at full tilt - the phenolic, complex, rich beast I've come to expect. A beautiful glass and one I believe everybody should experience.