Tastes

Nose: Cinnamon spice, zesty citrus, vanilla Danish pastry. Light sherry fruits. Almost reminds me of a fruit cake. Palate: Light. Sweet. Chocolatey. Finish: Dried fruits like sultanas and raisins with a lovely dryness.

Nose: The IPA hops really shine through lending green, zesty, floral notes with hints of white pepper. Palate: Vanilla, spiced apples, barrel spice starts to creep forward. Finish: A peppery spice intensifies with barrel tannins. After a short while I'm left with sweet toffee apple with some subtle tropical notes undoubtedly from the IPA.

Nose: Peach, mango, pineapple and other tropical fruit salad aromas. Vanilla underpins everything like a master of ceremonies. Palate: Creamy texture. Mango predominantly with a touch of pink peppercorn. Finish: The pepper gets louder and crescendos leaving behind the sweet fruity flavours of caramelised pineapple and fresh mango. Notes: Ok so it might be chill filtered and artificially coloured but come on it's a fruit salad in a glass. I like that it's approachable and super easy to drink. Closest thing to a New England IPA I've tried.

Nose: Smokey aromas which are tempered by combinations of powdery milk chocolate and coffee. There's a faint herbal note rummaging around the base. Palate: Viscous but not too thick and certainly not oily. Espresso and malt shine through with a classic Islay campfire smokiness. Finish: Dry. Bitter dark chocolate shavings, earthy peat at the end. I'm left with the aftertaste of a smoked stout. Notes: This was the first dram from the bottle so I'd expect it to open up a bit more in time. But I'm liking this so far.

Nose: Freshly cut apple, hints of vanilla, the Zinfandel has a big influence with spicy tannic oak. Palate: Pear, dry white wine, oak, some barrel spice. Finish: Dry walnutty finish, the spices trail off. Orchard fruits linger on the aftertaste. Notes: As an A-B comparison to regular Green Spot there's an additional musty spiciness to the Chateau on the nose. The palate on the regular Green Spot has none of the spice present in Chateau. The Chateau also carries a heavier body, the regular is very light.

Nose: Mainly peat smoke, some dried grass, a hint of sea air. It's hard to pick anything else out. Palate: Immediately the peat smoke intensifies and brings with it some saltiness. There's a dried cherry quality. Finish: The smokiness settles and leaves a pleasant dried fruit finish. Medium-ish length. Notes: It's something I'd recommend to someone who wants an introduction to peat as a standalone experience as that's the showcase here. It's primarily peat on the nose and palate and isn't disguised or hidden by other flavours or over-amplified.

Nose: Berries and other red fruits like grapes and even a touch of date. Wood spice and cinnamon. Palate: Spiced apple Danish pastry but with an earthy vanilla. Oak creeps in. Finish: Dark chocolate, walnut some dark honey. Dry and tannic at the far end.

Nose: Ashy smoke, waxy lemon zest, high notes of conference pear, even some floral notes. Palate: Oily mouthfeel but light body. Briny with some black pepper and a faint citrus rind. Some meatiness. Finish: Like the embers of a dying campfire the smoke lingers and slowly extinguishes.

Nose: Nutty, specifically a mix of oily nuts like almond and cashew. Light but notable earthy peat. Smells young, because it is. The vanilla notes from the bourbon cask are detectable. Palate: A young liquid, very nutty. Almonds are a prominent flavour. Gentle peaty smoke offers up an additional layer. Finish: Dried orchard fruits, golden sultanas, some oak tries to muscle in but it only works occasionally. A dryness that I usually associate with a tawny port lingers but it's in the same camp I suppose. An almost salty end. Notes: This instantly reminded me of blue diamond smokehouse almonds. The port gives little bursts of fruit but it's all about the nuts. I've certainly not had anything like it. Addendum: A couple drops of water strangely brought forward some ethanol notes on the nose but most notably made the finish intensely spicy. Like hot black pepper. Chemistry is so weird.

Nose: Vanilla cream, oak, hints of maple, brown sugar, apple peel. Palate: Light and sweet. Hints of apple and echoes of charred wood. Finish: Zero alcohol burn but it is only 40%. Finish of oak and orchard fruits linger. Notes: Super light and approachable. It's almost a halfway house between Irish and bourbon. You get subtle character from both, but neither are stand out in their respective categories. I actually like it exactly for that reason.