Tastes

Neck Pour Nose: Lapsang souchong tea, piney, a hint of blackberries, anise, orange peel, and coffee with a medicinal note of rubber gloves and alcohol. Taste after 10 minutes: Viscous on the arrival with a hint of salty sweetness. The mid palate opens up bitter like 90% dark chocolate with very heavy medicinal peat smoke. As the smoke fades, anise opens up on the finish with the dark chocolate turning into milk chocolate and coffee. A very light clouding occurred with the addition of 5ml of water. The nose has opened up to more barley and became slightly honied with less smoke. Taste after 5 ml of water and 10 minutes: The flavors opened up and became more distinct. The saltiness and sweetness separated, and the blackberries became more prominent. The dark chocolate and coffee became more rounded and fuller. There is a similar bittersweetness of absinthe on the finish along with the smoke. Comments: This whiskey's legs are one of the slowest I have seen yet, and it has a very unique flavor profile. Fantastic stuff, but I'm not fully on board with the experience yet given that this whisky is drastically different compared to some of the other peated whiskies I have had like Lagavulin 16, Highland Park 12, Talisker 10, and Ardbeg Wee Beastie. This one is making me think about all of the layers and complex notes. Fantastic value given the complexity, non-chill filtration, and natural color. That being said, this is not a whiskey to start with as it is a beast to understand.

Neck Pour Nose: Sweet fruit and raisins, cut grass, light mustiness/earthiness, ethanol, graham cracker, anise Taste: Sweetness on the arrival with a medium body. Barley and a bit of fig play out early on. The middle is composed of a hint of pepper spice and anise. The fig and anise draw out on a moderately long finish along with some light smoke. There is a bit of funkiness between the black pepper and fig at the end of the finish that is not undesirable to me but is odd nonetheless. This is a little hot, but I'll let it settle down in the bottle before making this judgment. Comment: This almost feels like a crossover between a nice reposado tequila and Glenmorangie. Very similar to what I think Highland Park 12 would taste like without the peat influence. Taste with 2 ml of water and 12 more minutes: Honied sweetness on the arrival opened up far more while also opening up the funky earthiness in the middle. The anise and fig still linger with a hint of smoke. Everything smoothed out a bit while making the barley more pronounced. The pepper has started to disappear in place of more prominent smoke and grain notes. Great value for a 12-year-old highland, but it doesn't beat bottles that are $50+.

Review was performed at 30% left in the bottle after 9 months. Nose: Pear, honey, harsh ethanol, light oak, and a bitey leather Taste: Sweet pear and honey, with a small amount of smoke and sherry influence. There is a displeasing astringency present when really focusing on the flavors. Over time, the smoke has died down a bit and the fruit notes have faded from this whiskey. It is most definitely worse off than it was when the bottle was freshly opened. The harshness of the ethanol has been present in every pour. Great for mixing and easy consumption, but not a blended whiskey I would spend time trying to discover nuance in.

Nose: Heavy oak, vanilla, and a hint of cherry. Taste: Prominent notes of sweet pink bubblegum with vanilla and oak are present. The sweetness slowly subsides and is replaced with the robust flavor of heavy oak and some light floral notes. The mouthfeel starts juicy and ends dry. Taste after 10 minutes and a drop of water: The harshness on the nose has faded and opened up to be far sweeter. The floral notes and sweetness on the taste have opened up dramatically while the oak somewhat faded. This stuff is amazingly sweet without the oak being the star of the show. Overall it gives a good experience at a decent age statement of 9 years and 100 proof. Great value if you can find it below 30 dollars.

Nose: Cherry and vanilla notes with a subtle oaky funk. Taste: Sweet vanilla and cherry fades into a complex oaky vegetal flavor with a hint of spearmint. A bit of pepperiness stays around along with oak and a bit of ethanol. This is decently complex for the price. I am not highly impressed by it given the hype that it seems to have, but it's still good regardless. The slight funkiness turns me off of this one a bit.

The glass was left for 10 minutes before sipping. Nose: Feint bourbon notes of caramel and vanilla. A hint of sea salt is present with a faint peaty and vegetal background. Reminds me of smoky sea salt caramel milk chocolate. Initial Taste: A bit light on the arrival with hints of lemon and green apple. A prominent salinity is present from the sip through the finish. There is a slight vegetal bitterness present in the finish along with a moderate dose of peat smoke and pepper. The smoke fades out over the course of a minute while the vegetal notes linger. Taste with 3 drops of water and 5 more minutes: The sip opened up with a bit of honey and salty milk chocolate. The bitter vegetal note has become oakier and is more prominent. The peat smoke and pepper has opened up a bit more to become sweeter. All 3 threads mentioned last a minute into the finish with them only being covered when another flavor hits the palate. Fantastic stuff, and at this price, I think it will be impossible to beat from a value proposition. Reminds me of Highland Park 12 with a lack of complex sweetness replaced by salinity.

Nose: Green Apple, Anise, Juniper, Oak Pallete: Prominent green apple combined with sweet oak at the start. A large amount of herbal notes are present in the middle including mint and anise along with a hint of ethanol. Finish is a bit bitter with a lingering herbalness. This is a very unique rye whiskey that seems light. It is almost like a mix between an American gin and rye whiskey. I think it is worth giving a try as I have never tasted something similar. Batch 20D16

The nose has a very sweet corny smell with cherry, vanilla, and a hint of oak. There is a ton of ethanol present on the nose similar to nail polish remover. The mouthfeel of the spirit is very thin. The sweetness of the corn and wheat comes out almost immediately with a hint of pepper and spearmint. There are slightly floral undertones present. It is a little harsh on its own compared to some of the other whiskey at this price point. This whiskey did open up more over time to become more earthy which was enjoyable and somewhat unique. Overall, I would personally prefer a bit more nuance and depth in this whiskey along with a reduction in the harshness of the ethanol. I do not think it is bad, but it is not my type of whiskey.