Tastes

Finished the week. Hanging in there on my March Madness pools. The weather is still cold (ugh!). Time to pour this sample provided @PBMichiganWolverine. I have never had a Royal Lochnager before nor have I ever seen one on any shelf. I am not sure what to expect. Straight up: the nose is heather, honey, floral, apricots, coconut, marshmallows, orange marmalade. A touch pinch of cinnamon spice harkens in the depths. A light honey-tea sweetness arrives first on the palate. As the sweetness subsides, dashes of white pepper spice and peat bring the next wave of flavors. Orange and apricots lurk about faintly. This is all wrapped in a medium-light body. What’s left is a drying palate with bitter orange and ginger root with a touch of char. A warming soul sensation keeps a nice comfy feeling on this cold winter evening. This is not an overly complex dram, but it does deliver some good nose and flavor. Not balanced in a ying-yang way, but in a linear way. If this is a $45 to $50 whisky, this a good pour (don’t know the cost). Worthy of a try. [85/100][Tasted: 3/16/18]

@PBMichiganWolverine provided this sample of Glen Ord from the independent bottler A.D. Rattray. The previous reviews were rough and I hope it is not that bad (is there any positive qualities?) Acetone (nail polish) is immediate and forward on the nose. Once the nail polish settles down and diminishes, some earth and sweetness come through. Straw grass, floral, apples, Entenmann’s crumb cake (the crumbs). Hmmm, if there’s Entenmann’s in anything, it can’t be all that bad, right? Initial draw is syrupy sweet. Thick on the palate that arrives hot. Some hint of vanilla custard come through. After that, it flavors become muddy and muddled. Water is needed to temper the heat. As such, charred wood, and acetone is all that can truly be detected. Water makes it tolerable but not sure if it improves. Finishes bitter and hot of lemon rind, red pepper flakes, earth. This is a rough and raw whisky. Work and tolerance is needed to get through. The nose was the apex of this whisky. From there, it all goes downward. [80/100][Tasted: 3/9/18]

Peat, port all at 46%. Sounds like a great combination for a scotch. @LeeEvolved provided this sample and was eager to taste and take this all in. An initial wave of funked caramel or butterscotch (not sure which) are immediate on the nose. That funk is (probably) attributed to the peat mixing with the sweeter nature of the spirit. Grape juice, straw, vinyl (new shower curtain vinyl), tangerines, milk chocolate. Peat, earth, sweetness and spice, in that order, compose the palate. Blueberries, butterscotch come on late. That succinctly sums it up in flavors (for me). A youthful quality permeates throughout the entire palate. A long ashy finish that’s punctuated with black pepper and drying oak. This is a hard one to nail down. It’s not sure what it wants to be. It’s sort of somewhat bidimensional (smoke/peat and sweetness). It’s not terrible yet could be, wants to be, so much more. The potential is there, but then became an afterthought and forgotten and was then suddenly released. [85/100][Tasted: 3/3/18]

The tour group has supplied me with a tremendous amount of samples. This sample provide by @Telex was long overdue by me, but better late than never. The nose is quite full. A rich honey nose and Irish Tea are immediate and foremost. Ripened apples, dried apricots, vanilla, heather, malt and milk chocolate (like Whoppers candy). Whew! Then comes the orange wedges. Add a pinch of baking spices: cinnamon, nutmeg. A faint amount of the sherry notes comes through after a good deal of time. The is worthy of your time. A soft, thick palate, and, like the nose, is honey rich. As the honey sweetness starts to fade, cinnamon spices and black pepper crescendo. The spiciness softens back to sweetness: vanilla, caramel, more ripe apples, and milk chocolate. The finish of oranges, pepper, oak, vanilla and more honey complete the whisky journey. Somewhat short and wish it could be longer. A honey bomb from nose to finish. The spice is a nice counter that does not take away or diverts the whisky from the main course. Its like taking the service road on the highway to bypass traffic only to get back on the main road at the next on ramp. If there is on weakness or criticism, it would be that the finish does not hold up to the nose and palate depths. Overall, a very good whisky that you can pull out any time and flat out enjoy. Worth the wait, but don’t wait too long. [90/100][Tasted: 3/3/18] ——————————— Quick hit: Honey; heather; oak; ginger [Whiskyfest 17]

One more sample on this Friday night to counter my previous one. This one sponsored by @Telex. This is another Distillery that is foreign to me. If it was not for a group like the tasting group I am fortunate to be a part of, I doubt I would ever sample a likes of a Ben Nevis. The nose is fruity and sweet. Caramel apples, strawberries, vanilla, honey, black tea, orange wedge, confectionery sugar. Straight up fresh and lively. Sugary sweet on arrival. Orange drink, white pepper, toffee. Semi-sweet bakers chocolate. Rough edges packaged in a light body. It finishes as Welches white grape juice, clove, ginger root that is not long lasting but not overly short either. This is a whisky that, though the underlying foundation is oranges, the sweetness and spice weave nicely through. The some youthful nature provides some spirit (no pun...). I do wonder, though, if given two to five more years, how much more improved could this be? This is one the cusp of something more, given time. All said, quite enjoyable. [87/100][Tasted: 3/2/18]

Thank goodness, a Friday night, once again, finds me to pour this sample from the SDT group. This was provided by @Generously_Paul This would be my first venture into the Glen Spey line. The nose is pure freshly cut wood (like @LeeEvolved spot-on noted) or sappy, wet pine. Some cedar deep down. Lemon-lime citrus. Grassy/vegetal earthiness. A definite rawness or youthful quality. A rough greeting to the palate. Oily and medium in density. Funky, synthetic yet still earthy. Green grass, white pepper. There is some honey and butterscotch sweetness that comes through midway through, though brief. Three word finish: Rubber hose, white pepper, celery. This has no real satisfactory quality. Though 12 years listed, it comes through as a five year old. Raw and vegetal. Maybe as a mixer (scotch and soda) it may work better. But why would I pay $70 for a mixer where I get better flavors from a blend for a mixer. Is it horrid or undrinkable? No. But there is no real appeal. [75/100][Tasted: 3/2/18]

I got caught up in the current momentum of the recent sampling amongst our group of this dram. I had to go ahead and pour this for a tasting. The feedback seemed generally positive, but tasting for oneself is the true test. Floral and honey nose primarily. Honeysuckle on a warm spring day. Traces of sherry with walnuts, apples, dried apricots, vanilla cream soda, banana bread. A fairly full nose. An extremely thin but velvety arrival. A sweet dram, it is. Butterscotch and brown sugar sweetness. Arnold Palmer (lemonade and sweet tea) flavors arrive as the dram delivers the final flavors towards the finish. A short finish of lemon zest, white pepper, bakers chocolate with some barrel char. I had my doubts about this whisky. The low cost, the packaging (just a bottle, not boxes or tins). Much to my pleasant surprise, this is an enjoyable, easy, sweet sipper. It will not blow your doors off, no. But you will enjoy this. Easy on the nose, palate and wallet. [84/100][Tasted: 2/24/18]

Friday night. Finished work late and pulled this sample of the 11 year old from Exclusive Malts (not the 10 year as my SDT cohorts previously mentioned.) The core of the nose is sherry, saw dust and petrichor (thanks for that word @Davie-Warner). Sliced apples, cherries, cinnamon, light vanilla, cereal. For me, water was needed to draw other flavors (or tone down the high abv). Sweet and spicy in the mouth. Vanilla, toffee, chocolate. Grilled plumbs. A bit of salt and earth comes out in the back end of the palate towards the finish. Undiluted, the concentration is sweeter (maple syrup) and baking spice intense. I actually found it really richer and more alive without water. Finishes fruity with of plumbs, black cherry, ginger and a pinch of cinnamon. Long lasting and deep in the stone fruits. This is somewhat unique in profile. Salt, earthy and sweet all mixed in one. The high abv is refreshing welcome. Quite the enjoyable dram. Quite a ride. Thanks @LeeEvolved. [90/100][Tasted: 2/23/18]

Sitting with the wife, relaxing on the last day of a three day weekend (Presidents Day) and enjoying a Murphy’s Stout with a Sous Vide cooked steak. I took a departure from scotch to enjoy something from the Southern neighbor. A metallic opening. Copper pennies mingled with tropical fruits. Dole pineapples and shredded coconut. Given more time to see what else could come through, banana walnut bread with vanilla icing are in the fringes. A medium-light body that is soft and sweet. Sucrose, vanilla and Angostura bitters and a small amount of dill are all about the palate that is somewhat short. A slight pepper spice with a dash of Worcestershire close the act, albeit shorter than I would want. Bushmills is quietly a pleasant and simple Irish whiskey. This Red Bush is a nice sweet and spicy dram. Works well as a side with a rich stout. Unpretentious, simple and enjoyable. [$27][85/100][Tasted: 2/19/18]

Sunday night just catching up with the DVR after a nice winter stew. A nice sherried whisky would seem fitting to compliment this meal. The nose is rich; sherried and fruity. Ripened plumbs, Concord grapes, blackberries, raisins, cinnamon, honey, vanilla. A nose worthy of time to take it all in. A sweet, thin and soft arrival. Fruitcake, nutmeg, honey, cinnamon spices. Butterscotch, bitter chocolate. The flavors are there, but not easily discernible in the thin body. A short finish delivers orange marmalade, cinnamon spice, oak. A wonderful nose that unfortunately is not supported by the body and the finish is even one dimensional. Though it may sounds harsh, it’s still a worthy and enjoyable dram. Comparatively less than Mac12 or Glenfarclas 12 and for the price the latter is a better choice. If Dalmore could embody the nose to the palate, this would be a force amongst sherried whiskies. Enjoyable, approachable, but a lightweight on the palate. [$59][85/100][Tasted: 2/18/18]