Tastes

Wasn't this biggest fan on this round of tastings, but still nothing unpleasant about the experience other than more of a burn than usual. Might've been because it was my first taste in the round. Lovely orange notes on the nose with some oakiness in the taste with a lingering alcoholic burn.

One of the beautiful things about living in Orlando is the fact that Lagavulin can be one of your first whiskeys you taste... if you're like me. At Epcot in Disney World, you can find a flight of whiskey featuring Glenkinchie 12, Oban 14 and Lagavulin. These were my first steps into the world of whiskey and just one sip of Lagavulin let me know I was stepping into a world I loved... Mostly because it reminded me of the smell of Rome burning in the Spaceship Earth ride. That smell is the beautiful smell of Scottish peat that Lagavulin is known for. Epcot is the only place I've gotten Lagavulin from since... Until today. Comparing it against Monkey Shoulder and Glenmorangie 10, it immediately gives that beautiful peat that made me fall in love at Disney World. It doesn't have the same harshness as an Ardbeg or some of Lagavulin's younger whiskeys however. There's an almost fruity vanilla kindness that's added to the smoke and seawater. The taste features some beautiful fruit and vanilla that's hidden underneath that amazing peatiness before it finishes with a beautiful minty note. This is a scotch to be appreciated, only to be pulled out for the finest occasions.

I honestly didn't expect much out of this as I'm not usually a fan of Highlands scotch but wow, I was wrong. The instant chocolate-cream note on the nose immediately let me know that I was in for a great experience. I usually prefer that dark islay smoke from a scotch, but damn, this has a nice sweetness that I didn't expect to fall in love with. Nice and oily feel in the mouth that coats your tongue with awesome chocolate love. Very pretty and lovely with nice honey notes and a few hints of smoke to remind you that you're drinking scotch.

Particularly smoky notes are coming from this round of tastings. Maybe from all the sweets I've been eating tonight haha. I'm also noticing more fruits beyond the normal orange notes I get. I'm finding small hints of apple and pear that I've never seen before. I'm also trying an experiment by having a bit of salt before tasting to increase the sweet notes and man, it really assists with picking out some of the sweeter notes.

Nothing impresses me more than just how powerful the smell is off the Ardbeg. Without the glass even coming to my nose, I can still smell that beautiful peat that Ardbeg is known for. As I bring the glass closer, I get more specifically that amazing meaty nose that's almost like a plate of bacon. It's so peaty that it makes the Corsair Triple Smoke almost smell like a bag of candy. There's hints of seawater and absolutely nothing that I hate. I'm still surprised at how little color that the Ardbeg took over ten years in a cask. The meaty smoke moves into the taste with some beautiful vegetal notes that I almost hesitate to swallow because I enjoy it so much. When I finally do give in and swallow, it leads to a surprisingly calm finish that I feel most peated scotches need to not offput any newcomers.

After doing a bourbon tasting, the smoke has become more clear in this than ever before. You can really smell the peat and BBQ smoke that Corsair advertises in the Triple Smoke name, but comparing it to an Ardbeg really brings out the sweetness. The taste still has that beautiful cherry and orange note with that beautiful peat that reminds me of the great Scottish isles

Slightly disappointed on drink 5 of this tasting session, as I wished that Four Roses held it's own a little more against my previous pours of Woodford and Buffalo Trace. It seems to be a bit too oak heavy for my taste. It's not bad by any mean but the previous tastings in this session just seem to put it to shame. A little water opens up a few more caramel notes but otherwise, it seems to be a generic bourbon. I don't know if that's an issue with my palate tonight or what. It's not bad by any means. It's got the lovely vanilla and caramel notes that bourbon is known for, but I'm not finding much else tonight. After letting it sit for a while, I found a bit more spiciness and candy-flavors but still not the biggest fan.

Having just tried some Buffalo Trace, I thought that BT was about to top my list of bourbons but upon nosing this and immediately getting that amazing Dreamsicle smell, I'm reminded of why Woodford Reserve is just one of the best whiskeys out there. A nice alcoholic bite hits you as you chew the whiskey in an attempt to get more of that astounding oak-y flavor out of it. It doesn't quite have the sweetness of Buffalo Trace but it doesn't need it.

Okay, first off... I'm immediately taken back to sucking on Luden's Cough Drops while nursing the flu as I nose this. Add in some oakiness and caramel and you've got a recipe for a great nose on a whiskey. It's so beautifully fruity and sweet on that nose with hints of brown sugar and apple. Those same notes fly into the taste with an almost cola-like addition that follows through to the finish that holds for a decent amount of time. It's earned its spot as one of the most popular bourbons. Very refreshing

Ever since trying it at the actual Nelson's Distillery, I'd been on a quest to find that beautiful oak and caramel note that I found at the distillery. Today, I'm proud to say I found it again. After sitting with it for a while, the caramel finally hit me in a beautiful way and I nearly wept. It should be no surprise that nosing is my favorite part of the tasting process and as that caramel/creme brulee flavor wafted into my nose... I was elated. I finally found that flavor that made me fall in love with Green Brier again!