Tastes

Nose has some stone fruit, herbs, and a waft of ocean air. The palate is a little earthy, some stone fruit, white grapes, and decidedly on the dry side. The saline notes from the nose arrive on the finish, accompanied by a light bitterness. This might be my favorite Cairdeas I've had this far (we'll find out soon if the Triple Wood exceeds it).

Rum is dominant on the nose, with some molasses and banana. The palate has the signature funk, with some syrup, faint smoke, big body and a little bit of ethanol burn on the finish despite just being 50.8% abv. The first fill demerara rum barrel is dominant here, but it works really well with the distillate. It's a beautiful thing, and would probably be legendary if it aged a few more years. This was a happy accident, as it was labeled "Springbank 15 cask strength", which I assumed was Sherry. They were out of the rum cask 15, and offered this and standard 15 as alternatives. Saw that it was a single cask and demerara rum, immediately said "I'll have that one."

Rich, fruity nose, fruit cake, prune. Palate has dark fruit, spice, a little on the sweet side, medium body. The smoke arrives on the finish, and melds quite well with the port wood.. First OB Ardmore I've had, and it's solid.

Big fruity nose with a hint of fudge. Medium body, the wine cask contributes a sweetness that's not overwhelming, and it's fruity. Some confectioners sugar. There's a slightly sulfuric essence that's present but not strong enough to seriously detract. Overall it's pretty good, but I preferred the cask strength over this.

Nose with caramel, berry, butterscotch. Rich palate with some caramel, honey, oak, stewed apples. The mouthfeel is thick and oily, and there's just a little heat on the finish. Definitely the most Scotch-like Irish whiskeys I've tried, and one of the most enjoyable. I'm actually not entirely sure which release I'm drinking, so went with the most recent one that came up.

I usually find Starlight to be pretty good with barrel finishes, but this one has a bit of a harsh, youthful quality that overwhelms the brandy finish. This finish probably would've worked better on a bourbon; in retrospect, brandy and rye doesn't really seem like it would be a great combo.

Balanced and easy to drink. Light smoke, bit floral and sweet. Nothing wrong with it but nothing really stands out about it either.

Clearance sale at the bar. Apricot-forward nose, a little ethanol, custard. The palate is at first quite hot, but it mellows out considerably after having a chance to air. Again apricot-forward, sweet, there's a slight hint of banana peel in there, maybe a little bit of dill. Diverse mix of flavors and pretty well-integrated once you get through the heat. It's nice, but not my favorite Seagrass, and at the price they were trying to sell this for, it should be.