Tastes

Thick, dessert-like nose with vanilla, some cherry, burnt sugar. Palate doesn't deliver at quite the same level, but it's still rich, with some caramel, wintergreen, dark fruits, and noticeable oak on the finish. Nice full-bodied mouthfeel. Really nice pour, and improved as it aired. There's a reason I seek this out every year.

2nd Westland I've had, ex-sherry single cask from r/bourbon. Maple syrup, brown sugar on the nose. These flavors continue on the palate, with maybe a little raisin and peanut butter on the finish. This is a delightfully rich whiskey, a bit one dimensional, but no real flaws, and a pleasure to drink. Haven't had a lot of American Single Malts, but I've been impressed with this distillery.

Moderately smoky nose with some honeysuckle and vanilla. Medium bodied, cooling mouthfeel, caramel, briny peat, with a dry and peppery finish. Very enjoyable dram, better than any of the post-Blaaack committee releases. Glad to have the opportunity to try this one, thanks once again @pkingmartin.

At first whiff the peat was dominant, but leaned a little towards bbq smoke. As it aired, the smoke dissipated, and I got strawberry shortcake and fudge. On the palate, there's some nice dark fruit, Nutella, and custard, with a nice mouthfeel, and not a lot of smoke until the finish, where smoked meat and some oak surface. Nice balanced and well put-together dram that makes me want to seek out more aged Bunna (haven't been as impressed with the younger stuff). Thanks @pkingmartin for the sample.

Bar pour. Rich, sweet and pleasant aroma. Nice viscous mouthfeel, leans into the wine and sherry. Nice and rich without being overbearingly sweet. Think I liked this a little more than the Yellow Spot.

Aromas of custard, tropical fruit, shortbread, faint smoke, a little musty. The palate is sweet, fruity, with some nice custard notes on an oaky foundation, and the fruitiness makes me suspect sherry casks, although I didn't bother to look that up. A nice complex, but balanced, dram, one of the best OB Springbanks I've had, but probably not worth what it tends to sell for now (although I'd probably buy a bottle before the 21 if close to RRP). Compared to the Impex Springbank 25, the mouthfeel is less substantial, but it feels more balanced overall. Thanks @pkingmartin for another generous sample, this is one I've been wanting to try for awhile.

I've always heard 30 years is the age at which single grain tends to become worthwhile, and this is my first foray into that territory. The aroma is mild, pleasant, a little floral, with some fruit, custard, syrup, and just a hint of parsley in there. The palate is a little sweet, with some creme brulee, cinnamon, baked apple, and a little bit of dill, oak, and spice coming in on the finish. The breadiness that I've gotten in younger (as in ~25 years) grain whiskeys is absent, and this is an all-around enjoyable dram. Maybe I'll give more 30+ year single grains a try if I run across any. Thanks to @pkingmartin for the sample.

Thanks to @pkingmartin I have an opportunity for a fun side-by-side: Bowmore 26 Vintner's Trilogy, and Single Malts of Scotland Bowmore 25 (not on the app yet, maybe I'll add it later). The SMoS simply says "hogshead" for cask type. These are just the 2nd and 3rd Bowmores I've had (the other being the OB 24 Port Matured). Started with the 25. Nose has a lot of custard, vanilla, a touch of honeysuckle, and a wisp of smoke. Pretty nice. On the palate there's dry peat, custard, oak. The finish is a little more floral and oaky. The peat smoke is still front and center despite 25 years in the barrel. Mouthfeel is moderately thick. It's a pretty bare-bones Bowmore that showcases the distillate, and while I was initially a little underwhelmed considering the $500 or so price tag, it's growing on me already. 86/100. On to the 26. The nose is rich, tannic, lots of dark fruit, prune, hint of smoke and dried leaves. On the palate there's some cocoa, prune, blackberry, lightly smoky, with tannins, oak, tea, spice, and a little more peat coming through on the finish. The wine barrel definitely overpowers the distillate, but not quite to the point where the distillate becomes interchangeable. 89/100