Tastes

N: Honey, caramel, and mint mixed with alcohol. Some grassy notes out of a Neat glass, but feel like I'm trying too hard at this point: it's mostly mint and booze. P: Lots of corn, then lots of wood. Super sweet and heavy on the tongue with that bourbon staple caramel-vanilla taste, then whiplash to a burning black licorice and biting tannin finish. And it lands hot too - plenty of alcohol burn. There's no balance here. The Evan Williams White Label is head and shoulders above and a few bucks cheaper. And if you're willing to spend more, bonded bourbons can be vastly more interesting and nuanced than this (e.g. Heaven Hill, George Dickell).

N: Floral, herbal, slightly medicinal. Tiny bit of smoke is sometimes there, sometimes not. Some salty sea spray too. Hard swirl makes it bready, sweet, and fruity too. Can't get both profiles at the same time, it seems. Can't seem to pull out more than generalities either. It smells good though. P: Peach and pear first, then that herbal and medicinal note hits. A little mint maybe. Faint note of sour apples deep in the background, I think. Rich and sweet on the tongue, coating, and pretty smooth. Slightly salty. Finish comes late, but sticks to your lips and tongue. Spicy like a mild chili pepper. For a 10 year old single malt that's sub-$30, hard to complain. There's really nothing wrong with it. But it doesn't wow either, outside of value maybe.

N: Coconut (really?), mint, and orchard fruit first. Then grassy and medicinal flavors. Finally the more standard vanilla, caramel, and toffee. Possibly some bread pudding too. P: Fresh stone fruit with a pound cake like malt and sweetness. Definitely some creamy vanilla. Reminds, on the whole, of the trifle dessert my mom makes - layers of fruit, cake, and whipped cream. Finish is spicy, but very short and not assertive enough to name flavors. Tannic bitterness lingers after the spice fades. Mouthfeel is creamy and maybe slightly oily. Great whiskey for the price range. This is not far behind the single pot still whiskeys that cost twice as much - just lacks some complexity, especially in the finish - but this is very drinkable. Also love the new bottle and label. Looks old and new at the same time on the shelf.

N: Stone fruit, sweet corn, ethanol. Sour fruit later. Not a particularly fragrant whisky and the ethanol, while not feeling overwhelming or abnormal, does numb you a bit. P: Vanilla and marshmallow creme. Milk chocolate notes that start light, but take over later. Fruit flavors are noticeably missing. Tannic, oaky spice builds on the tongue with each sip. Mouthfeel is rich, oily, creamy. Strange brew. Really could use some other flavors to balance it. It's not undrinkable bad, but it's not good either. Definitely not worth the asking price though - plenty of better options in the range.

N: Exceptionally fragrant. Sweet with dark red fruit, milk chocolate, and salted caramel. There's definitely an ocean inspired funk to it, but I'm not sure how to describe it - kinda like sitting on a cold, windy, rocky coast, close to the sea spray, and eating a caramel Cadbury Creme Egg. Hard swirl produces some medicinal scents that offer some contrast. There's also some floral scents. Little bit of everything, plus some funk, and yet it all works and is delightful. P: Sweet and salty at the tip of the tongue right away. It's sort of baked sweet bread and peanut shells. A bit boozy, which I find super interesting since I got none of that on the nose. That sea spray funk is there too, but more subdued. Vanilla, caramel, milk chocolate again. Not much on the way of fruit though. Finish arrives fashionably late but with a notable black pepper, cinnamon, and light anise spice that builds on the sides of the tongue and eventually provides a nice contrast to that sweet and salty that hits the tip on every sip. This is one of the wildest whiskys I've ever tried. It's unusual, fun, and really tasty. I read a description/review that used "lobster pot" as a descriptor - that is a fair assessment, but is still short of the range of tastes this dram brings. It's like a lobster pot that uses caramel, chocolate and ocean water as the boiling base. That sounds potentially awful in reality, but Glen Scotia really makes it work in the whisky. It's adventurous and I love it. Edit: Followed this with the last of a Springbank 12 for comparison sake and realized there's no smoke in the Glen Scotia. But I also I didn't miss it. Might've been a nice complication, as it is in the Springbank, but it's not terrible omission.

N: Very subdued. Caramel and vanilla. Some sea spray saltiness. Something like tea and honey. Alcohol smell is inescapable. P: Vanilla and caramel again. Some orange zest and other citrus. Big cinnamon bite that hits late, but sticks around for a long time once it does. Maybe some chocolate and sea salt flavors. There's something funky in it too, that can't place and don't particularly like. Feels off balance - light on all but the cinnamon, almost nothing interesting on the nose, a bit boozy. Not sure if this is the same blend that won all the awards. Have to wonder how, if it is.

N: Floral and fruity. Lemon zest, other citrus, some mint. Faint bread smells at the back of it, like a lemon cake or something similar. I want to say white ginger, but I'm not sure why. Overall effect is tea-like. P: Soft, but supple with some spice on the finish. Fruity and light first. Citrus and some less specific tropical fruits. Light bodied and almost refreshing. Spicy finish is surprising - there's no spicy taste, but the heat hits on the finish. It's a capsaicin heat, like a chili pepper. Nothing in the palate suggests that's coming, and if casually drinking this it's easy to overlook (I hadn't noticed it before drinking slowly and writing about it), but when you get it it's hard to miss. Easy to drink. Fruity and about as refreshing as a whisky can be. This is pedestrian phenomenal. Worth repeating without talking much about it. (Not true. Definitely should talk about it. But you'll forget to.)

N: Peach first - like peach schnapps peach, only less abrasive - and a little smoke. Drop of water brings out white tea, honey, vanilla and a more robust stone fruit. Hints of citrus too, banana perhaps. P: A little more pedestrian. Caramel, vanilla, oak spice, touch of smoke. Smooth, slips down the gullet easy. I paid too much, but at around $25, which I think can be found, this would be okay. There are more exciting options, but this fits nicely if you want a very lightly peated blended scotch sometimes. I usually don't want that, but it'll be good for someone.

N: A little of the bourbon standard caramel and vanilla, and then a lot of black licorice. And ethanol. P: Lots of black licorice again. Beyond that, rich and sweet with sweet creamed corn, caramel and vanilla, and maybe a hint of milk chocolate. Finish is the licorice - yeah, it's both the start and the finish - and alcohol heat. For sub-$10, better than I would expect. But I think I'm almost always going to spend another few bucks to step up in quality.

N: Smoke dominates - it's like drinking an L.A. wildfire a buddy says. He's right. But there's more going on. I also get almond butter, some sort of earthy cooked greens with a dash of garlic, bacon (as stated on the label), and a peat note distinct from the smoke. P: Heavy and sweet first: dark chocolate cake, dried dark red fruit, candied bacon, all dripping in smoke. Leather and coffee later. Finish is cinnamon candy spicy. Mouthfeel is big and rich, sweet early but moves a bit bitter and tannic. Superb. Will likely come back for more.