Tastes

Noice! less smoke than expected, but a big full flavor. smoke rather than peat. Sweet, a little salty. yum!

Tasted side by side with the 16 year. I didn't get as much differentiation as I expected. The 16 has a gunpowder dryness that the 8 year lacks, but the 8 year packs more punch. Plus its 5% higher abv than the 16 and it shows. The 16 lingers on the tongue more while the 8 is more abrupt. I dig them both, but even side by side I can barely tell them apart. I guess I need to stick to the mainland malts.

Tasting side by side with the 8 year Lagavulin. Nose is very similar. Don't think I could tell them apart. Taste is full and oily, peaty of course, with that gunpowder dryness at the end. Less aggressive than the 8, smoother, less burn. Oh...the 8 is 5% stronger abv. The 8 doesn't have that dryness to it. The lingering tastes of the 16 are deeper and more interesting. The 8 year is kinda BAM then gone. The peat is more forceful on the 8, but not much. I guess I expected (hoped?) to detect more differentiation here, but my palate doesn't find much difference. I think I grew up on the Speysiders so long that big whisky like this overpowers my senses. Bourbon does that to as well - too damn strong and it all runs together. to be fair, aint nothing delicate on me, even the palate. I'm a bit of a blunt instrument so this shouldn't surprise me. Both are good and I am happy to have an unopened bottle of 16 in reserve, but I think I'll buy the 8 from now on (if I can find it!)

My favorite Islay. Oily and rich without the assault of a Laphroaig or Lagavulin, and while I do appreciate Ardbeg, this one wins. I feel like I can enjoy different aspects of this one as my mood varies. I suppose it is less extreme at any one flavor, and thus easier to enjoy.

My go-to bourbon. I really can't differentiate bourbons like I can Scotch, and after trying a lot of them I come back here. It's a Jack of all trades, good at everything without going overboard in any capacity. You can zero in on whatever facet you like and find some reward. Plus, my wife picked it out as a gift and she LOVES that she picked s good one, so this is the house bourbon

My second favorite, behind Highland Park 12. Oily, salty, faintly peated, not as sweet as a Speysider and not angry like an Islay. It's a different beast and I love it.

Oooh, that's nice. a little warmer and more sherried than the 12. full and rich, caramel and vanilla.

So very good! full and robust, similar to highland park but stronger peat and pepper. floral and complex, really rewards further inspection. by far my favorite Johnnie Walker product, even the blue label.

There is a leathery richness to this one that I don't taste in other Glenfiddich. I guess that's what age does for it. Elegant, relaxed, confident, complex, rich. This is a real step up from the 12 and 15 year expressions. One of the very few $100+ bottles I'll actually pay for (after saving my lunch money for a few weeks,)

This is my go-to, my sweet spot, the one I always go back to. Gentle peat, restrained but firm, lightly honeyed and floral. I've had A LOT of Scotch and found very few better that this guy.