Tastes

Wow - is this a beautiful whisky! The complexity is off the charts. The nose is incredible, with smoke, bacon, fruits, vanilla, tar, bandaids and so many more fruits. I was a bit surprised, though. Super heavy peat, but not the intense ‘smoke’ one might expect. This is a peat monster, not a smoke monster. It’s incredible, and a little more smoke would have made it just about perfect to me, going with the strong sweet and savory notes. The other amazing thing about this one is the addition of water. That transforms it completely! The nose and palate change, and sweetness comes out: orange circus peanuts candy, dryer sheets, citrus, honey, funnel cake, pineapple and the underlying tone of peat and a little bitterness. Less meaty bacon, and the bandaids and iodine fade. This one is an adventure, and definitely NOT a beginner scotch, given high ABV, complexity and peat monster qualities. It is pricey, but definitely worth it. Save it for your friends who can really savor and appreciate it without being scared off, and they’ll be rewarded with one fantastic whisky. Slainte!

HP 17 The Dark. Up front, the packaging is super-cool. But I'll be honest that I'm more interested in what is IN the bottle, than how cool the box is that it came in, and an expensive box raises my suspicions about the contents of the bottle. But upon pouring, you can see the beautiful copper color, and suspect that you're in for a treat. The Dark then immediately quelled the concerns, and I was able to enjoy it with a close friend by the fire for my birthday, tasting it over the span of an hour - and that is how much time is needed to do it justice. The nose and palate are about as complex as it gets. There are so many compelling flavors and nuisances, that it truly was a joy to savor. In one breath, you get grape kool-aid and lilac. In the next, you get coffee and chocolate. In the next, you get dark red sherried fruits, toasted marshmallows and walnuts. You get the occasional lingering flavor of lemon/orange zest on the back of your tongue. And it's all tied together with a beautiful sultry salty smokiness. This really was magnificent. It is a top-5 scotch for me, rivaling the Bowmore 18, Lagavulin Distiller's Edition, Balvenie Tun 1509 and the Signet, and its breadth and depth may put it in the top spot. Going to be hard to take my time with this bottle! If you can get your hands on a bottle, you will not be sorry. It is an amazing journey. Slainte!

Read many favorable reviews and lucked out and picked up a bottle. Up front, I think Glenmorangie is brilliant with this one, as they have created a whisky that will be exciting and approachable by the ladies, both in terms of the taste and the packaging. Having said that, this is a very good dram, that will not only appeal to the fairer sex, but even seasoned male aficionados will enjoy its complexity and unique flavor profile. In particular, the mouthfeel is full, heavy and creamy, which is a terrific complement to the pineapple upside-down cake nose and taste. As much as I love my smoky Islays, this one is good on multiple levels. Is it the best ever? No, but it is very good. Kudos, Glenmorangie! SUPPLEMENT - Did another more formal tasting with friends last night, and highly recommend that everyone do this: The host had us do a tasting of some Tokaji wine. Then we cleansed our palate and did a tasting of Cake. It was an excellent way to do it, and one could really get a better sense of the Tokaji flavors, etc. Highly recommend!

I first rolled the LL12 out at a tasting with friends. After 20+ years of tastings, this one shocked us all. If one were blindfolded and knew nothing about it, one would think that this is an exceptional $100 bottle of whisky. I won't go through the tasting details here, just know this: my friends rushed out and cleaned out the local supply the next day. Weeks later, we did a head-to-head between the LL12 and the LL15. Don't waste the extra money on the 15, as it is good, but the 12 is better. I would score it a 4 for nose, taste, finish, etc., but for value it bumps up to a 4.5. It is the BEST value in the market at present, with nary a close second.

Up front: Like many people, Lagavulin 16 and Distiller's Edition are two of my favorites. So I was excited to do a head-to-head tasting between those two and the Offerman 11. Unbelievably, everyone I was with scored the Offerman 11 as our favorite. It is Lagavulin+ and has an amazing balance of sweet, savory and smoky. It is highly underrated, and if you can get a bottle, grab it while you can. You won't be disappointed!

Ahhh, the Ceobanach. Where have you gone? This was one of my first real Islay fav's, and it was so reasonably priced. Back then, I took it for granted that it would always be available, and sadly, since then, I haven't found another Bunna that is its equal. Bring back the Ceobanach, please!