Tastes

My good friend Paul wrote to me before I sat down with this glass. He gave me some song ideas for the "theme of the dram" concept I like to do, and the first option is a great fit for this 17 year. "Amber" by 311, and it's going to be in my head all night now (lol). Good color, and a great nose. Maritime sea salt, fruit extravaganza, dark tea, and sweet roses. The palate brought a surprising creamy vanilla, fruit collage, nice amount of smoke, and honey. The finish is long, not overly dry, with sea spray, and orange rind/cherries. 4.25 and a real treat. Another reviewer stated it reminded him of the Balblair, and I agree that it's a dead ringer for the 1999 minus the salty floral notes. Thanks for the sample Everwind.

Another fantastic star at the whisky expo. The nose has medium red fruit, peanuts, cinnamon, and black pepper. On the palate, there were baked biscuits, hazelnuts, chocolate, and almost a soft drink cola flavor. The finish was long and full of nutmeg, sherry, woody notes, and vanilla. Wow! Easy 4.75. You need to spend some time with this one, and appreciate its complexities. Leans on the sweet end, so the theme of this dram should be something like "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears.

I'll preface this review by stating that sometimes I want a peaty glass, but other times I want a sweet one, and this is it. I've also sampled both the new 46% ABV, and the old 43% ABV versions, and they were similar experiences. The nose was bright and vibrant with strawberries, raspberries, black cherries, plums, and vanilla. The palate was the prize, and this was like having the best fruit preserves in one sitting. The combination of awesome breakfast toast with butter, jam, and orange juice on the side. The finish was also an effective medium length. Some might not adore the song, but this reminded me of "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" by Pink Floyd. I was drug free while enjoying the dram. =) I give it a 4.0.

Now we’re talking...or should I say smellin’! The nose is oozing chocolate sundae sauce, faint tobacco, smoke, tea, bananas, and blood oranges. Mmm for the palate, I get a smooth and rich espresso coffee, hazelnut, briny goodness, mushroom gravy, and mint. Such a pleasant complex glass with a solid medium finish. I adore peat, but this doesn’t need a high peat content to make its presence known. Speaking of Presence, the theme of this dram should be “Achilles’ Last Stand” by Led Zeppelin. I rate this a 4.5 only because the finish was a little dry for me. Outstanding stuff.

Out of the gate, the nose is complex but faint overall. Sweetness, light flowery elements, pineapple, pear, white grapes, and light sawdust. The palate is a great bourbon without the corn. Sweet vanilla, chocolate and caramel Reisen candies. The finish is long with an awesome buttery salted pretzel. I will score it a 3.75. The theme for this dram could be a dark or light. Maybe a hybrid like "Jacob's Ladder" by Rush. Thanks so much for the sample Lee!

On the nose, I get honey, dark spices, brown sugar, and lemon. Floral properties showed themselves after some more oxidation. For the palate, I get Fig Newtons, subtle molasses, hazelnuts, and milk chocolate. For travel retail only, and 80 bucks, this is definitely one to pick up and be patient with drinking. The finish is toffee sweet, a little short, but not too dry. I get the feeling that this is the Quinta Ruban Lite of Glenmorangie. 3.5 to me. The theme of this dram should be light and sweet as well like a power ballad. "Heaven" by Warrant should suffice. Thanks Paul for the great TRE sample!

Pa-tow!!! Can you say Manzanilla?? I barely can, but I sure can smell and taste it. This guy is BIG on marine brine, acidity, and dryness. The nose is a beach campfire balance of peat, smoke, and sweetness. Oh my, the palate is glorious. You see, my wife will only make me a black forest cake for my birthday, and this is that in a glass. The finish has pepper, caramel, even more smoke, but dry. Expensive as hell now because it's from 2013, but I am still glad I tracked it down. It's time like these where I wish I had a "replicator". The theme of this dram should be something classy, like "My Way" by Frank Sinatra. Solid 5.0 all the way around.

Yum! A great dash of peat to go along with the oloroso sherry cask on the nose. I also get deep, strong tea, orange marmalade and smoke. On the palate I get a sweet orange gumdrop, cayenne pepper, subtle dark chocolate, and maple syrup. I don’t see how one couldn’t enjoy this dram because you get a fantastic balance of the combination of peat, sweet, spice, and bitter notes. The finish is medium in length with a mouth coat of oil, brine, and sugar. 4.0. The theme of this dram should be something dark but spicy, maybe “Somos Mas Americanos” by Los Tigres Del Norte. Damn, my ancestors are Scots Irish/French, but I might have to bust out my Bajo Quinto.

Time to be brave, my friends. You see, the “G” word, Girvan, scares me, and there’s 28% of that waxy whisky in this offering. On the nose, I get sawdust, brine, potato, and very subtle vanilla. Not bad, but not much to speak of either. The palate was much better than expected. The Girvan here is not the star of the show, so the waxiness is just to help the nice mouth coat. There are buttery pears, apple, and vanilla, but no smoke, spices, or any “dark arts”. This would be much better in the summer, and a solid dram. The finish is medium length, salty/vanilla-y, but dry. Let’s try a couple drops of water, just to see if anything else develops. Nose is even more muted, and the palate is similar, but the burn was somehow more pronounced. If you want a bright and light Compass Box, look no further, but I need something more. This is a 3.75 for me. The theme of this glass should tell that shimmer pop story. How about “Move” by Saint Motel.

Strong herbal and oak notes smack you on the nose. It may not be a complex whisky, but the first fill bourbon/oloroso sherry casks are a real treat. Pine trees and lemon make their way in. The palate brings more woody notes, vanilla, and caramel. I wish the sherry had more of a presence here. Maybe a PX instead of oloroso, but it's still a solid foundation of the distillery. If I was more of a bourbon fan, I bet I'd REALLY be into this glass more though. 53.1% ABV is fun to play with, so this is a fun scotch too. I also think this one might be good to do some self blending experiments. The finish was dry, but medium. I am looking at a 3.25. Thanks so much Lee for the opportunity, and I am already looking forward to trying their 18 soon. The theme of this dram should be something woody...oaky... "The Trees" by Rush is a good fit.