Tastes

This dram does not need a drop of water at all. For the nose, I get floral properties, deep light and dark fruit like raspberries, pears, strawberries, and white grapes. No peat, but a light nice smoke flavor. Pleasant oil with a medium mouth coat. On the palate, more fruit like banana, pineapple, confection, vanilla, oak, and marshmallow. The finish is nice and long with some powdered sugar and syrupy notes. 4.75. I have to kowtow to Pranay for the chance to taste this one. I can definitely see why it's rated so high on par with the Highland Park 18, another whisky with supreme balance. The theme for this dram needs to be a classic. I am going to pick "Matte Kudasai" by King Crimson. It translates to "please wait.." and patience is always key to enjoying a dram like this.

Green apples, pear, vanilla, and leather on the nose. At 46% ABV I still recommend a couple drops of water on this dram to unlock the toffee, caramel, mint, pepper, smoke, and nutmeg. What a nice heavy mouth coat for a lower ABV as well. The finish is medium with Chinese five spice and milk chocolate. I’d love to be able to find a cask strength of this organic barley wonder. Just 9000 bottles. Since I am enjoying this as Christmas Eve flows into Christmas Day, the theme for this dram is “Let it Snow!!” by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn.

Subtle peat, sour apple, vanilla, woody notes, and brine appear on the nose. The palate brings more maritime notes, combined with dark chocolate, lemon, meringue, oranges, and white pepper. The finish is medium with a lingering fudge note, and was not dry. Even at 61.5% ABV, I still would not add more than a few drops to it. Not overly complex at all, but pleasant. Since the lemon twang is a little in your face, I think I’ll go 3.25 on this glass. For a theme, maybe something by The Lemonheads. The only song by them I remember was a cover of “Mrs. Robinson”. Thanks so much for the sample Paul.

No peat or smoke detected here, but a sweet marshmallow pillowy cloud comes to mind with bananas and orange. Unfortunately, the palate doesn’t follow through. At 43% ABV, I was hesitant to add any water at all, but I felt that I should give it a fighting chance. It just tames the alcohol taste a little, but nothing remains. No finish to speak of, which is also strange to me. The theme of this dram has to be “Big Empty” by Stone Temple Pilots. 2.75. Thanks for the sample though Lee. I think an older offering would be worth a look, but with the prices on Japanese whiskies the way they are, I am in no hurry.

The nose alone makes you drool and your eyes water. Wow. Being my first Amrut, I am not sure what to expect exactly but being 50% ABV, it should be a good one. Hmm, getting a great blend of spices, fruits, leather, tea and herbs on the nose as well. For the palate, I added a couple drops of water after neat. Awesome, a rye I actually like a lot. I love Thai food, and those flavors are in the dram. Thai chili, peanuts, ginger, sweet butter, brown sugar, and coffee with condensed milk. Damn Pranay, are you trying to get me hooked on Indian malts, my friend? You are doing a hell of a job. The finish is medium to long with a nice dry dark chocolate end. Since I don’t know any proper Indian tunes, the theme of this glass shall be “Paint it Black” by The Rolling Stones for the cool sitar riffs. 4.25!

I may be shunned for saying this, but I actually prefer the Glenmorangie Lasanta over this offering. Please hear me out on why though first. I like a nice deep flavor, and a higher ABV. This one is 43, and the Lasanta is 46. The burgundy-like qualities are also more in your face with something like the Springbank 12 Burgundy Cask. Getting back to this dram, it's subtle, but nice. Light fruit, cream, white chocolate, are on the nose/palate, but you probably see the pattern here. Short to medium finish, and I wish I could appreciate the "delicateness" a bit more. It's still a pretty good quality dram, don't get me wrong. 3.5 and thanks to Paul for the generous sample. I will try another Tullibardine at some point, with maybe a higher ABV, since I do see a ton of potential. The theme of this dram should be one that your father enjoys.

DISCLAIMER: This review is for the 11 year old from Exclusive Malts, not the 10 year Flora and Fauna. Interesting nose..Slight sweetness with sawdust (pleasant), and light spices like nutmeg, along with vanilla, caramel, and toffee. The palate brings brown sugar, butter, a little nice bite of alcohol. A few drops of water brings out a fresh cut grass, and vegetative notes. This reminds me of the great plains prairies, so the theme of this dram is "Song for America" by Kansas. A nice long finish indeed! 4.25. Awesome job at finding this one Lee. Thanks!

For 43%, this feels closer to 48%! A nice nose of tropical fruit, oak, sherry, and caramel. The palate brought a ton more light fruit, slight smokiness, and a nice salty caramel. The finish is short, but it is only a 12 year old. It's very reminiscent to a BenRiach 10 to me. It's a 3.5, and the theme to this dram should be "Middle of the Road" by the Pretenders. I am looking forward to an older Glengoyne to try, for sure. A big thanks to Scott for the sample!

A nose filled with slight sweet peat, cotton candy, ginger, and apricots. The palate brings oak, black jelly beans, heather, honey, and brine. The finish is a gentle roll over of smoke and sweetness that lasts a medium length. Thanks so much Paul for the experience, and I will have to give this one a 4.5. The non chill filtering, and no coloring added, is a definite bonus. The theme of this dram should be something sweet, but powerful, like "Rocket" by the Smashing Pumpkins.

Disclaimer: This is for the 26 year old by That Boutique-y Whisky Company. The nose brings both sweet and floral notes of honeysuckle, freshly cut grass and light fruit. The palate brings a picnic of honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon, and corn syrup. The finish is a nice medium mouth coat of mint, white pepper, a little salt, and lavender. This is quite a tasty dram and the theme of it will be “Flight of the Bumblebee”. A solid 4.0. Thanks so much for the sample Pranay!!