Tastes

This is overpriced, but I'll grant that it's a fine whiskey, with some notes that don't usually happen in Old World single malts. There is aromatic cedar and sandalwood incense on the nose for me, along with tropical fruits and some herbal and woody notes. The palate is fruitier, with those tropical notes dancing alongside some coconut and dried fruit, with a bit of green grassiness. Interesting, complex, and unique.

Eh, it's alright. Maybe it's the climate, but this lost nearly all of the fresh, tropical fruit note that define the Kavalan malt's personality. Instead, this one is just a big, flabby sherry bomb with very little character of its own. Plenty of the usual dried fruit and nut sherry combo, but not too much else kicking around for me. Given the cost that Kavalan's whiskies are selling for in the international market, I'd save my money and spend it on one of their better options.

This one, sadly, is also on its way out, though word on the street is that there may be an analogous new release to this one coming out in 2017. We can hope. This one sees more sherry influence than other Glen Grant malts, and it shows - those dried fruit almond/marzipan notes show up on the nose, along with some mango and tropical notes. Palate-wise, this one is rich - creme brulee, marzipan, a bit of white pepper and maltiness with a drop of water. It's an interesting, different spin on the usual Glen Grant style.

Really kind of a lightweight for me, and not in a good way. The nose is fresh fruit salad (apple and melon especially), with a squeeze of lemon, a little pear, and some mild vanilla. The palate is gentle and backloaded with vanilla, with those apple and pear notes in the midpalate. I'm not heartbroken that this one's being phased out for the significantly better 12 year old!

This is a fine aperitif malt, and such a step up (for me) from the 10 year old. Big fruit on the nose - apple, banana, pear, little bit of spice. The palate has more richness to it than I expect from Glen Grant - banana, toffee, ripe apple, creamy vanilla (especially with a drop of water). This is well worth the extra step up in price from the Major's Reserve or the (now discontinued and harder to find) 10 year.

Love this...what a clever blend. The nose is a tour of Scotch smokiness, with smoked meat, sooty peat, campfire, and pipe tobacco...but wait, there's more! There's some citrus, salt, and vanilla, too. Palate-wise, we open up with the wood fire, get a little taste of the bacon cooking over the flames, follow it up with a lemon-vanilla custard interlude, and then get smacked with that sooty, gritty peat smoke...and a sweet tobacco after-dinner smoke. Really brilliant blending!

Truthfully, I figured this one would be crass marketing more than good whisky, but I will admit - this is a solid offering from Glenfiddich, and (for me) an improvement on the classic malt. The nose was really restrained when I sampled this - some vanilla, spice, and a bit of toasted wood. Palate-wise, the classic Glenfiddich pear note is here, but swirled with creamy vanilla, baking spices, ginger, and white pepper, with a long, beautiful poached pear ending. I'll happily drink this.

I was torn between 4 or 5 stars here...really tasty stuff. The nose only hints at the palate, with nutty vanilla, a whiff of baking spices, and a suggestion of gingerbread or spice cookies. The palate delivers on all of these, with vanilla up front, a spice rack's worth of notes, and a long nutty, vanilla ending. Can't go wrong with this.

A really nice rye! Spicy rye, caraway, clove, licorice, dill, and acetone on the nose; palate is complex, full of spicy rye, clove, licorice, maple syrup, vanilla, and dill. Easy drinking for a young rye.