Tastes

If Ardbeg is the smoke monster, then Laphroaig brings the Vicks Vapo-Rub to the party. True story - you can kinda get high from intensely sniffing Vapo-Rub. Maybe discovering that in middle school has prejudiced me toward Laphroaig, I dunno. Anyways, the nose has a BIG hit of camphor, with peppermint, smoke, iodine, and sea salt with some vanilla sweetness. The palate initially explodes with smoke, but that pulls back to make room for that big, minty camphor quality. That sticks around for a bit with a ribbon of tar running through it, and then the smoke rolls back in and leaves a slightly sweet, ashy finish to linger.

This is my favorite Ardbeg. If the 10 year gets a bit overly charred at the finish, and if the Corryvreckan is just a bit too ponderously heavy and dark, then this nails the perfect territory in the middle. The bourbon cask character is present and beautiful - instead of heavy dark fruits, there's a bright, sprightly vanilla and lemon custard quality on the nose and mid-palate. Pair with that the smoke, salt, oily smoked fish, and sea breeze that's in the soul of the Ardbeg malt and you have one of the finest single malts out there, and for such a low price for the quality.

My confession, right up front: I know I'm supposed to like this one better than the 10 year, but...I'm not sure if I actually do. This is Ardbeg on sherry, and it shows - the nose has dark dried fruit, nuts, tar, and a more overtly medicinal quality than the 10 year. The palate...well, it's a complex whirlpool all right, of sooty smoke, sea air, smoked fish, tar, dark fruit, nuts, and iodine. It's a thing of beauty, but...I miss the lemony freshness mid-palate that's present in the 10 year. That said, this is a dram that keeps on yielding its secrets over time...far too complex to be immediate and obvious.

It is as good as everybody says it is. The nose has rubber cement/sticking plaster, brine, smoke, and lemon juice. The palate, though, is the knockout punch: BIG smoke on the entry, with an almost surprisingly sweet lemon curd in the middle, rounded out by charred, sooty toast with a sea breeze throughout. Really a classic, and a good value.

This is slap-your-momma good. A complex nose loaded with smoke and soot, sea salt and brine, maple sweetness, savory bacon. On the palate, this smoke is tamer than you might expect - it's very present, but it's a much more moderate kind of peatiness. Add in with that some salt spray, a maple sweetness, hints of dried apricot, a little nuttiness, and a savory, almost meaty note, and some fresh cracked pepper, and you have a winner. This one really is a fine example of how cask finishing can add extra levels of beauty and complexity to a whisky. Just bloody delightful.

Islay with sherry and light smoke. The nose is a little funky - leather and salt air pop right up, with some road tar and (of all things) a new tennis shoe/rubber sole smell. The palate, mercifully, does not taste like a shoe. The sherry influence is obvious - big note of dried dark fruit and almond, all generously salted, with some smoke at the very end, albeit very light. I'm not in love with this one as much as, well, anything else from Islay, but it's a good dram. 3.5.

Many Bothans died to bring us this malt...I honestly thought the bar had left this one on the list as an oversight. That said, I have no idea how long this bottle has been open, or how well it's been stored since opening. However, in its present state, this one is a little shy and subdued. The nose is bolder, with heather, honey, and vanilla fudge sprinkled with sea salt...there's an appealing and light note of pipe tobacco in the background. The palate is restrained, but gentle and lovely with honey, floral notes, rich and creamy vanilla, and a hint of sweet tobacco smoke around the edges. If you can find it, it's worth a try.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...it's light and fruity. So what? Just because it's not a big, heavy hitting Islay doesn't make it a bad malt. The nose is full of candy apple, vanilla, fresh fruit, and slightly dry malt. The palate is lithe and smooth, really fruit salad-y with lush vanilla and honey notes. Is this particularly fancy or complex? No. Is it still a fine whisky, and a clean, easy sipper on a warm day? You betcha.

If I had to pick a house whisky - my best meeting place of quality and value - this would probably get the nod. Maybe it's because I grew up in a briny, fishy, coastal kinda town, but I'm a sucker for the maritime character of the Old Pulteney malt. Oily like a herring or mackerel, this oozes salt air, fresh lemon and lemon zest, vanilla, and something fruity - someone once said persimmon, and it's the best I can come up with. This one coats the palate well, with vanilla,toffee, and even dark chocolate liberally sprinkled with sea salt and a nice squeeze of lemon to brighten it all up. Unctuous, it stays on the palate for a long while, a sweet and savory melding of flavors with a hint of pipe tobacco. I'm not a big believer in desert island this-and-thats, but you could do a lot worse than be stuck with this forever as your whisky option. For $40, too, you can't go wrong - a true classic and a value at this price point.

EDIT: I was initially not very impressed (and that review is below). At second glance, this is one of those whiskeys that just needs to breathe a little bit to really open up. The wet cat/bad tequila nose is gone now that the bottle's been open, and that's opened up space for fresh apple and pear, vanilla, and cinnamon to come through. On the palate, , it's a very pleasant peary, apples-and-cinnamon sort of dram with a touch of creamy vanilla. The more time I spend with this one, the more I enjoy it - it's not my usual style, and probably won't become a go-to for me, but it's very enjoyable and would be a good introductory whisky for someone who's maybe not quite ready for a big, bold single malt. I could also see this doing well in cocktails, especially in a hot toddy or combined with some apple cider. I'd call this a solid 3.5 now. ***********************Original review*******I personally think that liberte, egalite, and fraternite could do a bit better for tribute than this, though it's not a bad whisky by any means. That said, it's certainly not a great one, either. The operative word here is suave...it's a very delicate nose with some apple and pear, and a little pinch of cinnamon and malt. There's also an unpleasant note to it, though, that immediately made me think of wet cat, cheap tequila, and bad college decisions...which, while a fun trip down Memory Lane, is perhaps not the most appetizing aroma from a $31 bottle of whisky. The palate is too watered down for me, but I did get some nice honey, apple, and spice notes...it's if like haroset were a whisky. There's a nip of white pepper at the very end on the palate, which is a pleasant surprise. I like it, I really do - I just don't love it.