Tastes

A novel approach to smoky single malt. The nose is a bit of campfire, caramel, and black pepper. The palate explodes with a burst of smoke and black pepper, then mellows into a buttery, lingering, sweet vanilla and caramel. Subtle it isn't, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing.

I owe this one at least four stars if just for the originality - I'm not a newcomer to the world of whisky by any means, but I've never encountered one like this before. The nose immediately conjured up those orange Circus Peanuts marshmallow candies. A bit more nosing about in the sweet shop turns up sweet orange, coconut cream pie, marshmallow, vanilla fudge, Sauternes wine, and maybe honey candies. The palate, deceptively, opens up with a deeply savory (almost mushroomy) maltiness, but gives way to marshmallow, candied orange peel, vanilla cream, and a pinch of cinnamon. Still trying to wrap my mind around this one, but it's certainly tasty. I wish it were bottled at a higher ABV, though - it does seem a bit watery at 40%.

Definitely a put-some-hair-on-your-chest, beast of a malt. I don't even have to put the glass within a foot of my nose to smell the brine and smoke; up close, there's most certainly sea water, sooty peaty, bacon, sultanas, dried fig, and sage. On the palate, there's an immediate rush of soot and smoke that opens up quickly to brine, dried fruit, not-overly-sweet caramel salt water taffy, savory herbs, and a loooooong lingering campfire note. I love it...not that I need more hair on my chest, but I love it.

Now THIS is a sherry beast. The nose is overflowing with dried dark fruit, Demerara sugar, loads of spice, burnt sugar, and a hint of vanilla. The palate is a rich, luscious fruit-fest - dark plum, raisin, dried fig jam, almond brittle, nutmeg, clove, vanilla and burnt sugar. A real humdinger....maybe not my everyday go-to, but damn tasty.

A very enjoyable dram. On the nose, there's a definite floral note right up front, along with vanilla, Marcona almond, and...grape candy, for lack of a better descriptor. The palate is greeted by a rich, warm, gentle tide of honey, vanilla, almond, honeysuckle (and floral notes), and a bit of pipe tobacco and spice. It's certainly tasty, and (in my opinion) a nice treatment of the classic Dalwhinnie malt. Now, that being said, I'm not sure that this one's worth the (ridiculous) US retail price that hovers in the $90 range...but then again, the classic Dalwhinnie malt isn't worth $70, so overpricing is just sort of the name of the game here.

If Jesus were a whisky... This is top notch. The classic Talisker elements are there on the nose - some brine (almost olive-like), a good whiff of peat smoke, a bright vanilla sweetness. On the palate, it's a flavor explosion - a sophisticated dance of sea salt, a savory note (again, I say olive), a light cloud of peat smoke, red and black pepper, a bit of baking spice and a swirl of vanilla. Thick and unctuous, this coats the palate, with sweet smoke and a hint of pepper lingering on. Just absolutely delicious.

Rewriting this review after having had more time with the malt. The smoky, salt water quality is certainly there on nose and palate, but there is a sweet, toasty, dry malt quality in here, too, with juicy, luscious tangerine. Giving this a promotion up to 5 stars!

I admit - I was skeptical of an Islay malt with no peat. Boy, was I wrong. This is a delicious, rich, complex malt - the nose is what I'd expect from an island/maritime malt, with lemon peel, sea spray, and some floral and vanilla notes. On the palate, this shines bright - citrus, salt, not-overly-sweet vanilla, herbal and floral notes, and a savory malt character. It has a nice, long linger, too. Truly a classic.

This is rightfully a 3.5. Both the nose and the palate have crisp, green apple right at the forefront, with dry hay, a bit of floral note, and a tiny hint of spice. It's not bad by any means, though it's not necessarily the flavor profile I gravitate toward.

An understated gem of a Highland malt is what we have here. A light nose of vanilla and honeyed malt leads into a delightfully rich (but not heavy) palate of heather honey, vanilla cream, and toasted almond marzipan. The sweetness lingers, becoming almost marshmallowy. Delicate, but substantial at the same time.