Tastes

Awful stuff. Received a few bottles as a gift for the office and nobody wants to drink it. We leave them around for decor.

The frigid temperatures continue to have me craving the smoky stuff. Picked this up to see if a quality Islay malt can be had for less than $40. Smoke and some fruit on the nose. A hint of salt. Full bodied mouthfeel. On the palette, there is spice and a hint of vanilla, a hint of citrus, a hint of sea air, the key word here is "hint." It's all overwhelmed by an unpleasant spent charcoal smoke. Nothing like a campfire. Caramelized sugar on the finish but it fades into some sourness. Just seems young and unfinished, will not re-purchase. The Glasgow blend from Great King St. is a better value at this price point.

With the holiday season upon us and the arrival of cold weather, I get the craving for some smoky whisky. Picked this up in my continual search for under $40 anytime drams. Nose: Peat right off the bat, smells like a campfire with a hint of medicine like Laphroaig, (no surprise with it being one of the malts in this). After some time in the glass, the fruit arrives in the form of citrus peel and apple. Taste: Smoky at first but it fades into candied apples, citrus, and some dried fruit. Bit spicy too. Finish: Fairly long, smoked ham? ginger, sugar cookies, ashes. Complex and superior to the Artists's Blend in my opinion which seems to get more praise. This is blended whisky done right. Delicious and smooth for less than $40 bucks! Affordable quality stuff and a new keeper!

Picked this guy up last weekend as I continue searching for the best $30 and under drams. Nose: Typical Speyside profile, Apples, Honey, Citrus, Nutty (Hazelnut?) Taste: Honey, Toffee, Oak, Very sweet, buttery and velvety mouthfeel. Minimal alcohol burn. Quite enjoyable Finish: Some spice notes, not very long and a bit bland. Subtle smoke. Very easy to drink and I paid for it the next morning with a mild hangover but nothing beats it at this price point so far. A solid replacement for Glenlivet 12 and Glenmorangie 10. I think Old Pulteney 12 and Acnoc 12 are superior but those will be in the $40+ range. This is a sleeper.

Revisiting this new version of Tomatin and what a difference! With a nice new label and bottle design to go with it. Still not very complex but that classic Speyside/Highland profile is there and it it satisfying and priced well. Nose: The usual suspects of citrus and apples wrapped around a very nice milk cream note. Orange sherbert! Taste: No surprises but you can taste the quality. Touch of honey and a thick mouthfeel followed by orange peel, lemon rind, grapefruit, tart apples. Over time the wood spices make an appearance. Finish: Citrus, oak, maybe some dark chocolate, mild bitterness. This is the best deal out there right now for under $40 If you don't like smoke /peat on a daily basis. Unfortunately it will probably balloon in price to $50 bucks like every other quality lower priced Scotch I discover. Ancnoc 12 was $40 and now it's creeping close to $60. How do they expect to gain new customers with these prices? Macallan 12 is getting close to $70 in NYC. Insanity...

Was excited to try this one out based on the positive reviews. While I do see where much of the praise comes from at the same time I'm a bit perplexed by the very high scores. Nose: Some kind of herb like cilantro or parsley, honey, vanilla, crisp apple, I don't get the sea salt so much that it's known for oddly enough. I think it's there but very faint to me. Taste: Rich honey, citrus peel, almonds and green apple. Again the maritime flavors of salt and brine still faint to me. Nice buttery mouthfeel. Better than the nose. Finish: Warm and spicy, some smoke, faint salt, not particularly long. Good not great. I do think this is the best value in the $30-$40 range. So far it's at the top of the list surpassing Glenmorangie 10. But a 95 score? Really?

Got this for my birthday. I've tried it once a few years ago in a bar and didn't think much of it at the time. Much different experience this time around. Nose: Candied apples, floral (almost like a soft perfume) ripe peaches, vanilla frosting, beautiful nose! I could smell it for hours. Taste: Very spicy, fruits, cinnamon, buttery mouthfeel, not as complex as the nose. Finish: Very long and spicy, dry, brown sugar, satisfying. I'm sure there are better 15 year old malts (The Glendronach 15 comes to mind, but it's becoming almost impossible to find) I prefer this over it's closest rival the Glenfiddich 15. Excellent value for the price of around $50. This is a fine Scotch.

Tried this guy over the weekend as my search for anytime drams that are light on the wallet goes on. Nose: The usual suspects for a Speyside, Vanilla, Citrus and some kind of cream or frosting. Taste: This one is strange in that I taste a different note every time, sometimes it's that canned pineapple note everyone talks about, other times it's more lemony/grassy. Oily mouthfeel, creamy. Finish: Nothing that complex, sweet and refreshing, floral, oaky. Perfect on a muggy NYC summer night. I don't think this will replace Glenlivet 12 or Glenmorangie 10 as my one bottle a week dram but it is a solid alternative in the price range.

Picked this up a week ago continuing my search for inexpensive anytime drams. Tons of honey on the nose, pleasant but not much complexity detected beyond that. Very sweet on the palate. The classic flavors of Vanilla, toffee and green fruit are there but very muted, nothing stands out. On the plus side it has a thick creamy mouthfeel but it's not a very balanced whisky. Interchangeable with all the other "Glens", Livet, Fiddich and Morangie. An adequate option in the price range.

A quality Bourbon and I don't particularly love Bourbon. Rich, spicy and flavorful. At around $30 bucks it's a staple of the office.