Tastes

I tried it neat on the first go (no water). The nose definitely had a sharp burn on the first inhalation, but then opened nicely with spice and mint. The palate came in robust with hot spice up front and then quickly mellowed to reveal some very nice caramel with a hint of vanilla. I enjoyed a nice medium finish with more mint coming back bringing along dried fruit. On our second meet, I added 3 drops of water and let it sit for about five minutes. This definitely softened the burn on the nose, which was quite nice. For me, this resulted in a minty woody smell. The plate sweetened right up and allowed more distinction of vanilla, caramel, and sugar/molasses. The finish was a nice sweet floral surprise that I had not previously noticed. I would be happy to imbibe anytime.

This was my first single malt Scotch purchase and my first review. I was blown away by the difference from your standard entry-level blended Scotches and a seasoned single malt. It had a pleasing nose with a rich, creamy caramel palate. The finish just kept developing with a nice but not overpowering peaty coat. A drop or two of water opened it up nicely!