Tastes

At first I thought it was bland, very smooth but not complex at all. However, I have found that if you pour a respectable sized dram and spend some time with it, without cutting it with any water or ice, then a lot of flavours pop out and it just gets better and better. Starts floral and grassy, like a meadow, along with dried fruits. Then you start to get more honey, then eventually a bit of christmas spices and more sweetness, reminicent of christmas cookies. Its damned good stuff if you pay attention to it.

Similar to talisker 10, but much less flavourful, and a brinier finish. Talisker 10 is my all time favorite, so I had to try this, and found it quite disappointing. All those delicious notes I love about talisker 10 are either missing or much fainter.

I see why it's so popular. Sweet and meaty, it reminds me of Talisker - but a bit richer, fuller, warmer, and smoother. The finish is long, with a taste of smoked meat, and a slight medicinal bog flavour similar to Laphroig.

Light, sweet, and fairly smooth. Lots of honey, and a white-wine like smell to it, with a slightly citrus end. Reminds me of a lighter Glenlivet Excellence.

I dont understand the master reviewers notes when they say - "Bandaids? Check". Who in their right mind wants to taste bandaids??? For me, that's exactly why this scotch isn't my favourite. It's smooth, and the other flavours are nice, but the powerful bandaid smell and taste is unpleasant.

Not a bad scotch for the price.....but not amazing either. Peaty nose with a hint of brine, and some sweet vanilla undertones if you wait for them. Has a smokey/grassy finish. I found this scotch to have a bitter flavour, which I didn't like. I ended up mixing most of the bottle in coffee's.

I feel like people hate on this merely because its price and popularity make it a low hanging target. For the price I think this is a fine scotch. On the nose - mostly smoke, with a bit of grass, apricot, and sweet cereal. On the tongue - sweet caramel, a bit of spice. I found it much smoother than it's reputation. It's a nice mix of smoky and sweet. I would never buy it myself unless I found myself in a bad financial situation and needing a drink, but I don't think it deserves its bad rep.

I thought it was amazing.....but then I tried a blind taste test between this and the 12....I couldn't tell them apart. Either I got ripped off, my tasting abilities aren't refined enough yet, or this scotch isn't worth it.

I tried a blind taste test between this and the 12....I could barely tell them apart. Either I got ripped off, my tasting abilities aren't refined enough yet, or this scotch isn't worth it.

On the nose - caramel, banana, spice, and leather, slight citrus undertone. A good amount of oak, but not overpowering. The high rye content is apparent, it smells very similar to Bulleit, albeit less oaky. On the tongue - oak and spice, with a warm and spicy,but short finish. My favorite bourbon yet, but it's also the most expensive I have bought.