Reviews

2017 Release Nose - Ripe apples, honey, oranges, saline Taste - Fruity saline, gentle ashy smoke, minerals, honey, freshly cut apples, sweet mandarins, black pepper bite Finish - Ashy saline, minerals, light mandarins, apples Score - 87/100 Final Thoughts - This felt fairly similar to the 2011 version except that the nose wasn't as pronounced. Similar profile, but I felt as if it was a bit more muted. This felt like it didn't have as much freshly cut fruits and felt a bit more dominated by a mineral aspect, although it did have a slightly more vibrant mandarin vibe vs just a pure orange which was nice. Like the 2011, the body and mouthfeel on this one felt a bit thin for a 30. Enjoyable, but nothing particularly amazing. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

2011 Release Nose - Vibrant ripe freshly cut apples & pears, hint of salt, milk chocolate, honey, golden raisins Taste - Saline, hint of metallic/ashy peat, ripe fresh apples, lemon zest, hint of bitter orange pith, light clove, honey Finish - Lingering salt, gentle ash/metallic, gentle apple/pear sweet Score - 88/100 Final Thoughts - This had a really fantastic nose, loads of fresh cut apples/pears. Palate was great, but it felt a bit thin & lacked body that I'd expect from a 30 year old Scotch. Flavors were there for a nice maritime lightly peated whisky and this would be a fantastic summer night's dram I feel. Not sure it has the body to stand up to a colder fall/winter vibe. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Not another NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

This review is actually of the Glenfarclas 40 Warehouse Edition which is bottled at 43% Nose - Raisins, prunes, candied oranges, vanilla custard, candied fresh strawberries, white chocolate Taste - Raisins, prunes, cherries, caramelized oranges, hint of black tea, toasted coconut, light milk chocolate Finish - Caramelized orange custard, strawberries, milk chocolate, light orange pith bitter, grape skin tannic Score - 94/100 Final Thoughts - So this is a well balanced fruity dessert in a glass. This is just well aged sherried Scotch. Extremely fragrant nose that you can smell from across the room and the same hits your palate. Loads of raisins/prunes with this orange custard vibe and this bitterness that I now feel is more of a dark chocolate or espresso bite than orange pith or grape skin tannins. This is very nicely balanced and punches way above its proof. This feels like it'd be best enjoyed on a summer's night next to a lake or a campfire or while relaxing in a comfy chair during the winter. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - If it wasn't so expensive yes NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Vanilla sugar syrup, vanilla cake frosting, white cake from a box Taste - Sweet white cake, vanilla frosting, light peach, candy cake toppings Finish - Lingering sugar sweet, vanilla syrup, corn syrup Score - 73/100 Final Thoughts - Could instantly tell this one was a grain whisky from the nose. It's that super clean distillate nose and hits the palate like other grains I've had in the past. This one borders on dessert territory in that it gives off white vanilla cake vibes, frosting and all. It feels as if they just took a whole bunch of vanilla frosted cakes with sprinkles and distilled it. It sounds pleasant, but borders on being a bit too sweet/desserty for me. I'm glad I got to try this, but not sure I'd be happy with a whole bottle of this. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Pears, Asian pears, hint of salt, pineapple, white peach Taste - Pears, light buttery mouthfeel, light salt, white peaches, light fleshed fruits Finish - Gentle heat, gentle lingering white fleshed fruit sweet, white peach, salt Score - 75/100 Final Thoughts - Very pleasant, summery vibe single malt. Pears dominate the nose & continue to the palate with a hint of white peach. Nicely balanced but a bit boring? Very easy to drink & almost feels as if it was made to be turned into a highball where you add in a peach or apple syrup or something of that sort. Tasty, but a bit on the boring side. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Caramel, vanilla, bright red maraschino cherries, light leather Taste - Caramel, vanilla, cinnamon red hots, light red cherry cough syrup sweetness, cocoa powder bitter, buttery caramel Finish - Lingering cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, light chocolate Score - 82/100 Final Thoughts - This is a fairly tasty, but standard/run of the mill wheated bourbon. Feels fairly generic on the nose with a nice hint of red/cherry, but that changes on the palate with a more cinnamon red hot up front that fades into a lightly buttery but somehow dry caramel? It's tasty but I think it feels a bit lacking in terms of what a wheated bourbon can really bring to the table. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Caramel, oak, peanuts, vanilla Taste - Caramel, vanilla, oak, hint of cinnamon Finish - Caramel, vanilla, oak, light cinnamon heat/spice Score - 75/100 Final Thoughts - Yup, it's bourbon all right. This is very basic, inoffensive bourbon. Classic notes, nothing fancy, nothing too exciting. Nothing really wrong with it other than being a bit boring & what you'd think a bourbon might taste like. Drink it neat, drink it over ice, drink it with coke, all would be fine. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - Yes, if it was still $22 NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Suntory Hakushu Distillery Edition 01337299 Nose - Caramel, baked apples & oats, flat cola, roasted sweet nuts Taste - Baked apples, ginger heat, cola fizz & sweet, sweet chestnuts Finish - Sweet cola, lingering sweet roasted nuts Score - 84/100 Final Thoughts - The one thing I really love about standard Hakushu offerings is the almost pine forest vibe that I get and sadly this had none of that. This felt like an unpeated Hakushu in maybe a heavily re-used Spanish oak since I get light hints of what might be raisins & fruit, but not quite there. It's not unpleasant or offputting in anyway, just a bit boring, but it really packs quite a bit of flavor for only 43%. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Fresh apples, honey, unripe pineapple, sandalwood Taste - Bit thin, sandalwood, apples, honey, light pineapple, gentle ginger warmth Finish - Lingering woody apples, honey, sandalwood Score - 82/100 Final Thoughts - Nothing too exciting about this one, but also nothing really off putting about this one. Not the most complex pour, but also something that's just nice & tasty that you can sip on & enjoy while doing pretty much anything. Low enough in proof where your tastebuds won't get fatigued as well as one where you won't feel bad having a tiny bit more. I haven't had this in a highball yet, but I can see it doing pretty well with a lemon or orange twist. For the price, it's amazing. Compared to other whiskies, it's nothing special. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Yes NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

2024 Summer Release Nose - Stewed apples & pears, warm ginger, honey, light brewed tea Taste - Baked apples, poached pear, cinnamon, honey, ginger, apple danish, white grape gummies Finish - Baked apple desserts, warm ginger spice, white grape gummies Score - 84/100 Final Thoughts - This had a much better & pronounced nose than than the 2023 Winter release. It popped a bit more and felt more like an apple pastry with hints of white grape gummies from start to finish. A light honey ginger spice sprinkled throughout was nice and I could definitely see myself sipping this neat rather than wanting to mix it into a highball. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.