Tastes

Nose - Nice balanced vanilla caramels, hints of cherry & chocolate mint Taste - Lightly oaky vanilla caramels, lightly drying sweet mint, cinnamon heat, light bitter charred cinnamon stick Finish - Lingering light oaky caramel, light bitter mint/fruit stems, wisp of fresh cherry sweetness Score - 87/100 Final Thoughts - I just can't get over the cork pop on this decanter as it's a very satisfying "pop" that you don't get from many bottles. The bourbon itself is quite good, very nice nose that's full of gentle vanilla caramel & a wisp of cherry. This soft vanilla caramel continues to the palate although sadly the cherry & chocolate mint on the nose isn't very present until the finish where it briefly comes back before saying goodbye. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe a different release?

Nose - (w/o water) Rich vanilla, toasted coconut, buttery vanilla, caramel, vanilla cream, sharp sweet toffee (w/ water) Pretty much the same, but a tiny addition of fresh cut anjou pears Taste - (w/o water) Rich vanilla, sweet spicy white pepper heat/warmth, buttery caramel & toffee syrup, light toasted/dried coconut flakes, faint bitterness but not off putting (w/ water) Less heat, appearance of pear & apples, vanilla cream caramels, toasted coconut flakes Finish - (w/o water) Lingering sharp sweet vanilla/toffee, white pepper heat, coconut flake sweet (w/ water) Very little heat, very clean, nice pleasant apple/pear, vanilla cream caramel, wisp of fresh coconut Score - 87/100 Final Thoughts - This newer 2017 release (at least to me) tastes significantly different from their original 2008/2009 version in that this seems less fruit forward & more vanilla/cream/caramel forward. The biggest takeaway from this release is that the typical fruity bitterness I get from the base Glenmorangie spirit is gone & that's what typically is off putting to me for most of the Glenmorangie releases. A tiny bit of water really enhances & opens this up and makes it a much more enjoyable experience. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe

Nose - (w/o water) Honeyed pears & apples, light apple core bitter, vanilla cream, light ginger, light charred/burnt sugar (w/ water) Pretty much the same, but more vibrant & bright Taste - (w/o water) Hot on the palate, honey drizzled apples/pears, caramel apples, vanilla cream, light apple core bitter, white pepper heat, burnt sugar bitterness (w/ water) Heat greatly reduced, slightly more ginger heat/sweetness, slightly less honey flavor, more bright fruity pears & apples Finish - (w/o water) Lingering hot white pepper heat, lightly bitter pear/apple cores/stems, honeycomb (w/ water) More apple/pear core bitter sweet Score - 81/100 Final Thoughts - This seemed like fairly standard Glenmorangie to me, but just cranked up to 12. The higher proof is nice, but this still seems to have the same bitter apple/pear core bitterness I get throughout the standard Glenmorangie "base" spirit. Nice honeyed apple & pear flavors going on here along with some nice vanilla cream, but the underlying core/stem bitterness gets a bit distracting. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - Not Another

Nose - (w/o water) Cinnamon caramel, sweet oak, brown sugar syrup, faint sweet mint stems (w/ water) Bit brighter & opens up but otherwise identical Taste - (w/o water) Fairly hot, sweet intense cinnamon spice, rich syrupy caramel, hint of sweet red cherries (w/ water) Heat is delayed, more cinnamon cherry followed by a wave of dark brown simple, heat follows at the end with cinnamon spice & a light oaky sweet Finish - (w/o water) Lingering spicy caramel, heat lingers, cherry & lightly oaky brown simple (w/ water) Less heat, more cherry caramel in addition to the dark brown simple Score - 84/100 Final Thoughts - This is fairly run of the mill and kind of what you think about when you think of a bourbon. It's just bumped up the proof a bit and definitely does better with a hint of water as it softens the heat a bit and makes it a bit more brown simple sweet versus cinnamon heat. Nothing really spectacular about this, but nothing really bad about it either. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

Westward American Single Malt Barrel #B-236-11 / 65.5% ABV Nose - (w/o water) Dark caramel, light oaky toffee, malted milk, hint of dark chocolate, light cherry syrup (w/ water) Brighter nose, more green/young oak vibe, caramel & toffee, minty cherry dark chocolate Taste - (w/o water) Intense brown sugar syrup, bit hot & drying, rich caramel, light herbal/minty vibe, fresh peppercorns (w/ water) Drying oaky heat, sweet lightly "green" oak brown simple, fruity/oaky peppercorn heat, lightly fruity funk but in a pleasant way Finish - (w/o water) Heat fades fairly quickly, lingering sweet brown simple, light herbal/medicinal sweet (w/ water) Light herbal/medicinal sweet, not unpleasant, but very unique & very long lasting Score - 87/100 Final Thoughts - This was surprisingly drinkable without water even with the high proof and I think I actually preferred it without the water. I think it had more of the intense caramel sweet heat without and water just brought out this medicinal funk that although not unpleasant, not my favorite. For an American single malt, this tastes & noses very similar to a bourbon but with a single malt mouthfeel. Overall this is quite good, not something I'd regularly reach for, but for an American single malt, it's quite tasty. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe

Nose - Intense sweet spicy, lightly herbal caramel/toffee, syrupy raisins, dried persimmons, candied cranberries, saline, candy shell Taste - Sweet fruity heat, dried persimmons, sweet dark raisins, light sea salt, hint of an aged tea, sweet mesquite bbq sauce Finish - Lingering sweet bbq sauce tangy sweet, apple/cherry sweet, applewood/cherrywood smoke Score - 86/100 Final Thoughts - This one has a very unique nose for sure and definitely isn't like any other sherry finished Bunnahabhains I've have in the past. This isn't your typical stone fruit sweet, but more of a lightly medicinal/metallic smoky/tangy sweet. It's very unique and is surprisingly very well balanced. I think the fact that I get a few dried persimmon notes in this (I'm not a huge fan of persimmons) throws this off a bit for me. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - Not another

Newer bottling I suppose? Purple packaging & stated to be aged in 3 types of oak. Nose - Nice floral honey, candied plums, golden raisins, ripe cooked apples, ripe poached pears Taste - Nice lightly bitter ginger syrup heat/tingle, sweet golden raisins, poached/baked apples with stems & seeds, lightly fruity bitterness that lingers Finish - Nice gentle ginger spice, light fruit stem bitterness, lingering white pepper tingle, golden raisins & fresh cut apples Score - 83/100 Final Thoughts - The nose on this one was quite nice, reminded me of golden raisins steeped in apple cider sweetened with a bit of honey. Taste was a pleasant, but had this fruity bitterness that I usually don't mind, but this one was a bit distracting. It was like if you had mulled cider, but put in extra apple skins, cores, & stems to where it got a light fruity/woody bitterness. Almost like over steeped tea. Nice gentle spice on the palate that lingers to the finish. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - Not another

Nose - (w/o water) Hot sweet heat, intense vanilla caramel, cinnamon red hots, salted Spanish peanuts (w/ water) Greatly reduced heat, oaky peanut brittle, caramel, more salt Taste - (w/o water) Hot oaky intense brown sugar/caramel sweetness, cinnamon spice, salted roasted peanuts (w/ water) More drying, cinnamon spicy heat, less cloying sweet, salted peanut brittle, dark toffee Finish - (w/o water) Lingering heat, sweet oaky sugar, lingering cinnamon dusted peanuts (w/ water) Lingering hot tingle, cinnamon spice dominates Score - 85/100 Final Thoughts - This is the definition of a Beam product in that it captures all of that peanut funk (but in a good way) of the Beam yeast. Nice dark sweet oaky caramel that packs a nice punch. Oddly this one did better and felt less "hot" without water. I think this one is best sipped neat or maybe turned into an old fashioned or manhattan with some black walnut or chocolate bitters for a nice nutty dark toffee flavor bomb. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Not this particular batch

Nose - Sweet vanilla caramel, chocolate covered malted milk balls, light sweet mint/herbal under tones Taste - Sweet oaky caramel, cinnamon spice, light oaky sweetness, hints of cocoa & light toasted rye spice Finish - Lingering sweet, vanilla minty caramel, malted milk balls, light cinnamon oak spice Score - 88/100 Final Thoughts - This is a very pleasant dram, nice sweet chocolaty notes that can be easily sipped neat. Nice balance of oaky & sweet with just enough spice to keep things interesting. Good balance from start to finish, nothing off putting. Most likely best sipped neat or in a cocktail that will highlight the chocolate notes in this. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Yes

GlenDronach 15 Revival 2018 Release Nose - Dark cherries, dark cocoa nibs, treacle toffee, hint of orange zest, dark raisins Taste - Dark cherries, light bitter chocolate/orange pith, syrupy dried stone fruits, gentle candied ginger spice Finish - Lingering dark chocolate covered dried sweet cherries, light metallic tingle, flamed orange zest Score - 89/100 Final Thoughts - So this one is quite tasty as expected. Surprisingly I got very similar notes as the old expression after looking back on my notes of that release. Nice darkly sherried highland malt with hints of chocolates & orange zest. What's not to like about this one (minus the light metallic note on the finish)? Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Yes