Tastes

Nose - Rich but light caramel, lemon curd/custard, hint of barrel-aged sweet white wine, honey, dark apple juice Taste - Bright green apples, floral honey, toffee, light hay?, caramel, oily & rich mouthfeel, light dried peach/apricot sweet Finish - Long lasting, gentle wood & spice, rich warm sweet, sweet leather richness Score - 93/100 Final Thoughts - This was quite amazing. From the nose even with the low proof, you could tell this was a nicely aged Scotch. Super well balanced from start to finish and full of flavor despite the lower proof. A bit on the lighter side of things, but with nice hints of rich toffee and caramel to nudge it into the rich category versus the super light & floral. Great balance of flavors and an amazing dram. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Yes

Nose - Very pleasant fruity caramel, fruity apple-berry cider, hint of blueberries Taste - Sweet fruity apple-berry cider, golden raisins, hint of cayenne heat/spice, light caramel, lightly drying Finish - Spicy gentle heat, lingering fruity caramel, dark apple/pear juice sweetness, golden raisins, hint of blueberry Score - 88/100 Final Thoughts - This one was quite nice. A bit muted initially on the nose, but it eventually opens up a bit more. Very pleasant experience from start to finish with no off-putting notes. Nice balance of caramel sweet and fruit from the ex-bourbon & sherry. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - I'd be willing to pay up to $80 USD for this

Nose - Light sweet smoke, hint of coconut, unripe bananas, spicy vanilla Taste - Lightly toasted/smoky coconut, grilled pineapple, artificial "berry" flavors, banana nut bread, hint of sweet/hot pepper Finish - Lingering light tingle, wisp of smoke, lingering starchy sweet, banana, pineapple, maybe some papaya? Score - 84/100 Final Thoughts - So this was interesting as the peat was quite light and the nose was oddly quite muted. A tiny bit of water helped open it up but not much. Overall nice balance and the peat/smoke is gentle enough where it might be a good introductory to peat type of dram. A bit of water does help soften up the initial heat a bit but doesn't mute the flavors too much. Typical tropical vibe from this malt and is a nice sipping one, but nothing really spectacular. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

Nose - Caramel, creamy vanilla, ripe grilled pineapples, candied red berries, grilled bananas Taste - Lightly peppery sweet heat, caramel, grilled pineapples, sweet apple/pear juice, riesling/moscato reduction Finish - Lingering light sweet heat, fruity/syrupy white wine reduction, lightly drying Score - 90/100 Final Thoughts - This one is quite good and nicely balanced. It might be a bit on the sweet side for some, but I quite like the fruity notes I get on this one. It really complements the tropical vibe I get from the base spirit and it just all somehow works. A tiny bit of water softens the initial mouth burn/heat, but otherwise leaves the entire experience pretty much the same. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - If I could get it for about $70-80USD

Nose - (w/o water) Strong orange peel, orange syrup, almost mandarin like, cooked bananas, grilled pineapple, hint of caramel, Tajin (w/ water) Slightly reduced sweetness, but otherwise the same Taste - (w/o water) Initially very hot, strong but surprisingly balanced orange zest, orange gummies, cooked banana sweet, grilled pineapples, lightly metallic (w/ water) Reduces the initial heat, slightly less sweet, brings out a hint of hot pepper in addition to the bananas & pineapple Finish - (w/o water) Lingering orange hot tingle, slight metallic lingers, grilled bananas & pineapples, toasted orange rinds (w/ water) Pretty much the same, but the slight metallic is significantly less. Score - 84/100 Final Thoughts - This was quite surprising as upon the initial nose, I had immediate fears that this would be a cloying syrupy orange mess. Fortunately this wasn't the case as the orange was there from start to finish, but it wasn't too cloyingly sweet. Interesting for sure, but not sure this would be an everyday dram other than for certain cocktails or maybe a tiny dessert dram like a port or something. Water definitely helps tone this down a bit and improves it quite a bit. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - If they sold it in smaller 200mL bottles? I might have this in tiny amounts like a port

Nose - Tiny wisp of smoke, tangerine peels, lemon, honey, caramel, toasted oak, chocolate orange Taste - Black pepper, lightly drying fruit stem bitter, chocolate candied orange peel w/ pith, light honey, caramel, faint smoke Finish - Lingering black pepper tingle, orange/lemon zest, caramel, light fruity pith/stem bitterness Score - 80/100 Final Thoughts - So I guess the Benromach style is a super lightly peated malt regardless of expression. It's not exactly my thing, but I can see how people would like this. This particular expression isn't too bad as I think somehow the wine cask finish helped tame/mitigate the smoke a bit to a background role. This one had more refreshing citrusy notes which was nice, but there was this tiny hint of bitter pith that got a bit distracting. Nice subtle chocolate/cocoa notes throughout while remaining bright & refreshing. I could see this as a dram to have by the summer/fall campfire. Would I drink it if offered? - Maybe Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

Nose - Ultra lightly peated sweet funk, black pepper, honey, smoky fruity medicinal sweet Taste - Sweet light smoke, black pepper, funky goji berry sweet, baked apples Finish - Lingering light salty smoke, funky fruity sweet, light lingering warmth Score - 76/100 Final Thoughts - So upon first nosing this, it reminded me of Highland Park 12 with less smoke. This one has a very very gentle smoke component and just a hint of salt with this sweet funky fruit that reminds me quite a bit of HP12. It's not bad by any means as the smoke is very subtle but for me the sweet funky fruit throws me off a bit. Maybe others will like this, but it's just not for me. It's pretty well balanced but for a person who isn't a huge fan of peat, this goes in the "not really for me" category. Would I drink it if offered? - Maybe Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

Nose - Apples, pears, dark honey, caramel, oak aged chardonnay Taste - Oak aged apple/pear cider, honey, creamy caramel, hint of cinnamon, light waxy mouthfeel, golden raisins Finish - Waxy feeling, pleasant caramel, vanilla, baked apples, golden raisins Score - 85/100 Final Thoughts - This was a nice dram and I think if tasted blind, I'd probably think of it like a mix between a higher proof Glenlivet 12 mixed with a Clynelish 14 as it has the classic flavors of a more standard ex-Bourbon Speyside, but with the nice waxy mouthfeel of a Clynelish. This was nice, enjoyable, nothing too complex but is nice to sip on without thinking too much. Good neat or in a highball or even as a base for cocktails I think it'd hold up, although it might lose a bit of the waxy mouthfeel with additional dilution. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - If I could find it for ~$40 USD

Nose - Sweet dark syrupy red berries, sweet caramels, hint of sweet mint Taste - Gentle warm heat, nice pleasant sweet dark dried stone fruits, caramel, baked apples Finish - Light sweet spice tingle, sweet sherry, fruity, light milk chocolate Score - 86/100 Final Thoughts - This was a good basic sherried Speyside. A bit straightforward on the nose but it's nicely done. Nothing too complex, but very very drinkable. Best enjoyed neat, but I can see this being a good "intro" sherried Scotch for many. Nothing off-putting about it. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - If I could find it for about $40 USD

Nose - Creamy caramels, apples, grilled pineapple, honey. Taste - Honey, light spicy heat, creamy caramel, fried plantains, light fruity bitter/starch, apple cores, hint of golden raisins Finish - Quickly fading heat, lightly dry/starchy feeling, honey, golden raisins, starchy plantains, light fruity bitter Score - 83/100 Final Thoughts - This was a pleasant dram overall. Nice nose, mouthfeel and generally pleasant overall experience. No real off putting notes unless you don't like banana-like flavors. The slight fruity bitterness can get a bit distracting, but it's not in your face. This feels like a nice summery sipping dram where it's not really that complex and you can just pour & sip neat or on ice all day long. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - If it was around $30-$40?