Tastes

2020 Release Nose - Bold baked apples, toasted oak, poached pears, caramel, burnt sugar Taste - Bold baked apples, toasted barley, toasted oats, dusty oak barrels in a warehouse, gentle tannic oak, whole wheat toasted brioche? Finish - Lingering toasted malt, baked apples, dark chocolate, almonds Score - 90/100 Final Thoughts - Although this is considered a "pure malt" I'm curious if there's really any Yoichi in this as I don't really get any peated influence at all and I'm curious if there is any Ben Nevis in this blend. Regardless, this isn't the most exciting whisky, but what's there is really well balanced and drinks exceptionally easy. Nice nose for the proof and no real off putting notes from start to finish. Definitely has that "older whisky" vibe that's hard to really put into words, but it's just something your tongue tells you as you drink it. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Not at current prices NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Vanilla, caramel, hints of raisin, cinnamon, oak (w/ water) same Taste - Caramel, vanilla, hint of mint, sweet raisins, dark berries, dark chocolate, gentle tingle from proof (w/ water) Not as oily, bit more drying, but otherwise same Finish - Caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate (w/ water) Same Score - 85/100 Final Thoughts - So since this was a sample, I'm not sure if it was mislabeled but initial nose screamed a cask strength port/sherry finished bourbon. All the classical bourbon notes of caramel, vanilla, hint of oak & cinnamon, with a splash of dark raisin sweet that a port or sherry barrel might impart on a bourbon. At first I thought it was just on the nose, but then once it hit the palate, it was just like what it nosed like and there wasn't much of a change there. Finish made it feel like a bourbon too. Anyway, this was the most bourbon-like Irish I've ever had. It's not a bad thing, but just felt very different from most Irish whiskies I've had. 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 - Apricot, golden raisins, orange cream savers hard candies, ginger, apples, caramel (w/ water) Same but feels "warmer" Taste - Apricot, golden raisins, ginger heat, fruity cream custard, apples, light hint of dark chocolate bitterness, spicy oak (w/ water) Same but a bit more drying & bitter Finish - Lingering ginger heat/tingle, caramel, fruity light fleshed dried stone fruits (w/ water) Same Score - 90/100 Final Thoughts - I haven't had this one in a while and I'm glad I did as this is quite nice. Great balance of light fleshed stone fruits and a bit of oaky/ginger spice to pull back the sweetness a bit. Oddly enough water seems to hurt this one a bit as it really throws it off balance. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Yes NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Malt rumored to be sourced from Inver House Distillers, which include Balblair, Balmenach, Knockdhu, Pulteney and Speyburn. Aged & bottled in Spain. Nose - Caramel, oak, toffee, apples (w/ water) Same but adds a hint of coconut Taste - Bit hot, caramel, apples, leather, cinnamon, light floral notes (w/ water) Reduced heat, still fruity spice/tingle though, apples, drying, more tannic, fruit stems, light mineral Finish - Lingering heat, caramel, vanilla, apples, gentle spice (w/ water) same Score - 85/100 Final Thoughts - This one felt somewhat familiar, like I've had something similar to it before. This one felt like classic bourbon matured single malt in that I got nice notes of caramel and a good gentle malt. Cooked/mild apples dominated and the nose greatly hid the proof. Nothing off putting about this one, but at the same time it didn't shine as it felt a bit one dimensional. Whatever was there was very pleasant though. 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, sweet pine sap?, vanilla, toasted grains/cereal, leather, honey (w/ water) Caramel, vanilla, cooked apples, honey, toasted coconut?, leather Taste - Caramel, hint of coffee, chocolate, minty pine sap syrup sweetness, gentle heat/spice, apples, grilled pineapple, honey (w/ water) Caramel, vanilla, grassy, grilled pineapples, apples Finish - Light fruity/bitter spice, charred sugar, apples, honey, grass (w/ water) same Score - 91/100 Final Thoughts - This from start to finish felt like a very well done mashup of a bourbon and a cask strength Glenlivet. Good bourbon notes of caramel and vanilla were there, but they were also married with the classic cooked apple notes I personally get from a Glenlivet. Now thinking about it, a bit of the honey and apples from a Balvenie too. The interesting pine syrup notes I got seemed to fade a bit with water and seemed to make the bourbon + Glenlivet/Balvenie vibes work together better. This was a very interesting one and although not cheap, I could see this one being loved by bourbon drinkers to "transition" them to single malt Scotch. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe, but price is a bit steep NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Vanilla custard, caramel, lemon/orange zest, salt, unripe pineapple (w/ water) same Taste - Bright smoke, fresh lemon zest, sweet pear/apple, white pepper heat, pineapples (w/ water) Much thinner mouthfeel, coconut milk?, very creamy/waxy, pineapples, tropical fruit, habanero heat Finish - Salt, light smoke, light bitter burnt sugar (w/ water) Same but a bit more waxy/coconut cream vibe Score - 91/100 Final Thoughts - This one took a little bit to open up as upon first pour, it was really difficult to get a good sense of the nose on this one. After letting it sit for a bit, it finally started to open up, but even then the smoke on this one was fairly light. Hitting the palate it felt like a fairly clean, bright, and vibrant fruity smoke too. I got lemon zest vibes in terms of brightness, but not very lemony. I finally realized that what I was tasting was like a not very sweet/tart pineapple. If you've ever had a white pineapple, it was kind of like that in that it was a mild sweet, fruity, but not sour. Nice hint of salt throughout and a bit of water gave me a mouthfeel of coconut cream, which I found nice. Overall very tasty and I don't think there was anything I found off putting about this. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Yes NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Sweet peat, sweet lactic funk, sea spray, charred sugary/syrupy green grapes, syrupy poached pears (w/ water) Mostly the same, but with more salt and a little bit less syrupy sweet Taste - Black pepper, clean salty smoke, sweet syrupy green grapes, sweet triple cream brie (w/ water) Same but much less lactic/sweet cream "funk", slight less sweet Finish - Light lingering tingle, sea spray, smoke, ashy syrupy green grapes (w/ water) Same Score - 87/100 Final Thoughts - So this one was good, but it felt a bit one dimensional. Nothing off putting, but just a bit sweet and water tames the sweetness a bit, but sort of ruins the balance. Good bit of Bruichladdich lactic / sweet soft cheese funk in this one that goes great with the sea salt vibes. This feels like a bit of creamy smoked brie where someone added a bit too much sweet grape/pear chutney. It's good, but a bit boring and a tiny bit off balance. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Sweet lactic funk, gentle sea spray, red berries, sour oranges Taste - Gentle peat, sea spray, red berries, orange zest, gentle lactic funk, sweet smoked cheese, lightly metallic Finish - Light white pepper heat/tingle, smoked red berries, light metallic, orange zest Score - 81/100 Final Thoughts - This one was a bit strange in that initially, I wasn't able to detect any peat at all on this until I let it sit for a while & then it finally opened up a bit. I think the wine/sherry cask influence on this one helped hide the gentle peat in this one as I feel as if this was lighter than Port Charlotte like the 01.1. The addition of red berries in this one makes this feel a bit more one dimensional than the 01.1, but not by much. This feels like it was a low effort "special release". It's not bad, it's just not that interesting. Would I drink it if offered? - Maybe Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Classic laddie "lactic funk", sea spray, ripe sweet cheese rind, oddly hot, generic citrus rinds, gentle smoke Taste - Gentle smoke, sea spray, lactic funk, white pepper heat/tingle, seaweed on a bonfire, cold smoked apple slices, pickled lemon zest Finish - Gentle lingering salt, sweet lactic funk, light generic citrus rind, white pepper tingle lingers Score - 79/100 Final Thoughts - This nosed like something that would be ultra lightly peated, slightly less than a Port Charlotte, so this feels like this one was mostly Bruichladdich, but who really knows. This was classic Bruichladdich but for some reason it felt like a bit one dimensional where it feels like there were some older components, but were dragged down by some younger components. It nosed very nice, but felt oddly hot at the same time. It had the classic laddie "lactic funk" sweetness and nice salinity that I typically get, but other than that there wasn't much else. I guess that's probably why I tend to favor sherry or wine finished Bruichladdich as I think they have a great/amazing base spirit, but it really enhances whatever cask it's placed in. This was classic laddie at heart, but just fell a bit flat for me. Would I drink it if offered? - Maybe Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Caramel, minty/herbal rye, peach gummy rings, candied ginger, charred cinnamon Taste - Drying mouthfeel, caramel, candied ginger, mint/herbal rye vibe, peach pit fruity bitter, apricots, roasted almonds with charred almond skin bitter, over steeped black tea bitterness Finish - Lingering peach pit fruity bitter, sweet heat, candied ginger heat/tingle, bitter over steeped tea Score - 85/100 Final Thoughts - So after trying this the night after A Midwinter Nights Dram Act 10, I think the base Rendezvous Rye they used for this year's release just wasn't the greatest? It has the typical minty/herbal rye notes I usually enjoy, but for some reason everything feels like it's either overoaked or just a tad bit too bitter. The white port finish on this makes this feel much more vibrant and summery, while at the same time having winter vibes of ginger spice and cinnamon. Roasted nuts come out on the palate, but it feels like they were forgotten on the fire and charred a bit, imparting a burnt bitter vibe. I do quite enjoy the peach/apricot vibe I get from this as it reminds me a bit of Barrell Seagrass, but that was due to the apricot brandy finish. Overall this was interesting, but it feels as if they started with either a highly reactive Rendezvous Rye and they left it in to finish a bit too long or the casks imparted a bit too much bitterness for my liking. 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.