Tastes

Nose - Amazingly light nose on this one, very "soft" smelling of maybe a barrel aged vanilla with a sweetness like that of a flat vanilla coke. Taste - Again it's very gentle on the palate, a soft cinnamon vanilla caramel sweetness, lightly bitter oak. Finish - Lightly drying mouthfeel, lingering bittersweet taste with the bitterness like that of stale almost burnt cocoa nibs, but without the intense chocolate flavor nor the slightly acidic sourness. 78/100

Nose - (w/o water) - a bit harsh due to the high ABV, but strong vanilla cherry, milk chocolate covered cranberries, dark creme brulee top (w/ water) - slightly less harsh and more oak. Taste - (w/o water) - intense sweet vanilla caramel, ripe bing cherries, strong sweet vanilla, light oak, cherry coke concentrate (w/ water) gets you a stronger cherry vanilla sweetness and a tiny bit more oak. Finish - (w/o water) - Long lingering cinnamon warmth, more cherry coke syrup concentrate sweetness (w/ water) more drying somehow, brown sugar flambeed cherries. 92/100

Nose - Syrupy dark sweetness, thick chewy sugar dates, wine stewed prunes/plums, clove, nutmeg, dark raisins. Taste - Very thick/oily mouthfeel, syrupy stewed prunes/plums, dark raisins, cinnamon, orange zest, brown sugar syrup, fruit cake. Finish - Lingering sugary wine stewed prune/plum/raisin sweetness, light cinnamon heat, drying oaky sweet. 76/100

Nose - Sweet vanilla, candied ginger, heavily spiced mulled pear cider with a hint of sweet white wine. Taste - Oily mouthfeel, spiced black tea with hints of pear, lightly sour muscat grapes, orange peel, jaw breaker-like smooth/silky/milky sweetness, red hots. Finish - Warm smooth cinnamon heat, faint orange zest but slightly bitter as if there's a bit too much pith, lightly sour-sweet moscato wine, lightly drying. 89/100

Nose - Light honeyed pears and white donut peaches (subtle), hint of fresh hay, background of fresh longan, very subtle floral. Complex, quite nice. Taste - A honey cereal-like sweetness, faint, very light gentle smokiness from the peated Yoichi component, hint of black pepper spiciness, diluted dried longan black tea. Finish - Sweetness fades fairly quickly, but leaves a taste of a drying longan black tea sweetness with a faint tail end of black pepper, pear, and floral honey. 89/100

Nose - Honey floral fruity sweet, but like an artificial sweetener kind of sweet. Honeysuckle, white grape juice, muted coconut. Taste - Honeyed grape juice, vanilla apple juice, faint butterscotch and stronger vanilla near the end. Finish - Short, "smooth", lingering grape-apple juice, vanilla, butterscotch. 78/100

Nose - Very herbal nose of sweet mint, sage, rosemary, thyme. Like an herb infused manhattan that used vermouth that had crushed blueberries seeping in it. Oddly a hint of pine, but what is almost like pine sol. Taste - Fruity cinnamon herbs, strong initial vermouth, cherries and unripe, slightly bitter dark berries, burnt sage. Like a very herbal manhattan. Finish - Lingering bitter cherry vermouth, lightly tannic like that of a deep dark red wine. Hint of burnt orange rind bitterness, sweet mint, and this faint sweetness that's almost like a lychee. 89/100

Nose - Light peaty smoke, sweet salty brine, apples, honeydew melon. Taste - Immediately a sweet briny smoke, light bitterness like that of an oversteeped black tea. Toasted wet seaweed, toasted oats and toasted malted barley. Finish - Salty smoky seaweed, light bitterness like burnt wet seaweed, salted green tea caramel-like sweetness. Long lingering briny smoke. Light honeydew melon sweetness makes a background appearance. 80/100

Nose - Sweet vanilla, green apples, hint of cherry, ripe bosc pears, a cereal sweetness like that of Honey Smacks cereal. Taste - Vanilla brown sugar sweetness, very buttery/oily mouthfeel, cinnamon heat, lightly bitter like if you burnt an apple peel. Finish - Lingering cinnamon warmth, lightly bitter orange pith, muted candied orange peel, light bitter oak like that you get from an oaked chardonnay. 82/100

Nose - Very soft tropical nose of spicy vanilla, banana runts candies, lightly toasted coconut, buttery pineapple upside down cake, milk chocolate. Taste - Immediately get a sweet oaky vanilla, very buttery and rich caramel, subtle hint of a coconut milk pineapple curry, a very toasted sugar sweetness, like the top of a tropical vanilla sugar creme brule topping. Finish - Lingering warmth, spicy oak that has been tamed a bit by milk or coconut milk, a rock candy-like sweetness that transitions into a slightly spicy oak bitterness. 88/100