Tastes

Nose - Dark toffee, almost burnt, dark chocolate, hint of salt, wisp of smoke, black pepper, light tannic red grape skin vibe, sweet lactic funk (w/ water) Much more vibrant, smoke is a bit more apparent, smells juicy yet dry Taste - Sweet dark toffee, light tannic red grape skins, salt, lactic "funk", buttery caramel, sweet smoke, golden raisins, red berries (w/ water) Adds much more fresh red berries, black peppercorn skins, less dark toffee vibe Finish - Lingering ginger tingle, caramel, golden raisins, gentle red grape skin tannic (w/ water) Less tingle/heat, fruity caramel, juicy red berries Score - 94/100 Final Thoughts - There's so much going on here and it's amazing. On the nose it feels like almost burnt caramel, but in a very good way. It's like a super dark toffee with dark chocolate, but at the same time, there's this very juicy grape/raisin vibe, with this tannic red grape skin tannic feel. It's all very strange, but works amazingly together. This transfers to the palate too where you get this dark sugary, buttery caramel vibe, but mixed with this tannic red grape skin, but also juicy fresh berry vibe. It feels like you took a bit of dark chocolate, dark treacle toffee, red grape skins, and fresh raspberries and somehow blended all the flavors into one cohesive drink. This is all sorts of delicious from start to finish. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - I might grab another NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price. Whiskey Network Review #765

Nose - Light charcoal/black pepper smoke, light salt, golden raisins, salt cured plums (w/ water) Bit more vibrant, less plum, more salty parmesan rind, cracked black peppercorns Taste - Salty sweet smoke, saline, salt pickled plums, gentle black pepper heat, light sweet lactic "funk" (w/ water) Ashy smoked meat sweet, salted sweet smoked meats, pears, almost teriyaki like sweetness Finish - Lingering gentle heat, light lactic funk, sweet pickled plums, saline (w/ water) Dry ashy smoke, sweet savory/meaty salmon jerky vibe Score - 86/100 Final Thoughts - This was quite the strange beast as it felt like two different pours once I added a bit of water to the pour. The nose was quite hidden on this one and only really opened up after I added some water. What's really strange is that I got this sweet salty preserved Asian hard plum vibe from this without water and once I added a bit of water, it completely disappeared. The plum was replaced by this sweet teriyaki meat/salmon jerky vibe. I guess it's good that you get two vastly different experiences from this one, but it just wasn't really up my alley. Compared to the 10.2 I felt like this one felt much more savory sweet smoked meats and I couldn't really distinguish that this might have been a sauternes finish. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Probably not NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Sweet smoke, black pepper, sweet teriyaki "meat" jerky, saline (w/ water) less "meaty" and more fruity Taste - Sweet ashy smoke, sweet golden raisins, black pepper, saline, lightly sour lactic/sour grape "funk", savory sweet smoked meats (w/ water) Sweet "dry" smoke, more peppery, salt, golden raisins, white pepper tingle, lactic sour "funk" is more apparent at the tail end right after the swallow Finish - Lingering white pepper/ashy sweet, sweet golden raisins (w/ water) same Score - 94/100 Final Thoughts - I'm not entirely sure if I just really like things out of Bruichladdich or if they just have the perfect peat for my palate as even their Octomore, which is supposedly some of the highest ppm levels of "peat" doesn't feel too overly so to me. I think it's such a clean peat in addition to their spirit which, to me, has this unique lactic "funk" along with salt that just hits my palate just right. Everything about this is just the right amount of sweet + savory for me without being overpowering. Maybe it's the fact that this is a slightly older Octomore or maybe it's the fact that it's had some sauternes influence, but this just hits most of the buttons I just like. 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 - Cinnamon, cloves, caramel, hint of minty dill, sweet green grassy vibe (w/ water) Same Taste - Cinnamon, clove, brown sugar, hint of mint/dill (w/ water) Same Finish - Light bitter clove sweetness, gentle cinnamon brown sugar (w/ water) Same Score - 80/100 Final Thoughts - On the nose, has hints of that minty/dill rye vibe I get. Lightly dark/woody clove vibe with brown sugar sweetness. Nothing amazing, but at the same time nothing really off putting either. This feels like it'd be good to sip on when you just want a nice "spicy" rye but I feel like this would handle a manhattan or basic old fashioned pretty well. 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.

Sherry Cask 4575 Nose - Feels a bit hot, lots going on here, dried apricot, candied ginger, dried apple rings/orange/pineapple, fresh papaya, honey (w/ water) Reduces the heat, but otherwise mostly the same Taste - Bit hot, candied ginger, Hawaiian POG juice in a gummy form, dried pineapples, hint of dried persimmon "funk", super ripe papaya "funk", lightly fruity bitterness, orange zest (w/ water) Honey, dried tropical fruits, caramel, raisins, adds a bit of spicy milk chocolate Finish - Lingering heat, tropical fruits, persimmon/papaya "funk", unripe bananas (w/ water) Lingering warmth, tropical fruits, less "funk" Score - 91/100 Final Thoughts - So this was a bit of a surprise to me as it was all over the place right after I poured it. After a tiny bit of rest, a plethora of dried & fresh tropical fruits emerged and added to the complexity on the nose. Felt a bit hot on the nose without water and it accurately translated so on the palate as well. This was a nice mix of fresh & dried tropical fruits with a bit of this fruity "funk" that I usually get from fresh papaya or dried persimmons, but I think some people might get as sulfur. I'm not typically a huge fan of this, but it somehow works pretty well here. This feels oddly tropical and a bit of water helps reduce the funk and accent the fresh & dried tropical fruit vibes I get from 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.

58.2% Nose - Raisins, prunes, hints of bright fresh red raspberries, caramel, toffee, light berry fruit snack vibe (w/ water) Mutes the sweetness a bit but otherwise the same Taste - Bit hot, hot fruity habanero/white peppercorn/ginger heat/tingle, mixed dried berries, raisins, blueberries, cranberries, hint of orange, caramel, apples (w/ water) Delays the heat a bit, more orange and orange juice, honey, caramel, raisins, less dark berries Finish - Lingering heat/tingle, light metallic dried fruit, orange oil (w/ water) Same but the metallic vibe is gone Score - 83/100 Final Thoughts - This one was pretty tasty, but a bit hot on the palate through the finish. The nose magically hides the heat and once it hits your tongue, you realize it's quite higher proof. Nice dried berries lighten with some orange without water and some water tones down the berry a bit with more orange which is kind of nice. This one is tasty and a bit on the sweet side, water helps, but the heat sort of kills this one a bit and makes it hard to drink without a bit of water to tone down the heat and remove the fruity metallic bitterness. 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 - Dark dried syrupy stone fruits, syrupy sweet raisins/prunes, toffee, candied ginger, hint of orange (w/ water) Same, but has this extra effervescence vibe like sparkling mineral water Taste - Sweet dark raisins/prunes, chocolate, toffee, ginger heat/tingle, chocolate covered candied ginger/orange peels, touch of salt (w/ water) Softens the initial heat, but just delays it until the end, still quite sweet, not as syrupy mouthfeel, but otherwise the same Finish - Lingering heat, dark syrupy sweetness of raisins/prunes lingers, wisp of orange (w/ water) Same Score - 83/100 Final Thoughts - This one definitely screamed sweet PX finish/maturation as it was dark syrupy raisins/prunes from start to finish. Sadly it was a bit on the sweet side & felt like a dessert pour that would be best enjoyed with some super dark, bitter chocolate to help tame the sweetness a bit. It handled water quite well in that the flavors didn't drastically change, but it still remained quite sweet. This is tasty, but I think I'd reserve this for a dessert pour versus something I'd reach for regularly. 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 - Sweet clean smoke, watered down honey, light pear, gentle floral & citrus notes Taste - Gentle, lightly ashy smoke, black peppercorn heat/tingle, pear, watered down honey, light lemon biscuit, very "clean" malt forward spirit Finish - Lingering gentle ashy smoke, black peppercorn spice, watered down honey, charcoal Score - 80/100 Final Thoughts - This is a very basic, inoffensive malt forward Scotch. The peat in this one isn't too intense and it is a fairly clean ashy smoke vibe. Very gentle malt notes, light pear, watered down honey with a hint of lemon zest in the background. Not overly complex, and no off putting notes, just a bit boring. I feel as if this would get lost in a cocktail and is best sipped neat. This is one of those where there's not much to it so you have a pour when you want something to sip on as you're out doing yardwork or something. 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 - Soft sweet smoky malt, buttery ash, untoasted sesame seeds Taste - Gentle sweet smoke, light ash, sweet malt, like a sweet light lager/pilsner, gentle black pepper, orange/lemon zest, chocolate Finish - Lingering gentle sweet smoke, lemon, gentle black pepper heat Score - 82/100 Final Thoughts - I've tried this before but I believe my palate was definitely fatigued but I thought it was a fairly inoffensive peated malt then and I think the same now. The peat is nice & subtle and if I had to describe this, I'd say it's like the Glenlivet/Glenfiddich 12 for peat. It's not super exciting but nothing really off putting about it. What's really interesting about this is that it doesn't really have any dominant fruit notes (not even apple or pear) that I get from pretty much every other Scotch. This is just pure malt, like literally a stronger beer in its purest form. It's super clean and fairly boring, but very inoffensive. 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.

Nose - Beautiful mix of fresh & dried apples, grilled pineapple, golden raisins, strawberries, caramel, honey Taste - Light lactic funk, saline, apple custard creaminess, lightly bitter apple skin/stem/core, light dried tropical fruit vibes, orange creamsicle, fruity/acidic coffee/espresso, lightly effervescent, almost like a less sweet orange Fanta Finish - Gentle warmth, creamy mouthfeel, light tropical fruit "funk", gentle salt Score - 92/100 Final Thoughts - So Adam Hannett continues to improve on his previous Black Art releases with this one. Beautiful nose on this one and it feels like a mix of multiple different casks. Nice and fruity, but also nice notes of caramel from what I'm guessing are ex-Bourbon to hold this back from being too sherry & wine cask forward. Beautiful balance of flavors, but somehow there is this bit of bitter apple peel/core that gets a bit too distracting. I think it wouldn't have been too bad if there was more sweetness to it, but a lot of flavors are competing against each other in this one and the bitterness is a bit too much for the subtle flavors. I think I'm being a bit too critical here as it really is put together quite well, but it is a bit distracting for what's there. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe, but only if I could find it for ~$300 NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.