Tastes

Nose - Sweet fruity caramel, red maraschino cherries, cinnamon, mint, malted milk Taste - Lightly drying, dried cherries & cranberries, caramel, cinnamon, milk chocolate Finish - Lingering cinnamon char & spice, caramel, light oak, dried cherries Score - 87/100 Final Thoughts - This was a nice touch on their standard release which I actually haven't had in a while since I still have a stock of their cask strength releases. This added a nice bright neon red maraschino cherry vibe in addition to a light charred cinnamon and raisin vibe. It was a nice addition to the standard caramel/cinnamon/vanilla notes you typically get, but a hint of bright red dried fruits. 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 - Little hot, sharp bright sherry sweet, orange zest, bright red dried fruits (w/ water) Less heat, more vibrant/bright, addition of mint? Taste - Bit hot, raisins, ginger, orange zest, honey, caramel, light burnt sugar bitter (w/ water) Reduced heat up front, black peppercorns, light bitter orange, raisins, prunes, more fruity bitter Finish - Lingering raisins/prune sweet, orange zest & pith bitterness, flamed orange zest, dark chocolate bitter (w/ water) Lingering heat, less cloying sweet, flamed orange zest & raisins Score - 82/100 Final Thoughts - This one is nicely sherried, but it feels strangely young although I'm sure it probably is comprised of whisky from 8-12 years (my guess). Feels a bit brash up front and the heat backs it up a bit. Nice notes of bright dried fruits up front with a nice orange backbone. Nothing really off putting about this one other than the heat and the sort of brash bitterness I get with & without water. It's nice, but is really punchy and not sure I'd always be in the mood for this one. 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.

Batch #50 Nose - Mix of bright dark stone fruits and rich dried fruits, raisins, prunes, orange zest, leather, dark chocolate, dark cherries (w/ water) Bit more muted, but otherwise the same Taste - Rich lightly drying, intense juicy raisins, dark cherries, prunes, orange zest, hot ginger/habanero heat (w/ water) More dried raisins, prunes, leather dryness, dark chocolate Finish - Sweet juicy raisins, lightly drying, candied ginger, honey, cherry juice, light tart, dark sweet raisin/cherry sweet (w/ water) Slightly more drying, less heat, less tart Score - 89/100 Final Thoughts - I kind of forgot how good these releases can be. A very nicely balanced sherry bomb and done very well. Nothing really off putting about this at all and handles a bit of water very well. Rich dark stone fruits mixed with a hint of leather dryness makes this a very desserty dram that I can see pairing very well with some dark chocolate or a dark chocolate cake to help cute through the sweetness. 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.

66% ABV Nose - Dark oaky caramel, leather, sweet tobacco, light mint, cherries, cinnamon red hots (w/ water) Less cinnamon, more milk chocolate Taste - Initial heat is delayed quite a bit, cinnamon warming heat, dark caramel, oak, nice minty rye spice, mint dark chocolates, light clove (w/ water) much more drying, less heat, dill/mint emerges, charred cinnamon sticks, dark brown simple Finish - Lightly oaky & drying, lingering minty chocolates, leather dryness, light oak bitter, burnt toffee (w/ water) Lingering tingle/heat, mint simple syrup, sweet rye bread, less bitter Score - 88/100 Final Thoughts - This is a very tasty rye that really packs a hidden punch. Nose is great in that's it's a dark caramel with hints of mint and cinnamon which is great. It does remind me of some of the great single barrel WhistlePig 10 barrel selects I've had in the past, but there's just something missing from this. It's tasty, but the flavors seem to come in waves versus being a nice cohesive whole. It's still tasty and a tiny bit of water helps, but don't add too much otherwise it makes it a bit too drying. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Yes, for the price NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Grilled pineapple, golden raisins, light cinnamon, apple juice Taste - Pineapple, apricot, peach, apple juice, light "spice" heat/tingle, golden raisins Finish - Lingering grilled pineapple/peach fruit char bitter & sweet, ginger tingle/heat Score - 83/100 Final Thoughts - It's been a while since I've had the Series One, but I think that one had a bit more sweet sherry influence. This one was a bit more bright, vibrant, and highlighted the malt a bit more. The pineapple note was quite nice, but everything in this seemed a bit too "light." It's nicely balanced for sure and very pleasant to drink. I think this is more of a dram you'd reach for when you're not looking for a very complex dram, but something that you don't have to think too hard about. 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 - Chocolate covered cherries, tanned leather, anise, dark honey, stewed plums, cinnamon, hint of dried dill Taste - Dark chocolate covered cherries, charred cinnamon sticks and anise, stewed plums, dried figs, charred orange zest, chocolate covered dried blueberries, lightly tannic leather & sweet tobacco Finish - Lingering leather sweet/tannic, figs, prunes, charred orange, burnt marshmallows, Angostura bitters Score - 89/100 Final Thoughts - I'm not sure if it's the fact that I haven't really had much bourbon/rye the past few months, but this was a nice change of pace. This felt like a nice very "fall vibe" dram that's perfect for those rainy days and pairs perfectly next to a campfire with the smell of dry/wet leaves in the background. I'm not sure if this version has some of their older High West rye distillate, but it feels a bit more balanced than their previous years where they were using their own distillate, but it just didn't feel very balanced. This one felt a bit more leathery & tannic, but in a good way. It wasn't overly sweet and I think if you took this and chilled it with a bit of maple syrup or just a dark simple syrup with a maraschino cherry, without adding any bitters, it'd make a pretty great old fashioned due to the bitter/tannic vibe I already get from it. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Yes NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Gentle fresh cut apples, light sweet ashy smoke, honey sweetened black tea Taste - Light ashy smoke, bit thin, fresh cut apples, pears, lightly grassy, hint of salt Finish - Very gentle ashy heat, faint watered down apple juice sweet, cracked black pepper heat/tingle Score - 73/100 Final Thoughts - So there's nothing really bad about this pour, but at the same time there's nothing really exciting about it either. Nothing really stands out for being a 17 year Scotch and it feels kind of boring. Almost like Monkey Shoulder with a tiny bit of ashy smoke in the background. Not amazing, but not bad either. Not really many complex flavors and I'd say this is best to give someone who wants to dabble with some peat, but isn't quite ready to jump into the deep end. Overall not bad, but a bit boring. 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.

Riverflow Speyside Single Malt Morrison & MacKay / 46% ABV (Most likely an Auchroisk) Wallet Damage - Mystery Sample WB97469 from /u/throwboats but can be found for ~$35 USD per 700mL $USD per 50mL Pour - $2.50 Region/Type: Speyside Chill-Filtration: NO Nose - Unripe green apples, fresh hay, salt, crystallized honey, grassy Taste - Grassy notes, grass "funk", apple juice made from mostly cores & skins, light fruity bitterness, black peppercorns, like apple juice pressed from unripe & subpar apples Finish - Lingering light watered down apple juice, fresh grass/hay Score - 71/100 Final Thoughts - I've heard a lot of off putting notes about this one such as "freshly pissed on hay by a rabbit" but I guess I didn't quite get that? This definitely had some grassy/hay "funk" but I guess it wasn't quite that bad for me. This tasted like a poorly made apple juice that had some hay & fresh grass that fell in it & soaked for a while. It wasn't bad, but at the same time I don't think it's something I'd really reach for very often if at all. It had this bitter apple juice vibe that I tend to get from most Glenmorangie stuff (except their Signet) that sort of throws me off from most Glenmo stuff. 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 - Fresh red berries, honeycomb, lactic funk, saline, ripe plums (w/ water) Pretty much the same, but more vibrant Taste - Burst of ripe plum, saline, honey, orange zest, ginger heat, apples (w/ water) Ripe plums, candied orange zest, candied ginger, orange zest, much more vibrant and brighter Finish - Gentle heat, plums, orange bitters, gentle fruit stem bitter (w/ water) Fresh but tart plums, more red berry tannic skin sweet, oranges Score - 86/100 Final Thoughts - This one is much better than Adam's first Black Art attempt, but it's still lacking a bit of something. It's still quite good, but I guess doesn't quite live up to the Black Art hype. This one is very unique in that I get a lot of fresh/ripe plum notes in this one that's quite nice. Not sure what kind of casks impart that flavor, but I quite enjoyed it. This almost feels like Adam was trying to compensate for what he did with the first Black Art and made this one much more vibrant and have more sweet notes than his 5.1. Much better nose in that it's brighter and feels more vibrant and lively. Better balance of flavors throughout and just generally more enjoyable from start to 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 - Dark tannic red wine, dark red berries, dark caramel, plums, dried currants, dried cherries (w/ water) Less tannic, dried apples, dark cherry juice, plums, dusty white peppercorns Taste - Gentle white pepper heat, fruity tart & tannic cherry juice, candied ginger, saline, cocoa powder, chili powder, raisins but w/o the sweetness (w/ water) Dry peppercorn heat, unsweetened cherry juice, unsweetened cocoa powder, dried apples, poached pears Finish - Lingering gentle tingle, sweet but tart cherry juice, dark chocolate covered candied ginger, chili powder/sweet paprika (w/ water) Lingering gentle tingle, lightly tart/bitter cherries, cherry pit bitter, unsweetened cocoa powder, light saline Score - 81/100 Final Thoughts - I have mixed feelings about this one because I feel as if I should enjoy it more than I did, but I really can't. There's nothing really bad about it, but it's just kind of boring and I think if I tasted this blind, I'm not sure I'd be able to pick it out as being Bruichladdich. I know Adam had some pretty big shoes to fill, but I have a feeling this one was either rushed or a cat ran through the blending room & just knocked a bunch of stuff into a vat & they just decided to go with it. It feels like they tried to incorporate some very tannic red wine finished/matured whisky with some dry sherry finished whisky and ended up with a blend that pulled only mediocre notes from both. There's none of that rich sherry goodness nor that bright tannic, but sweet lactic funk from a wine finished Bruichladdich. What you end up with is like a dark chocolate covered tart cherry, but they forgot to add any sugar, so you have this sort of bitter, tannic, tart "dessert" that is almost there, but not quite. Water brightens up the nose a bit, but doesn't help it much. 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.