Tastes

A favorite for my everyday go-to. Sweet honey, peppery spice with a touch of ocean breeze. Not on the top shelf, but beloved none the less. Very underrated, but that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

A new purchase and, oh, it's a good'n! Worth looking for. Green peat on the nose with a bit of sour apple and sweet iodine. Incredibly sweet smoke and peat on the arrival. Gives way to some sour apple again. Great oily mouth feel. Finishes with alternating waves of sweet peat, smoke and a hint of mint. NAS, so young, and would be splendid with a little more time I suspect. Update: In the end, it's just too young and raw. Will be not be reserving shelf spot.

A good solid rye at 101 proof. A fine replacement when I can't find Rittenhouse. Try mixing with 1/2 Old Weller 107 for a full and rich Manhattan. What a great value at $27 for 1L!

Good solid bourbon without the overwhelming corn notes. Sweet, full and rich with enough spice and abv to make a fine Manhattan. Will jot more notes after I get to know it a little better neat. Okay, this is just about my favorite bourbon at this point. The wheat adds a great spice level and the heat keeps the show going. Great with Wild Turkey Rye 101 in a Manhattan.

You know, it's ok. In my search for the perfect Manhattan, this was clearly not it. Not bad, but doesn't do anything for me.

Batch 005. This one's a keeper. Laphroaig 10 at cask strength! For the strength and peat, it has a sweet nature about it that I find very appealing. Lemon comes through after adding some water. Beautifully long, smoky and briney finish. I have blended this with a couple of other single malts and it works very well for this!

A nice rye, but makes a good Manhattan. I love the Rittenhouse, High West, Sazerac, but this makes a better Manhattan. Even at only 40%, this has richness as a mixer that is hard to beat.

Intense fruit, honey, spice, floral and vanilla on the nose with a bit of ocean in the distance. Amazing. Creamy vanilla fruit explosion in the mouth. This one loves some water. Three teaspoons still leaves it with plenty of heat to keep things interesting. After a few more tries, I'm just not reaching for this one as much. Probably won't replace the bottle on my shelf.

Sweet and gentle islay peat with a twist of lemon. Only 40% so drink neat. Peat lingers nicely in the finish. Sophisticated and gentle, maybe a little too much for my taste, but nice. . . .Having said that, over time this one has become a go-to for me. Great mix of sweet, rich and peat. I wish it was bottled at 43% or 46% and non-chill filtered. (10/2015) Revisit after a Cali Costco shopping trip ($45). It's been a while. As above, but even more interesting than I remember. Luscious mouth feel and definitely improves with a few drops of water. . . . the nose opens up with more over-ripe orchard fruit. Pleasant heat on the palate and a gently lingering finish. $50 well spent.