Tastes

Not happy with this at all so far. Rubbing alcohol on the nose and follows on the palate. No age statement so I assume this is young. The ultimate test (Manhattan) is fair at best. Will revisit.

Expert review is spot on. Excellent.

Lots of vanilla, baking spices and cinnamon on the nose. Rye spice and fruit on the palate. Good amount of heat going into a medium finish. Makes a fine manhattan, which is what I'm after.

A fine sipper with good heat, vanilla, honey and lots of rye. Medium finish. But, ill tempered when it comes to mixing. Does not play well with others! Will not buy again.

Intense burnt butterscotch on the nose. Very hot vanilla and butter on the palette with a hint of rye spice. Creamy mouth feel. Water calms the heat, but the finish remains long. Not much of a mixer, but a nice rye-ish sipper.

Hotter, younger and rougher than the 12. A fine whisky, but why not buy the more refined 12 for less $? To the store for more 12 y.o.!

Over-ripe orchard fruit, honey and earthy swamp (bog?) on the nose. Unique but a bit off-putting. Immediate orchard fruit on the arrival which leaves the party far too soon. Astringent and bitter tea through the middle and finish, with the peat bog becoming the singular event. Good warmth throughout for 40%, but only add a drop of water. Moderately oily mouth-feel. Not my cup of tea.

Having tried my first bottle around four years ago, I think my palate has changed more than the whisky has. What was a fairly luke-warm remembrance (3.5 rounded up to 4) has become a deep appreciation. Of my current collection of 15 or so excellent bottles, I have reached for this more often than any except my dear friend, Old Pultney 12. Sweet and sour nose with intense lemon. On the palate, a warm explosion of honey, fruit, spice and peat tapering off to a medium-long finish. 4.25 today.