Tastes

First note, this is 40% ABV not 43%. Old-style packaging. I was very impressed with the A'Bunadh, and I thought the 16 was pretty good. Working my way down the latter, now I'm on to the 12 year-old. Nose: Fruity and floral. Apple, pear, apricot, and orange. Plum, raisin, fig, date. A nice chestnut note. Honey, toffee, malt, vanilla, and caramel. Just a bit of spice. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and oak. Solid mix of bourbon and sherry cask notes. Not too complex at the legal minimum ABV, but still an enjoyable, streamline Speyside nose. Palate: Some poundcake, plum, date, fig, and raisin. More apple, pear, and apricot. Raspberry and orange. Caramel, vanilla, toffee, malt, brown sugar, and milk chocolate. Oak, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg carry over from the nose, though, as with the nose, it's a small dose. It's tasty, but it's a bit thin. Standard Speyside. Finish: Some more dry red fruit. Raisin, date, fig. Throw in some plum and cherry. More of the floral and fruity notes. Apple, pear, apricot. Touch of the spices. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and oak. Besides the cherry note, it adds nothing new. It's on the short side, but there are layers to the finish. Can't say that about many 40% ABV whiskies. I like what I'm drinking. Definitely worth the $40 I paid. That's dirt cheap for a single malt. Though, I factored in that that price is an outlier--this stuff tends to retail no less than $10-$15 that I paid. I've seen for $20 more. At those price points, it's hard to argue for this one. For what I paid, it's a very fair value. Double cask Speyside. Standard 12 years. Subpar 40% ABV. It gets 3.25 from me. I can name several simiarly-aged with similar maturation conditions that are superior to this one. If you want to be impressed by Aberlour, jump up to the 16 or the A'Bunadh, depending on your preference toward elegance or powerful flavor. As for the 12--I'll settle for saying this is decent. Returning to this one 3 and a half years later, I bumped my score. It’s the newer packaging this time. 3.25 at $43. The value holds up much better now that tariffs and inflation have their toll most plays—while this has only gone up $3 for me. A bit more complex than I remember as well. Though it’s still far from captivating, there’s enough to enjoy with this pleasant and clean bargain of a whisky.

I often see Tamdhu described as the unsung hero of sherried scotch. So I figured I'd give the distillery a go, starting with the Batch Strength. I'm a cask strength enthusiast, so I figured I start with the uncut product. Let's see what Tamdhu is all about. Nose: As I wrote the first paragraph, I could already smell this one leaping out of the glass. It's a fruit bowl of assorted variety. Apple, pear, apricot, pineapple, orange, lemon, lime, plum, kiwi. Vanilla, butterscotch, toasted almond, marshmallow, toffee. Raisin, date, and fig signify sherry aging. Milk chocolate and frosting. A little nutmeg and some solid oak. Very sweet and a little tangy. No hint of alcohol. Amazing start. Palate: Dark red notes. Plum, raisin, date, fig, prune, raspberry, and cranberry. Strawberry as well. Dark, sweet. Syrupy and jammy. Maple and molasses. Walnut, almond, and chestnut. Caramel, vanilla, toffee, and butterscotch. Some cola. Some pear, apricot, apple in there as well. Some oak spice, along with cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Solid. Finish: Beast of a finish. Long, as you'd expect at 57.8% ABV. There's a hit of dry red fruit and nutty notes. Think trail mix. And then a spice bomb. Heaps of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Some orange peel adds a touch of citrus. Great finish. I paid $70 for this, and I have to say it's an amazing value. It's the cheapest cask strength Scotch I've ever purchased, and it can go toe-to-toe with any of them (not named Lag 12, Ugi, or Corry). Slightly preferred to Aberlour Abunadh, which is a great comparison considering both are CS Scotch. What else can I say? Highly recommended. Not sure if you can still find this, as I grabbed mine before the turn of the year. It's solid throughout, but boasts one of the best noses I've ever gotten from a Speysider. I'm officially on the Tamdhu train.

Batch No. 2 of 2015. I thought the third batch of that year, Center Cut, was one of the very best Booker's batches of all-time. And I love them all. This one is 7 years and 18 days, bottled at 63.95% ABV. Most of you have probably heard enough of me raving about Booker's so I'll just jump right in. Nose: Cherry, peanut brittle, brown sugar, caramel, and vanilla. Cocoa and orange peel as well. Heavy clove, nutmeg, and oak. Alcohol fumes are pungent, but it's expected at the proof. Good start. Palate: Caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, and cocoa. Carrot cake, apricot, peach, and orange peel. Surprisingly fruity. Lots of barrel char. Plenty of clove, nutmeg, and oak. The palate is a small step up from an already good nose. Finish: Starts off with some caramel, vanilla. Then it's all spice. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, dill, rosemary, allspice, and a heavy dose of oak. Long a finish as they make. Great stuff. As usual, I love it. I'm guilty of giving every Booker's batch I've ever tried a 5-star rating on this site. Until now. Not much of a drop-off with the 4.5 rating. It's a fantastic whiskey graded on it's own merit. As it compares to other Booker's batches, I found that it does everything well, but fails to truly distinguish from the others in any one way. This is the oldest batch of Booker's I've ever purchased. To get it all these years late for only $80 is a steal. It's practically a collector's item at this point. In fact, that's exactly what it is. If you're a Booker's fan, buy on sight. Strong effort, here.

Not enough corn to be a bourbon, not enough rye to qualify for that category. I've never had the standard Michter's Sour Mash, so in the absence of a basis for comparison, I'll try to evaluate this limited release on its own merits. Batch No. 19H1247 Nose: Gala apple, brown sugar, chewy caramel, and a heavy hit of caramel. Some leather and toffee. Apple cider and caramelized apple. Vanilla and banana. Orange peel. Walnut and almond. The aromas are mostly sweet ones, though there is a touch of spice in you search for it. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice. It's subtle, but it's there. A nice hit of oak. Surprisingly strong nose for a 43% ABV whiskey. Palate: Leather and black pepper hit first. Then it's more Gala apple. Caramel, vanilla, and plenty of orange/orange peel notes. Honey, toffee, apricot, and peach. Hefty oak note and bit of baking spice. Mostly allspice, with a bit of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove from the nose. Black pepper throughout. Finish: Apple cider, and a bit of black pepper. Chewy caramel and orange peel. Vanilla. Plenty of baking spice. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice are out in full force. Big oak. Moderate-long length, which is a pleasant surprise at 43% ABV. It's a good whiskey. I found it closely resembles a bourbon on the nose. Meanwhile the palate starts as a rye and transitions into a a hybrid of a standard bourbon and something I can't quite classify by mid-palate. The finish is a hybrid of both a bourbon and a rye. I find this intriguing. Prior to this review, I pitted this against Elmer T. Lee, another Sour Mash whiskey. I preferred ETL. But that's one of my favorites, so it's no slight to this one. On it's own merits, it's a very good whiskey. Is it worth the $90 I paid? I'd say so, on the grounds of uniqueness. Michter's defied traditional mash bill standards in the US, and came away with a quality product. I'm not sure what the Toasted Barrel added to this. From my understanding, the mash bill more had greater influence on the tasting notes than whatever the toasted barrel added. Still, I'm now very intrigued by the standard Michter's Sour Mash. I'll have to give it a buy. But if you can find this south of a C-note, I'd give this a buy. It's a very interesting whiskey and I'm glad I grabbed it.

Late 2019 I noticed a proliferation of single-cask Highland Park releases. They seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and lacked the ostentatious, over the top Nordic packaging. Important Stats: 65.5% ABV (The distiller page has it listed incorrectly). Highest proof Scotch I've owned or even tried. 12 years old. Distilled 2005, Bottled 2018. 1st Fill European Oak Sherry Puncheon. Cask No. 5187. 568 bottles produced. On to the whisky. Nose: Not a strong peat presence. There is a bit of sea salt and seaweed, but the medicinal and smoky peaty features are replaced with sulfuric notes. I get that a lot with sherried HP. Some orchard fruit: apple, pear, and apricot. Plum, honeydew, and tangerine. A jam note. Caramel, toffee, graham cracker, brown sugar, and vanilla. Cinnamon red hots and oak. ABV? Oh yeah. No punches pulled here. Quality nose. Palate: Some peat smoke. And more sea salt. Sulfur disappears. Plum, raisin, date, fig, and prune. Coupled with the sea salt, it's very drying. I actually get a Saltine cracker note. Vanilla, caramel, and fudge. More tangerine and plum. Cola and vanilla. Apple and pear. Almond and walnut. A blast of cinnamon spice. Oak as well. Finish: Long-lasting. To say the least. It's a monster of a finish. Caramel and vanilla. And then as big of a hit of spice as you've ever had. Cinnamon.Times two. Clove, nutmeg, sea salt, and oak barrel spice. Hits like a bag of bricks. I like this one. And yet, I can completely understand why most wouldn't. It's hot as hell. It's rough, borderline abrasive. But it's also everything I'd like to experience in a Highland Park expression. We've got a respectable age statement, a great cask, and an amazing ABV. HP has recently been accused of being an all-frills brand. If that's your opinion, grab yourself a burlap bag of some quality single cask HP. This is the Booker's of Scotch. More specifically, I've noticed that the spice-oriented Booker's releases have bare the yellow labeling. Annis' Answer. Kentucky Chew. Dots' Batch. All three of these share characteristics with this one. This shares a lot of those key notes, For a peated Scotch, I'd choose one of the elite Islay expressions. For spice-forward-in-your-face whisk(e)y, I'm picking Booker's. But for this is something else altogether. Highland Park outdid themselves here. I think the lesson is that minimalist packaging and scrupulous distillation-maturation is a fantastic formula. Highland Park, you're on to something. Let's keep things moving in this directio.

A few years back, I tried one of the single-digit batches of Jefferson's Ocean Aged at Sea. I was very impressed with it, though I was not nearly experienced with bourbon as I am today. So when I saw this CS version, I figured it'd be worth a try if my memories of the standard release are any indicator. Let's see how it holds up uncut. Bottle No. 029802. Nose: Lot's of standard bourbon notes. Caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, cocoa, and brownie. Maybe salted caramel. Some cherry, Gala apple, dark grape, orange citrus, and leather. Something akin to old books. Heaps of spice. Virtually all Jefferson's expressions are bottled at right around 45% ABV. At 56%, the cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and oak become very prominent. We're off to a very good start. Palate: Caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, maple, and toffee. Plenty of rye spice, black pepper, and a bit of dill. Orange citrus. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and heavy oak all transfer from nose. Some ginger slices are mixed in. Finish: Even at a relatively low proof for a cask strength bourbon, you better believe this produces a long finish. A bit of cola, raisin, and more orange citrus. And then it's waves of spicy notes: cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, allspice, oak, and dill. Strong finish. Definitely not how I remembered this from my first bottle. But then again, there are some obvious differences. Nevertheless, I am a fan. A couple things to point out. There is only one note that indicates that this was aged at sea--and it's definitely a reach--salted caramel on the nose. Superb nose. A bit of a dip on the palate that is easily redeemed with a very strong finish. Not changing the game here, but I respect the ingenuity that the Jefferson's outfit brings to the table, which results in a quality product. Don't expect a strong maritime influence with briny attributes. That is wholly nominal, and to my palate, this may as well have been aged on American soil for its entire barrel life. Go in expecting a high-quality, high rye (I base that only on my notes), and relatively high-octane bourbon, and you've got yourself a winner.

Bottle details: Bottled 2/28/18, Barrel No. 201, Warehouse A, Rickhouse 4. Bottled at 50.5% ABV, as these all are. I was thinking that this may just be a Single Barrel version of the 101, but it seems it's also an older bourbon. Let's check it out. P.S.,this is the older-style bottle, with the wide body and the turkey plumage look. Nose: Classic WT. Vanilla, caramel, cocoa, brown sugar. Gala apple and leather. Some mint chocolate in there. Plenty of baking spice. Clove, nutmeg, allspice, and a cinnamon tingle. Some pecan nuttiness, and finally tobacco smoke and dusty wood/oak. With time, I pick up some honey and citrus (orange and lime). Powerful, enticing nose. Palate: Vanilla, caramel, cocoa, and brown sugar carry over in a big way. Some cherry and raspberry provide tangy sweetness. This is further accented by zesty orange. Additional notes of toffee, milk chocolate, walnut, and almond. Spice transfers from nose: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice. Throw in some ginger for good measure. Plenty of oak to boot. Finish: Same story off the jump. The finish begins with caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, and cocoa. Especially cocoa. Transitions briefly to lime and orange, before the spice takes over. Cinnamon, clove, numteg, allspice, and oak. It's a condensed version of the nose/palate. Moderate length. Loved this one. WT has quickly become one of my favorite distilleries. It's a single barrel, so your mileage may vary. But I found that this had a truly exceptional nose, a rock solid palate, and a good finish. The nose was the highlight, but it delivered on the tongue as well. Great stuff here. Love the bottle style, as well. It's a bummer that they changed it to a more generic look, but, at the end of the day, I could care less so long as there's so decline in quality. I paid $68.99 for this, though, as I later learned, it can be purchased for significantly less. Even at the price I paid, I feel it's a great value. It's possible that this was just an exceptional barrel, but I say buy with confidence.

I was impressed with the standard Kaiyo release, so I'm looking forward to see what the peated variant has to offer. This is my first review of a peated whisky that isn't from Scotland, unless you count the High West Campfire. Should be interesting. Nose: Mild smoke and sea salt with some iodine. Sandalwood. Big orange, with some lemon juice accompanying it. Apple, toffee, honey, and vanilla. Heavy malt and some oak. Not reminiscent of Islay, nor peated Speysiders for that matter, A bit restrained, but it's a good nose. Palate: Medicinal peat, but with very little smoke. Seaweed and ocean spray. Salted caramel, vanilla frosting, toffee, and milk chocolate. Apple, apricot, honeydew, grape, cherry, and pear. Orange, lemon, and grapefruit. Some salted almonds, cashew. Cucumber. Something I'd liken to Arizona Ginseng Honey Tea. Much more complex than the nose suggests. Fruit, citrus, sweet, and nutty notes are all amplified, while the peat is consistent. Very good. Finish: The peat finally manifests as smoky and saline. Some sea salt and iodine, plus campfire smoke. Lemon drops and orange peel. Dark chocolate and raspberry add some sweet and bitter notes. Black pepper, cinnamon, and sandalwood. Moderate length. Solid finish. This is a good one. The nose is a bit muted, but the taste and finish make up for it. Especially on the palate. This is a very interesting whisky. A clear departure from other peated whiskies I've tried previously. The Mizurara Oak influence is clear, so it's reminiscent of the original Kaiyo in that regard; overall, it's pretty unique. So how does it stack up to that baseline Kaiyo expression? Similar quality, maybe even slightly better. But the fact that it costs an extra 50% on top of what I paid for the standard release hurts the value. Factoring all of this, I put this a quarter star below what I had for the original. Still a damn good whisky, and one that I'd recommend for a fan of Japanese whisky, or for someone looking to experience peated whisky in a new light.

This sample comes as a gift from @PBMichiganWolverine. This is my first experience with an IB Scotch. It comes from a distillery I'm quite fond of, and comes with a great review from the man who graciously sent this to me. Nose: Lemon and custard leap out of the glass. Some cinnamon and black pepper heat, coupled with sea salt, seaweed, and campfire smoke. A touch of band-aid, and some nutty notes. Seafood note (leaning toward shrimp.) At cask strength, this brings the heat and the peat. Great nose. Palate: Smoke, sea salt, and seaweed forward. Medicinal, iodine notes. More black pepper and citrus. More lemon citrus and black pepper. Some toffee, vanilla, milk chocolate, and honey sweetness can be found in the background, but they play second fiddle to the traditional Islay notes. Plenty of oak. Powerful experience. Finish: Long and complex. Starts off with more of the smoke and maritime notes. The shrimp note from the nose returns, and then I get a big hit of lime citrus at the perfect time. Plenty of black pepper and cinnamon. Absolute beast at 58.9%. Amazing whisky. Referencing @PBMichiganWolverine's review, I see he paid $60 for this. That's about as good a value as I can imagine considering how good this is. My first experience with an IB Scotch is a very positive one. I'll have to start giving these some due attention. My only complaint is that I'll never be able to own a bottle for myself. Would love to see how this develops with time. Thank you @PBMichiganWolverine for giving me the opportunity to try this fantastic whisky!

This was sadly discontinued a few years ago. So when I saw this in a store while visiting a friend, I had to grab it. Especially because of the positive reviews I've read around here. But also because I knew I may never have another chance to try this. So let's get into it. Nose: Similarly to the new 16 year-old Lap, the peat is turned down here. Not quite to that degree though. Lots of brine, sea salt, and seaweed. A bit of campfire smoke and sulfur in the background. Iodine and band-aid, with a bit of tennis ball. Cream, toffee, and vanilla. Apple and pear, peach. Maybe apple pie? Orange and lemon citrus. Plenty of fruit to be sure. Interesting for Laphroaig. There's also some jammy sweetness. A bit of caramel, and as you'd imagine with 18 years in the barrel, plenty of oak. Great, great nose. Palate: The peat is much more pronounced here. Campfire smoke all day, heavily supported by sea salt, seaweed, and iodine, a bit of that tennis ball. Same as the nose, but all hits much harder, especially the smoke, reminiscent of younger bottlings. Orange, nectarine, tangerine, grapefruit, and lemon citrus. Walnut, chestnut, and salted almond. Salted caramel and soft pretzel. BBQ, brisket notes. Some apple mixed in there. Black pepper and oak spice. Vanilla, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and more jammy sweetness. Wow. I'm writing a damn novella to describe what I'm tasting. And it's all unbelievably good. Finish: All the chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and tart notes hit first. Then the smoke, salinity, and medicinal notes surface. Apple, pear, and orange pop up next. Finally, it shift from orchard fruit to black pepper and oak, and then one final wave of smoke and sea salt to round what makes for a long, drying finish. As is the customary of elite Islay whiskies, I feel like I've just spent a day at the beach. Superb finish. Another winner from Laphroaig. And from a generation gone by, at this point. It's the first Laphroaig I've seen with this style of bottle/packaging. And I'm incredibly grateful that I stumbled upon it despite being late to the party. This is a truly spectacular bottle, and I find the discontinuation of this line to be perplexing. This one has really developed since I first cracked it open. It felt restrained and a bit of flat compared to my expectations. A meticulously-aged beauty like this one deserves some time to oxidation and come into its own. That's the take away here; it's absolutely phenomenal juice. Remarkable from start to finish, but I'll point out that the palate is on another level. It's what makes this one a true masterpiece. Buy on sight, no questions asked.