Tastes

Redbreast 12 is one of Ireland’s most iconic whiskies. It also happens to one of my first higher-end whiskies. It’s remained among my favorites to this day. Nose: Green and grassy. Caramel, citrus, biscuit, and vanilla. Candied orange. Freshly-baked apple pie. Key lime pie. Sugar cookie. Walnut, chestnut, and poundcake. Oak and cinnamon. Palate: Rich, creamy, and buttery. Shortbread cookie, red berries, honey, ginger, and toffee. Apple, vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar. Cranberry, date, fig, and raisin. Finish: Mild heat that quickly fades into sweetness. Cinnamon and liquorice, followed by toffee and sherry. More candied orange. Cranberry and apple.- Moderate length. Redbreast is a great representation of classic Irish whiskey. If you’re new to the genre, it’s a great place to start. If you’re experienced, I doubt you’d get tired of this one. It’s easy-going but rich in character and extremely well-balanced. Rich and delicate. Superb stuff.

Macallan's flagship expression is one of the most widely recognized whiskies in the world. It was the second single malt I had ever tried, and the first that allowed me to truly appreciate the genre. A few years later, let's see if it holds up. Nose: This one is a heavy sherry bomb. It has a tart sweetness. Lots of dark fruit, especially plum. Cola and cinnamon. Surprisingly hot at 43 ABV. Palate: Similar to the nose. Heavy sherry influence. New car leather is dominant. Plum is still very prominent, as well as dark fruits, and maybe some prune. Slight cinnamon still lingers. Finish: Moderate length. The sherry is dominant from start to finish with this one. Now, the cinnamon is at the forefront. In the background, I get the plum and dark fruits, as well as leather. Very spicy. After all this time, it holds up. There are better sherried 12 year single malts, and there are certainly worse. Where it lacks complexity, it succeeds for being well-rounded and enjoyable from nose to finish. Overall, it's above average across the board. The traditional Macallan 12: it's affordable, it's balanced, and it's reliable. If I want a solid single malt, I can always count on finding this on the menu. Some swear that it's the best whisky around, others say it's severely overrated. I say it's as good as it needs to be to keep me buying.

Green Spot is one of the top dogs in the world of Irish whiskey. I’m about halfway through my bottle, and I have to say that I believe it warrants its status. Nose : Vanilla, citrus, slight shortbread cookie I so often find in Irish whiskey. Very vibrant nose. P: Coconut, orange, cantaloupe, vanilla cream, dark fruit. It's full and rich. My favorite part of the whiskey. F: It’s a bit short. The dark fruit and vanilla cream linger. Overall, this a damn fine Irish whiskey. It has a great nose and a sublime palate. The only area where it’s lacking is the finish. It’s very brief, which is likely a product of its low 40 ABV. $60 is a bit high for an NAS Irish, but I feel that I got my money's worth on this one. Irish whiskey has a reputation for being a very narrow category with little variable across the board. The Green Spot does a good deal to distinguish itself from the rest of the pack. It boasts a unique palate that you don't often find in this category, or any. This one is a great option for a whiskey drink at any level. Solid stuff.

I have yet to have a Booker's batch that disappoints. This is as good as any I have ever had. In the absence of a side-by-side comparison, it's difficult to peg this one on the list. However, I don' think it unreasonable to say that this could be the best. It certainly holds true to the Booker's name. Nose: Heavy caramel and roasted nut. Also vanilla and a trace of toffee. Distinctly oaky. Palate: More oak, caramel, vanilla. The nut note here comes across as peanut, something I often get with Beam products. Slight hint of citrus, as well as some barrel smoke, and maybe even some cocoa. Finish: One of the longest finishers, due in not small-part to the 63.35% ABV. Starts off with a caramel sweetness that transitions into spiciness and a little bit of smoke it fades away. The alcohol burn is formidable but still amazingly drinkable, even without water. I can always count on Booker's to come through. Kentucky Chew is damn fine even when compared with its predecessors. I used to buy these for $55, as recently as a year and a half ago. More recently, I've only seen Booker's at $90. I got this one at $75. Relatively speaking, this one is a steal. Maybe $55 really was a steal, because I would happily spend $75 on a bottle of this quality again. Well done Beam. This is a truly impressive bourbon.

Balvenie has always been one of my favorites. This is one the best--maybe the best--of their expressions that I have so far tried. Nose: It's distinctly grassy. Shortbread cookie, honey, vanilla, and cereal. It's oddly reminiscent of a quality Irish whiskey. Palate: Vanilla, bananas, cream, and toffee. Relatively dry, but not in a bad way. Finish: My favorite part of this whisky. The 48% ABV makes itself evident at this point. It packs a nice punch. The oak is prominent. It's a lengthy finish that transitions from sweet to spicy before it finally fades. Balvenie has done fine work with this one. It's strong across the board. Respectable strength, and as a bonus, it appears to be of natural color. It's a few bucks higher than I'd generally like to pay for a 12 year old, but in this case I think it's fair given the higher ABV and the quality of the juice. Well worth the money.

It's not Pappy, but I was still very excited when I got my hands on this one. Buffalo Trace has yet to let me down. If this one is a reject, I can only imagine how good Pappy must be. The nose is corn forward. Being that this one is wheated, I don't get the spicy notes that I normally get from most bourbons. I get the classic caramel and vanilla notes, as well as some almond and car seat leather. I also get a prominent note of mint that seemed to be the first to fade as I let the whiskey sit. Finally, there is a heavy oak note, as one might expect from a 12 year old bourbon. From here on, there is little deviation from the nose. Caramel and vanilla maintain a strong presence on the palate. I also get the cherry-note that I have come to associate with BT products. I still get the mint flavor from the nose. A hint of walnut as well. It's sweet, but balanced despite the absence of rye. The heavy oak notes are also consistent with the nose. The finish follows suit with the nose and palate. It's of respectable length, and holds true to the perfect balance of sweetness and heat present on the palate. Caramel, vanilla, cherry, and a hint of that mint here. This one lives up to the hype. I cost me a pretty penny, but it was absolutely worth it. It's a nice change of pace from the standard 'ryed' bourbons that I've come to love. It's apparent what isn't here in the absence of rye, but I'm not quite sure what the wheat is adding. At any rate, I'm enjoying it, and that's all that matters. If you see it, buy it. It's one of most well-balanced bourbons I've had. BT is doing everything right here. Tasting this may just be the motivation that I need to pony up for a bottle of Pappy.

Well done Laphroaig. With the Lore you've produced something that proves not all NAS releases are a waste of time and money. On the contrary, this stuff is fantastic. On the nose, I agree with the expert notes of briny peat and roasted nuts. Heavy smoke and ash. I also detect a very faint sherry sweetness. Slight fruity notes of plum and pomegranate as well. Very potent and very complex. On the palate, I am immediately met with a strong note of dark chocolate. It's an artful balance of sweetness and bitterness. The brine and sea salt carry over from the nose. The smoke is still there, but it's significantly turned down as compared to the nose. Once again, there is a faint presence of sherry influence. A slight cinnamon burn somewhere in the middle. I read something online that described a chili note in the Lore. I find that this is the most apt way to sum up the finish. The sweet and bitter notes become a spicy and that 48% ABV provides a good punch on the way out. This is a rich and delicious Islay. I highly recommend it, age statement or not. It helps that they are very transparent about the contents of the Lore on their website. I'm more than halfway through the bottle, and I must say that I'm very impressed after being disappointed by my first glass. There's a lot going on here, and I find something new every time I revisit this one. When I bought it, it was $115. Less than a month later, that same store had dropped it down to a sale price of $80. I don't want to let my unfortunate timing ruin my experience with the bottle though. I'd say it's true value is somewhere in between the two. At $115 I'd still buy it again, and at $80 it's an absolute steal. Well done Laphroaig.

Another offering from the only Lowland Scotch distillery I've tried to date. On sale for $30 a bottle, this purchase was a no-brainer. There's a good amount going on in the nose. I get coconuts and orange initially. There's also a certain grassy note present, as well as the aroma of dried fruit. A nice nose. On the palate, I get more of the coconut as well as notes of tangerine and vanilla. I get a strong oak flavor, which is no doubt a product of bourbon barrel aging. The finish fades very quickly. At this point, I'm left only with the orange/tangerine note. This is probably due in part to the low ABV. Overall, the American Oak does a fine job as a role-player in the Auchentoshan line-up. It's a solid entry level whisky and offers great value for your money. It's not all that complex, and it certainly is not a game-changer. But at its price point, it's there's nothing to complain about. I'd say this one is worth a buy for anybody seeking a budget single malt. Good stuff.

I feel like I've been saying this a lot lately, but this is another solid offering from Buffalo Trace. These guys never seem to let me down. I get heavy notes of apple cider on the nose, which carries through to the palate and the finish. I find that very enjoyable, especially at this time of year. I also get a strong black pepper note on the palate, and maybe a little cinnamon. On the finish, it's more of the apple cider taste and feel, along with the black pepper. Despite the strength of these flavors, I still get the classic rye bite on the finish to remind me what I am drinking. There isn't much else to say about this one. It's a solid rye at a very reasonable price. Definitely worth keeping in a rotation if you're a rye drinker.

I got this one as a birthday gift a few weeks ago. I've heard a great deal about Dalmore, both positive and negative, so I must say I was quite intrigued by this one. After all, it's one of the most well-known single malt distilleries, and until this one, I'd never had the chance to try it. Right off the bat, this one has one of the most interesting and complex noses I've experienced. Christmas pound cake takes the lead here. I also get apples, plums, and the new car leather I often associate with sherried Scotch. Overall, it's a superb nose. The palate is where this one falls short. I still get the fruit, pound cake, and leather, but here they all just seem muted. Somehow, the wonderful nose doesn't translate to a comparable palate. It's good, but not great. On the finish, there isn't much else to talk about. It really dissipates here. It's indistinguishable from other sherried Scotches I've had in the past. It's fine, but not memorable. Overall, I think this a fine drink for a fan of sherried Scotch. I happen to be, so I enjoy it for what it's worth. Though it was a gift, I understand that at $65 (at my local store) it is a good $10-20 more expensive than the average 12 year single malt. Definitely not great bang for your buck. There are better options in this same wheelhouse if you consider value for money. If you can find it on sale, it's worth a try. It's an enjoyable whisky; it just doesn't deserve the pricing and hype that it currently gets.