Tastes

Wicker furniture and a touch of florality on the nose, with brown sugar and cooked cherries emerging with time. The palate opens with more maple syrup, dark vanilla caramel, and a near-chocolate finish. Decent body, could handle a couple drops of water to help open things up and temper the oak impact. Very strong 4.25!

Herbaceous peppermint, campfire smoke, and sweet coconut oil aromas on the nose. The palate opens with honeyed pear, joined by bitter black pepper and burnt orange peel. The finish really brings the peat home: briny and ashy, tobacco, mushroomy meatiness with torched rosemary herbal notes. A legendary whiskey and greatly appreciated Christmas gift.

This proofy guy shows its heat on the nose to start: acetone and wicker furniture, with deep notes of brown sugar (maybe maple syrup), vanilla, and barrel spice. The rich, oily palate brings dry oak tannins, more brown sugar and vanilla, a little apple(?), and finishes with slight herbal notes of spearmint. Still smooth and so welcoming despite the proof – a warm hug the whole way down. A new daily drinker to be sure!

Aromatic vanilla and coconut notes marry peppermint, incense, and smoked ham on the nose. The palate opens with floral honey sweetness, barley sugar, even hints of grapefruit, leading into ashy pipe tobacco smoke character. The finish brings more bitter cocoa notes to round out the burnt elements from the peat. Definitely a Peat Monster, but absolutely punching well above its weight price-wise. No added colour, non-chill filtered. Much to adore here, complex and bringing ample but balanced smoke and sweetness – please try it if you’re a fan of Islay scotch (Caol Ila and Laphroaig make up most of this whiskey) or just want to get your world rocked! Also, if you’re flying through the domestic terminal of the Calgary airport (YYC), the liquor store near the gates has an amazing whiskey selection at greatly desirable Alberta prices. Got some Christmas gifts (for others too…) while I was passing through over the holidays.

Light vanilla, maple syrup, and baking spices (cinnamon) on the nose. The palate is rather soft, opening with barley sweetness quickly subsumed by an ashy peat impact. From the ashes (smirk), a defined almond/marzipan note fills out the mid-palate, finishing on Sun-Rype apple juice sweetness.

Vanilla, coconut, vibrant pear, sea brine, perhaps green apple on the nose. The palate brings a delicious balance of honeyed pear (maybe stonefruit) sweetness and tobacco, with a touch of licorice. Someone else’s unwanted gift that I’m more than happy to help dispose of.

An older bottle to be sure. Musty moss, leather, and old tree bark on the nose – earthy notes dominate. Corn nut-like grain and honeyed pear sweetness dominate the palate. Kind of a weird entry point to Glenfiddich for me, after all these years.

Vanilla dominant on the nose, with notes of cherry candy and cinnamon. The soft palate disappears quickly but presents with some baking spices, grain sweetness, and oak tannins. Drinkable, though not too remarkable for its price point.

Sweet apple, aromatic coconut (no, not sunblock), and dark raisins on the nose. The palate is soft, brown sugar and a touch of warm spice, finishing with smooth but a little hollow vanilla shortbread. A perfectly drinkable Irish copper pot style dram, though falling a bit short of being interesting.