Tastes

Man this is a potent whiskey. Bottled at 63.9% ABV, this selection oddly tastes hotter than some slightly higher proof offerings I've tried from Highland Park. ( Westray, for example is bottled at 65.1% ABV ) The front of the taste is very sweet. Its hard to tell that this was aged in sherry seasoned casks because I don't taste the powerful influence of berries or red fruits like I normally would in a sherry cask whiskey. At this proof, the whiskey creates an interesting tingling sensation on my tongue. Not unpleasant but unexpected indeed. Toward mid mouth and all the way through, the sweetness gives way to a sensational hit of peat smoke. This whiskey finishes hot, with a stinging bite and high proof warmth. I get that cask strength selections are intended to be sampled with varying amounts of water drops. However, much to my downfall I cannot bring myself to introduce water or ice to any whiskey in the Highland Park catalogue. Still, for such a high proof offering; this whiskey still sings with the complexity I did not expect to find at this ABV. Even though this might be one of my least favorite Highland Park offerings, it is still significantly better than a lot of competing cask strength whiskies in this price point.

I love Glenmorangie selections and typically find them fruit heavy and delicate. This Cadboll Estate batch 2 is a surprising and interesting departure. Throughout the majority of the taste there is a bit of spicy heat. Not an herbaceous or alcohol type heat but the type of heat that makes your mouth and inside of your cheeks tingle a bit. It isn't unpleasant. The initial taste is very sweet, as you'd expect from ex-bourbon casks. It tastes of creamy vanilla going down and leaves a lasting aftertaste that reminds me a bit of a Werther's original. It's not bad. Given how limited these Caboll releases are, its well worth it to buy a bottle yourself to try.

This is one hot Maker's Mark! Neat on a fresh pour, it tastes like a fiery shield of alcohol heat with that familiar standard Maker's sweetness toward the end of the taste. Not the best but certainly not the worst. Its rather interesting though: I have found that I prefer Makers and Makers 46 on an ice ball while their more limited selections ( any Wood Finishing series or Select series ) I much preferred neat, high proof and all. And some of those limited selections are certainly higher proof than this 101 proof. Yet here we are: a relatively tame proof ( vs other cask strength offerings from Maker's ) that seems like it needs a bit of ice to cool down. After adding an ice ball, this bourbon all seems to come together. Sweet, with a lot of corn on the mash bill. There seems to be an almost syrupy quality about it as it coats your tongue. There is a bit of spice that I have found lacking from standard Maker's or 46..perhaps it's been too long since I've had a taste? Look: for the price of this bottle vs standard Maker's or 46; it is worth a try. But really, if its pure smoothness you're after: 46 won't disappoint. If I'm after Maker's served up high proof, any of the Private Select or Wood Finishing Series is light years better than this... but then again they are double the price or more.

Initially the nose is telling of the fruitiness of this whiskey. On initial taste this whiskey leans almost too far into the direction of Cognac, with just a hint of familiar mellow Glenlivet hanging in the background. Can't say that this is a favorite of mine. Although the price point of Glenlivet 15 Year French Oak is almost double that of this Cognac Cask, I prefer that French Oak many times over.

What an incredibly soft, almost undetectable nose. Just wisps of vanilla swirled into bread, a vanilla sweet bread if you will. The taste does an interesting dance with your tongue, cascading to the corners of your mouth and coating the taste buds like a warm pat of butter. With it, it carries some almond and brown sugar. The finish is relatively long as your taste buds ride out the sweetness and it ends with a barely detectable fragrant bread like character, like the inner portion of warm French Bread. Balvenie, you never disappoint. Except maybe in the price tags of your bottles but for a dram this tasty, I can ignore my pragmatism for one night.

The Balvenie 21 year single barrel is a symphony in what a single cask whiskey can be. The complexities of this whiskey hide behind a soft veil that blurs the definition of each unique characteristic. One could be fooled into thinking the whiskey is a bit one dimensional. By far and away the most pleasing aspect of this whiskey is the nose - its filled with floral sweetness swirled together with vanilla. So utterly sweet and plesant. The whiskey tastes a bit spicy at first, then melts away into a sea of caramel and honey. The finish is long, drawn out and concentrates on sweetness over complexity. Would have loved to have a soft whisp of peat smoke to finish the taste, but that was never to be. Is it worth the premium price? If you are a fan of the sweet tasting notes of oak, then yes. But if you're looking for a whiskey that will take you down a long journey of complex flavors, twisting and turning with each passing moment of the taste, then this might not be the whiskey to fit the bill.

First thing that comes to mind when drinking Oban is fruit. An overwhelming amount of fruit. Typically, I lean more toward oak cask or bourbons but this isn't horrible. Oban 14 is sweet and tart and I can see this being a great higher end whiskey for those that aren't hooked on typical bourbon or oak cask type flavor profiles. This whiskey is fruity, sweet and ends with a kiss of peat smoke. To me its simply an agreeable and pleasant whiskey but at this price point, it does rub elbows with some of the best of the best. Is it worth it?

Jesus Christ this whiskey smells awful. I don't know what others pick up but it smells like sharpies and rubbing alcohol to me. By far and away the worst smelling swill I've ever caught a whiff of. Luckily, the taste isn't nearly as offensive as the smell. There's not very much depth of character and this whiskey tastes dirt cheap. But usually dirt cheap can lean either too heavily into no taste at all ( watered down ) or too heavily into disgusting alcohol burn. This doesn't possess either of those qualities. It's got a light taste that is decidedly blended of cheaper malts. There is a heavy corn presence but an odd sourness toward the end of the taste. It has a very strange tongue numbing sensation going down and the after taste reminds me of the same sour qualities you may get after taking a swig of warm coke. Is it worst thing in this price category? No, not even close. But to say there are much better choices in the $30-$40 / bottle range is the understatement of the year. You could do worse, but there are so many better choices.

I know its difficult to find but really, Weller 12 year is the one to go for. I sometimes see Weller Special Reserve pop up here and there but after tasting it, I can honestly say that this is hardly as good as Weller gets. On its own, Weller Special reserve is a bit sweet and a bit herbaceous. It tastes like it has Rye in it but I'm told that it doesn't. Odd. It's spicy but not in an alcohol heat sense. This is a much different picture from its mellow, easy drinking and pleasant sibling, Weller 12 Year.

It tastes exactly how you think it'll taste. It's Maker's Mark ( Standard Maker's ) but with punched up potency. The higher proof introduces some spicy notes absent from standard Maker's. It's still sweet but with a background of heat. Otherwise, its exactly what it advertises. But here's the thing: Maker's makes some amazing cask strength and higher proof bourbons. If you're willing to shell out, get one of their special edition bourbons. 2021's Wood Finishing FAE-01 is a stunning symphony of Maker's sweetness, fruit and just enough alcohol heat to remind you it isn't standard Makers. You won't regret spending the extra dough.