Tastes

I was nervous for this since I hate the 3yo that they put in Mcclelland's, but it isn't too bad. Nose is some sort of sweet bready note had reminds me of something, but I can't quite place it. There is also burnt sweet and fruit notes that hang around with the peat, malt, and brine notes. The palate is sweet, savory, and smokey with the sweetness starting as fruity but then developing into a sickly sweet. It's malty and a brine peaty still but the rotten like sweetness is just not my thing. The finish is respectable and my favorite part with the smoke and sweetness of a dries fruit lingering. I actually think it's a pretty complex dram and worth a try, but I just don't think Bowmore is down my alley of taste. On later visits I figured that what I don't like is the brine note similar to Laphroaig, but with the complimentary citrus and earth notes I enjoy changed to sweet ones.

Heavy honey butter toast and ethenol with some drippy sweet butterscotch in the nose. Tastes like a sugar free butterscotch hard candy though. Maybe a bit of salt that brings it more to the caramel side than butterscotch at the end. That lasts until the finish and is joined by ethenol. Looking forward to when they release their own stuff.

Orange marmalade on a biscuit jumps out on the nose. Much of the same in the taste but more honey than an orange citrus flavor and with some ethenol heat. The finish is not pleasant for me. A bit sweet and metallic with lots of ethenol. Overall tastes like what it is, a budget Irish.

Nostalgic to put in these notes. Ardbeg 10 was the second bottle of whisky I ever bought. Nose is ashy, burnt river stone, and vegetal malt. It tastes like a burnt end of dark meat dropped into the ashes initially but the develops with sweet malty notes. Cocoa and ash on the back end leading into a sweet and ashy finish. Oh it's the same Ardbeg we all love. The lower the bottle gets and the more you dive into the 10 the more you will appreciate it. More chocolate comes out and the ash marries with it as oxidation slowly takes affect. Water brings forward the sweet ashy notes throughout, but tames it a bit much for me. It also brought the river stone note forward.

I get grapes and wood on the nose along with some slight leather and clean eucalyptus notes. It's very sweet and light. The palate is really good and complex, deeper than the nose would lead you to believe. Wood and leather of a study, lots of dark earthy tones that are complimented by a light sweetness. Finish is moderate but good with more earthy notes being joined by some medicinal bitter sweet ones. I really enjoyed this and definitely look forward to more from this distillery. Later visits brought some dark chocolate or coffee out on the back end of the taste and into the finish, it's a good one!

Tasted as part of flavor profile education. The corn is rich on the nose. Sweet and dusty note. Overall it's bright and shiny but does get tad darker with a sweet note taking over. The first taste you get is bright sweet and sour notes. As you sit with it it actually develops into a darker dram with richer sweet and savory notes. The finish is sweet and corn dusty. Really surprised by how good this actually is. At the very least it helps me to narrow down the band of flavor profile corn produces. A bit of water actually brings a few things as well so don't forget to try it. An interesting use: take a sip of this before a dram of bourbon. It will acclimate you to the corn and you'll find some new stuff in the bourbon.

Nose is musty and sweet corn. Some peppery jalapeno notes. First taste is just sweet and pleasant. Cinnamon, sweetness, some corn dust. Chocolate and grass notes as it sits. The finish is a bit spicy after the sweetness wears down and is pleasant and long. For the price this is a fantastic whiskey. Only my second wheated bourbon and I'm thinking I might prefer them. Added water on another visit but it just cranked up the sweet jalapeno and made everything else boring.

Nose is a very rich version of typical rye to me. Spicy, herbal, and medicinal. Think anise and cloves with a sweet grass note. It tastes like it smells and this one has a great spicy finish that sticks around while adding some vanilla bean. If you are a whisk(e)y nerd than this is a good one to get the taste markers with. Add a drop of water to turn this into a sweet bomb. The vanilla and sugar comes out to make it a great spicy sweet.

The 12yo was a go to dram for me for years. On the nose this one is very sugar sweet. A dark rich brown sugar with rich savory notes. The palate continues with the rich sweet notes. Some leather and river stone notes too. The finish is very nice and makes me think of an old study with a leather chair. The port influence overwhelms this dram from start to finish. Water opens it up with wood and leather adding to the rich sweet nose. The taste gets even sweeter but the water brings out a spicy oak note that I love and loved on the 12yo. The finish gets a bit spicy and smokey but it's still with the rich sweetness. I recommend the water with this one. I think the extra 2 years in port was a mistake and miss the 12yo but this one is still great if you are in the mood. The 12 really got me into looking for notes and was the first dram my wife ever liked so there is an emotional side to it. I have a single bottle of the 12 I found that I'll open up and do an A/B with someday.

Nose is sherry and malt. Lots of fruity notes. When it first hits your tongue you get a rush of sweetness but it does develop a bit to a sweet maltiness. As I keep sipping on it a get a bit of the Irish bread note but the single malt flavor is dominant. The finish is a thin malt and metallic sweetness, but it's a pretty respectable length. This dram is like mixing a low end sweet Scotch single malt with a low end Irish pot still. It is pretty and nice but leaves me wanting for deeper flavors.