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Hakushu Heavily Peated (2013 Release)
Distiller Score 94
Nose: Rubber and Iodine, Peat and Pepper, Hay. Tongue: Peat, Ham and Pepper, Grass, Plum and Honeycomb, Cedar and Cinnamon Cream, Bell Pepper. Notes: Wow. These guys know what they’re doing. Reminding me of Bruichladdich, in the best possible way.
Reviewed by Pedro Shanahan
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Kornog Peated Single Malt Whisky
Distiller Score 83
A creamy and smoky nose reveals notes of toffee, chocolate-covered toasted marshmallows and buttered vanilla while the palate offers richer flavours with hot spices and a more present smokiness. The finish is fruity, smoky and peppery. A French whisky with attitude!
Reviewed by Anne-Sophie Bigot
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Paul John Peated Select Cask Single Malt
Distiller Score 88
Islay-style peat but not Islay-style flavor dominates the nose and palate leaving little room for the distillery house-style to shine through. Although this whisky is somewhat one dimensional, it is so laced with the medicinal qualities favored by peat freaks that it brings a new dimension to the term “peat monster”. Hints of black licorice add interest, if not complexity.
Reviewed by Davin de Kergommeaux
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Nikka Taketsuru 17 Year Pure Malt
Distiller Score 92
A lovely sweet spice hits your nose that is very inviting. There's a smoky aroma, but it has more of a sweet char rather than a vegetal peat quality to it. Gentle peat comes through on the palate, but is intermixed with creamy vanilla and pear fruit. Though the finish could be longer, it is pleasurable.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Nikka Yoichi 15 Year
Distiller Score 96
White fleshed fruits and maple syrup pay a visit along with a fair amount of peat smoke. A lovely richness coats the inside of your mouth while you detect some sherry notes on your palate. Almonds and gentle dark baking spices along with caramel apples put the finishing touches on the whisky.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Bakery Hill Peated Malt
Distiller Score 93
A damp morning after a bushfire delicately rises from the whisky, the tobacco-softened earth a wonderful afterthought on the first intake of breath. The few remaining embers glow softly and highlight small hints of vanilla, fudge, and caramel that are welcome bystanders. At the end there is another hint of fresh grass, although this whisky’s true strength is that smoldering fire. On the tongue, seaside salt is sprayed through atop burnt toast and vanilla beans; the rich smoke, earth and tobacco now joined by a slight hint of nutmeg. The finish is medium and beautifully soft, with prickly salt and cooling smoke running through it all.
Reviewed by Marcus Parmenter
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Lark Single Malt Single Cask
Distiller Score 95
Of the three standard offerings from Lark, this is by far the most fruit forward of the bunch. Think school-lunch fruit salad from the can. Barrel spices and smoke are minor characters in this play. Oak comes through on the back end and is just a touch on the bitter side. The price is a bit steep so this may not be your everyday dram, but the quality and taste will not make you regret your purchase.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Amrut Single Cask Peated Barley Port Pipe
Distiller Score 87
Waxy aroma with spearmint, big fruit, and loads of peat smoke. Pepsin chewing gum comes to mind. Vague hints of chocolate and clean grain in the background and there's a beautiful balance of peat and fruit over wonderfully brisk hot pepper. Water sweetens it while emphasizing the heat and the peat. It has peaty flavors, but not Islay peat and is less “Porty” than expected.
Reviewed by Davin de Kergommeaux
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Stauning Peated Whisky 5th Edition (Bottled 2015)
Distiller Score 94
The smell of a forest after a rain, wet leaves, and brine take precedence in the first impression of this whisky followed with a wisp of smoke. The smoke comes to the forefront--gently--with a curiously herbal quality, almost as though the smoke were from burning sage. As it sits, vanilla and dark chocolate come out; water brings up the salt and peat.
Reviewed by Nicole Gilbert
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Lot No. 40 11 Year Cask Strength
Distiller Score 94
This rye doesn’t waste anytime establishing whopping rye spices that are leathery and a little smoky. Maple, oak, ripe fruit, rye bread and some vanilla are swept up by a spicy current with a petite floral touch. Yes, this rye brute will give you roses. The rye spice finish rises from a purr to a roar with plum jam notes waiting at the finish line.
Reviewed by Blair Phillips
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Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt (Release 3)
Distiller Score 87
Ripe banana and a healthy dose of peat appear on the nose with the smoke settling into a crispiness that is packed with orchard fruits seasoned with grassy grains. A slight vegetal note adds further character and complexity. The whisky hits the mouth with a crunchy nuttiness, clove and mild oak tannins that tug at the peated malt. The grassiness puts on the breaks in the finish replaced by citrus slamming down the gas and smoking the tires.
Reviewed by Blair Phillips
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White Oak Akashi Single Malt
Distiller Score 70
A very approachable expression with a rather honey-forward nose boasting notes of fresh orchard fruits, peaches, oak and a subtle smokiness. The palate delivers more honey, sweet spices and herbal/earthy aromas. All that said, the obvious lack of depth and subtlety makes the whiskey overall a disappointment.
Reviewed by Anne-Sophie Bigot