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Nikka Whisky From the Barrel
Distiller Score 92
The nose is very complex and tends to drift. Cedar cigar-box and exotic woods are ribboned with smoke and peat accents. A sherry influence is layered into the blend and if you wait long enough, soy sauce, celery and other umami components are part of the drift. This whisky dances across all taste buds with cloves, cinnamon and orange zest seasoned by salt spray. A walnut like bitterness accompanies the extended finish. A very rich blend.
Reviewed by Blair Phillips
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Hellyers Road Slightly Peated Single Malt
Distiller Score 92
Floral smoke begins this dram with mingling, delicate peat residing in the back, letting the delicate nuts and vanilla come through with honey sultanas and a leather twist, the whole adventure being rich and fulfilling. On the tongue the peat is doughy, and moves towards toasted malts before arriving at small orchid fruit, fragrant roses, and a cinnamon dusting. The finish is long and fulfilling, pleasantly glazed with hay, leather smoke and salty peat.
Reviewed by Marcus Parmenter
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J.P. Wiser's Union 52
Distiller Score 96
This whisky deserves applause breaks between sips. The usual suspects of caramel and vanilla drift from the nose, but they’re chaperoned by spearmint, rye bread, pipe tobacco, cherry, earthy oak and roasted nuts. All of these ravishing flavors carry on to the palate capped off by flourishing smoke. Then the shape shifting begins from smoky to sweet accented by a dry spiciness. This large and lovely whisky comes in a chunky bottle that can take a high five. Something you’ll feel inclined to do.
Reviewed by Blair Phillips
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Penderyn Peated
Distiller Score 88
Round, juicy plum and apple notes muscle through the ash and wispy smoke, which are relegated to the background on the nose. There’s a lot of brawn behind the fruity brightness. A kinda surprising cinnamon spiciness pushes the fruit to the side on the palate. The water amplifies the spice and washes away the fruit, leaving a musty storage-room floor in its wake--in the best possible way. The cinnamon—with all the intensity of a fireball candy –lingers with a slow burn on the finish. A bold and dynamic dram, one that will definitely have people talking about the UK’s least talked about country.
Reviewed by Liza Weisstuch
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Forty Creek John's Private Cask No. 1
Distiller Score 95
The nose is bursting with fragrant woods, citrus, brown sugar, vanilla, and figs. Avoid the temptation to splash a couple of drops behind the ears. In the mouth, hot ginger and solar spice flares start immediately, strong enough to disrupt cell phone reception. They don’t end, rather they build with each sip. The finish is long and loud where the spices smash guitars then kick over the drum kit. Don't spend too long reflecting on the fact that you may have cracked the seal on a collector’s item. Regret nothing.
Reviewed by Blair Phillips
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Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt
Distiller Score 87
Like the cask strength version of this whisky, there are fruity aromas, but this 92 proof version seems to highlight more maple syrup and barrel spices. As you exhale after tasting, you taste fireplace smoke with a tinge of maple lingering in the background. The peat seems to become more gentle as you continue to drink with the sweet fruit dousing the flames, so to speak.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Gibson's Finest Rare 18 Year
Distiller Score 90
This is a loaded whisky that teeter-totters with fruity rye, a spicy oak-forward bouquet and sweet vanilla caramels on the nose. The palate is the reverse. It starts with the sweeter vanilla then the spicy oak soars with an undertone of fresh wood and sawdust. The whisky lands with a citrus pith parachute onto the same wood platform that has supported it through the entire ride. A Canadian classic.
Reviewed by Blair Phillips
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Lohin McKinnon Canada Anniversary Limited Edition
Distiller Score 89
Fat raisins drenched in a smoky comforting blanket accented with a subtle trace of doused fireworks. Fresh cereals weave with the gentle peat from the nose. Smoke and honey are playful on the palate but it’s the rye-laced brightness with clove and cinnamon spice that makes this blend a showpiece. Threads of smoky oak and honey candy melt into the finish. A bang on representation of two whisky styles coming together as one.
Reviewed by Blair Phillips
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Stalk & Barrel Rye Cask #17
Distiller Score 90
This rye is so earthy and alive that NASA may land a probe in your glass thinking they’ve discovered life on another planet. The nose is fragrant like a fall drive through the country with spicy grasses, hay and floral rye. The heat spikes in the finish leaving the mouth tingling. The whole time a juicy freshness counterbalances the spice with a touch of brown sugar and some wood after the bonfire burns down.
Reviewed by Blair Phillips
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Forty Creek Heritage
Distiller Score 89
This waxy blend turns the rich tones and textures of Forty Creek whisky up to eleven. The front of the nose is fruity with a dusty ginger-laced rye spice but on the palate, creamy vanilla plays a starring role. Complex nutty flavors are layered with bittersweet dark chocolate. Ginger bread and rye spices quickly shift to a stretched and tart finish introducing some of the wood’s exotic sandalwood flavors.
Reviewed by Blair Phillips
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High Coast Dálvve Sherry Influence
Distiller Score 89
Hints of peat, hay, and ocean air come out on the nose of this Swedish single malt. It's gently smoky on the palate, with notes of toffee, almond, honey, sea salt, and a bit of toasted bread. The finish is mellow, encouraging another sip. High Coast's Dálvve Sherry Influence is a wonderful introduction to the brand -- very nicely balanced, with enough peat to keep things interesting without getting overwhelming -- and bodes of good things to come. Single malt enthusiasts who pick up a bottle will likely be quite pleased with the result.
Reviewed by Jacob Grier
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Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt Cask Strength
Distiller Score 88
The whisky, naturally, is a bit muted without adding water, but opens up with the smoke, barrel spices, and a touch of cherry fruit. Cigar smoke continues on the palate, but orchard fruit and cherries are found as well. The finish is quite dry and wood spice filled with a dash of bitter dark chocolate.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno