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Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (Batch 5)
Distiller Score 94
Fans of the standard Laphroaig 10 year who crave... more, will be pleased to find that's precisely what this cask strength bottling offers. Massive smoky peat aromas lead to a palate of fireplace, sweet cinnamon, iodine, smoked fish and meats, and fresh lemon rind. The finish is long and will please any lover of smoky whisky. The whisky is a pleasure to drink neat, but adding a bit of water opens things up and some dried fruit and nuts start to emerge.
Reviewed by Paul Belbusti
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Port Charlotte 10 Year First Edition
Distiller Score 88
The aroma is quite smoky and mentholated with wood spices and lemon peel thrown in for good measure. The palate is cigar ash laced with golden syrup, vanilla, and salt. Chocolate and malt are here in small quantity with the finish ending on a minty note. As the peat level is 40 ppm, it is found from beginning to end and then some.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey
Distiller Score 91
On first sniff, you’d swear you were getting notes of brine and peat, but wow, this is something quite different. Those expecting overwhelming mesquite on the palate will be pleasantly surprised by its subtle integration and almost gentle mouthfeel. The finish is assertive and long. This is a must try for peaty Scotch lovers looking for something quite different, yet equally satisfying.
Reviewed by Paul Belbusti
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Ardbeg 10 Year
Distiller Score 90
Just opening up the bottle, let alone pouring and taking a sip, you'll get a campfire aroma wafting in the air. Cigar ash and medicinal camphor comes into play, but you will find other notes such as lemon zest, pears, and a smidgen of honey. The whisky is oily and reminds you of smoked mackerel, but there is also a sweet spot of dark chocolate on the mid-palate. All of this is to say, please, if you haven't already, dive head first into this dram. We live once.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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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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Lagavulin 16 Year
Distiller Score 92
Vegetarians need not be alarmed. Despite the meaty, brisket-y aroma to this whisky, cows were not harmed in its production. Peat smoke is integrated throughout the dram and that lavish mouthful of whisky that you are experiencing leads to the discovery of seaweed, fruit, and tobacco. Hedonists, this one's for you.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Johnnie Walker Double Black
Distiller Score 85
Johnnie Walker has clearly turned the smoke knob to 11. Coal. Tar. Campfire. This might sound a bit intimidating, but if you chose to continue this journey, you'll find a nougat and honey center as well. But that nougat and honey center is wrapped in a cloak of charred smoke.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Wemyss Peat Chimney 12 Year
Distiller Score 83
Deliciously sweet and smoky with ginger, herbal honey and fresh cut grass on the nose. While the peat smoke dominates on the mouth, there are some pleasant underlying notes of lemon, wood, roasted nuts and hot spices.
Reviewed by Anne-Sophie Bigot
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Talisker Storm
Distiller Score 88
The smoke and saline qualities come through on the aroma of the whisky. The fruit component is somewhat more subdued, but there are citrus and pear notes to be found. Honey and malty aspects provide a nice weight to the whisky while it turns dry and spicy upon the finish. All and all, not a bad expression, but it loses points for a name that doesn't deliver; this is more moody and brooding than stormy and intense.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (Batch 1)
Distiller Score 94
Drinking this whisky neat is not necessarily a bad or difficult thing to do, but adding water really does create dimension and complexity to the dram. Sea spray, kippers, peat smoke, and leather come about on the nose and continue on to the taste. There is a soft roundness to the whisky as it sits in your mouth and is moderately oily. Peat and sweet malt intertwine and linger on the finish.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Talisker 10 Year
Distiller Score 96
Bacon and kippers, iodine, and ripe pear were first to rise to the occasion. Salt & pepper are next up with sweet malty cereal replacing the fruit. The peat smoke is a bit late to the party, but eventually opens up on the 2nd tasting. The finish is dry which intensifies the peat.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Highland Park Valkyrie
Distiller Score 87
A feast of a nose! Strawberry cheesecake, nutmeg, dried fruits, vanilla cream, chocolate and sweet spices compliment Highland Park's signature salty/smoky notes. The palate is well balanced with smoky hints, oak, spices, orchard fruits and gentle citrusy notes. The dark chocolate comes back towards the end for a last yummy kick.
Reviewed by Anne-Sophie Bigot