Buchanan's Select Blended Malt 15 Year

Light smoke, citrus, pears, chocolate and malt on the nose, smooth and creamy on the palate with sweet pears and a hint of smoke, the chocolate, pears and hint of smoke ride through the medium finish.

nose: fudge, smoke, cereal honey. simple but nice. A couple of serious deep sniffs made me think raisins. The wife said "sweet cedar forest" and I dont personally get it but see how she could; rich wood doesnt sound like a crazy stretch. palate: Smoke isnt pronounced but it impressively hits the front and back. I could understand "chocolate and oranges" but my taste was more chocolate and almost no marmalade-like notes. Citrus zest is fair but I wasnt getting much more than that. It definitely drinks like something that could have cost $20 more. The peat being present as much as it was without offsetting the rich and full mouth is a treat, impressive when you consider the price point and ABV. I picked this one up because I needed a sipper under $50 that wasnt Dewars or Johnny. I came out quite happy. The professional review is quite spot-on: you really wonder just how much of a massively juicy, slow-chewing, deep spirit this must've been at higher proof. The proof was surprising. for only being 80 proof it isnt without a decent strong little character to it. You could definitely breeze through drams of this without trying too hard but it is a respectable sip. May be a good choice to get someone a taste of something that isnt heavily-peated but still shows off a little smokiness. Personally I like a little less oil taste with my waxy, meaty, "chewers" but it is a SMOOTH dram. The oil and hotness do not honestly even present much: they just remind you how really rich and lush the cereal and fruit backbone is. Water made it sweeter. Not bad, not good. Just sweeter. I didnt try ice but this seems a really good candidate for a fat pour + 43/drambuie + 2 ice cubes. 1-100 I'd toss it a 84. I would give Johnny Green 87 or 88 for reference. Paid $42 w tax at Total Wine CO