Finlaggan Old Reserve Islay Single Malt

Nice campfire smoke on the nose. Mouth feel is soft. On the palate is less smoke with some honey. I also got a little spicy green pepper. Smoke hangs around on the finish with a little dark chocolate.

Aroma is really peaty with sweetness underneath. Actually combines together rather nicely. Flavor is peat dominant, honey in the middle, and a black pepper tail. Very nice for the price point, at least medium rich. All it's missing is a longer tail and some complexity and it would be great.

Nose: Earth, smoke, vegetal brine. Honeyed cereal grains. Buried vanilla. Coffee, leather, rosemary, thyme, anise. Tobacco. Hint of oak. Definitely on the younger end of the spectrum - some aspects of this haven't evolved or developed. Bright and shiny, but not in an unappealing way. Palate: Honey, toasted grains - the barley is getting a chance to be in the spotlight here. Mint, lemon zest. Bitter chocolate and black pepper. Smokey, dry ash. Tobacco, oak, fresh cut grass. Cream. Mouthfeel is medium, with the oil content here making things real interesting and some effervescence that betrays the 80 proof. Finish is medium-long and begins without much evolution - sweet barley, smoke, earth. The deeper notes disappear and plum and strawberry begins to poke through, with the barley morphing into a sweetened granola. Smoke and ash present throughout, and the end coasts into mint, lemon oik, coriander seeds, thyme, and basil. Other notes: I've been searching a while for a daily drinker peated Islay and I've found it. That this was less than $25 out the door (tax included) puts a smile on my face. It by no means isn't without flaw - the rumor mill says this is 6 years old and what's in the glass reflects that, but what IS here is good enough that I'll absolutely be keeping this one stocked in my home bar. I'd also gladly recommend this to anybody looking to dive into the world of peat.

85 - NAS, full, slight smoke, char, lingers a little

Nose: smoke/peat, salt, slow cooked meat Taste: iodine/medicinal, salty sweetness/mint (only after a few minutes, then it exclusively tastes like iodine), wet smoke Finish: iodine, ash Thoughts: Nose is really fantastic, but the flavor doesn’t match it. If it did this would be a much higher rating. Cheap as hell though.

Medium smokiness, smooth, sweet, very easy to drink

Color: Bronze Nose: Smoky, peaty, caramelized sugar, peaches, orange, oak, vanilla. Palate: Smoke, firewood, burnt marshmallow, liquorish, vanilla, pepper. Finish: Smoke, pepper, smooth, peat, leather, medium.

Peaty peaty peaty. One of my favorite budget whiskies. And for under 20 bucks? Yes please.