Grangestone 12 Year

Grabbed a couple 50ml to tryout. I had the rum cask finish and it was "ok" but this has age statement so hopefully better. Poured neat, nose brings some fruit punch and malt with a little baking spice and wood. Palate has more light fruit but a surprising flash of earthy peat comes along with oak and malt. Flavor drops off quickly leading to finish of drying slightly bitter wood and charred malt with not much of an impression left. Its lacks depth and feels thin and too dry. Its not exactly bad but I wont be getting a full bottle...........70/100

It smells like scotch. There's definitely some peat and bacon on the nose, a bit like Lagavulin 16. The palate is a bit harsh, but it doe shave some decent caramel balancing the smoke and peat. There is some sweetness too, though there's no particular further quality to the sweetness. The saltiness is a bit nice without being overwhelming. This is better than Clan MacGregor. The nose has minerals and salt with dry grass. The palate is light, but it does have some nice orange flavor to it. There are the usual scotch mineral notes underlying it and blending decently with the floral flavors and vanilla. It isn't tart or spicy. There is some nice richness that maintains the sweetness and gives it a bit of a watery toffee flavor. This isn't very good scotch, but it isn't a total disaster either. It lacks the complexity of Glenmorangie The Original sort of like how Maker's Mark lacks the complexity of Corsair Quinoa, but its rich sweetness saves it substantially. This is certainly not on the same level as Springbank 10 either, but it is surprisingly decent (mostly because of its sweetness with toffee and orange notes). The nose is much more pleasant than the Grangestone cask finished releases. It has some scotchy sea spray and smoke mixed with some floral apricot notes and a dash of vanilla. The palate isn't terribly strong, but it is reasonably balanced with a bit of sea spray, some bitter herbal notes, some sweet notes of orange with hints of butterscotch. This is actually pretty sippable. It reminds me a bit of Springbank 10, but it's watery in comparison - nowhere near being on the same level. Compared with Springbank 10, the flavor of this is watery and grassy with less well executed flavors. It has less vanilla and orange than Glenmorangie The Original and the flavors are also more muddled despite their moderate complexity. Still, it's borderline sippable. I'd take Glenmorangie The Original, but this isn't bad.

Nose: Chocolate and raisins. Some peat notes blending beautifully. Slightly grassy. A little bit of vanilla sneaking in. Palate: Bold and firm off the bat. Some fruitiness as well as the chocolate. Vanilla stinger here. Some cereal flavor as well. Finish: Medium. Sweetness blending with some spice as well making the finish smooth as well as bold. A very full flavor. Overall Thoughts: I was impressed as well as pleasantly surprised! Very smooth and very flavorful. It’s not overpowering in any way. It starts off sweet on the nose and presents a full-bodied flavor that exceeds the expectations. I’d buy a small bottle just to keep in the cabinet for the occasional sip.

Nose is light peat and apple cider vinegar. Taste is cinnamon and peat. Light sweetness.