Whistlepig 18 Year Double Malt Rye (1st Edition)

Bubblegum and Banana Bread. Medium Oak. Very little burn on nose or taste.

Rating: 15/23 Thus far, I haven't been super impressed by Whistlepig. For the money, I'm a fan of the PiggyBack, but the others have been pretty underwhelming and very expensive. N: It isn't a big nose at first, but the spicy, dry wood starts to build. I start getting some muted herbal elements to the wood, but mostly it just smells like slightly more complex wood. Then it starts smelling really leathery. I can get onboard with that. Some bitter vanilla (not floral) comes out of the leather too. And maybe a bit of soap with a dash of lemon? OK, this smells fine, but nothing to write home about. P: This is super woody and leathery. I'd might go so far as to say that it tastes over-oaked. The soap comes out with the leather and I get a bit of lemon zesting too. It also has a spicy kick that comes across as a bit harsh. I can't say I like that soapy flavor. I eventually start tasting some of the vanilla, which is kind of nice, but not super exciting. F: It finishes, mercifully, with a solid dose of the vanilla. A bit of lemony soap still lingers along with a subdued leather backing. This could be an improvement on the palate, but it still isn't very good. - Conclusion - Side-by-side, I prefer the PiggyBack. It's just more interesting. This doesn't have much going on and once I noticed that weird soapiness, I couldn't stop. The leather in here is quite nice, though if I want big leather, I can go get Joseph Magnus for less and enjoy it more. Considering the leather, the quality here does come pretty close to the PiggyBack though, so this isn't bad by any means. I'm looking at a 14 to 15. I think I'll give it the 15.