My Internet crashed today which is a terrible thing to do to a tech head. No fishing because the weather is weird. What's a guy to do? A Scotch whisky tasting, of course! Three interesting and inexpensive 12 year blends are my focus today. Let's examine each in turn. The nose on the Old Parr is earthy with notes of rich wildflower honey, loam, ripe apples and pears with top notes of oxidized sherry. Buchanan's is lighter with prominent notes of Worther's Original, apple skins, strawberries, and slight lemon. The Chivas is the lightest of the three. Granny Smith apple, dry autumn fields, fresh berries and dry grain are all in play. On the taste buds these are fierce competitors. I haven't had Chivas since maybe the last century. Let's say this is new to me. Light apple skins, honey and barley grain make for a delicate sip. Sherry fruits come in mid palate. The finish is short. This is easy. Buchanan's is in my regular rotation. It lies between Dewar's 12 (a very close friend) and Johnnie Walker Black, which are also in my regular rotation. These are my "Rob Roy" stalwarts. Dependable and satisfying. The Buchanans has a richer mouth feel than the Chivas, and a little more intense flavor. Both seem to be cut from similar cloth and it would be hard to tell one from the other if they weren't tasted side by side. Old Parr is richer still. Creamier mouth feel accompanies a waft of smoke, raw honey and echoes of Spanish sherry. Simply lovely. The take-away? These are all more than acceptable whiskies and all are competitively priced. I can't imagine anyone tasting these three and finding any one of them objectionable. They are all pretty darn good! If I had to pick, my favorite today would be the Old Parr. That's just where my taste buds lead me right now. Tomorrow it could easily be one of the others. I'm happy they're all in my cabinet. Slaite!