Rating: 8/23 N: It smells like young Irish whiskey. I get floral scents with vanilla, grain, and some sort of fruit up front. It's a decent complexity. I do get a fair amount of the alcohol, but not in a chemical or industrial way. Overall, it doesn't smell like something I'm likely to enjoy much, but it doesn't smell that bad. Green Spot, which is also quite mild, has a richer, smoother nose. P: It tastes young. And not very good. What else did you expect? The Black Bush is borderline sippable and this is a step below that, so it's something that I would probably need to drown in a cocktail. I can see how some would be able to sip it if they drink low-end spirits since it has some complexity and despite being somewhat harsh its profile isn't actively bad. It's kind of like a less oily, substantially better Glen Logie. It's sweeter, more fragrant, more floral, and showcases more grain and even some vanilla. It has the usual Irish oiliness and it generally reminds me of Bushmill's, even showing some of that tangerine bordering on apricot. There are some nice notes here and as a young whiskey, there are things to appreciate. There is a general cleanness to the flavor, for instance, that makes it light and refreshing. It isn't particularly harsh either, though some harshness and flavor from the alcohol do come through. Honestly, I'm appreciating it more and more. Still Green Spot is smoother with more spice and a richer nectar sweetness to it that I enjoy much more. Actually the Green Spot is somewhere between this and Càrn Mòr's Glen Grant 26. Following Green Spot, the youth here becomes a much greater problem and the alcohol presence really pervades the dram, further emphasizing the harshness. In a final SBS with Sir Edward's 12, Sir Edward's displays more sulphur, but also more toasted grain and richness and less harshness, giving it a more rounded, fuller presence. I think I'd still give the nod to Sir Edward's but it's close. F: It's a pretty clean finish. Some alcohol remains, but largely its sort of an essence of floral grain with some light honey nectar sweetness giving the impression of sweet water right out of a cool creek. I'd call this a step or two up from Grant's, but I'd probably give the nod to Sir Edward's 12, particularly since Sir Edward's is less harsh. Yeah, I really have to go with Sir Edwards. I guess that puts this in the 8 to 9 range. I was thinking 8, then I was leaning toward 9, but then I fell back to 8 because of the alcohol on the nose. I might have underrated Sir Edward's and it really deserves a 10, but this is still a 9 at best. This is still a bad whiskey.