What is this beast? On first taking a whiff I had to recoil. An immediate cabbage and Brussels sprout smell with strong and off-putting sulphur. Some lighter fuel and singed Styrofoam too. I was not prepared for this. Is it a whisky or a badly cooked TV dinner? After a while I could faintly detect some dark berries buried beneath, but that took some deep digging. A bad batch I started to think. But after checking some reviews online I understood this is part of its distinctive style. I can’t say that I like it though. The taste is a world apart. I love the bait’n’swtch going on here. How can something that smells so bad taste so good? A beautiful play of salt and sweetness with sherry fruit and gorgeous tropical pineapple and grapefruit. There is some smoke, but amazingly the sulphur disappears on the palate. I love it and it reminds me of a Springbank. This is an Edward Scissorhands whisky: off-putting and bizarre initially but it later reveals sweet hidden depths. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Last 16, Match 2: Ben Nevis 10yo versus Kilchoman Machir Bay The peaty, creosote, fruit salad nose on the Kilchoman is much better than the Ben Nevis, but then I’d hate to try a whisky that smelled worse. The Machir Bay palate of smoke and fresh fruits is nice but no match for the Ben Nevis. It was hard to pick the better from the different finishes – so I fudged it and I called it a draw, and so a draw overall across all three criteria. How to judge a winner then? There was no way I could let the Ben Nevis lose. The Kilchoman Machir Bay performs well across all criteria, but it doesn’t stand out or excel for me. I have never yet had any food or drink as confusingly contradictory as Ben Nevis 10yo. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Qtr Final, Match 1: Ben Nevis 10yo versus Compass Box King St. Artists Blend In addition to previous notes I get burnt rubber and a shade of sherry deep down. Again, its opponent easily has the better nose. The rich and refined taste of the CB comes closer to matching the palate and ultimately falls short, but the Linkwood sherried finish is sweeter and longer. So that does it – the beauty with B.O. is K.O’d. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- The unbearable angst of a whiskyphile. I have too large a backlog of samples and miniatures to go through. Like choosing how to spell dilemma, deciding on a dram can often be a dilemna. I have selected sixteen scotch whiskies that are 12yrs or younger or NAS to battle it out in a Scotch Deathmatch. It’s my incentive to lighten the logjam. Follow along if you care (and really why should you?). Oh the drama! https://challonge.com/ScotchMadness