Whisky Reviews

Laphroaig Triple Wood

Slightly peaty with the flavor of burned wood.

Dalwhinnie 15

Finishes with slight notes of honey

Glen Grant Reserve

Bourbonish, young

Glen Grant 10

Notes of almond on the finish

Dailuaine

Very tasty, mellow.

Glenlivet 21

Chocolate notes

Glenfarclas 10

Easy to drink. Smells of cherry.

Glenfarclas 15

Spicy

Caol Islay 12

Oban 14

Did not like

Bowmore 12

Just delicious

Glengoyne 15

The favorite of the tour guide Gordon

Glengoyne 21

Very smooth and subtle

Tomatin 12

Grassy, I like it

Craigellechie 13

Smooth subtle

Aberfeldy 12

Very good. Well rounded.

Springbank 10

Delicious. Sweet.

Ardbeg Wee Beastie

Peppery. Punch in the mouth. Charcoal.

Glen Grant 25

Peppery open. Smooth finish.

Deanston 20

Starts off sweet and smooth, then comes in with a pleasant spiciness

Deanston 12

Light. Sweet.

Auchentoshan Three Wood

Heavy, spicy, hints of chocolate

Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2011

Spicy hit on the tongue. Peppery on the backend. Strong.

Bruichladdich Classic

Smoother than the Islay barley. Not peppery.

BenRiach Smoky 10

Smoky nose, spicy finish.

Kilchoman Sanaig

Smoky, smooth. Lovely.

Aberlour 16

Really good. Slightly sweet. Mild spiciness.

Glen Garioch 12

Residual heat. Crisp. A little sweet.

Bunnahabhain 12

Smooth. Thick. Sweet with a bit of spice on the finish. Really good.

Glen Grant 12

Light. Sweet. Smooth. Easy drink.

Macallan 12 double cask

Smooth open. Little pepper on the finish. Caramel notes

Macallan 15 double cask

Deep smooth open. Honey and chocolate finish

Macallan 18 double cask

Silky start. Tannin flavors come in the he after taste. Very interesting. Dries out your mouth.

Macallan rare cask 2021

Strong honey smell. Pepper. Hearty. A bit harsh. Thick.

Dalmore Cigar Malt

Actually tastes like cigars. Leathery. Quite good.

Blair Athol 23

Candy flavor in the back of my nose.

Kilchoman Machir Bay

Smoke up front. A bit of sweet sour. The other Kilchoman is way better.

Askaig 8 Years

Smells sweet. Smooth. Vanilla. Very tasty.

Corsair Dark Rye

Smoky, peppery. Rich flavor. Smooth. Really good.

Old Forester 1910

Smells incredibly sweet. Yogurt covered raisins. Light the tongue. Disappears quick. Oily mouthfeel. Hits in the back of the throat. Very interesting.

Old Forester 1920

Smells like caramel. Long slow pepper burn. Sweet. Complex. Heavy.

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 20-05

Sweet smell. Mellow pepper after the sweetness. Maraschino syrup. Very easy to drink.

Spice Tree Compass Box (Blended)

Oaky. Viscous. Pleasant spice kick.

Elijah Craig Small Batch

Pepper hit. Spicy. Woody. Good.

Bowmore Vault Edition

Corduroy.

Glenfiddich 15

Nose smells a bit of raisin, molasses. Smooth, deep, a little vegetal on the finish. Delightful.

Kikori (All rice)

Smells a bit like sake. Sort of evaporates in your mouth, like it’s high proof. But it’s only 82 proof. Interesting.

Bruichladdich Port Charlotte

Smells like smoke. Tastes like licking charcoal.

GlenLivet Caribbean Reserve

Smells a bit sweet. Tastes light, young, acidic. I don’t like it.

Ledaig

Very good. Woody smell. Gentle smoke.

Bowmore Vault

Smells like tart apples. Oily, salty. Very good. I really like it.

Johnnie Walker Green Label

Oaky slightly sweet nose. Taste is light, slightly sweet, slightly smoky. Very tasty.

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

Honey and smoke on the nose. Tastes oaky and slightly peaty. The finish dissipates quickly. Good, not great.

Chattanooga 111 Cask

Smells a bit funky. Like overripe bananas. Tastes like cherry coke. Not much burn considering it’s 111 proof. Really tasty and interesting.

Mortlach 16

Pleasant nose. Oak and sherry. Peppery and thick on the palate. Smooth. Slightly bitter aftertaste. Really good.

Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Reserve

Nose is like bourbon. Sweet. Light. Taste is a bit weak. Finish has a pleasant burn. Not my favorite.

Jefferson’s Ocean

Sweet and mellow spice nose. Spice up front, then a smooth finish. Very good.

Bunnahabhain Stiuireadair

Nose salted caramel. Fruit, smoke. Long fruit finish. Very good. I’d buy a bottle.

Glenfarclas 17

Nose has sherry notes. Palate is also sherry with a bit of smoke and spice. Finish is long with spiciness.

Glenrothes 11

Allspice nose. Spice forward on the palette. Deep chocolate finish.

Templeton Rye

Nose is honey, slightly medicinal. Rye spice and honey palette. Residual low spice. Good stuff.

Octomore 12.1

Nose is charcoal and caramel. Palette is complex. Smoke, mild sweetness, pepper, salt. Finish is lingering smoke. Amazing. I absolutely love it.

Lagavulin 8

Nose sweet apple. Smooth palette with pepper, stone fruit. Finish is where the smoke comes in. Good.

Laphroaig Cairdeas Cask

Nose is initially sweet, then you get hints of a campfire that’s been put out. Salty palette. Finish is chocolatey. Very good.

Ardbeg An Oa

Nose is toffee. A bit funky. Palette is smooth. Oily. Not much flavor. A bit of a weird juxtaposition with the nose. Finish is a bit of lingering salt and smoke. It grew on me.

Ardbeg 10

Sweet and peppery nose. Palette is smooth like the An Oa, with a bit of oil, but with more spice. Lingering spice on the finish. I like it. Between this and An Oa, I’d pick this.

Garrison Brothers Bourbon

Nose is a bit of raisin and oak. Rounded palette. Not too sweet. Finish is just a little warm and spicy. Very easy to drink.

Glengoyne 12

Butterscotch nose. Very interesting. Initial palette is a bit watery, but then it develops into the butterscotch on the finish. Interesting.

Michters Rye

Good stuff.

Oban 18

Molasses and raisins on the nose. Oily palette, finish brings back the molasses and raisins. Really tasty.

Knob Creek Rye

Sweet peppery nose. A bit like a cigar. Smooth rich palette. Tasty on its own.

Tobermory 12

Nose: salty sweet, a little hint of pepper. Palette

Arran 10

Nose: rounded honey. Smooth and silky. Palette has a bit of citrus. Mellow but good.

Glencadam 13

Nose is a bit sweet and vanilla. Palette is pepper.

Singleton 12

Nose has the smell of apples. Palette is complex. Fruity, little to no alcohol burn. Lingering sweetness. Good. Not great.

Corsair Triple Smoke

Nose is light and sweet, candied cherries. Taste is a bit oily, candy cane under tone.

Pittyvaich 29 (1989 ghost)

Palette mellow fruitiness. Raisins on the palette. You feel the 102.8 at the end with some heat. Astringent. Very good.

Highland Park 12

Nose: honey and sherry sweet. Palette is smooth and viscous. Soft sweetness. Good finish that develops a bit of spice. Pretty great for a 12 year.

High West Double Rye

Nose has a nice rye spice. Palette is smooth with an underlying rye spiciness. Very tasty.

Highland Park 18

Nose: honey and sherry sweet. Palette is smooth and viscous. Soft sweetness. Amazingly drinkable.

Willet Bourbon

Smells a bit like rye. Smooth with a bit of spice. Tastes like a rye. Very good.

Weller Special Reserve

Nose is sweet, oaky. Palette is a bit of spice and citrus. Back half is heat.

Hudson Whisky NY Back Room Deal

Very odd. Weird smoke on the back end. Did not like.

Linkwood 15

Sweet on the nose. Toffee on the palette. A bit of spice and smoke at the end. Very good.

Aultmore

Gentle nose. Bits of sweetness and toffee. Palette is restrained. Spiciness, pepper.

Scapa 2005

Vanilla spice on the nose. Gentle on the palette, a little bit of spice on the finish. Finish builds a bit of extra spice.

Ardcore (Ardbeg 2022)

Smoky sweet nose. Pepper spice bomb on the palette. Finish leaves a mellow sweetness. Like cornbread.

Fuji whisky

With added water, vanilla, sweet,

Fuji Single Blended

More fruity flavors than the “whisky” version

Fuji single grain

Spicier than the other two. Marmalade.

Fuji 30 year (300 bottles ever made $3k-5k)

Nose: sweet, floral. Palette: rounded spiciness, sweet. Finish: long finish with the sweetness and then a bit of molasses.

Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Selected

Nose: candy with a bit of cinnamon. Palette: alcohol spiciness, with a bit of honey. Finish: lingering spice. Really good.

Great Jones Distillery

Bourbon: good 4 grain: harsh alcoholic aftertaste Rye: ok

Jura 18

Sweet and woody on the nose. Light, sweet on the palette. Residual burn on the palette with a bit of sherry.

Jura 10

Nose is shoe polish. A bit harsh. Palette is sort of how it smells. No real burn on the end. Lingers for a bit. Not that great.

Dalmore 12

Nose has a bit of honey and cedar. Smooth on the palette. Residual burn. Really good.

Longrow Red 11

Nose, sweet woody. Heat, peppery, sweet. Lingering heat and oak. Really nice.

Deanston Oloroso 2008

Rich & spicy on the nose. Dry with sweet and spice. High proof burn on the finish. Very good. A little water opens it up nicely.

Longrow Peated

Smoky peat on the nose, with a bit of sweetness. Palette is spice with a building peatiness. Finish is more sharp spice. Interesting.

Kilchoman Loch Gorm

Tastes a bit peatier and spicier than the Sanaig. Less oily than the Machir Bay. Good, but I still like Sanaig better.

Caol Isla 12

Palette is sweet, then it builds to a nice smokiness. Some residual heat. Very good.

Kilchoman 7 Year Old Single Cask 2022

Nose is sweet and spicy. You can almost taste the Pedro Jimenez cask. The palette is a lot of alcohol since it’s cask strength. Then you get a lingering sweetness and spice. Reminds me a bit of a negroni in a whisky glass. I like it a lot.

Lochlea Harvest

Amazing nose. Smells a bit like a spring forest. Palette is smooth. A bit oily. Costs your mouth with this pleasant fresh feeling. Quite good and bit sweet.

Kilchoman Casado 2022

Tastes a lot like the Sanaig with a bit more residual heat

Glen Allachie 2010 Single Oloroso Cask

Nose is deep. Maple syrup. Cask strength the alcohol bite is quite pronounced. But the Oloroso sherry still comes through. Quite good.

Glen Allachie 8

Smells like a standard Speyside scotch. Palette is smooth with a bit of wood. Residual heat from the high proof. Added a few drops of water.

Torabhaig

The nose is very smokey. Palette is spicy and smokey. More smoke on the finish. Very tasty. High proof.

Laphroaig 16

Nose is floral, with some peat smoke. A bit like it’s been aged in rotted wood. Palette is subtle with some earrings. Heat and peat smoke builds on the finish.

Ardbeg Heavy Vapors

Nose is very peaty, almost medicinal, grain alcohol. Palette is peat heavy, spicy, with some underlying sweetness. Finish is lingering smoke and alcohol bite. Quite tasty.

Springbank 15

Nose reminds of me sage. The palette brings in some peat smoke, and sweetness. Finish is quick and effervescent. 5 drops of water really brings out the sweetness.

Springbank 12 Sherry Cask

Nose is syrupy sweet. Palette is sweet with some oak ones. Finish is light. Very good.

Campbelltown Loch

Nose is sweet, funky. Palette has sweetness, smoke and some other things I can’t pick out. Finish has some bite. Evolves on your palette.

Glenrothes 12

Smells sweet. Palette has some bite. Smooth and sweet finish. Tasty.

Glenrothes 18

Sweet from the Sherry casks. Smooth and gentle, unlike the 12. Finish lingers with the sweetness. Very good.

Lagavulin 16

Nose is smoky with a bit of berry. Palette is juicy and smoky. Finish just sort of disappears. Excellent.

Lagavulin 8

Nose is harsher than the 16. Smells more like grain alcohol. The palette is lighter. Palette fades fast just like the 16.

Lagavulin 11 Charred Oak

Spicy on the nose. Burned tasting version of the 16. Quite good.

Lagavulin Distillers Edition

Nose is very subtle. Sweet. Palette is smooth. Almost like port wine with smoke on the end. Tasty, but I like the 16 more.

Glen Elgin 18

Nose has hints of apple and pear. Palette is smoky with a hint of sweetness. Finish goes away likely.

Tobermory 12

Sweet and peaty on the nose. Peppery spice and sweetness on the palette. Very good.

Kilchoman Evolution 12 Year

Nose has a bit of sweetness. The palette is light. Starts sweet and then turns to smoky. Lingering heat from the high proof. But it’s not strong. Very good.

Springbank 10

Nose smells of a sherry cask. Palette is smooth and smoky. Finish turns super funky. Very good.

Bunnahabhain 1988 Vintage Marsala Cask

Nose smells like a wine cask. Like a spicy sherry cask. Very light. Sweet, smoky. Finish evaporates quickly. Doesn’t need any water even though it’s cask strength.

Glenglassaugh Revival

Nose is hot.Palette is briney. Oily. Ends with a (Closest to their new 12 year)

Glenglassaugh 12

This one is bit smoother tasting than the Revival. More muted brine flavor. Good.

Glenglassaugh Evolution

Super briney, but easier to drink. Funky. I like it. (equivalent to Sand End)

Glenglassaugh Sand End

Amazing. Has a sort of honey taste to it. Gentle.

Glenglassaugh Torfa

Palette is bananas. Sweet. Peaty. Funky. Amazing. (Equivalent to Port Soy)

Glenglassaugh Port Soy

Good. A little too gentle compared to the Torfa. Not enough smoke.

GlenDronach 12

Nose is sweet with hints of pine. Palette brings out more sweetness with a bit of residual heat. Finish stays on your tongue. Good stuff.

Dalmore Port Wood

Nose is hard to determine. But I think I can smell a bit of the port cask. Palette has a bit of a bite, then you get a kick of ethanol that lasts into the finish. Adding a touch of water really smooths it out and makes it nice.

Orange County Distillery Bourbon (37 months, 41%)

Nose is sweet with hints of honey. Palette is sweet with a bit of an iodine backend. Not bad.