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Aberfeldy 21
Nose: Fresh and fragrant, with subtle notes of vanilla, sweet oak, some tannin and a light smokiness.
Palate: Flavorful, with lively oaky notes, loads of salty caramel, bit of licorice.
Finish: Nicely dry, a bit spicy, medium length and warming.
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Aberlour 15
Nose: Floral perfume, spicy orange and marmalade.
Palate: Rich and vanilla, malty, woody sweetness with apricot flavours, toffee and sherry notes.
Finish: Malty, mellow, with a certain spiciness and a touch of mint.
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Ardbeg
Airigh Nam Beist
Nose: Fresh and clean, peaty smoke, chocolate, sweet and creamy.
Palate: Quite complex, oily and slightly peppery, with ripe fruit and peat. The addition of water brings out the licorice and dark chocolate.
Finish: Medium lengthy peat, subtly sweet, with strong coffee and licorice, mostly fiery smoke.
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Auchentoshan
16 year old, Limited Edition
Nose: Soft essence of vanilla, touch of honeyed caramel, some bourbon-like oak.
Palate: Perfectly smooth, woody, with hints of creamy vanilla, and a hint of tangerine.
Finish: Rich, medium length, vanilla, citrus and almond, some caramel.
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The Balvenie
PortWood, 21 year old
Nose: Big and bold, tropical fruit, honey, banana taffy, some spice, faint oak, smooth and fragrant.
Palate: Smooth and balanced, honey, orange marmalade, toast, vanilla, oaky notes, with lots of tannins.
Finish: Long and smooth, peppery.
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BenRiach 16
Nose: Hazelnuts, dark honey, marzipan and malt.
Palate: Smokey with hints of malt, spices, honey and caramel, subtle fruit.
Finish: Rum-like, with a touch of smoke and peat.
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Bowmore 12
Nose: Very coastal with some brine, pleasantly smoky, medium-peaty, and notes of passion fruits, lemon, oranges and mangos.
Palate: Firm, floral, soft fruits, with notes of cocoa and peat.
Finish: Briefly intense, good peat, some light smoke, vanilla fudge, and notes of candied oranges.
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Bowmore Darkest
Nose: Oaky, Oloroso sherry, peat smoke, rich, dark chocolate aromas, raisins and caramel.
Palate: Mouth-coating, rich and syrupy, with old Sherry, bitter chocolate, sweet toffee, and a hint of smoke.
Finish: Sweet with some smoke lingering in the long, robust finish.
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Brora
30 year old, Cask Strength
Nose: Lots of peat, new leather, fruity, oaky and musty.
Palate: Pepper, dried fruits, peat, sweet notes hints of ripe bananas, some grassiness, salty.
Finish: Beautifully balanced, long and flavorful, typically coastal, floral, peat, marzipan, leather, licorice and oak.
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Bruichladdich 15
Nose: Fresh coastal sea air, some oak, vanilla, nuts, honey and a touch of brine.
Palate: Creamy and sweet, brine develops considerably, then notes of malt and pepper.
Finish: Long, gentle, flavorful, and slightly oily.
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Wed. September 1, 2010 5:40 PM - by: Steve
Im looking for a great single malt scotch as a gift and was only looking to spend around 40-50 dollars. Any suggestions
Mon. August 23, 2010 5:00 PM - by: Bill
David, You are looking for Glenlivet 18 or JW Gold. Both are just under your $80 hurdle. The Glenlivet if you prefer no bite to your libations, and gold if you appreciate a bit more personality. Chivas or Pinch (at any age) is an empty experience - kind of like a one night stand (fun but unfulfilling). It is all a matter of preference; you have mine...
Wed. August 18, 2010 10:34 PM - by: david
Hi there, I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm a novice in whisky. I am looking for a whisky that is similar to Johnnie Walker Blue, in that it gives a very very smooth warm drink (I'm particularly interested in the smoothness), yet not as expensive. Could you give me two of your best choices that are like that? And cost between $60 to $80 a bottle? I understand that all whiskys are not the same, but from your opinion which two would you say are closest to the BLUE and yet not as expensive? Also, what do you think of Chivas 18 or highland park 12, are they very smooth and close to what the BLUE is? Thank you very much for you time. Sincerely, David Simhaee
Thu. May 27, 2010 3:21 PM - by: Lagavulin and iodine...
Forrest That's Lagavulin. It's used in blended whiskey to add smoke and iodine. Not my taste either, but worth having on the shelf for people who don't believe it. Iodine comes (I believe) from smoking the barley over fires of seaweed. Ian
Tue. May 18, 2010 7:00 AM - by: Forrest Loftis
In the effort to buy some really great Scotch, I read up on another site and bought Lagavulin 16 yr. and Auchentoshan 21 yr. The Auchentoshan is great but the Lagavulin smells and tastes of iodine so as to make unpalatable. Is this normal. I knew that some scotch has a medicinal first taste but this stays even if cut with water.
Thu. April 22, 2010 5:11 PM - by: Darris
Time to replace the Laphroaig 15 with the 18? I, personally, like it better at least. I actually like the 18 better than the 25 (especially for the price). But the 30 is a different story, wow is that amazing... too bad it's going away.
Wed. October 28, 2009 12:00 PM - by: Jamie
I have enjoyed a few of the whiskies on your list but I was recently in Scotland, and on a trip into the highlands region we stumbled upon the Blair Atholl Distillery. We did the tour and I originally thought that all they made was the Bell's blended whiskey, but to my delight they told us that they only produced a single malt called Blair Atholl that was very hard to get in all but the most high-end whiskey shops in the UK. I tried their single malt and fell in love with it. The tour ends in their whiskey store and when I mentioned how much I like the Blair Atholl they offered that I might also like the Dailuaine. Needless to say they were right and I came back to Canada with a bottle of each to go along with my bottles of Laphroaig and Talisker.