I like whiskey, and I've decided to start exploring the different kinds. As part of this I'm adding a whiskey review page so you can see what I think of different types of whiskey. Why you would want to is your problem, not mine. Use the menu to jump to a particular whiskey or just browse. It's not like you need my permission to do either.
This is certainly my favourite whiskey. It's a non-chill-filtered speyside single malt - it says so on the box. It's bottled at cask strength (60%) and hence needs a little water (about 1 part in 3 seems best unless you plan to take very small sips) in order to fully aprieciate it. The bottles themselves are rather good, being apocathary style bottles, corked and sealed with wax. Sometimes the wax tear off strip is missing however and it can be quite a challenge to get into it. Trust me it's worth persevering.
So, what does it taste like, well it tastes like whiskey of course. The smell (a nose is something you smell with) is fantastially rich, I can sit just holding it under my nose for ages before remembering to take a sip. Smokey and sweet, perhaps a hint of apples as the box claims, allthough the sweetness varies from one batch to the next. Just one sniff is enough to feel completely mellowed out. Somehow it's as if the've compressed a complete lazy Saturday afternoon into every bottle.
Obviously the smell is nothing compared to the taste. Drinking it neat with a single ice cube is my prefered way to drink it, the first sip will be at full ask strength and sets you up for the whole experience. As the ice melts it dilutes it to something drinkable (without stripping the skin off your throat that is) and you can watch the swirls that form as the cooling fats precipitate out of the whiskey while you contemplate the fact that there are others in the world who have things to do that don't involve drinking whiskey. Your first full sip will seem to fill your head with a cloud of sweet smokey gold and your whole body just seems to say, "mmmmmmmmmmmm." This is seriously a whiskey for stoners and the leather recliner inclined. The taste is subtle and doesn't have the hard edge that many have, it's the chocolate sundae of whiskey. It tastes warm even when chilled. A hint of cinnamon seems to just round it off to perfection.
The aftertaste is somewhat bitter but not unpleasently so. It's here that the flavour of the oak sherry casks really comes through. Leaving a long lingering haze in your mouth that really speaks of letting go. You can get lost in the flavour. You breath tastes wonderfull (to yourself anyway), each exahalation adds a new level.
All in all a fantastic whiskey and highly recomended. I can happily spend a whole evening on a single dram. Well maybe two or three....