Glenfarclas (17 year)
Yum. Very enjoyable. Of course, it’s $90, so… not exactly great value, but if you compare it to some of the $100+ 18 year-olds on the market, it stands up well.
Category: Reviews
Cutty Sark Blended Scotch
Well, aside from that obnoxious rotting vegetation odor, it’s not that bad. The milk chocolate notes are impressive, and while the blend isn’t complex, it’s not offensive to the palate. Just don’t… er… smell it.
Compass Box Hedonism
I don’t know if I’d call it hedonistic, but this is a prime example of what can be done with skillful blending and excellent grain whiskies. The nose is light and sweet, the flavor is packed with bakery sweets and spices, and the finish is crisp, elegant, and flawless.
The Yamazaki (12 year) Japanese Whisky
…Plenty of people like those banana notes and don’t mind some bitterness in the finish. To them I would say “Branch out! Try some malt from a whole ‘nother country!”… To the rest of us, I say skip it and start your Japanese whisky journey on something else.
Dewar’s (12 year) Special Reserve Blended Scotch
It has all the hallmarks of the “mid-range” blend: light in style, heavily “watered-down” with cheap grain whisky, and that telltale bitter finish. Another blend bites the dust.
Lagavulin Distiller’s Edition (1995)
Okay. Yeah, it’s aged in PX sherry, which is a big deal, but… this particular expression falls short with me. I’d stick to the 16, and get my sherry kick elsewhere.
Arran Machrie Moor
It’s moderately well-balanced, but it’s neither particularly complex nor particularly exciting. It’s also been bottled far too young. Arran die-hard fans would be interested to see what smoking does to their favorite malt, but the rest of us shouldn’t offer more than a shrug.
McCarthy’s Oregon Single-Malt
Amazing that a three year-old whisky distilled on a tiny brandy still in Oregon can smell and taste like an 8 or 10 year-old Islay single malt scotch. Sure, the imported barley has a lot to do with that, but Steve McCarthy’s attention to detail, careful (and economical) use of oak, and small slowly-running stills all come through in the product, which somehow tastes handcrafted.
Lagavulin (12 year)
The 12 has a clearer, cleaner flavor than Lagavulin 16, more bright and more powerful. It shows Islay peat, pure and without excess wood or the sweetness inherent in the use of European oak.
The Arran Malt (14 year)
Good whisky on its own, but in comparison to the 10 year it’s mostly a novelty. This price point means it’s competing with a whole swathe of stand-out malts in the 14-17 age range. This particular bottle just doesn’t stand up to the competition, and probably should be $5 to $10 cheaper.