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    Reviews by: AdmTom

    Red Breast 12 Year Old

    Red Breast 12 Year Old Apr 24th 2012

    87
    Reviewer
    AdmTom
    Color
    Straw, very bright
    Nose
    Sweet like candy, a slight floral aspect.
    Body
    Light, flows easily, doesn't really coat the mouth but rolls smoothly around the tounge.
    Palate
    Matching the nose, sweet as candy. The first bottle I had of this I wasn't really fond of -- couldn't get the experience others had. I'm glad I gave this one a 2nd chance, because now I get it full force. As long as you don't drink too fast, each sip is like you took a standard Irish whisky and put a few sugar cubes in it. Very pleasant drink to relax with.
    Finish
    Easy finish, the floral notes from the nose return. The sweetness fades fast.

    I was unimpressed at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it. This is definitely the sweetest whisky I've tried so far. I think of it as what the classic Jamison would be with a little more maturity. The Jamison 12yo is, to me, a completely different animal and almost inappropriate to compare to the Redbreast, with more of a floral aspect than sweet. The Redbreast is a great whisky to just enjoy being at home with after a day of work.

    Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength

    Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength Apr 24th 2012

    85
    Reviewer
    AdmTom
    Color
    Deep gold
    Nose
    Medicinal, huge pungent wave of peat, saltwater
    Body
    Nothing noteworthy about the body. Just a standard, medium-bodied Scotch -- not too viscous, not too runny.
    Palate
    Taken neat it's almost overpowering. Huge peat with the alcohol burn you'd expect for a cask strength. Add a good dash of water though, and it becomes magnificent... all the flavor of the classic 10yo, but smoother.
    Finish
    Two things define the finish: It's a Laphroaig, and it's almost 60% ABV. The peat lingers for quite a while... don't drink it fast, or the high alcohol content will dull your taste buds and lessen the peat hit you take each sip.

    I personally prefer the classic Laphroaig 10yo. To me, the classic has more flavor with less harshness. Add water to the cask strength though and it becomes very comparable, perhaps even a bit better. With a solid dash of water, you get all the flavor of the classic 10yo in a smoother body. Definitely worth the experience, but as I said, I personally prefer the classic 10yo.

    Jameson

    Jameson Nov 21st 2011

    92
    Reviewer
    AdmTom
    Color
    Straw-colored... very light relative to other whiskies
    Nose
    Typical of blends. Nothing distinctive except for a mild hint of sweetness.
    Body
    Syrup-like, thicker than I expected, but very smooth.
    Palate
    Very sweet, but it's a subtle sweetness, not overwhelming by any means. Also, it's not an artificial sweet. Some whiskies I've tried taste like the distillers just threw some sugar in before they bottled theirs, but Jameson doesn't. Just a pleasant, makes-me-want-more sweetness.
    Finish
    A bit of harshness, but that's to be expected with a cheap (sorry, but it is inexpensive) whisky. There is some alcohol burn after you finish a sip, but with how much I liked the rest of the experience, I'm more than willing to overlook it.
    The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old

    The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old Nov 18th 2011

    77
    Reviewer
    AdmTom
    Color
    Vivid gold, almost as though you were shining a light through the back of a darker bottle
    Nose
    Very sweet and sugary, almost like cookie dough.
    Body
    Medium-bodied. Thick enough to warrant rolling the sip around for a while, but still thin enough where you can down a glass quick if you need to.
    Palate
    Very sweet up front, but the sweetness fades quickly. After the sweetness fades, there is nothing noteworthy. No obvious flavor influences....just basic sweetness.
    Finish
    Easy finish, doesn't linger as long as most whiskies I've tried. As with my comment on the body, it makes it easier to down a glass if you're in a hurry.

    Balvenie DW was somewhat of a let-down for me. I had been looking for a good sweet Speysider for a while, and read several reviews saying DW was just that. It is definitely one of the sweeter whiskies I've tried, but not in a distinctive way -- more of a generic, sugared-whisky way. It's definitely worth drinking, and I wouldn't return a gifted bottle, but it's not something I'd go out of my way to have again.

    Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Years Old

    Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Years Old Oct 7th 2011

    65
    Reviewer
    AdmTom
    Color
    Bright gold with a hint of bronze
    Nose
    Spicy..... and not much else to me.
    Body
    Thin, watery, nothing noteworthy.
    Palate
    Much spicier than most whiskies I've tried, clear Talisker influence. Starts off sweet, but the spiciness rolls in quickly and remains throughout the sip.
    Finish
    Very long finish. I have to wait a solid 2-3 minutes for one sip to completely fade before I take another. Definitely not one to drink quickly if you want to enjoy it.
    Laphroaig 10 Year Old

    Laphroaig 10 Year Old Sep 20th 2011

    93
    Reviewer
    AdmTom
    Color
    Medium Amber, visually thick
    Nose
    Medicinal at first, then strong seaweed and peat if you allow yourself to linger past the initial shock.
    Body
    Coats your mouth almost like a thin oil, rolls easily around your tounge and cheeks, coating easily.
    Palate
    Ultra-smooth, uncharactaristic for a 10 year... virtually no alcohol burn. Pleasant sweetness at first, not overwhelming, but noticable. Then, if you've ever wanted to know what seaweed tastes like, you'll find out after the sweetness fades. At first I was put off by it, but now it's a taste that, like many, I've come to love and often times crave.
    Finish
    Finish matches the rest of the sip very well. It fades quicker than most whiskies I've tasted, but still stays noticeable for several seconds. The seaweed stays strong through the first few seconds of the finish, then fades with the rest of the sip.
    Dalwhinnie 15 Years Old

    Dalwhinnie 15 Years Old Aug 24th 2011

    78
    Reviewer
    AdmTom
    Color
    Golden straw
    Nose
    Sweet, a hint of smokiness
    Body
    Light, rolls around your tounge easily.
    Palate
    This is one of the more earthy malts I've tasted. It has a mild, generic sweetness, but it doesn't really remind me of any certain flavor.
    Finish
    The earthiness continues through the finish. Lingering mild smokiness is there is you're looking for it.

    If it was $10 USD cheaper, I'd view this malt much more favorably. It is an easy-to-drink malt that works well as a daily dram, but it lacks distinction. There is nothing wrong with it... it just doesn't have anything special. Even poor quality malts have something that distinguishes them. This one doesn't. It is pleasant and easy to drink, but doesn't differentiate itself in any way.

    Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Years Old

    Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Years Old Aug 24th 2011

    96
    Reviewer
    AdmTom
    Color
    Can a whisky look smokey? This one does. Deep gold, almost brownish.
    Nose
    Smokey maltiness.
    Body
    Fairly thin and smooth, but coats well and seems to expand when it hits your tounge.
    Palate
    This blend has a very complex flavor profile to me. It almost moves East to West across Scotland. The instant it hits your tounge it is very light and sweet like many Speysiders. It then moves to more complex floral notes, reminding me of the Highland malts I've tasted. It finishes as a mild Islay, with noticable smokiness and a reminder that you're drinking serious stuff.
    Finish
    Long, smoky finish. A mix of Highland and Islay influence, with lingering earthiness and mild peat/smoke.

    Every time I try JW Black I love it more. At its price point it simply can't be beat, even by a single malt. The flavor profile of JW Black is amazing for a whisky that retails for under $30 USD. It has the most distinctive smokiness of any whisky I've tried, blend or single malt. There isn't a lot of peat in JW Black, but the smoke is big, but smooth. One of my absolute favorites.

    Glenmorangie 10 Years Old

    Glenmorangie 10 Years Old Aug 24th 2011

    83
    Reviewer
    AdmTom
    Color
    Light amber, almost golden
    Nose
    Well-rounded fruitiness, a hint of citrus
    Body
    Relatively light and smooth
    Palate
    Keep it on the front of your tounge and you will be rewarded with a blend of citrus fruits. Let it drift to the back and you'll be hit with a bit of alcohol burn. The taste is relatively constant throughout a sip, meandering through generic citrusy, almost sugary at times flavors.
    Finish
    Like any Whisky, the more of it you drink, the easier the finish gets. This one definitely fits the bill. With each sip the finish becomes less of an ordeal and more of a rewarding experience.

    I'm still a novice when it comes to Scotch Whisky, but this is a great one for somebody new to Scotch. Compared to other malts and blends I've tried, it is smoother than most, but still has a bit of harshness if you let it hit the wrong spot on your tounge. It is also certainly one of the sweetest Scotches I have tasted, again making it appealing to a newcomer like me.