Reviews by: ColoradoDram

This is a really nice offering at an unbelievable price. I got a 750mL for under $15 USD, expecting nothing but a mixer. I was wrong. This isn't quite up to JW Black, but it blows away JW Red. I'd put it against most spirits served neat at twice the price. Poor on the nose, mediocre on the finish, but a great swisher!

There are three scotches I consider apropos for aperitif or dessert: Glenlivet 18, Glenmorangie Nectar D'or, and this one. It's a can't miss, and a great value...

A Laphroaig with attitude to satisfy Murray's cast of everything-Ardbeg. What was always a live campfire promised by Laphroaig has moved to an ashy afterburn. Excellent indeed, but the balance promised by the nose fails to overcome the smoky dominance, leaving this just short of classic.

I bought my Van Winkle Handmade in 2009, and it says (and tastes every bit) 107 proof. I could not find any of the typically 45% bourbon aforementioned, and I'm glad. This is bourbon's answer to some of Scotland's 10 year cask-strength greats, and it's really well done. Not the most complex, but very pleasing to the tongue - up there with Buffalo Trace.

This is a scotch of some misdirection - nose of grass and sour apples, palate of sugar and bitter flowers, and a finish of distinct oak and lavendar. Worth a taste, but much better Highland values abound.

Peat and re-peat with a little bit of overly-masked sweet. I'm not so sure I enjoy a heavily peated Speyside - the smoky earth tends to dominate the floral sweetness promised by the nose. If you like the idea of a Glenlivet and Laphroaig double malt, then this is your dram.

Talisker 8, 10, 18, and 25 all at once? This is definitely one of those 'old' and 'new' blendings - confounding at times, nose all over the map. However, I have never met a Talisker I didn't like, and this is no exception. It's just like their description states...a velvet hand in an iron glove...this is drinking scotch, not one for character analysis.

This is an excellent bourbon - great nose, fantastic sipping, nice finish, and a great value. Every cabinet has certain distilled spirits that always seem to find their way onto the shelf. I think I have found my bourbon in Buffalo Trace - it's exceptional.

I originally rated this lower than it deserved, not having had enough experience elucidating rye. Having been around the bourbon block a bit more now, I realize in revisiting that it's really well balanced grain (especially the way the rye comes through at finish), fruit, and spices. My vote is still for a dash of water to improve all facets of the experience, but don't dare ice or mix this one or you will miss out on the subtleties.

I am regretting I did not buy more than one bottle of this when it was available...it is now out of production in favor of the Cairdeas 30 year, and it is out of availability. Try it if you are lucky enough to get a chance.

Water this scotch with 4-8 drops...it benefits at nosing, on palate, and during finish. I love that Glenfarclas centers the malt and accents it with scent and flavors, and not the other way around. This is another great example from this distillery how to do it.

This is a nice value and consistent floral 12 year, but rather simple. I still prefer the 15 year single barrel, which is only $10 U.S. more - spring for it.

Nothing wrong with this blend except the price. To get a good intro to blends, buy the JW four-pack of 200mL's, and nurse those for 4 months. Then watch and wait for the Blue to go on sale and pony up. The Gold will be a nice, but fleeting memory.

I find myself wanting to eat some chips and roasted corn and jalapeno salsa with this while drinking a cherry coke. I'm kind of a single malt scotch snob, but this is definitely a worthy value for the price.

I'm on my second bottle of this confoundingly unique and great 'old' and 'new' expression from an island distillery. I suggest 4 drops of water to the dram from the outset and then nose and taste (and chew?) your way through this one with a good cigar or a nearby lighted chimney.

Not terribly complex, but it's hard to find many scotches that serve nicely before and after dinner. This one does.

First, mix with water - even the Glenmorangie 18 benefits from a couple drops. Next, pair with some spice cake, ginger snaps, carrot cake, orange chocolate or the like, and patiently enjoy this after dinner. It's good Highlands and uniquely Glenmorangie.

On par with the Laphroaig 10 on many fronts - bitter, warm, oily, smokey. This has a bit more attack with or without water. I suggest neat with a lot of aeration.

No need to light a campfire - just drink this scotch. I appreciate the simple Islay beauty this purveys, but it's one-dimensional beauty.

Not worthy of the heftier price for the aging...I so liked the taste and price of the 12 year...stick with that one for best Old Pulteney Highlands value.

This is really good rich man's candy - smooth, varied, and an excellent mature finish - there may not be a finer blend on planet Earth for mere mortals to imbibe.

This is a very good blend, but with little surprise - smooth, silky, and tasty, but not as good a value as the 12 year Black Label.

Somewhere there is Coke begging for the honor to be mixed with this blended scotch and ice. If you want an everyday 'drinking man's' blend, then shoot for Pig's Nose.

This is a good value if you want to get a taste of elder scotch characteristics (mostly the smooth finish). More gritty and less refined than JW Gold, but a good taste. This is one you can let your guests put an ice cube in, if necessary.

Dessert in a bottle! Wow...I'm serving this after a Christmas dinner of spiced ham with cloves to celebrate Irish catholics the world over. I've had three different Bushmills expressions, and I'd choose this one in a second over any of them. A better dessert whiskey than most Scottish 12 years...

A bottle of this should last 3 years, pouring only on special ocassions with the significant other. It's not as peppery and wild as the 10 year, but more inviting and complex than the 18 year. If you are going to cross the 21 year rubicon, this is a safe dollar (pound) value.

This is an excellent buttery, lamp-oily, smokey, Islay time anytime your tongue has been built up to the task. The best I've tasted from Ardbeg to date.

This is an advanced Highlands dessert whisky - enjoy with dark and/or bitter chocolate or mint. Don't add water as it only introduces a bad acid attack. Surprisingly different each time, but always with good character.

A little something for everyone - sweet fruity earthy peat with salty mist, gingery oak wood, and a nice lightly peppery finish.

Agreed this should always be served as an aperitif. It's best with some sort of salty/spicy cheese (pepper jack) on a whole wheat cracker. It's worth tasting this Lowland, though a bit simple for a lover of complex scents/flavors.

I like this best of the Bowmore wine cask finishes. If you like the salty iodine of Bowmore, then drink this one with a seafood dinner and you'll be treated right.

This is the jumping-on point I would recommend for a nice dry wine finish. Not complex but a really good finishing scotch. The sulphur on the nose can be combatted with a dash of water.

Quite a deviation from the other three Glenmorangies I've tried, this is much more of a dry white wine finish versus the more typical citrus Highland expressions. This is one of the few scotches that works really well as an aperitif or a dessert. Excellent, and worthy of the heftier price.

Batch 16 (sorry I hadn't seen the separate Batch 16 listing before reviewing here). I suggest a neat nosing. Then reduce this one to 48-50% ABV to enjoy a nutty grape time that doesn't sacrifice all malt. Not as complex as Glenfarclas 105, but a significant overall notch above IMHO.

It may be best to try this one, and then judge it a year later to appreciate the complexity of the taste and finish. Reminds me of JW Gold blend - a thin, very silky, sweet, floral good Speyside time.

Definitely a dessert scotch, this is a can't-miss introduction to all your friends who drink wine. Dry, sweet, and inviting, try this one with some dark and/or orange chocolate to discover a world of Speyside sherry bliss.

Drop in 4 drops of water to the dram, and patiently nose and taste your way through this excellently variant scotch. It's like a more mature Balvenie Doublewood with a cinnamon pepper kick.

A nice sweet, fruity-bitter Speyside representation, and a good value scotch, but spring for the 18 Ancient Reserve. It's more flexible, complex, distinctive, tasty, and has a much better finish.

This is very 'safe' excellence with balanced flavor and maturity, but it's pricey for the results, and definitely doesn't introduce anything new from HP. For my $, I'm going to stick with the 12 for normal course and spring for the 18 for special events (which is only $10 US more when on sale).

My favorite of the Balvenie front four, this is the one I offer guests who think they are essentially Islay-only types. One sip quickly persuades them to rethink with this delicious dessert Speyside with some peppery grit. A Speyside for Talisker 10 lovers.

Talisker served with velvet gloves. Though this is excellent and provides a longer, more complex finish, I think I prefer the 10 year on all other counts.

Drink neat and be very patient between sips, as the finish is when the sweet steps aside to make way for the Lagavulin that stands in a class of its own for those that love mediciney smokey peat. This is still a great expression, but I think I'd choose a different scotch altogether for a total dessert experience.

If you like smokey Islays like I do, this a good reminder why. A few drops of water and some patience provide a more balanced (and complex) taste and more peppery finish while not squelching the nice licorice afterbreath.

This one manages to merge the best of youthful Islay (salty, fresh, peat smoke), Speyside sherries (dessert-like, oily, nutty, dry finish), and Orkney (balanced floral expression), while maintaining its unique peppery character. An absolute marvel and worthy of the significantly heftier price. Drink neat, infrequently so as to discover its complexity each time, and aerate and nose a single dram over a long period for maximum effect.

This might just be the best 10 year on the planet - worthy to sit side-by-side with much older scotches. It takes water well if you want to reduce the ABV, and it's priced right. It may not be terribly complex, but it's dangerously tasty (so be careful out there!)

Bottle 9938 (of what may be a different fill of Scottish Oak since it said 16 years - 2nd fill?), this one takes patience. On initially tasting (I never review prior to at least three pours), I thought it was an aged-bourbon imposter. After some time and patience, I appreciate the delicacy and uniqueness imparted by the local oak. I still like the Glengoyne 17 better, but this is a really good Highland.

I swear this is the closest you can get to being a bee sucking nectar from a lavender bloom. When I'm in the mood, there is no better scotch to deliver the floral goods. It's very different from the wine cask finishes (Dusk, Dawn, Darkest), and lacks the freshness of the 12, but it is uniquely delicious and smooth.

This is a really good and consistent blend. If you just don't know what you're in the mood for (and you're not seeking to discern any complexities in a single-malt 'tasting'), then happily pour the mix of 40 that the malt masters at JW picked to bring the kitchen sink of fruit, flowers, smoke, nuts, oak, dry, creamy, smooth-finishing scotch called Black Label. I've tasted some my parents opened 20 years ago and it's as consistent as a 2008 bottle at my house.

Worth a taste, and a good value scotch, but a little 'too' distilled flavor for my palate. Maybe the more mature Three Wood would balance better.

Definitely a different kind of Islay - nothing superior, but worthy of the occasional change from the peaty campfire favorites. The most licorice of any scotch I've tasted - akin to Don Julio Anejo in the tequila sipping world. For that it gets uniqueness bonus points.

This is a notch above the regular 10 year, even if a little less grassy and fresh. An excellent reason to dive into Campbeltown.

This is my least favorite of the three cask strength Speyside sherry monsters. A good dessert dram for sure, but a bit linear and simple compared to the Glenfarclas 105 and Aberlour A'bunadh.

This is a complex flavor-rich Islay if ever there was one. The medicine and peat smoke build and build, but enough sweet and salt persist to keep balance. I love it.

Amazingly no need to cut with water (even at 55.7 abv!), this is another great Laphroaig, maybe the best value of them all. If you prefer the smoky Islay taste over a more balanced sweet one, choose this.

This is probably the best dram you could enjoy with a grilled steak. Less smoky than the 10 year, but the mellow of time provides better fruity assets to complement the smoky peat. A great scotch!

If the standard Glenkinchie is an aperitif, this is the after dinner dessert (no need to pair with any food - this dram provides enough chewy mouthfeel on its own). A unique and great Lowland expression!

Best served neat (like most Balvenies). This is mature, refined, and consistent, but I'll take the inconsistencies of the 15 year Single Barrel on depth of character alone. Thank goodness I bought this in taster size, because there are much better values out there for dry wine finishes.

This is an excellent value for a mature and reasonably complex Speyside, especially if you like the phenolic/camphor nose and taste as I do. I was almost expecting disappointment given what "purists" had told me about Glenfiddich. I'm glad I didn't listen to them...

Nose this one neat to appreciate the complexity before cutting with water. Then dilute at tasting to reveal the nice layers of sherry followed by the gently-bitter cereal that Glenfarclas imparts to remind us this stuff is made from barley.

This is a nice representation of the Highlands - fruity malt and grassy, with a light pepper finish. I suggest water drops and patience aerating this one for best results. On final tastings of this malt, I dropped it a couple points due to some unwarranted/undesired phenolic attack.

A good Highland for certain, but a bit pricey for the results. It is better with a dash of water if you wish to up the silky/fruity factor and increase the finish length. On final review while polishing this bottle off after some years, I'm dropping the score from an original review of 85 with some more experience under my belt.

I give them props for this expression. It delivers the good character one expects from Orkney - but it just lacks a little refinement. I agree with other reviewers that this is best enjoyed neat.

This is an excellent Islay if you welcome a dry, winey, dram as an apertif to a seafood dinner. For a slightly sweeter expression with or after dinner, go for the Bowmore Dawn. Update: On polishing this bottle off, I've dropped it from an 87 to an 85 based only on the relative experience as measured against other reviewed scotches.

The most balanced and flavor-rich single malt I've had (of over 70 tasted to date). I cannot find a flaw in this scotch.