Category: Regions

Whisky reviews sorted by region

Review #18 – Glenfiddich 18

September 6, 2015 / Joshua Reding

Glenfiddich 18 (40% ABV)

Color: Light amber

Nose: Certainly apples. Caramel apples, spiced applesauce, apples, apples, apples.

Mouthfeel: Thin.

Palate: Slightly salty and sweet. Apple and pear tart with a buttery crust. Shortbread.

Finish: Short. Creamy. Vanilla, creme brûlée, pears. Really quite sweet and grainy. As someone who doesn’t have a big sweet tooth, it’s a bit overpowering.

Overall: Too sweet for me. I could see it being quite fitting for a summer afternoon on the porch, though.

77/100

Review #15 – Balvenie Triple Cask 12

August 4, 2015 / Joshua Reding

Balvenie Triple Cask 12 (40% ABV)

Color: Gold

Nose: Sweet, bright, and fruity. Candied apples and pears. Lemon. Honey.

Mouthfeel: Light

Palate: More fruity sweet. Honey. Spiced applesauce. Lemon peel.

Finish: Vanilla oak. Fresh-cut grass. More apple.

Overall: Primary flavor is clearly apple; sort of a one-idea dram. However, it’s quite nice and light, and certainly befitting the summer. I would certainly consider buying this again as an alternative to bourbon in the hotter months. Any other time of the year, and it’s thinness would come across as unsubstantial.

84/100

Review #12 – Benriach 17 Burgundy Finish

July 15, 2015 / Joshua Reding

Benriach 17 Burgundy Finish (46% ABV)

Nose: Fruity, creamy, and rich. Honey, red berries, creme brûlée, toffee, coffee cake. Excellently balanced. I’m drinking this in.

Mouthfeel: Medium.

Palate: Wet and fruity. Clear evidence of the burgundy finish here. Dark grapes, blueberries, blackberries. Pie crust.

Finish: Medium. Woody and bitter. Lightly herbal. Mint.

Overall: Seriously delicious. A full dessert in a drink.

89/100

Review #11 – Auchentoshan Three Wood

July 3, 2015 / Joshua Reding

Auchentoshan Three Wood (43% ABV)

Color: Deep Amber

Nose: Honey, caramel apple, toffee. Sweet and sticky.

Mouthfeel: Medium.

Palate: Salty and earthy. Roast meat and potatoes with thyme.

Finish: Bitter and spicy. Very woody, like the smell of fresh mulch. Surprisingly long.

Overall: I was pleasantly surprised by this one, especially the substantial mouthfeel and finish. I would definitely consider buying it in a regular size.

86/100

Review #8 – Johnnie Walker Black Label

January 8, 2015 / Joshua Reding

Johnnie Walker Black (40% ABV)

Color: Orangish. Doesn’t look natural.

Nose: Spiced apple, heather honey, lightest of smoke, orange pulp (not peel), vanilla.

Mouthfeel: Very thin; can hardly tell it’s in your mouth.

Palate: Savory and slightly sweet. Veal Marsala, rosemary, mint, brown bread.

Finish: Medium. Slightly salty and smoky. Dying embers of a cooking fire.

Overall: Underwhelming, but not bad. Most exciting part is the nose. The mouthfeel is boring, but there’s nothing wrong with the taste.

80/100

Review #6 – Talisker 10

January 3, 2015 / Joshua Reding

Talisker 10 (45.8% ABV)

Color: Pale gold

Nose: Sea air and vegetation. Sweet barbecue smoke. Heather honey. Hints of citrus.

Mouthfeel: Rich, coating the mouth.

Palate: Dark beer, steak pie and haggis (yes, really).

Finish: Long. Salty, woody, peaty. Fish and chips in a seaside pub.

Overall: Quintessentially Scottish. This dram, which was my first, is what hooked me on whisky back when I visited the distillery on my semester abroad. Hitchhiking with my friends to Glen Brittle after the tour put what I had just tasted into perspective. I realized that the gorgeous landscape around me perfectly encapsulated what I had tasted in the glass back in Carbost. This is a special whisky to me, and will always remain close to my heart.

97/100

Review #5 – Johnnie Walker Green Label

November 29, 2014 / Joshua Reding

Johnnie Walker Green Label (43% ABV, discontinued)

Nose: Green caramel apple. Citrus. Light smoke. Fresh-cut grass. A bright nose of early autumn flavors.

Palate: Pear. Buttery. Vanilla. Tastes exactly like a pear tart.

Finish: Sweet wood. Salty; almost fishy. Medium length.

Overall: Not bad at all; quite fresh. However, I don’t think the finish balances the fruitiness of the nose and palate. The saltiness comes out of nowhere, and not in a particularly good way (after a while, I actually found this quite unpleasant). I think this is the e150 I’ve so far avoided in my other reviews.

76/100

EDIT: It’s been brought to my attention that this bottle may have been old and the dram sub-par. I hope I can try this again in the future with a fresh outlook.

Review #4 – Highland Park 12

November 22, 2014 / Joshua Reding

Highland Park 12 (43% ABV)

Nose: Strong honey; like the inside of an apiary. Brown sugar. Apple. Light smoke. Slight salty-sweet ocean air. Really quite sweet overall.

Palate: Mild. Bing cherry. Coffee cake. Maple syrup.

Finish: Medium length, and smooth. Woody and dry. Wheatgrass. I’m really having trouble picking anything else out here…it’s quite a simple finish.

Overall: It’s okay. For its price, definitely a bargain, but in whole, it’s a bit sweet for my taste. There’s nothing I actively dislike in it though. Definitely the candidate for a more regular whisky on my poor college student budget, especially as a peat fan.

84/100