In my occasional quest for good drinking budget-level Scotch, I sometimes take a chance on something like Aerstone Land Cask - $30, clearly aimed at the entry segment, but has the possibility of a diamond in the rough.
And sometimes, it's just rough. Aerstone is an interesting whisky, being reasonably peated and aged 10 years, but only the first few pours from the bottle maintain that level of fascination. The farther down the bottle you get, the more the flavors sort of mush together like wet cardboard. It goes from a pale copy of Laphroaig to ... last year's drain dregs of Laphroaig. But what was I expecting for $30?? So some of this is on me.
Nose: Soft peat reek. Soft, rounded vanilla. Mild fruit hiding in a corner. And... that's about it. A very vague and amorphous nose that gets less distinct as the bottle ages.
Mouthfeel: On the thin side.
Palate: Follows the nose exactly. Soft peat, in the vein of Laphroaig - despite this being a "land" cask (which I think only refers to the warehousing), it's a very maritime peat, with salt and some medicinal qualities. Some malt. Some vanilla. And some indistinct fruit of the red variety.
Finish: Exceptionally short - no oak, no smoke, no fruit, nothing. It just vanishes, which is worrisome.
Verdict: This is a good first toe in the Islay/Highland peat waters for someone, but it will be terribly boring for someone who is already familiar with Scotch. It's worth the $30, I'd say, but I'd rather drink Black Bottle.
No comments:
Post a Comment