Aberlour 10 Year

This is the third of the three Scotches I sampled on a remote beach in Northwest Madagascar. The other two (Talisker 57 Degrees North and Johnnie Walker Green Label) I had first, and were outstanding. Running my eye down the bar's row of Scotch, I saw only one bottle I hadn't had - Aberlour 10 Year. 

Johnnie Walker Green Label (15 Year)

This is the first Johnnie Walker blend I'm reviewing, but far from the first one I've tasted. In fact, it's pretty easy to make the claim that Johnnie Walker blends are the single most available Scotch blends in the world - you can find Red Label in virtually every bar, and over the years I've had (and will review) Red, Black, Double Black, Gold, and Blue Label. 

Green Label is my favorite.

Talisker 57 Degrees North (NAS)

Hello from Madagascar! I'm on the far side of the world but still knee-deep in the Scotch game. Well, ankle-deep - although I have to say that I'm impressed by the Scotch lineup in the 9th-poorest country in the world. Vodka, gin, bourbon are all bare bones here. Rhum is the local staple, and heavily available in a wide variety of flavored options (most notably coffee, vanilla, cinnamon, and a number of tropical fruits like coconut and lychee). 

Bunnahabhain Toiteach (NAS)

After trying and liking a bottle of the core 12 Year expression by Islay distiller Bunnahabhain, I was eager and curious to try their peated bottle, the no-age-statement Toiteach (and apparently pronounced "toe chack" and meaning Smoky - a good sign). I bought a bottle as a birthday present for a new friend, who very kindly shared a glass with me, and I immediately wrote down my impressions to register here. 

Kilchoman 100% (4th Edition, NAS)

I got my hands on another bottling from Kilchoman, one of my new favorite distilleries (and the youngest on Islay). This one is "100% Islay," which is made from barley grown at the distillery, along with water found on their land - therefore every stage of the process is tightly controlled, and completely original to Kilchoman. 

This particular Fourth Edition is five years old, aged in first fill bourbon barrels and bottled at a nice stiff 50%. No artificial coloring and no chill filtering either. 

ScotchTalk Vol. 4: "Taste"

Taste is a strange sense, and perhaps the most subjective.

Most people can agree on the scent of an apple, or perfume, or the ocean when they encounter it blindfolded. Most people can differentiate touch between soft and hard, knobby and smooth, etc., to a very surprisingly minute degree. Most people can detect almost infinitely small gradients of color, and generally agree what is pleasing to observe and what isn't (within reasonable limits). 

Bunnahabhain 12 Year

Ah... my journey through Islay is complete. Bunnahabhain ("Boo-nah-HAH-van," meaning Foot of the River) was the last distillery on my list - from Ardbeg to Kilholmen, Bruichladdich to Lagavulin, Laphroaig to Bowmore, Caol Ila to Bunnahabhain. The distillery dates to at least 1881, and the area is apparently well known for shipwrecks (according to Wikipedia), which lends a nice sinister aspect. The bottle is curiously shaped and designed, and decidedly old-fashioned. 

ScotchTalk Vol. 3 - Japan Tops the List

Dear Readers, I point a finger to this article in Fortune: 

http://fortune.com/2014/11/04/the-best-whisky-in-the-world-isnt-scottish

which notes that the latest edition of Jim Murray's Scotch Bible (2015), a sherry cask Yamazaki single malt from Suntory tops the list, and nothing from Scotland even cracked the top five (!!). 

Many whisky bloggers and drinkers have seen this coming for some time. Scotch distillers have been moving away from transparent age-dated offerings, instead deciding to release opaque batches with clever names but without age statements. 

Macallan 12 Year Sherry Oak

Macallan's fall from grace - or at least the supposed fall from grace - or, that is, their continued and heavily debated thrust to position themselves as one of the great elite Scotch brands through intense advertising, perhaps deceptively - is something that has spawned thousands of words across the internet. I think MaltMadness does a particularly good job explaining some of the core problems. I personally have yet to meet a Scotch drinker who really liked any of their new and much-promoted Fine Oak line. 

Ardmore Traditional Cask (NAS)

Sorry for the delay, dear readers - laid low with bad pneumonia since the last post. Not being able to breathe, taste, or smell anything really puts a damper on whisky drinking, let me tell you. But the night before I was stricken with lung plague I had a dram of this Ardmore at a bar, and was very favorably impressed. 

Macallan 10 Year Fine Oak

This is the first "real" single malt Scotch I purchased for myself, for the express purpose of sipping and learning and appreciating. It was on sale at a local liquor store for a price I then considered "reasonable" - $36 or so - and when seeing it against the value of the other Macallan bottlings (whose pricing has no real upper limits, it would seem), it appeared to be a steal. 

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask (14 Year)

This was my introduction to The Balvenie - a distiller whose every Speyside expression seems to garner glowing reviews from professional reviewers and casual drinkers alike. I have had a handful of their whiskies, and am fairly chomping at the bit to try a few of the older, more expensive varieties (I'm looking at you, PortWood 21 Year). 

Light or heavy, Speyside whiskies are known for their sweetness, and this is something that the folks at The Balvenie seem to specialize in - a very rich, endless sweetness that is never cloying or sticks in your teeth. Instead they present a light, dancing sweetness that has facets and details and rewards patience. 

Bruichladdich The Laddie (10 Year)

I just attended a great cookout this last weekend, and the host of the manor was a great aficionado of single malt Scotch. In fact, I invited him to pen some guest reviews - and if I'm lucky, he'll even post about his trip to several distilleries in Scotland, with pictures and the works. 

The one whisky in his cabinet I had never had was Bruichladdich The Laddie, their 10 Year unpeated expression. Coming from the same folks who make Port Charlotte and Octomore, I was mightily intrigued by their "standard" flavor profile, which you might expect to underlie all the other expressions. 

Hakushu 12 Year

Ahhhh.... now we come to the first whisky I truly dislike. And I really wish I didn't - the Hakushu 12 Year is from the same company (Suntory) that presents the fabulous, vaunted Hibiki 12 Year blend and the delicious, well-put-together Yamazaki 12. 

Like Hibiki and Yamazaki, of course, this isn't technically Scotch. But this is the closest Scotch analog of any whisky not made in Scotland, by a landslide. 

anCnoc 12 Year

Before you ask, it's pronounced "a-nock," and comes from the Knockdhu distillery ("nock-DOO") in the village of Knock, somewhere in Aberdeenshire. This makes it a Highland Scotch, generally known for sweet, richly honeyed whiskies. 

ScotchTalk Vol. 2: Oxidation

Oxidation... oooh, sounds sciencey.

Don't worry, no didactic lectures, formulae, or math here. I'm an arts person. But I do want to address a serious drinker's problem: oxidation, aka Booze Rot or Hooch Death.

Most people know that once opened a bottle of wine has a very finite lifespan. After a day or two - unless the air is pumped out of the open bottle using a vacuum system or something like it - it goes flat, loses flavor, and eventually becomes unpalatably gross. 

Lagavulin 16 Year

Ah, finally I get to Lagavulin. Considered by many to be THE Islay Scotch, it's the favorite single malt of many a refined drinker. I first had this delicious beauty at a birthday party in a small apartment on Capital Hill, drinking with a pilot who generously shared his bottle. I was instantly enamored. It's dangerously easy to drink and bottles tend to empty themselves all too quickly.

Bruichladdich Rocks (NAS)

We've covered a bottle from Port Charlotte already, the heavily peated imprint from Islay distiller Bruichladdich ("Brook-LAH-dee"). Yesterday I had a chance to sample this unusual bottle - Bruichladdich Rocks, an "un-peated" Islay single malt. Rocks is but one of a three-part set from Bruichladdich, the other two being the simply named Peat and Waves. I usually like creative and/or descriptive marketing, but this is perhaps not quite enough for me to get a firm hold on. 

Laphroaig Triple Wood

I am slowly, steadily working my way through Laphroaig's entire range of whiskies... and what a glorious ride it's been so far! This is my wife's favorite distillery, and for good reason - one of the great Islay standard bearers, every whisky they make is rich with full flavors - iodine, maritime flavors (seaweed, minerality, salt), rich vanilla, rich oak... and those are the baseline flavors, not counting their special offerings... like the Triple Wood. 

Kilchoman Machir Bay (2013 bottling)

Spoiler alert: This whisky is a big winner. A big, big winner. I sure hope someone from Kilchoman is reading tonight. 

Kilchoman is, by a large margin, the newest distillery on Islay. While you might ask "Hey, what about Bruichladdich?" (like I did), Bruichladdich was actually founded in 1881 and active for years and years, and only closed for a small window in the late 1990s. 

Kilchoman, however, was freshly founded, built from the ground up, in 2005. And apparently the "C" is silent (hence the giant "H" on the package?). As their website notes, it's a very small distillery, and built on a farm (hence the "Islay's Farm Distillery" on the box and bottle), which means that they grow their own barley. Talk about quality control.

ScotchTalk Vol. 1: Sherry

Welcome to Volume One of ScotchTalk, the space I reserve for non-review related subjects. Today: sherry.

Sherry is a big deal in the Scotch world. Sometime around 150 years ago distilleries discovered that aging their whisky in ex-sherry casks lent a richer, positively luscious flavor. And they've been doing it ever since. Now many a bottle proudly features "matured in oloroso sherry casks" or "aged exclusively in ex-sherry casks" or a similar statement.

By totally random chance, about a year ago - just before I got into single malt Scotch in a big way - I went through a huge sherry phase. It remains my favorite wine by a large margin - I prefer a glass of amontillado above any red or white wine I'm offered.

Laphroaig 18 Year

I was very curious about Laphroaig 18 Year, as I love all their younger offerings, and it's rather difficult to find near me. What does a long-aged Islay taste like, I wondered? 

Auchentoshan 12 Year

Wow, and I thought I liked the Auchentoshan Classic! This is instantly delicious whisky. To review: Auchentoshan is probably the most prominent of the remaining Lowland distilleries, all their whisky is triple distilled (like most Irish whisky). 

The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year

The Balvenie is one of those good distillers that makes a little bit of everything, and most of it is highly lauded. Their Caribbean Cask, PortWood, and single cask offerings are particularly well regarded. The DoubleWood 12 (there is an older 17 Year variant I haven't tried yet) is their basic entry level offering, aged a dozen years in both bourbon and sherry casks. 

Longrow CV (NAS)

This was a recommendation by my friend Sonu at Riverside Liquors at 2123 E St NW in Washington DC - he runs Whiskytrade.com, which I recommend visiting (and not just because he's my favorite Scotch source in DC). I've made a sub-hobby out of scouting liquor stores in Washington DC, and Riverside has the widest selection by far. 

Longrow is the heavily peated variety of Springbank, one of the few remaining Campbeltown distilleries. Campbeltown is one of the classic regions of Scotch production, like Lowland, Highland, Speyside, and Islay. Springbank also has an imprint called Hazelburn, which is unpeated, triple-distilled, and quite smooth. I look forward to reviewing that soon. 

Hibiki 12 Year Blend

Technically, although Hibiki is a "whisky" it's not a Scotch because, of course, it's not made in Scotland. Made in Japan by beverage giant Suntory, whose most well known product in the USA, for years and years, was the sickly sweet neon green melon liqueur Midori. 

But the Japanese have always had a strong affinity for Scotch. Scotch arrived with the British back in the 1800s and the complexity and craftsmanship of Scotch (and whisky generally) appealed immediately to the Japanese. Now, in 2014, they make some of the best whisky I've ever had - Scotch or otherwise. I have a very good friend with a highly trusted and refined palate who claims that a 40 Year expression of one of the Suntory whiskies is among the very best he's ever had - and he's had all the very good stuff. 

Port Charlotte "The Peat Project" (NAS)

Sometimes a business wants to expand its brand, and rather than dilute the image that's been built over the years - and risk alienating or confusing customers - it creates an imprint. Another brand, often transparently the same company in packaging and branding and imaging, but using a different name for a different purpose. 

A good example of this is Springbank, the Campbeltown distillery that makes its normal well-regarded single malt... but also makes a heavily peated version (Longrow) and a triple-distilled smooth and gentle version (Hazelburn). Another example - and one directly related to this review - is the recently resurrected Bruichladdich (Brookh-LAH-dee) distillery. 

Aberfeldy 12 Year

I remember back in about the year 2000 or so I attended a bonfire with my great friend Mickey, out in Damascus, Maryland, my hometown. The liquor choices at the bonfire were between two bottom of the barrel rums (ugggggh) and ... Dewar's White Label. Well, OK, I thought, I'll try this Scotch business. I liked it but didn't love it. 

Since then I've had Dewar's in about a hundred cocktails, which is really its starring role - as a mixer. It is just "Scotchy" enough to be unmistakable, but just bland enough to not stick out. More grain than malt in that way. The chief single malt in Dewar's White Label - the heart of the blend - is Aberfeldy. 

Oban 14 Year

I really like Oban 14 Year, and it's a Scotch I would not mind keeping on hand all the time. For someone whose Scotch cabinet has a fairly high turnover, someone who quests and voyages for new and interesting flavors on a more or less daily basis, this is pretty high praise. 

It's also the only single malt Scotch made by Diageo that is not used in any of their blends, which I'm not sure is praise exactly but certainly speaks to its distinctive character and gives it a certain cache. 

The Glenlivet Nadurra (16 Year)

THE Glenlivet. Why do distilleries insist on the "The"? THE Macallan! THE Balvenie! THE Dalmore!

For the rest of the review, I'm chopping the name down to Glenlivet, try to humble the bottle a little.  Because this is a bottle with big things going on. 

Guest Review: Glenmorangie The Original (10 Year)

Huzzah! What have we here? A guest review from my friend Joe Kano! From time to time I solicit my friends to submit reviews of Scotch they have tried for this blog. So here I submit unedited and in full glory, Joe's review of Glenmorangie's The Original - their 10 Year expression:

Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength

Short introduction to this review: my wife poured a dram of this Laphroaig Cask Strength, and I poured the remainder of the Ardbeg Corryvreckan bottle. We accidentally placed them side-by-side and turned our attention away... when we turned back we couldn't tell the different, by sight. 

So we sniffed - still, they were very close! It was only when tasting them that they betrayed their natures

The Dalmore 12 Year

I had a nice dram of The Dalmore 12 Year out tonight in Silver Spring, Maryland. I texted myself the notes so I could post the review tonight, while the impression was still fresh in my mind. 

Some brief background: The Dalmore is a highland distillery north of Inverness, and dates back to 1839. The Wikipedia page says that it was founded by a man who made his money in the illegal opium trade. Now THAT is a story more interesting than most you read, and worth a good New Yorker article or two. Someone get on that. 

Connemara Peated Irish Whiskey (NAS)

What is peat? I've had a couple emails from readers asking that, since I've referred to it multiple times now. Peat is a tightly compacted level of earth that consists of decaying grasses, trees, plants, animals, moss, etc., that is cut by hand and then burned to dry out the malted barley (malting is done by soaking the barley in water until it partially sprouts) during the production of Scotch. 

The composition of peat varies from location to location, which is why Islay peat tastes different from Orkney peat, which is different from the peat of Ireland or the Isle of Skye, etc. 

Cardhu 12 Year

Cardhu 12 Year is a whisky I first had in a tapas bar in Adams Morgan, in the basement bar. It was the only Scotch on the shelf I didn't recognize, and so earned a visit to my mouth. And my impressions were positive: smooth honey, gentle bright fruit, soft finish. 

I did a little reading and discovered Cardhu is apparently mammothly popular in Spain (who knew?) and that it had been off the market for a bit, but has returned recently. Bottled at 40% ABV, which I always find a little thin for my liking. 

Dalwhinnie 15 Year

Dalwhinnie is a Scotch I first had in a bar in D.C. and liked it enough to buy a bottle when it came on sale. When I opened the bottle and started draining drams from it, I found myself surprisingly wishing for something more. It's like seeing an author read a blurb from what seems to be a great book ... but when you read your fresh new copy at home, the rest of the book doesn't hold up. It has one or two great chapters and that's it. 

Talisker Storm (NAS)

Talisker Storm is a No Age Statement whisky (yet another) that is designed to fit in between the 10 Year (which I love) and the 18 Year (which I haven't had yet). I can find the regular Talisker 10 Year for $50 all day long, and the 18 Year for $115 or so, and this one averages about $65-70. I managed to pick it up for half price at $30, a real steal. 

Cragganmore 12 Year

Cragganmore lived like a rogue legend on the shelves of the liquor stores when I was growing up. That name by itself has magic in the sound: cragganmore. Crrrrrrrragganmorrrre. Krrrragggganmooorrrrrrre. KKKRRRAAGGGGGGGGANNNNMMMMNMNMMMOOORREREREREEEE!!

Isle of Jura "Origin"

The Isle of Jura is one of those miscellaneous isles like Skye and the Orkneys that don't quite fall under any other Scotch geographic heading and get short shrift in the press, being generally getting lumped in with Islay. 

Caol Ila 12 Year

This is another "secret" Islay distillery like Bowmore, Kilchoman, and Bruichladdich ... basically, my liquor store experience is that if it's not Ardbeg, Laphroaig, or Lagavulin, it's virtually unknown to the common whisky drinker/buyer. It sits on the shelf waiting for adventurers or blog readers. 

Well, this is one they SHOULD know. It's a particular favorite of mine, one that I always keep on hand. I discovered it in the Adams Morgan scotch/bourbon bar Smoke & Barrel on (I think) July 4th and was particularly enamored of it. Since then it's only grown in my estimation. 

Aberlour A'bunadh (Batches 45 and 46)

Even though the picture I found on the web indicates Batch 38, this post will cover batches 45 and 46. Aberlour is a Speyside distillery that is well known for the A'bunadh expression - from the Gaelic "of the original," it's a cask strength super sherry bomb of surprising complexity and no age statement.

As anyone who has read the previous posts or followed Scotch news generally is aware, this new trend of whiskies with No Age Statement is troubling for the simple reason that old whisky is finite and eventually runs out, and then you (the distillery) are left with lots of really young spirit to mix together. And young spirit is less complex and rich and dense than older, matured spirit. So, the theory goes, the end product suffers. 

GlenDronach "The Original" 12 Year

GlenDronach 12 Year ("The Original") is maybe the most emblematic sherried Scotch I can think of. This is delicious, lovely stuff, and takes virtually all of its flavor notes from medium-to-full bodied sherry (which makes sense considered it was aged in Ximenez and Oloroso casks). The first time I caught the scent of this whisky over the glass, I might as well have been opening a bottle of sherry. It's almost indistinguishable. 

Ardbeg 10 Year

Here's a tip: If you ever go on vacation with a bunch of people who aren't whisky drinkers, and you aren't sure they will share in your bottle of Ardbeg Ten Year... they won't. It's all yours. Sip at your leisure. They will say things like "it smells like burned things," and "what IS that?" and "it smells like a medicine cabinet." 

All true, of course. 

It's funny, how your tastes change. Ardbeg Ten Year was the first Islay Scotch whisky I ever had, and the first time I had it I could only taste what my family tasted this weekend - smoke, iodine, coal, tar, tobacco, dark and musty citric things... and the salt-and-peppery burn of alcohol at the end somewhere. 

So this last weekend I worked my way through another bottle over a couple days, and I really relished it and its subtleties. Having had Uigeadail and Corryvreckan now, the Ten Year takes on new dimensions... there are vectors and angles here I hadn't sensed previously. Bottled at 46% ABV, let's get right to this one. 

Nose: Smoke and peat, right up front. But less than the first time I tried it. This time I got a lot more iodine and and sea salt/spray. Very maritime, like Talisker. But much smokier. A hint of citrus drifts around. 

Mouthfeel: Very very full, coats the whole mouth and stays there. 

Palate: Smoke comes and goes and comes again. Unlike my last time through the Ten Year, this is actually sweet throughout... a pleasant generic vanilla sweetness, not like the tropical fruit of Corryvreckan or the honey glaze of Uigeadail. Vanilla and citrus lace the smoke throughout, making for a nice balance. The citrus might be lemon, might be orange, might even be lime, it's indistinct. 

Finish: Peppery and alcoholic, with endless peat that goes on for days. Salt speckles the smoke. Very pleasant. 

Verdict: To me, this is the definitive entry-level Islay Scotch. I like Ardbeg's flavor profile more than Laphroaig, and the price point edges out Lagavulin. I recommend it IF you are interested in a smokey, medicinal whisky experience that will reward you the more you come back to it. I'll be seeing more of this dram...

Link to the Ardbeg website for the Ten Year: http://www.ardbeg.com/ardbeg/whisky/ten-years-old

Ardbeg Corryvreckan (NAS)

Not enough bottles of Scotch are named for unusual things; Ardbeg catches my interest when they release bottles named Alligator, AuriVerdes, and, of course, Corryvreckan - named for the famous whirlpool off of Scotland, between the Isle of Jura and Isle of Scarba. I understand and ultimately don't mind things like "Triple Wood" and "Fifteen Year" and "Sherry Cask" ... but I think it helps distinguish your distillery and product from among the dozens also using those phrases to come up with a unique descriptor like Ardbeg does here. 

Auchentoshan Classic (NAS)

Most people know that Scotch whisky is divided up geographically into five or six areas, all of which taste (more or less) distinctly different. The areas are Highland, Lowland, Speyside, Cambelltown, Islay...  and some say the Islands (Jura, Arran, Orkney, etc.) are their own, although I think I would group them in with Islay. 

Of the main five areas, Lowland is by far the least represented, with only three or four distilleries currently producing: Ailsa Bay, Glenkinchie, Bladnoch, and Auchentoshan (the web seems to disagree which are actually open and producing actively).

Laphroaig 10 Year

I have a little story about this whisky. Actually, two. The first is that I had a colleague that I particularly liked who was trying to get into single malt Scotch. He chose Laphroaig 10 Year as his gateway whisky, and had a really hard time getting into the swing of things. It challenged him every step of the way, and the last time I asked him how he was liking it, he just shook his head. 

Edradour 10 Year (2014 bottling, 40%)

Edradour is the smallest distillery in Scotland, at only three employees historically - and now only two. Owned by Signatory, it produces only a few expressions - but the 10 Year is worth notice. I absolutely loved this bottle, and am dying to try their other expressions, but many of them top of the $100 mark, making them rare birds in my household. 

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

Laphroaig (la-FROYG) is what many drinkers would call hardcore. Like Ardbeg, it's not just intense, it's in your face, no holds barred, punch-to-the-mouth intense. It's not just smoke, it's coal tar, it's iodine, it's salt water and brine, sometimes it's even anchovies and heavy metals. Laphroaig and its heavier Islay brethren are not joking around. 

Highland Park 12 Year

I came late to the Highland Park table, because of a silly mistake that was entirely my fault; I had a distant, and wrong, memory that Highland Park was a cheap blend. Turns out I was thinking of the mouth swill known as Highland Mist. Understandable mistake, but one that sadly delayed my liquid journey to the Orkney Islands, home of the Highland Park distillery. 

Talisker 10 Year

Ah, Talisker. Called "brooding," "moody," and "intense," this is from the only distillery on the Isle of Skye, a rocky, craggy island; I recommend Google imaging the Isle of Skye and checking out the beautiful, stark landscapes for yourself. 

This is another big favorite of mine, like Ardbeg Uigeadail of the previous review. This was a Scotch that entranced me from the very first pour, and has kept me coming back for more time and again.

Ardbeg Uigeadail (NAS, 2013 bottling)

Ardbeg is a distillery I particularly like (being partial to the more intensely peated whiskies of the Islay region), and Uigeadail is my favorite whisky of theirs... one of my very favorites of all time, in fact. This is a whisky that will always be found on my shelf. 

Bowmore Legend (NAS)

I'm starting off this blog with a real flawed gem... sometime soon I'll try the other expressions from Bowmore, but at $25 Bowmore Legend positions itself squarely as a "liquor store impulse purchase." Which is what it was, so I guess Bowmore wins this round. On to the golden liquid itself...

Welcome to the world of Scotch whisky!

I've decided to start a new blog, this one centered around whisky... specifically, single-malt Scotch whisky. This blog is meant for everyone who enjoys a good dram of single malt, a nice fireside chuff of a fine blend, or that particular and unmistakable slip of peat on the tongue. It's also aimed at the drinker who finds poetry in a good sip, and doesn't mind a few flights of imagination now and again when the drink inspires. 

I am coming to the Scotch table rather late in the game - I'm in my mid 30s, and have been drinking spirits - especially my previous favorite, gin - since I was about 18, like most red-blooded Americans. But I only discovered my palette for Scotch about a year ago. I understood the subtleties of gin, bourbon, cognac, but the wonderful world of scotch blossomed unexpectedly late one night at a board game party where I brought some Glenlivet 12 Year.  

I have no mouth for wine, so the esoteric reviews that feature "oak, with a little candied green apple peel, maybe tanned leather, plums, fried peach skin, onion straws, and maybe .... maybe... yes, cherry wallpaper paste," were completely lost on me. Yet with Scotch, my mouth came alive. 

I suspect this is a similar experience for many Scotch drinkers - suddenly, descriptions like "Honey, heather, soft caramel, young herbs, and light smoke," make perfect sense. Sure, every tongue is different - I have read reviews of bottles that I found insane - I smelled varnish and wood glue, they somehow smelled vanilla and cream (!?) - but I think my mouth "understands" Scotch well enough that most reviews make perfect sense, and I have a good idea of the basic and, to a lesser degree, advanced flavors happening in Scotches good and indifferent and bad. 

So, I aim to post at least once a week, and hopefully much more, about some Scotch or other I've sampled, using the usual "nose/mouthfeel/palette/finish" method, and rather than give a score (which is unusually arbitrary, I think), I will follow ScotchNoob.com's example, and use a system that varies from Find This Immediately to Recommended to Avoid At All Costs. 

Prost!