Soft and savory at first sniff, with notes of vanilla and apricot. This gives way to something sharper -- brine and spice -- calling to mind a nice teriyaki glaze. This whisky has a wonderfully creamy…

For $30 a bottle (year-round at my local shop), I'm not sure you can do better than this. It's a peated Highland, so it's sort of an all-arounder, with none of the thinness or off-notes of similarly…

...in my opinion. Or it may just be that I'm not as fond of sherry monsters as I thought. Because it's all sherry, here -- with toffee and cranberries in the nose, along with earthy wet blossoms. There's…

I'm generally not much of a bourbon guy, but this is one of the best I've sampled, and for $25, it's hard to beat.The nose is a burst of honey and black cherries, with a medicinal note. Lots of oak on…

Kilchoman's Machir Bay is the distillery's lovely and subtle core expression. The nose offers strong peat and yeasty biscuit notes, followed by an intense green apple sweetness that reminded me of those…

This is probably as good a peaty malt as you'll find. I was turned off at first -- too abrasive, too briny. But midway through the bottle I was ready to taste it's rough-around-the-edges charm.The nose…

Caol Ila 12 was the first bottle of Islay whisky I purchased for my home cabinet. I was attracted by the rumors of exquisite "balance" between sweetness and smoke, and I was not at all disappointed.I get…

Four years ago, on a particularly joyous payday, I walked across the street to my local package store with a mission. I was about to "get into" whisk(e)y. After much deliberation, I purchased three…

The nose is dominated by the dark fruitiness of port with a foundation of syrupy French toast. Take a sip and you get lots of brown sugar & cinnamon, with warm citrus notes of blood orange. A thick &…

A nose of rich honey and raisins with hints of peppery smoke and softer sherry. Medium body. Sweetness of heather-honey. Long, gently smokey finish and lasting spice on the center of the tongue.