Grade: C
Type: Scotland, Single Malt, Island
Age: N/A
ABV: 43.00%
Price $80
Availability: Better Whiskey Stores
The nose on this is oiled leather and fungus. The palate has the mildest of smoke and tastes extremely young which is strange considering that it’s blended with whiskies that are 13 and 21 years of age. Very sour which lingers into the finish, thin and bland. Not as offensive as the 16 but not far off either. There are cheap blends that are much better than this.
Grade: D+
Type: Scotland, Single Malt, Island
Age: 16 yrs
ABV: 43.00%
Price: $70
Availability: Better Whiskey Stores
The nose has some light peat and fresh berries. The palate makes you immediately feel like you have bitten into an old tire. There is a dominating rubber taste that is extremely offensive. Really I can’t get past that rubber taste. This is a terrible single malt, avoid this expression. The old 40%, “Diurachs’ Own” may have been better
Grade: C+
Type: Scotland, Single Malt, Island,
Age: 10 yrs
ABV: 43.00
Price: $45
Availability: Better Whiskey Stores
The nose reminds me of honey nut cheerios with some melon. The palate is quite sweet with more honey and vanilla, slightly spicy. The finish is a little bitter but not bad, light smoke, caramel. This is an easy drinking expression. Not a bad single malt to start with. C+/B-
Grade: B+
Type: American, Rye
Age: N/A
ABV: 46.00%
Price: $56
Availability: Better Whiskey Stores
This expression is a vat of 6 year 95% rye from Indiana and a 16 year 80% rye from Kentucky. The nose is floral with rye spice and tree bark. The palate is spicy but a little different than a typical rye, lots of wood, nice sweet balance, dried barley. The finish is full of heat but in a pleasant way, tastes like a cask strength rye with a great balance and a lot of character. A must try for rye lovers
Grade: C+
Type: Ireland, Single Malt
Age: 10 yrs
ABV: 40.00%
Price: $40
Availability: Wide
The palate has that floral grassy nose that I frequently get with Irish whiskey, malty. The palate is fruity and dry, sweet, malted balls. The finish is medium with more floral notes. This is slightly better than the standard Bushmills expression
Grade: B
Type: American, Rye, Kentucky
Age: N/A
ABV: 50.00%
Price: $24
Availability: Wide
The nose gives you an impression that this is a soft rye with vanilla, wood, and cinnamon. The palate however starts off hot right away followed by spice and pepper and back to the vanilla. The finish reminds you quickly that this is a hot rye with some lovely spice and licorice. You would be hard pressed to find a better rye in this price range.
Grade: B-
Type: Scotland, Blended
Age: 5 yrs
ABV: 40.00%
Price: $32
Availability: Better Whiskey Stores
This expression is from the same creators of “Sheep Dip”. The nose has some intense ripe fruit and malt. The palate is creamy, silky, gentle but with a fantastic ballance of honey, salt and butterscotch. The finish is light and fast but with a nice lingering sweetness. This isn’t an overly complex whisky. It does remind me of some of the much more expensive but quality blends. At $30 this is a steal for anyone that is a fan of the “smooth” blended style.
Grade: C+
Type: Scotland, Single Malt, Highland
Age: 12 yrs
ABV: 46.00%
Price: $55
Availability: Better Whiskey Stores
This expression spends ten years in American oak and then another two years in oloroso sherry casks. The nose is honey, dry sherry, and coffee. Considering that it’s a late maturation sherry soak, the sherry is quite rich and very spicy, extremely sweet. The complexity of the palate is long gone leaving you with a heated and uninspiring finish. This is an over the top sweet whisky with little else going on. C+/B-
Grade: C+
Type: American, Bourbon, Kentucky
Age: N/A
ABV: 46.00%
Price: $23
Availability: Wide
The nose is about as light as a bourbon can get. The palate is much of the same, light sweetness on both, buttery. This almost reminds me of canadian whiskey. The finish is the best part of this expression, there is some nice rye spice here. Overall, this is an ultra smooth bourbon with no real character.
Grade: B
Type: Scotland, Single Malt, Island
Age: N/A
ABV: 50.00%
Price: $75
Availability: Better Whiskey Stores
Finished in Amarone barrels, Amarone is a dry Italion red wine. The nose is like a fruit basket that was smothered in chocolate. The palate has some darker chocolates, dried fruits and spice. The finish is more oak and fruit, lovely balance. This expression is quite good and very unique.
Bay Area Whiskey Reviews 