Glenmorangie Lasanta

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-

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Tamdhu 10

Grade: B

Type: Scotland, Single Malt, Speyside

Age: 10 yrs

ABV: 43.00%

Price: $55-60

Available: Better Whiskey Stores

The nose of this has a lot of syrup and brown sugar, leather and hints of vanilla. The palate has a lot of spice and vanilla nutmeg, fruit and rich sherry. The finish is long and is a bit of a sherry bomb with a slight bit of peat. This expression is very good and tastes nothing like the old Tamdhu 10 that was being imported before. You might be scared of the price here for a 10 year expression. However, keep in mind that this is a 100% pure sherry soak. The richness here reminds me a bit of the Balvenie 15 single cask but at a fraction of the price. Enjoy!

Glenfiddich 15 Solera

Grade: B

Type: Scotland, Single Malt, Speyside

Age: 15 yrs

ABV: 40.00%

Price: $44

Availability: Wide

For my money this is the best of the Glenfiddich expressions when compared to the 12 and 18. It’s far less expensive than the 18 but has a much richer palate with some nice sherry to it. The nose is sherry and oranges, fresh fruit. The palate has a very nice silky sherry taste to it, yet not to sweet. The sherry taste is followed up by some raisin cake and more fruit. The finish has some nice oak to it and more sherry starts to linger here. This is a great buy at under 50.

Arran Single Cask Sherry

Grade: B+

Type: Scotland, Single Malt, Island

ABV: 56.60%

Age: 9 Yrs

Price: $90

Availability: Limited Run/Semi Rare

Cask Number 69, Bottle 316/592, Distilled 03/02/98 Bottled 28/08/07…….. The nose on this is sherry, sweetened raisins, spiced rum cake. On the palate there is a massive amount of sherry, spicy sweet syrup, pancakes. The finish is medium and goes down like a high end dessert wine. If you have not ever tried one of these single cask expressions by Arran, I highly suggest that you give one a taste. Esp. the sherry expressions

Arran The Devil’s Punchbowl Chapter II

Grade: B

Type: Scotland, Single Malt, Island

Age: N/A

ABV: 53.10%

Price: $130

Availability: Rare/Limited Release

The nose on this is pure malt. The palate has a really nice cake bread taste to it with some frosting. The finish is hot with a medium length to it and makes you gasp just a bit. The palate is where this stuff is magic, very good in the middle and one of the more malty single malts that I have had. Hand selected casks, bottled without chill filter at cask strength. Nice expression by Arran here.

Tyrconnell 10 Sherry Cask

Grade: B+

Type: Ireland, Single Malt

Age: 10 Yrs

ABV: 46.00%

Price: $100

Availability: Better Whiskey Stores

The nose is similar to a spanish cream sherry. The palate has some giant sherry going on that will tingle your taste buds and make you feel like they are being caressed. There is also a very nice orange or tangerine taste throughout. The finish is very long with the last bits of sherry still clinging to your mouth, nicely ballanced.  This tastes like a very good sherry that has met a solid single malt. I am an instant fan.

Glendronach 15 Revival

Grade: B

Type: Scotland, Single Malt, Speyside

Age: 15 Yrs

ABV: 46.00%

Price: $90

Availability: Better Whiskey Stores

The nose has big sherry, chocolate and fruit. The palate is complicated and does have some coffee and a wood taste to it. The sherry is not as dominating as I had thought it would be. It does have a nice ballance with a full body. The finish is spicy and with a lingering wood. This reminds me a lot of a mid-range Macallan but with a slightly better price tag.