Single Malt Scotch Tasters of
Tasting Notes - 2004 Home
| Color: | Amber with highlights of gold and honey. |
| Nose: | Very smokey and peaty. The sweet of maple syrup and vanilla. Briney and salty with a sweet edge. Port wine. |
| Flavor: | Quite sweet and smokey. Smooth and creamy. Discordant musty bitter notes of fermented plums and tar. |
| Finish: | Medium to long with complex elements of sweet and bitter smoke. |
| Brief Comment: | One camp felt that the Pedro Ximinez
finish did not have a positive influence on what they regard as an outstanding
single malt--Lagavulin 16. The other camp enjoyed savoring the difference produced by the Pedro Ximinez finish. On balance, as noted by the scoring, the distiller's edition was not as highly regarded as the Lagavulin 16 |
| Score: | 88 |
Lagavulin 25 - 57.2%ABV (Cask Strength)
| Color: | Light amber and gold with hints of amber and straw. |
| Nose: | Aromatically very sweet, smokey and peaty with pungent aspects of cream, vanilla, and seaweed after a storm. |
| Flavor: | Extremely powerful sweet smooth smokey experience accompanied by the mellow salty aspects of a Scottish winter tumult. Hints of spice, lingering cream, and vanilla. |
| Finish: | So very long, smokey, and powerful. Extremely smooth and mellow along with light touches of peat, spice, almonds, and salt. |
| Brief Comment: | One of the most complex and satisfying drams ever. Absolutely elegant nectar from Isla! |
| Score: | 95 |
| Color: | Golden honey, and amber with tinges of straw. |
| Nose: | Creamy inviting citrus. Sweet of brown sugar fried in butter, vanilla, caramel, and toffee. A hint of ethanol.. |
| Flavor: | Quite sweet, creamy, and lightly salty. Clean, peaty, herbal, with a nutty bite of powerful lingering undertones. |
| Finish: | Long, sweet, smooth, salty, and spicy. Creamy with a warmth that transitions to an oaky memory but having a bit of bitterness unaligned with the overall experience. |
| Brief Comment: | “Oh yeah baby”-------a very enjoyable dram. |
| Score: | 87 |
| Color: | Golden amber and honey. |
| Nose: | Clean and floral. Light and spirity sweet maple syrup. Hints of lemon, orange, and smoke. |
| Flavor: | Clean, smooth, and sweet with aspects of oak wood. Faint elements of peat, lemon, and smoke. |
| Finish: | Of medium to shortish duration, smooth and clean. Quite spicy accompanied by light sweet vanilla tones |
| Brief Comment: | A polite well finished very drinkable malt. |
| Score: | 83 |
Edradour “Straight from the Cask” 12 - 60.1% ABV
| Color: | Mahogany, dark amber, and copper. |
| Nose: | Penetrating, spirity, sweet, vanilla, honey, rum soaked raisins and toffee. Complex elements of orange and over ripe apricots and plums. |
| Flavor: | Complex, pungent, sweet fruit, and chocolate. Peaty, with elements of acorns, musty fortified muscatel, and burnt cork. |
| Finish: | A couple of days beyond long, spikey, and warm. Medicinal with elements of sweet toffee and caramel. Spirity. |
| Brief Comment: | Wonderful combination of aggression and complexity. Unique and distinctive. |
| Score: | 89 |
| Color: | Golden amber with honey and butterscotch tones |
| Nose: | Very strong sweet, caramel, vanilla, and malty aspects with suggestion of citrus, butter, heather and peat |
| Flavor: | Quite complex and honey sweet. Lightly salty, smokey, creamy and herbal. Sweeping perfume of thorny Scotland |
| Finish: | Very long. Lightly salty, sweet, and smooth with elegant encompassing hints of spice and caramel |
| Brief Comment: | Distinctive and rounded ---- a great malt. One of the best 12 year olds |
| Score: | 91 |
Glenmorangie 12 Portwood Finish
| Color: | Amber; light orange, honey gold, red twig dogwood. |
| Nose: | Sweet, floral, vanilla, and citrus with hints of burnt orange, creamy butter, and orange blossoms. |
| Flavor: | Pungent, oaky and very sweet; aspects of rough heather and musty burnt orange |
| Finish: | Fairly short, spicy and tangy. A bit harsh. |
| Brief Comment: | Lacking in complexity and fascination but a nice uncomplicated dram nonetheless. |
| Score: | 78 |
| Color: | Golden honey a notch below amber, a trace of copper. |
| Nose: | Pungent honey sweetness accompanied by floral hints of vanilla and salt. |
| Flavor: | Complex, sweet, pungent, and spicy with faint aspects of vanilla, pepper, caramel, and smoke. |
| Finish: | Medium to long, sweet, sharp, and pungent. |
| Brief Comment: | An unremarkable dram. This was especially the case because it was overpriced. |
| Score: | 76 |
| Color: | Rich amber with aspects of light honey, gold and orange |
| Nose: | Distinctive creamy sweet vanilla, with mild hints of butter, orange, and citrus |
| Flavor: | Well balanced, quite sweet, (citrus) fruity, creamy, and nutty |
| Finish: | Of moderate length, smooth with hints of cream, vanilla, nut, and spice |
| Brief Comment: | A fine, honest, enjoyable malt, but not close to the Balvenie 15 |
| Score: | 84 |
| Color: | Light golden amber with tinges of 10k gold, straw, and chocolate |
| Nose: | A smokey, peaty wave of power; salty, with hints of cream, seaweed, and grapefruit |
| Flavor: | Very salty, peaty and smokey; oak; accompanied by hints of sweet, spice, and cream |
| Finish: | Elegant, full, long and strong; complex with tangy elements of cream, spice, and salt |
| Brief Comment: | A fantastic 10 year old---- really exceptional----- farewell scarce Lagavulin |
| Score: | 90 |