Orange rind, pineapple, and tropical aromas on the nose. The palate has notes of chocolate milkshake, with nuttiness and a hint of espresso. Water brings out more tropical flavors, bitter chocolate, and a light char note. A bit hot, but the finish is balanced and reasonably long—chocolaty, lemony, with more of the charred note and some tobacco leaf. Not quite as full-bodied as it might be, but a solid rye expression nonetheless.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Summer 2019)

William Grant & Sons’ Land Cask is a peated Lowland single malt from an undisclosed distillery. Sweet peat smoke and tangy orange on the nose. More orange, plus vanilla, toffee, and peaty oak on the smooth medium palate. Peat smoke and earthy, nutty, toffee in the finish. Straightforward, but eminently drinkable. £22

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Summer 2019)

Darryl McNally’s killer new whiskey was finished in Tokaj casks and launched to coincide with the opening of their new distillery. Inhaling the volatiles evokes scents of lime, sugar-sprinkled puff pastry, sweet and sour plum, toasted oak, and Chinese five spice. The waxy mouthfeel, with cooked fruit, sweet vanilla, marzipan, orange, and plum, is silenced when the trigger is pulled on the pepper, allspice, and clove ending. Well-executed. €160

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Summer 2019)

The dried fruit, almost like Fruit Roll-Ups, quickly veers toward circus peanuts candy, taffy, and bubble gum, with notes of herbs— especially dill. The palate remains a bit of a fruit bomb, with banana, peach puree, dried papaya, and other tropical fruits, then clove and allspice add some complexity. A flavorful, if slightly peculiar bourbon dominated by tutti-frutti flavors and dill.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Summer 2019)

Jaffa orange, flowers, hard candies, rose water, and light spices make a rather muted offering. Fortunately there’s a sweet, malty mouthful of fudge, orange shred, gingerbread, and candied orange slices, with a nibble of peppercorn spices and a finish of clove-studded orange. Tasty and well-balanced, salvaging the less than inspiring nose. (Travel Retail)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Summer 2019)

Ripe peaches, vanilla, sweet oak, and milky coffee on the nose. The palate is luscious and smooth, with sweet orange notes and cinnamon. The finish is medium in length, with spicy berry fruits, oak, and lingering ginger.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Summer 2019)

Buttery, nutty, and richly spiced, this has all the hallmarks of a sherry-finished whiskey—dried fruit, hazelnuts, chocolate—but retains its bourbon core with strong peanut, concord grape jelly, and roasted corn aromas. On the palate, it’s bourbon first: peanuts, cooked cherries, and plenty of oak. But the sherry softens and rounds out the mouthfeel, adding gentle spice, dried fruit, and silkiness.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2019)

Made with 100% malted rye. A nose of candied orange, cherry, green banana, and melon, along with sultanas, prunes, berries, and nuts. The palate starts orangey and sweet, followed by licorice, espresso, bitter chocolate, cashew, molasses, burnt sugar, and spice. Water unveils roasted peanuts, marshmallow char, more chocolate, and coffee beans. The finish is balanced oak, charred almonds, more coffee beans, tropical melon, and orange. Pleasurably crunchy, with intriguing overlays of bitter chocolate, espresso, and nuttiness.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Summer 2019)

Aromas of orange, roasted pineapple, lime, pine nuts, cinnamon, and leather on the nose, with a cherry-strawberry note. Light, refined cherry on the palate, with roasted walnuts, dark chocolate, and light char. Water unlocks bright cherry and chocolate fudge, with notes of char and roasted coffee beans. A nutty, fruity finish carries on the red berry note, along with a swirl of vanilla and chocolate. A deft balance of fruit, sweetness, and spice.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Summer 2019)

The nose gives off gentle sea breezes, earthy and nutty aromas, then cocoa powder. Pineapple, toffee, and milk chocolate on the palate, with a suggestion of brine. Nutty in the finish, with white pepper and lingering lemon. (367 bottles)

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Summer 2019)

Earthy on the early nose, with a brief whiff of boiled cabbage and contrasting hints of violet. Ripe apples and pears on the relatively full palate, with toffee, honey, and a background earthiness. The finish is medium in length, herbal, with ginger and bog oak. (308 bottles)

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Summer 2019)

This bottling from Douglas Laing was distilled in January 2008, matured in a refill hogshead, and bottled in October 2018. Floral notes on the nose, with barley, vanilla, soft spice, and baked apple. Full-on orchard fruits and more barley on the palate. Soft and sweet. The finish dries, becoming slightly earthy and tannic, with black pepper. (371 bottles)

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Summer 2019)

Grain-forward on the nose, with raw peanuts, milk chocolate, orange pekoe tea, grape Pixy Stix, and cinnamon Teddy Grahams. Without water, the palate is chewy, oaky, and grain-heavy; with water, there’s a delicious Cocoa Krispies flavor, as well as walnuts and cinnamon oatmeal. Nutty chocolate and oak on the finish.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2019)

The nose is sweet and wood-driven, with butterscotch, molasses cookies, toasted pecans, and a faint floral note. Cinnamon, chili pepper, almonds, orange, and candied violets buoy a somewhat thin mouthfeel, all rounded off with sweet floral flavors and subtle oak. Six month old Kentucky bourbon that has been “finished” in stainless steel tanks with French and American oak and oloroso 
sherry staves.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2019)

Named for the town of Deadwood, S.D., where Wild Bill Hickok was gunned down in 1876. A blend of two rye mashbills, 95% rye and 70% rye, aged at least 2 years in American oak. Orange blossom on the nose, herbal notes, pine nuts, anise, and fragrant oak. A honeyed palate offers kiwi, tangerine, and orange, balanced against bitter chocolate and espresso. The finish is sweet, with floral orange notes and chocolate syrup.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Summer 2019)

Vivacious and fresh aromas of raspberry, licorice cookies, brown sugar, herbal tea, and toasted oak. The palate falls a little short of the setup, with a light body and some youthful heat driven by oak. Nevertheless, orange and lemon peels, roasted pecans, caramel, blackberry, nutmeg, and black pepper punch through the wood, demonstrating a well-executed, if simple, bourbon.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2019)

A straightforward 4 year old Canadian blend, great for mixing, but good for sipping too. It presents flavors of toffee, brisk spices, kiwi fruit, charred wood, and sweet barley sugars. A creamy body with pleasingly penetrating pepper that feels minty-warm, like menthol. Not overly complex, but getting there. More pepper and a refreshing, slightly bitter pithiness on a medium finish. A creamy palate soothes the energetic attack of the spices.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Summer 2019)

Plummy, earthy, and zingy with grapefruit and pine aromas, along with orange marmalade, raspberry, and hazelnut. Light-bodied and silky in the mouth, it has flavors of lemon cake, hazelnut, milk chocolate, and intense floral and fruity hops, as well as sweet plum and mocha notes. This whiskey’s beauty is in its delicate balance, although it may veer too far out of the middle lane for conventional palates.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2019)