Mesquite-smoked single malt from Arizona. Very rich and aromatic, dripping with barbecue sauce, paprika, juicy red apple, and smoked bacon on the nose. A full panoply of barbecue flavors on the palate—brisket, roast chicken, ribs. Cayenne, walnuts, and spiced ginger balanced with oranges, apples, and pears. Some tar and creosote notes. Juicy, meaty, and smoky all at the same time. The herbal, vegetative notes are intriguing, but can be divisive.

Reviewed by: Adam Polonski (Fall 2018)

This limited-edition bottling was matured in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks. It is non-chill filtered and includes no caramel coloring. Vanilla, milk chocolate, dried fruits, and green apples on the nose. Relatively light-bodied, with orange juice, honey, wood spice, and a hint of brine on the soft, oaky palate. The finish is medium in length, gently fruity, with mixed nuts and salted caramel.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2018)

This ever-popular expression of Balvenie is matured for roughly 12 years in ex-bourbon casks and finished for 9 months in Spanish oak oloroso sherry casks. Floral on the nose, with honey, oak, and almonds. Spicy sherry, nutmeg, and dried fruit on the silky palate. Quite long in the finish, with a hint of orange, plus drying spices. Elegant, yet robust.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2018)

One of four new affordable blended malts in the range, this delivers a direct line of clean, pure smoke; richly peaty, with shrimp shells, salty sea spray, fresh citrus peel, vanilla, and the aroma of fine cigar smoke. There’s an elegant purity to the nose. The palate takes a different course, with tangy, sharp citrus, bitter orange, herbal notes, lemon sherbet, shortbread, and jagged spices. Quite a stallion. £32

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2018)

Oak-driven nose, where dusty oak floorboard meets light brown sugar and some herbal notes. On the palate this delivers tropical fruits, with hints of banana and papaya, and features a nice slick mouthfeel that succumbs to drying tannins, ending with nutty qualities and earthy forest floor. Simple and easy to enjoy.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2018)

Suntory built Chita Distillery in 1972 to produce a diverse range of corn-based grain whisky styles. This single grain has bright, floral aromas with light honey, orange and lemon peel, freshly unwrapped bubble gum, rose water, and an edge of spice. Clean, pure, and moreish, this high-quality whisky showcases lychee, citrus, banana, and honey, with herbal fringes and a juicy finish. Oh, and it’s terrific on the rocks. JP¥3,800

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2018)

Floral and minty on the nose, with dusty cedar chest and earth over red and yellow apple. The palate offers a decent concentration of flavors, with citrus oil, apricot, and mouthwatering juiciness. It’s nicely layered and well-balanced, but short on the finish. This whiskey has ranged widely over the years, and as a single barrel selection your experience may vary.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2018)

Although grain changes every year due to the weather, the flavor of Crown Royal Deluxe remains consistent. The skilled blenders who make this entry-level Crown Royal use their finely tuned noses, not a recipe, to ensure this. Wood, orchard fruits, floral tones, and gallons of vanilla on the nose translate into butterscotch, peppery rye spices, and creamy vanilla fudge on the palate.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Fall 2018)

A smart little 8 year old blended malt with notes of light vanilla, hay bales, fresh flowers, and orange-flavored candies. Light, clean, and easy to like. The palate majors in orange flavors, first orange juice, with crunchy biscuit, gingerbread, and fizzy sherbet in the middle. It’s packed with flavor and depth, and ends with orange lollipops. The tanginess ricochets around the mouth, leaving a deep glow of citrus.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2018)

Jura has introduced a new house style of ‘sweetness and smoke,’ and this spent 18 years in bourbon barrels, with a finish in red wine casks. Malt, peach blossom, raspberries, vanilla, and dark chocolate on the nose. The palate offers red berries, more chocolate, cloves, and peat. Dry red wine notes in the finish, with fruity spices and black pepper.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2018)

This was aged in a mixture of bourbon and oloroso sherry casks, followed by a final spell of marrying in wooden tuns. Dried fruits, dark chocolate, figs, and cinnamon on the nose. The palate yields rich caramel and toffee-apple notes, plus ginger, cloves, and medium sherry. More dried fruits, cookies, and a sprinkling of allspice in the slightly smoky, medium to long finish.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2018)

This follows the first limited release of the 2002 vintage Peat Week. Like its predecessor, this was distilled during the distillery’s annual week of peated production. Significantly peatier on the nose than the 2002, with Islay-like phenols backed by sweet floral notes. Sweet smoke, vanilla, citrus fruits, and honey on the bold palate, while the finish features more vanilla and honey, plus spicy bonfire smoke.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2018)

Part of the Jura range exhibiting ‘sweetness and smoke.’ This was aged in first-fill American oak barrels and finished in six different types of French oak casks. Nutty on the nose, with freshly sawn wood, savory notes, and emerging ripe peaches. Very fruity on the palate, with tangerines, fudge, cinnamon, and toasted oak. Drying in the finish, with nutmeg.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2018)

A bowl of sweet, fresh cherries greets you on the nose, the result of the Napa cabernet cask-finishing, and it melds well with notes of lemon zest, chocolate, and a hint of smoky charcoal. The palate delivers more cherry as well as strawberries, which combine with marshmallow and whipped cream, and the finish has plenty of length. It’s a bouquet of chocolate and berries, with impressive subtlety and complexity.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Fall 2018)

Made from Indian barley, the nose is soft, fruity, and spicy. There’s cooked apples in crème anglaise, ripe apricot, sweet barley, nectarine, fresh mango, sticky cotton candy, and dry oak spices. Creaminess continues on the palate, with apple, aromatic spices of pepper, ginger, and aniseed, with passion fruit, clementine, and zested limes. This should be your starting point for exploring Amrut’s whiskies.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2018)

Distilled from hickory-smoked malted barley. The nose leads with dark barbecue smoke, mulberry, orange peel, cedar chest, and winter campfire. Earl Grey tea, tobacco leaf, orange oil, and black pepper dominate the palate, along with a great deal of thick, heavy smoke. A lot of new wood character and slightly rough around the edges, but compelling. The sort of whiskey you’d find in a crumbling tower deep in the woods.

Reviewed by: Adam Polonski (Fall 2018)

A dry smoke, led by brisket, dry oak, and cherries. Sweetly smoky in the mouth, with black pepper, cayenne, and barbecue flavors, as well as grilled fruits, nectarines, and charred plums. A good balance of sweet and spicy, with a backbone of minerality. The mesquite flavor amps up in the long and spicy finish.

Reviewed by: Adam Polonski (Fall 2018)

After 14 years in bourbon wood, this was finished in heavily-charred new American oak barrels, sourced from Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky. Malt, vanilla, and fudge on the nose, with ripe apples and lively oak. Toffee, caramel, vanilla, and cinnamon on the palate, while the finish is nutty, with notes of char. The closest Glenfiddich gets to producing a bourbon! Value pick

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2018)