20 Best Scotch For Rob Roy (2023 Updated)

Whisky wouldn’t be my first choice of alcoholic drink, as I find there is often a really nasty after-burn in the back of the throat. This one, however, is completely different. It smells amazing, rich and biscuitty, and is lovely and smooth, no burn at all.

My husband enjoyed it on the rocks (the bigger the ice cube the better as they melt slower and so don’t dilute it too much) and I made an amazing Manhattan cocktail by mixing 2 parts of it to one part of red vermouth and a dash of bitters.

Definitely recommended!! It comes in a beautiful teal coloured box as well so easy to wrap if you’re wanting to give it as a gift.

A friend of mine turned me on to this about 40 years ago, and it has been my drink of choice ever since, with ‘upgrades’ to 15, 18, 25, and 40 year old now in my home bar. One of my grandfathers used to drink Canadian Club exclusively, since he was Canadian.

One holiday season, I brought over a bottle of 12 YO as a gift. He was reluctant to try it, and we cajoled him to make the stretch. He took a sip, then another one. He looked at me, and with a wave of his hand said, “Smooth!”.

It became his drink of choice from that point.

Being drinking GLENLIVET SMS since my drinking legal age,this is my choice of Single malt for all occasions ,great variety,prices,quality standards and best never changing the original first impression taste.

I love must of all great single malts and never my little bar being without Glenlivet. My father gave my very first dram of single malt and it was a Glenlevit classic 12 years old bottle,back on June 1969 celebrating the landing of mankind on the moon.

Okay, admittedly I am an Islay-centric Scotch enthusiast. My favorite drams are the Laphroaigs, Lagavulins, and Arbegs, with a few other nearby bottlings. Without being all “tasting-notey” I brought a bottle of this to a no electricity cabin, wood burning stove type of deal.

It was beautiful, but paled in comparison to this Scotch. We arrived Friday afternoon. bottle didn’t make it to 2pm Saturday. Fantastic. Worth the price. End of discussion. Homerun. Enjoy.

A true Ardbeg, smoky and peaty, but imho, ruined by the addition of pineapple to the flavor profile. This scotch is as big of a sin as putting pineapple on pizza. It’s a smoother finish than any other Ardbeg as age as tempered it’s bite.

Not bad at all and arguably reasonably priced for an aged scotch, but I wouldn’t buy it again.

This scotch is a surreal experience. It is complex, peaty, smooth beyond belief. I have never spent this amount on a bottle of liquor. My eyes have been opened to a surreal experience that is worth every penny.

I am spoiled for anything less. This was a treat to myself after an epic week with some huge commissions. If you are looking for real treat in whiskeys, this is the one. Just do it. You will thank me.

This is still (pun intended) a classic laphroaig peated malt but with an extra depth. Feels and tastes like a cask strength, but without the ‘heat’. Definitely more woody, a slight tinge of cinnamon tree bark bark from the sherry cask-feels like something to bring out for Christmas.

I also had a dram of lagavullin 16 at the same time and this was noticeably denser in peated flavor and character. More concentrated than the laphroaig quarter cask. Is it worth $80? Idk, depends on how much you love laphroaig and peated malts…If you’re an average single malt drinker, maybe not so much….

if you can taste the difference between laphroaig quarter cask, select, lore, lagavullin 8 and 16, all of the bruichlaichs, then yes you need to buy and try it.

Islay whiskeys are quite a step apart from standard highland malts, Irish or bourbon. The medicinal phenol taste is definitely an acquired one. Brands like Ardbeg and Lagavulin took a long time for me to learn to enjoy and whilst I do like them now I prefer lower peat content whiskeys such as Talisker for regular sipping.

This distillers select sits quite nicely between the two ends and has a rounded almost soft flavour. The TCP like smell and flavour is still there but much less prominent. Compared to the 10 year which is quite punchy this is definitely an easier sipper as a digestif after dinner for example.

If you have shied away from Islay malts then give this one a try – it’s a nice gateway dram. I do believe that anyone who tries this will quickly want to try the 10 year or other stronger expressions as it does start to get a bit simple after repeated tastings.

Definitely a great one for introducing friends to different varieties of scotch without breaking the bank!.

Recently I’ve been trying out a new Laphroaig Islay Select Single Malt Whisky, that I got to sample for free. So, I thought I’d gather my thoughts and let y’all know what it’s like. So typically I go for Irish whiskeys (notice the “e”… fun fact, Irish whiskey has an “e” and Scotch doesn’t), but I’m an equal opportunities drinker, so thought I’d give it a go.

Let’s talk about packaging. It’s nice and gives the air of a quality whisky. I really like the design and it’s something that would draw my eye in a shop. The bottle itself is pretty standard affair and does the job, though I’m not sure I’ve seen whisky in a green bottle before.

Let’s get onto the whisky itself. I typically go for mellow whiskeys and a favourite is from a town about 10 miles from here. This is not a mellow whisky. The flavour is strong and unapologetic with notes of peat and wood.

I wasn’t expecting it with my first sip, with most Scotch whisky I’ve tried have much the same flavour. It was immediately apparent that this is no ordinary Scotch. It reminded me of an Irish whiskey I once tried that also had a very distinct bouquet and instead of notes of peat, it tasted of actually being distilled in a peat bog! But did I like it? Though it reminded me of that other whiskey, it wasn’t in the least bit offensive.

In fact, I did quite like it. It’s not for people who like to use mixers; the distinct flavour is strange when mixed with coke. It’s not for people who like a bland whisky like some other Scotch I’ve tried.

It’s for people who want to sit down at the end of long day and savour every sip in front of a roaring fire in the dead of winter. Will it get ya drunk? Yeah, it’s whisky, duh! But if you’re drinking to get drunk, this is not a whisky for you.

This is a whisky for slowing down and relaxing. So if that sounds good, try some.

If you enjoy the 10 year you will LOVE this. Picked this up out of curiosity and the 10 is a staple on my shelf and I felt like expanding my horizons with Laphroaig a little, and I’m glad I did! This is everything you love about the 10 year old cranked up to 11! The nose is one of the most amazing Islay experiences you will ever have.

Salty sea spray, seaweed, less medicinal than the 10 with more sweetness. Honey, brown sugar, BBQ sauce. On the palate it tastes much older than the 10 year less heat up front despite being 48% abv. Very complex for this price point, with layers of BBQ, smoked meat, brown sugar and charred wood.

The finish in medium with the typical enjoyable Laphroaig tingling linger. I love the 10 year, but as long as it’s available this will be replacing it on my shelf. This is simply a must have.

This is a REALLY good scotch. The QC delivers on all levels. You get the complexity, flavor explosion, LONG finish, and sipping experience of a scotch that would cost you double or triple of what the QC does.

It’s a gem. If that weren’t enough, the QC is an Islay and you get that right on the nose. The rich peaty scent hits your nose without knocking you out. There is sweetness, dark chocolate, peat, smoke, BBQ, and more on the palate.

The finish is king and rich leaving the sweetness and peat that sticks around between drams. I love the 10 year and anything Ardbeg. That said, the QC is a unique experience.

Laphroaig Quarter cask I have been searching in vain for a decade or so for Laphroaig 15 year old single malt (SM). The 10 year is ok bit lacks the smokiness of the 15 year old. Don’t have enough disposable income to try the 20 + versions.

Laphroaig 10 is still my go to SM scotch in the affordable category, er was. I welcome Quarter cask to my top shelf. It haas everything I remember good about 15 plus more. Some scotches deserve the recognition of having them once a week because of the glorious taste and expense.

Some of the really old distillations area at or above $1,000, they fall into the once a year or decade or life for my checking account. Laphroaig Quarter cask may have me re-examining the frequency of enjoying this stupendous spirit.

This Ardbeg is a powerful, rich, briny, tangy, smoky drop like few others can muster. The overriding nose, palate, and finish, for those of us who enjoy an occasional pipe, is undeniably that of rich sweet black Cyprian Latakia pipe tobacco.

She’s a veritable massive Latakia tobacco leaf BOMB. Unbelievably smooth and dense, with a beautiful sweetness from the sherry cask that balances some salty nuances, and the potent peat-and-Latakia campfire smokiness.

The dominant flavor profile is heavily reminiscent of Dunhill’s Nightcap blend or G. L. Pease’s Abingdon or Odyssey blends, brilliantly captured in a bottle. Brothers of the pipe, rejoice. Hints of dark roasted coffee bean, dark chocolate, burnt peanut brittle, roasted malt, all make a brief showing on the palate as the finish brings back the potent Latakia and pine pitch smokiness which dominates and then lingers extensively.

Highly recommended.

This powerful Islay is not for the unprepared. Cask strength, the intense flavors will bowl you over and can overwhelm. This is not hyperbole. Straight, it’s smokey and peat laden with a following sweetness and fruit that has a long, memorable finish.

Nobody can blame you if you choose to add a little water to soften the impact and open up the flavors even more. There are so many flavors ranging from earthy, leathery peat to dried fruits and bitter coffee.

You will discover something new with every sip. You may discover that you never drank something so delicious. You may also discover that you hate it and that’s ok, too. Try Lagavulin 16 first. If you like that, you may like this, too.

If not, there are so many others to explore. Honestly, this whisky is an extreme. It’s not a whisky for a beginner, it’s more like a graduate dissertation but very rewarding for someone ready for the challenge.

I have been a strong advocate of Ardbeg 10, and it’s nicely peated, Islay scotch with a good amount of premiere smoke. Then came Uigeadail. A rich mouthful of intense smoke flavor that lasts along with an excellent proof ride.

Specifically, take the Ardbeg 10 and Corryvreckan and create a mixture that tones down the heat while expanding a wealthy peated smoke that can be continuously enjoyed until the next dram. There you have it.

Uigeadail.

We visited the Oban distillery recently and loved this single malt. It is truly like butter. I kicked myself for bringing home just one small bottle, but I just found a local retailer which carries this and I am very happy!.

Are you shopping for scotch as a thank you, birthday, father’s day, mother’s day, self-care, gift?? Stop right here and buy this bottle the end

What could be better? Thank you so much. Signed, lovelorn in Dripping Springs, Texas

Smell: A buttery brine, peat and smoke. And almost a toffee or butterscotch to it. Taste: Very much like the smell. Buttery, almost like a toffee, butterscotch, or vanilla in the mouth. Brine, peat and smoke on the way down.

Lingers with an intense peat smoke and brine. Some of my friends (that aren’t primarily whiskey drinkers) describe the taste as shoe polish or permanent marker. I am not necessarily a big fan of Islay scotches in general (if I was this might be close to a 5/5).

This one, I find a bit more complex and enjoyable than a Laphroiag 10 though (tasted back to back. ) Much like other Islays, I enjoy this when I need a break from other scotch flavor profiles such as fruit, vanilla, oak, spice, nut, and etc.

Great on the rocks with barbeque (yum!). A nice slap in the face neat. Mixed? Not the best for that. If buy this bottle, you need to enjoy intense peat, smoke, and brine flavors. Do NOT give this to someone new to whiskey nor scotches.

Do introduce this to someone that loves smoky scotches.

If you’re like me and most of your experience with Scotch is the mellower, fruitier Speysides & Highlands, or blended Scotches, you’re in for a very different experience. This whisky is a symphony of smoke and salinity.

The nose reminds me of new leather, and bacon cooked on a campfire, a really intense smoky and savory aroma. Palate is salty, briny, meaty, something bitter earthy, ashy, the smoke is present but not overpowering or unpleasant.

It perfectly complements the other flavors. Finish is quite dry and leathery. At 46% ABV it has body, depth, richness, but is still very smooth. I typically prefer sweet, dark fruity, sherried Scotch, but I have to say this is really good stuff, and absolutely worth trying if you’re open to enjoying the smokier style of Scotch whisky.

I’ve had belvenie, Glenlivet, and jonnie Walker. This is my first Islay. Smells of burnt plastic. Tastes like the smell of baindaids. I don’t get any oak or clove or ximinez/raisin sherry or campfire or anything pleasurable.

I’ve watched many whiskey reviews where they rave about ardbeg but I don’t see how anyone could enjoy this. The smell of permanent marker is better than this. I would only recommend this as a punishment drink for someone that loses a drinking game or maybe during a cruel game of truth or dare.

I’m not sure I can even find anyone to give this away to.

If there’s anything to say about Ron, is he’s simplistic. This is the same with this scotch. Give it time to breathe and you get the Carmel, and bitter chocolate, and some sea salt. Then it finishes with an amazing smoked bacon and the bite of the Guinness barrel.

Recommend with a mild cigar. Mades for a great night talking with friends. Cheer’s.

Someone else in a review said the Guinness barrels didn’t come through for them but I had the complete opposite experience. Not only could I smell it in the nose, but it came through in the pallet as well.

I REALLY enjoyed this scotch. The finish is pure Lagavulin 11. If you like Guinness AND you like Lagavulin, you really can’t go wrong. Is it the best scotch I’ve ever had? No. but it is definitely unique while also tasting extremely good.

And that combination is hard to find in whiskey these days. Especially scotch.

You may be surprised why I gave Lagavulin 11 year only 4 stars. I love Lagavulin but the marketing of it being aged in Guinness casks fell short for me. It’s still a great bottle of heavily smoky, and peaty Scotch we all know and love but nothing more or different.

Maybe my pallet isn’t that defined to tell. It’s priced between the 8 year, and 16 year but skip the hype, and marketing and spend the the extra $13 to get the 16 year.

This review is for the current 2018 edition. The aroma in the glass has hints of light peat smokiness, sea salt, carmelized apricot, toasted cereal grain, and wildflower honey. On the palate notes of caramel, butterscotch, freshly baked bisquits, rich barley malt, balanced peat, hints of nutmeg and vanilla, followed by a tinge of sea salt.

This has a medium finish long finish. It is very easy sipping and seems to present it self best when taken neat. Overall, a very nice whisky.

This 2018 bottling is really excellent with a rating of about 90. The fino cask finish gives this one its great fruity flavor. I taste virtually no peat/smoke in it as was the case for the 2017 bottling.

I think it is far superior to the Oban 18 yr old. I get a nice oily briney flavor to go with the fruity which was sort of peachy to go with the honey. The fino might have been a first fill as the color was much darker than those of the last few years.

A truly enjoyable Oban DE.

This is an excellent whiskey. I first tasted it in a lovely restaurant called EE-USK in Oban so I went to the distillery and bought a bottle. I tried to order more from the distillery but they dont deliver to NI hence finding the Whiskey Shop who did the business.

I enjoyed the progression of flavours and experiences. Straight from the bottle at room temperature this is a rich toffee giving way to creamy vanilla. It is bottled at standard strength so is easy on the tongue but a dash of water releases its heat and intensity which is certainly all there.

Then a cube of ice pares back on the fire and allows the Oak to come to the fore and restrains the sweetness which I forgot to mention amongst the toffee and vanilla. That’s a lot of fun in the first three sips.

There are spices in the afterglow but more subtle. Think I’m gonna have to go for a second at room temarature stright from the (very classy) bottle just to be certain.

a sweet dram and a really wonderful nose. maybe the best of any bottle i’ve bought. i pick up mostly chocolate. on the palate it’s better and has the same chocolate but also fruit and spice. a very little bit of water goes a long way in taming the spice and letting the fruit and sweet characters come out more.

i finished this bottle off far too quickly and it makes me both want to restock it forever and try the older offerings from aberlour. i mostly drank smokey scotches before this and that won’t change but it says something that despite this not being my normal taste preference i finished the bottle in two weeks.

I loved this Scotch; however, there was almost no finish here (the one downside to what could be a absolute astounding Scotch). I love the dark fruits and candied cherry and butterscotch cream. But that lackluster finish.

Now, if you mix this Aberlour 12 with a Glenmorangie Lasanta then you find a Perfect Match and Complementary mixture. I found 4 parts Aberlour to 1 part Glenmorangie Lasanta creates the fruit forward and lushness on the front & final palate so longed fo.

The marriage creates a much longer and aromatic finish by the additon of the normally acidic and astringent Glenmorangie. As anyone knows, the Aberlour is very good on the nose and front palate, but has almost no finish – it just disappears.

But marry the 2 and what an amazing self-blended Scotch.

Up front, I’m a big fan of The Dalmore. I haven’t found an expression of theirs yet that I don’t like. For some strange reason, The Murray Whiskey Bible rated this one at 73. 5, which is nonsense. At the same time, he rated the Dalmore Port Wood Reserve a 92.

So what is my point? Murray is spot on re the Port Wood Reserve. It is easily a 92 (on the low side), and is one of the best single malts I’ve ever had. At the same time, the Cigar Malt really is also at least a 92 – it is equally amazing.

My suggestion: Try the Cigar Malt. Savor it, because it is terrific. However, the Port Wood is every bit as good (if not marginally better) and is also about $50 cheaper, so if you’re standing there mulling it over between the two and price means anything to you, I would give the Port Wood the nod.

Regardless, you will be happy if you go with either of them. Slainte!.

Just recently I went to Total Wine and was buying a JW Blue label… one of the associates asked me, if I had tasted the blue label, and I had not… but I wanted a nice bottle for my bar… he had be do a blind test… the first sample was incredibly smooth, and I was certain that it was the blue label.

The 2nd sample felt like a b!tch slap… I had to drink some water to get the horrendous taste out of my mouth! I told the store associate that I was taking the Blue Labe, because it was smooth! He was like, “sir what you described as a ‘b!tch slap’ was the blue label”.

He made me a believer… and now I am a proud owner of this Cigar Malt!.

You will not be disappointed. With or without a cigar, this smooth and sweet sherry whisky smells of dark fruit, cinnamon, spices, and vanilla. The taste reminds me of cinnamon, vanilla, and fruit from the Matusalem Oloroso Sherry, and Cabernet Sauvignon casks.

Spend the money, you will not be disappointed.

I don’t like Scotch! You hear that more times than you’d ever imagine. Most of the time, someone had something that was way beyond their palate’s experience and hasn’t been presented with the right Scotch.

When I worked retail, I used to love it when folks would tell me they hated Scotch. I’d ask them what they didn’t enjoy, and it was either the smokiness or that it felt like they were chewing on Band-aids.

I’d offer them a sample of something that didn’t fit that bill, and they’d wind up walking away happy (with a bottle of Scotch in hand). I’d converted them!My first whisky was Dewar’s White Label, which is a blended Scotch made from 40 different malts.

It may not have been the best starting point, but it was dirt cheap and I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. I can tell you, given the chance to do it all over again, I would have started with something else.

I certainly wouldn’t pony it up as an introductory whisky to anyone. I mention Dewar’s White Label because its biggest component malt comes from the Aberfeldy Distillery in the central Scottish Highlands.

The distillery is owned by John Dewar Sons and has been in operation since 1896. It was shuttered briefly during World Wars I and II, but for the most part, this is a Dewar’s workhorse. Aberfeldy sources its water from the fabled Pitilie Burn, known for its gold deposits.

It is also the only distillery that pulls water from this river. Known as the ‘Golden Dram’, the distillery’s water source is the famous Pitilie Burn, renowned locally for its water quality and famed for its deposits of alluvial gold.

Time-honoured techniques, such as longer fermentation, conjure rare honeyed notes – key to the signature sweetness of Aberfeldy’s malts. – John Dewar’s SonsToday’s review is of Alberfeldy’s 12-year, the core expression of the distillery.

This 100% barley single-malt is aged in ex-Bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The distillery claims they lose more than a third of each cask to the angels. Bottled at 40% ABV (or 80°), you can expect to pay about $40.

00 for a 750ml, making this a low-barrier of entry single malt Scotch. One thing that stood out was a claim on the label that this is Limited Bottling No. 2905. After doing some research, this is akin to finding a bottle of Old Grand-Dad 114 and seeing Lot 1 on it.

You may think you’ve snagged something special, but it appears every label is printed with the same number. So, now that we’ve explored the background, how about exploring the whisky itself? It is time to #DrinkCurious.

Appearance: In my Glencairn glass, this single malt presented as a darker gold in color. There is nothing on the bottle that suggests this is naturally-colored, and there’s no reason to think it doesn’t have the caramel coloring Scotch may legally possess.

It created a thin rim that generated fast legs to race back to the pool of liquid sunshine. Nose: I could smell the honey across the room. When I brought the glass closer to my face, citrus and raisin were easy to pick out.

The milk chocolate, on the other hand, took more effort. When I breathed in the vapor through my lips, orange and vanilla coated my mouth. Palate: Considering the 40% ABV, the mouthfeel was full-bodied and creamy and was a nice surprise.

The whisky itself was simple to drink. On the front, I tasted vanilla and milk chocolate. The middle consisted of citrus, peach, and cocoa powder. Almond and oak rounded out the back. Finish: My first sip suggested a medium-short finish, however, subsequent ones morphed it to medium-long.

Similar to the palate, the finish was simple and offered honey, milk chocolate, and light pepper. Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Dewar’s White Label this is not. What this is is a nice way to introduce folks to Scotch, especially if they say they don’t like Scotch.

There’s nothing complicated about it, there’s no astringent (Band-aid) quality, there’s no peat smokiness. If you’re seeking a very easy sipper, one that would work well on a hot, humid, summer afternoon, Aberfeldy 12 will fit that bill.

If you only prefer complex or smoky whiskies, this one’s not for you. The price is certainly fair. Taking all of that into account, I’m conveying a Bottle rating for Aberfeldy 12. Cheers! My Simple, Easy to Understand Rating SystemBottle = Buy ItBar = Try ItBust = Leave It.

This scotch is certainly not for the experienced. However, it is decent for the price. It has the typical 12 yr aged front of the mouth taste, but on the back end (after swallowing) has more of a bourbon taste.

Again, for the price, it’s decent. But, for a couple bucks extra, you could get something more on-the-money. Glenfiddich, and their higher-priced comparator, Macallan offer more typical single-malt experiences.

At $37 or so how can anyone ding this Scotch? It out punches its weight class with every pour. Like these Aberfeldy Cats know what they are doing. If we could ever get the rest of the brand in stock I would step up to sample their heavy hitters.

Seriously, if you want a really lovely little Scotch thats like putting on your favorite slippers by the fire, this one is that and then some. For a GREAT PRICE for what it is too boot.

Bought this for someone who loves Laphroaig and Lagavulin and Ardbeg and they assure me this beats them all. It’s been the best gift I’ve ever given and is now a firm favourite for my friend who really know his Malts.

Usage personnel.

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This little distillery has produced one of the finest young whiskys I have had the pleasure to consume. I bought one bottle. I soon as I had a dram. I bought four bottles and now have ordered 6 more as I am afraid the availability will be slim to none in the near future.

It will take a few years to consume my stock but I am looking forward to the journey! I have other brands and expressions, but Edradour 10 will continue to be my go to, “nearly” everyday dram. Can’t wait to try their 12 yr old “Caledonia” sherry bomb.

My wife and I visited the Edradour Distillery in 2018. It’s a very small Distillery – even after doubling it’s size in 2019. The scotch they produce is outstanding but does have some batch variations due to the small stills.

We have had the 10, 12 Caledonia and their peated Ballechin (which I wish was on Total Wine’s shelves). Edradour 10 is a very dark and shows a good bit of complexity for its age. Rich, dark fruit, vanilla and barrel spice – a bit of sweet tobacco too.

I rated it a 5 but was tempted to knock it down to a 4 due to the exorbitant price that Total Wine charges for the 10. For this price you are much better off finding the Edradour Caledonia 12 which is 46 percent and a complex Sherry Bomb.

I believe that Total Wine may have priced the 10 as the 12?.

When I visited Pitlochry years ago, we were served some cast strength juice that was fantastic, and magically I found some of the cask strength port wine finished Edradour in a Dillon Colorado bar last summer which, although expensive, was similarly fantastic.

This bottle of 10 year, bottled at 86 proof, is not in the same category. It is eminently drinkable, but I don’t find it very well integrated. To me this looks and tastes like it has been in charred oak for 9 years or maybe more and then dipped for a short time in Oloroso sherry.

The nose is wonderfully sweet from the Oloroso, but the initially hit on the palate is all malt, smoke from barrel char, and then lots of oak with a slightly fruity sweet overlay from the sherry at the tail end.

Very oaky, which gives it a quite dry finish. Interesting distillery foundation though, a bit like Springbank, creamy, malty, quite leathery and herbal (but no peat). For the same or less price point Glenmorangie Lasanta, Aberlour-10, and Macallan-12 provide the same light Oloroso sherry profile in a more integrated way, although with less complexity than this Edradour.

Several of us compared this side by side with Aberlour 10 and the Aberlour won unanimously. I think this has great distillery character but needs more time in good wood casks.

The taste develops slowly. The unique Laphroig brine is great activates many taste buds. First sip not sure what the spirit is trying to be. Initially seems like nice brine, mild alcohol bite but more than needs to be for 43% and some smoke.

After sipping an ounce alcohol taste goes away and peat comes in in addition to smoke. Then it is about peat with some brine and smoke. It’s not clean and refreshing like mezcal or clean like Ardbeg.

Once you drink it your taste buds can’t taste anything else for awhile. I can what people like about it. A little unimaginative, slow developing, not crisp and clean, need to be a little too involved if you want a quick taste explosion.

The brine is delish, I prefer quarter cask it’s a little brighter. Some spirits never wear out your taste buds, many do wear them out. This one is enjoyable and best in limited quantity as the taste goes on and on and dominated the taste buds for awhile.

I wouldn’t turn one of these down but to buy 750ml there are better fully peated peats for me.

A nice neat whiskey with a TCP like aroma. Not to over powering and very easy to drink. Goes particularly well with a mixer. Some Whiskies can be quite punchy and have a strong alcohol smell to them.

This is much smoother and softer and the medicine type smell doesn’t actually hit you straight away or as bad as some people may think its sounds. I’ve tried several different whiskies and this one definitely sits up there among the better ones that I’ve tried.

Presentation is really good as well. I’d definitely recommend this product, and will be buying another bottle soon.

I was more than pleasantly surprised by Laphroaig. I’d often been told it had an abrasive and heavy handed smoky note, but in reality I find it to be gentle, breezy and familiar. This reminded me of weekends at the lake, sitting around the campfire with family and friends.

It’s taking me on a journey down memory lane as I write this. I suppose, if I’m looking at this with a critical eye, it’s a bit more one note than something like Lagavulin 16 (which I consider to be the gold standard of all whiskies – at least that I’ve had the pleasure of sampling), but it’s aged for far less time and is much more affordable while still providing the smoky and briny characters of a good Islay Scotch.

For the money, there are few whiskies in this price point that offer the same value as Laphroaig 10.

90/100. Finally got around to picking a bottle of this up. Compared side by side with Laphroaig triple wood, 10 CS and quarter cask. Not sure if lore lives up to its own hype or not, but it is admittedly very “rich.

” Short story: if you like Laphroaig, like myself, you will appreciate Lore. It’s more rounded and subdued in it’s medicinal peat allotment than it’s young, brash siblings. It’s quite rich, oily and viscous.

It feels thick and weighted in your mouth. The peat is more relaxed than in the 10 year old, and it’s complimented by hints of Sherry and quarter cask maturation. I do sense the older Laphroaig being used, which leads to Lore’s more rounded and sophisticated flavour.

If you’re an ardent fan of Laphroaig, I think Lore is worth having around. It certainly does enough to separate itself from the rest of the lineup. It is more mature and rounded than either the 10 or QC, and it’s less sweet and more complex than the triple wood.

I’d prefer a similarly priced 18 year old, but given the times we live in, such NAS renditions are a fact of life. As it stands, I think this Lore is a very respectable and worthwhile Laphroiag. Whether it’s worth the $100+ price tag or not is hard to say, but I don’t regret my purchase.

I bought a bottle of this a while back. After two pours, I bought two more bottles. What a fantastic journey of flavor this whisky takes you on. It is one of the most complex scotches you can find for this price.

It really takes you on a journey from the initial taste to the finish. It’s really a kaleidoscope of smokey, sweet, fruity goodness.

Wonderful surprise. Had expected a traditional peaty scotch, but no! It was a background of peaty, without the restrictions/limitations of smokey mouth feel. Almost syrupy. A cream-like impression of practically sweet-without-being-sweet.

I’m ordering more.

Walk to the garden section of your local home depot. Specifically by the garden hoses. Now place a campfire there. That is precisely what this whisky smells like. On the palate, It hits you immediately with an incredibly strong peat smoke flavor that will take a little getting used to.

But after swallowing, the intensity will quickly leave and you’ll be left with a mouth full of heavily salty and smokey barbecue. Is this whiskey good? As a fan of barbecue, campfires, and maybe even the garden section of home depot yes! I think this is fantastic! But if none of those are your thing you might want to stay away.

This is the Rolls-Royce, the gold standard, the benchmark of fine peated scotch. Even at $100, it’s underpriced. The peat is just strong enough to embolden this whiskey without masking or overshadowing the other flavors.

The scent of the peat, brine, and dusty malted barley sail you away to the shores of Scotland, followed by a darker, almost coffee tone. The taste starts with a combination of sweet prunes or raisins, immediately replaced by brine, peat, and medicinal notes of iodine and rubber bandage.

The finish then takes over for miles, fully-rounded with a fantastic dark chocolate and coffee. This lasts so long you can enjoy a couple ounces of this whiskey for an hour. Peated scotches aren’t typically my thing, but every whiskey aficionado should have one in their bar, and this is the one to have.

If you spot one on the shelf, don’t think about it, just buy it. You, and anyone who loves peated scotch, will be impressed, and if you’re so inclined to share it, be blown away. What an adventure.

I’ve never been a scotch drinker: I tried Dewar’s over 20 years ago, hated it, and never tried another one. It turns out the Dewar’s I tried was a lower end scotch. My boyfriend had Lagavulin 16yr and asked me to try it.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and drank so much of his that I bought him another bottle. Tips: Open the bottle and let it breathe, pour a small amount over one ice cube, sip a few drops at a time and feel it in your mouth.

There’s an incredible smokiness. This is a sipping scotch and should be drank neat. If you do mix it, try it with a little Gosling’s Ginger beer, tastes like an elixer.

The Glenrothes 10 is a decent scotch but I won’t buy it again because I love rich complex flavors and this, for me, doesn’t have what I’m looking for at an almost $60 price range where I live. The vanilla citrus aromas make me want to take another drink, which is equally delicious on the entry, but turns into a slightly bitter lemon peel and an almost dry oak-like mid palate and finish for me.

I’m enjoying it and would recommend it to someone interested because we never know what we like until we try it.

This is the smoothest 12 year scotch I’ve ever had, and possibly the smoothest whiskey overall. Light sweetness, slight creamy orange and vanilla flavors, hint of spice. No alcohol burn whatsoever. I also don’t taste the banana that some have mentioned.

Long and wonderful oakey finish that slowly fades into tannins. The low price point sweetens the deal. I look forward to trying the 18 year soon.

If you’re already a fan of The Glenrothes brand, get it you won’t be disappointed. If you’re new to them, what the heck took you so long? GIve it a try! This one is my new favorite of their current lineup.

Their 10 year (yellow bottle) is the only one currently available in my local liquor store. Was thrilled that Caskers had this available. Give it a shot, you’ll enjoy it!.

Glendronach was my last choice when buying a holiday gift, after all my fore choices were sold out. Happy to find for a shockingly low price, this scotch I picked from a “best of 2020” article that actually lived up to the hype.

Complex flavor, smooth finish, low but present peat, well rounded scotch. Appeased a group of serious scotch drinkers with minimal cost. Wish I could give 6 stars.

This bottle was $134. 99 earlier in 2021, and has since been price jacked outrageously to $185. To further dismay, the distillery is no longer labeling their bottles “non chill filtered” so you are overypaying for possibly sub par, chill filtered whisky.

And overpaying by a lot. It is still delicious, but for the price, spend it on something else.

Excellent depth and balance. For those who really like the Glendronach 12, especially neat, this is your dream whiskey. I’ve got the Parliament 21 as well and it’s a much gentler, more crowd pleaser than this 18.

Worth the price, but not an every day drink.