Black Bull Kyloe (Duncan Taylor)

NOSE: Light malty cereal, buttered toast, orchard fruits, and grapefruit peel with oil of cloves in equal measure. A slight alcohol tingle, but not unpleasant. Adding water softens the nose, but the alcohol is still quite noticeable. PALATE: A bright arrival with crisp barley sugar notes. The flavors expand significantly with a wave of dusty barley, almost like plunging into a grain silo. A sudden surge of hot chili and ginger spice, along with a lot of tannin, is intensified by the relatively high ABV. The texture is neutral. Water greatly tames and softens the palate, balancing the bright spicy notes and giving the dram a smoother character with sweeter lemon flavors emerging. FINISH: Medium/Short. Spicy cereal leads to a dry aftertaste with some mildly bitter notes. An interesting blend with a fresh, bold delivery and a clean presentation. It has its own charm, but you retain the impression that while it's good quality, it's also quite young. It lacks the depth of a single malt, and the grain whisky component is rather bracing. However, it does have a well-defined profile and definite character. I found it better for mixing than drinking neat. Over ice with a splash of soda water, it's very pleasant and refreshing. I imagine it would work well in cocktails, where its bold character would make a strong and agreeable impression. Whether it's worth trying depends entirely on the local price. At the standard retail of AUS$70, it's a bit expensive in my opinion, but if found for around $50, it would be a good buy for something bright and crisp. "Above Average": 80/100 (3 stars)

Returning to blended scotch again. Honestly, I saw a YouTube review of this by a couple of comedians. They are quite entertaining. I actually work near them in South Austin. I place more trust in this website with excellent reviewers whose opinions I enjoy and value. Well, they said this was good, and I saw it for $20 at a store, so why not. This blend has some positive attributes. It's 100 proof (uncommon for scotch) non chill-filtered (great) and supposedly a high malt/grain ratio. Poured neat, the nose has melted butter, light red apple, a good amount of malt, some wood, and a hint of grain. Pretty standard for a decent blend. The palate is where it shines. A burst of butterscotch malt, woody vanilla, and lively grain. There's some heat and rawness with an ethanol edge, but the flavor somewhat overcomes this. It doesn't have peat, but you can imagine a light smoke if you try. The finish is drying malt and oak with fading vanilla and some bitter grain sharpness. Overall, this offers a good flavorful impact, and for the price I paid, it's good value. If you enjoy blended scotch, this will likely work as it's like a good budget brand elevated to 100 proof. I prefer single malts, but I appreciate what this offers and might buy it again as an inexpensive blend with some strength...........76/100 blend score......likely good for mixing with strong proof and flavor..........don't spend more than $25 though.

Sweet aroma with butterscotch and toffee. The initial taste is smooth and sweet, echoing the aroma with butterscotch, toffee, and possibly some vanilla. It transitions to a mild spice in the finish, but a buttery caramel note lingers nicely. I quite like it. It's remarkably smooth for a 100 proof scotch, more akin to an Irish whiskey than most scotches.

A prominent bright, shiny, metallic note stands out. The nose is simply peculiar, making one question if the bottle is flawed. I expected this to be superior to Monkey Shoulder or Black Bottle. It is not. I would not repurchase it even at a $20 price point.

From the small sample I tried, I'd say this is more engaging than the 12 year old, and seems to be less expensive. The mouthfeel is adequate. Smoke is quite integrated but present. The finish is grainy vanilla, caramel. It's decent, certainly drinkable.

On the nose, you get some citrus and vanilla, but it's not very strong. In the mouth, you immediately taste a creamy, thick clover honey. The finish is medium to long, with a bit of dark chocolate appearing at the end.