St. George Single Malt Lot 18

Seriously? The makers tasted this and approved it? The scent is malty with honey notes, not unpleasant. Then the taste is unexpected, offering a somewhat sour, bitter beer flavor. Yes, beer. And the finish is also beer. I enjoy beer, but I typically drink it for its specific taste, and whiskey for a different profile, not beer. I'll revisit this 'single malt' later to understand the distillery's intention. BEER?! Strange, very strange.

Vanilla and butterscotch on the nose; oak, smoke, and leather on the palate--no peat, and not sweet; a dry cocoa finish. The aftertaste left my tongue tingling, similar to the nettles in St George absinthe--an unusual sensation. An interesting Irish-style whisky. I'll see if the limited flavor range grows on me. Very different from no. 17, my only other reference for St George whisky (and that was a better whisky).

I recently acquired my 2018 bottle. My initial impression is that this is my least preferred among those I've tried (from 2014-2018, and the 30th and 35th anniversaries), but I'm hopeful it simply needs more time to aerate.

Silky but not sugary