Teacher's Highland Cream

A great value peated blend. Nose: Smoke, grain, and peated Highland malt are present. Not much else unless you have a very active imagination. At least it's not overly grainy, which is impressive for a budget option. Taste: Peated malt battles young grain to give the impression of a quality blend. It's a close fight with a mostly positive outcome. I have no complaints about this flavor profile, especially considering the cost. Finish: As expected, it's short, peaty, dry, and bitter, likely from charred barrels. Again, a decent finish for its category. Final thoughts: If you want to explore peat on a budget, your options are limited. This whisky is a reasonable choice, but don't expect anything extraordinary. It only showcases classic Highland peated malt, so if you're aiming to get familiar with Islands or Islay malts, look elsewhere and be ready to spend more for a considerably more engaging experience.

In summary: light, creamy, and sweet. On the nose, it's light with a primary woody vanilla scent. I struggled to find the "cooked apple" everyone talks about, eventually detecting maybe a pear – a soft, spongy fruit with a light aroma. On the palate, the flavor lingers. It has a significant aftertaste despite a short finish. I appreciated its lightness; it wasn't thin, but rather presented creaminess. Surprisingly good for the price, outperforming many blended whiskies and costing less. It's not amazing, but decent (I bought the one with the black band, made and imported from Scotland, for around 70 BRL... worth it).

Nose: Light, with a slight but manageable alcohol presence initially. A hint of simple malted grain, similar to granola, a touch of honey, butterscotch, a little fruitiness, a hint of vanilla, perhaps some lemon or orange zest. A faint, elusive hint of sea air and peat is hard to discern. Taste: Light and very smooth, with honey, fruit, a touch of creaminess, ashy peat smoke that isn't strong or overwhelming, and some barrel spices. The finish is medium, leaning towards short. Considering the price, this is honestly very good. If the aroma and flavors were a bit bolder, it would be a truly remarkable hidden gem of a Scotch. Give it a try; it's worth considering for under $20.

Teacher's Highland Cream is now a rotgut Scotch blend. The nose presents aromas of cheap grain quality chemical artificial grain whisky with a faint hint of iodine and toffee. The entry is oversweet neutral grain spirits with a palate of oversweet neutral grain spirits. The finish is a long ashtray taste with a hint of spice and tainted with a chemical flavor resembling men's cheap cologne. This is on par with the cheapest bottom shelf but costs twice as much. Suntory Beam has made a significant error. Teacher's Highland Cream is the new Schlitz Beer fiasco. It will never recover from this downgrade, just as Schlitz beer did not.

Overall: Quite unpleasant! It reminds me of the taste of very cheap "cigars" that can be bought at corner stores and gas stations in certain regions. The aftertaste lingers and is difficult to describe. In my mind, chewing cigarette butts from a long-used ashtray would be a close comparison. Even after brushing my teeth, that awful aftertaste persists! I tried to give it 0 stars but was unable to. So, 0.25 it is, purely because it contains alcohol. A far superior alternative is Black & White (closer to Jameson, with a hint of smokiness).

Currently my top budget scotch. An entire handle cost me $23.99. Notes of sweet butter, butterscotch, a little peat, and a hint of smoke, along with some maltiness, light fruitiness, and a grain whisky burn/ethanol sensation. The taste mirrors this with a decent mouthfeel, a bit of oiliness, and an added touch of spice. Mid-palate reveals some fresh rubber, and it ends quickly and quite cleanly. It's not perfect, but it's amazing for the price. I use it for mixing and will drink it neat when I want something inexpensive.