Black Bull Kyloe (Duncan Taylor)

Nose: Light malty cereal, buttered toast, orchard fruits, oil of cloves and grapefruit peel in equal measure. There is a slight alcohol prickle, but it's not unpleasant. A dash of water mellows the nose, but ethanol is still quite noticeable. Palate: Bright arrival with crisp barley sugar notes. The development dramatically expands this with billowing, dusty barley - it's almost like diving head-first into a grain hopper. There is a sudden rush of hot chili and ginger spice together with a lot of tannin, and this is intensified by the relatively high abv. The texture is neutral. The addition of water greatly tames and softens the palate, modulating the bright spicy notes and giving the dram a more rounded character, with sweeter lemon notes coming through. Finish: Medium/Short. Spicy cereal through into the dry aftertaste, with some mildly bitter notes. An interesting blend with a very fresh, bold delivery and a clean presentation. It has its own charm but you never lose the impression that although it is a good quality whisky it is also rather young. It lacks the depth of a single malt and the grain whisky contribution is rather bracing. However, that said, it does have a well defined profile and there is certainly character here. I thought it was better suited to mixing rather than neat sipping. Over ice and with a splash of soda water it is most pleasant and refreshing, and I imagine it would work very well indeed in cocktails where its forward character would make a strong and agreeable statement. Whether or not this is worth a try would depend entirely on how much it costs in your area. At the standard retail price of AUS$70 it's just a bit expensive in my opinion, but if you found it for around $50 and were in the mood for something bright and crisp it would be a good buy. "Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)

Ok so Im back trying blended scotch again. Truth be told I saw a youtube review on this by the "sommelier and the mooch" ha these guys are a riot. I actually work just a couple miles from these guys "whiskey academy" in South Austin. I put a lot more stock in this site with excellent reviewers that I enjoy and appreciate their opinions. Well anyway they said this was good stuff , I saw it for $20 at specs so what the hell. This blend has some going for it. Its 100 pf(rare for scotch) non chill-filtered(love that) and supposedly high malt/grain ratio. Poured neat, nose is melted butter, light red apple, good dose of malt, some wood and hit of grain. Pretty standard stuff for a decent blend. Palate is where it comes alive. Blast of butterscotch malt, woody vanilla and lively grain. There is some heat and rawness with an ethanol edge but the flavor overrides this to a degree. Doesn't bring peat but you can imagine a light smoke if you try. Finishes drying malt and oak with fading vanilla and some bitter grain twang. Overall this delivers a good tasty punch and at price I paid is good value. If you like blended scotch this will probably work as its like a good budget brand amped up to 100 pf. I prefer single malts but I appreciate what this is bringing to the table and might repurchase as a low cost blend with some power...........76/100 blend score......probably good as a mixer with strong proof and flavor..........don't pay more than 25$ though

Sweet nose, butterscotch and toffee. Taste starts smooth and sweet matching the nose with butterscotch, toffee and maybe some vanilla. Moves in to mild spice for the finish but a buttery caramel finish lingers nicely. I rather enjoy it. Pretty smooth for a 100 proof scotch and more similar to an Irish than most scotches.

Bright shiny metallic is the dominant note. The nose is just odd, makes you think there is something off with the bottle. Thought this was supposed to be a step up from Monkey Shoulder or Black Bottle. It is not. Would not buy again if it were $20.

From the small taste i had, I’d say this is more interesting than the 12 year, and appears to be cheaper. The texture is decent. Peat is fairly integrated but noticeable. The back end is grainy vanilla, caramel. Not bad, definitely drinkable.

On the nose you get some citrus and vanilla, but it’s not super powerful. In the mouth you immediately get a sort of creamy, thick clover honey. Medium to long finish, when a bit of dark chocolate comes through at the end.