stronachie 12 years

A few weeks ago, I trekked out in the pouring rain to my local BevMo store for a new bottle of whisky. After staring at the same set of bottles in the store for twenty minutes or so, I left with the Stronachie 12 years (pronounced "Stronachie 12 years"). I am actually familliar with this bottle; I purchased one for Emmelle's uncle just a couple of months ago after a whisky merchant recommended it as a good combination of sweet and smoke. I remember liking it when I sat down with Emmelle's family to drink it; or at least I remember liking it because I made a point to. Remember, whiskies are for strong and virile men! While still a novice in the single malt game, I definitely know that I prefer a peatier, saltier dram. Thus, I was disappointed with the sweeter properties of the Stronachie and seemingly similar characteristics to the first two single malts I had purchased (Highland Park 12 years and Yamazaki 12 years). That's not to say that this single malt is bad, I think it's just what I'm not looking for at this point. And I can confidently say that I enjoy the first two more. And for whatever reason, I've had an incredibly difficult time identifying what I'm tasting with this single malt. What I can detect: some cinnamon/nutmeg nodes, a distinct oak flavor, malt and a smoke that coats your mouth with every nip. (I read in a tasting note online the presence of raisins, which I certainly agree with. I wish I could have identified that on my own. I stink at this.) Ultimately, this is a decent scotch for me, but I don't think I'll be purchasing it again anytime soon. I'll try to keep this around for guests. Come over and drink it. Return to the GreensandBrowns home page