Honey/amber hue. Opening nosings detect sweet notes of light caramel, toffee and yellow fruit; aeration stimulates baked, dry aromas of tobacco leaf, oak resin and breakfast cereal. Palate entry is firm, semisweet and mildly grainy; by midpalate, there’s a slight oiliness to the texture that I like while the taste becomes narrowly focused on the grain/wood interplay. Finishes elegantly, emitting more dry than sweet flavors of toasted grain and oak. Best Buy.
90-95 points, Wine Enthusiast (Dec 2003)
Amber color. Robust aromas of caramelized nuts, melted chocolate, dried stone fruits, and delicate baking spices with a supple, fruity-yet-dry medium-to-full body and a long cola, praline cookie, cedar, and mineral finish. A great sipping or mixing whisky.
93 points, Beverage Testing Institute (Feb 2013)