Reddit reviews Michael Jackson's Complete Guide To Single Malt Scotch 4th Ed

I decided to pick up a bottle last week because I was intrigued by the description in Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch. Something about honeyed raisins in the nose, and waves of beeswax and vanilla creme in the palate. The way it was described sounded a lot more intriguing to me than the Quinta Ruban and the Nectar d'Or.

After drinking exclusively Islays for the past month or so, I thought this would be a good venture. So I have spent the past four nights with:

Glenmorangie Lasanta - 46% ABV

Night #1
Goodness gracious this is awful. It tastes and smells like someone just dumped a handle of brandy into a jug of bourbon. I know that it is finished in Oloroso sherry casks, but this seems much more like brandy, and cheap brandy at that, like $6 per 750ml E&J brandy. There were promising hints of oak and fig newtons underneath.

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Night #2
I was saddened by the thought of having to finish an entire bottle of this. But I was pleasantly surprised! Upon the second pour, the sherry/brandy essence had retreated drastically! The oakiness and fig newton essence was more prominent, so I added a drop of water to try to bring it out. But it mainly just drowned the whisky, and everything was very mild and tame overall.

One discovery did bring me a moderate amount of joy: the glass smelled like a chocolate truffle once it was empty!

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Night #3
I was delighted to find that the Lasanta was opening up quite well in the bottle. This time, the sherry was just a dull murmur. I was picking up hints of a very rich bread pudding with raisins and toasted nuts...a chocolate chip scone...

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Night #4
I have a glass sitting out with a cap on it, and I am excited to nose it! Strange to say for a whisky I was dreading so much just a couple days ago. But here we go:

Nose: very strong caramelized pears, blonde brownie with salted carmel and raisins...

Palate: a caramelly gloss on the tip of the tongue, a gentle, sherry wash, mushy oranges, then a spicy pepper bite.

Finish: lingering desserts...bananas foster. something dry and bitter, rather like biting into an aspirin tablet.
again, the empty glass smells distinctly of a chocolate truffle, although that note is nowhere else to be found in the experience.

Overall: 79/100

It was intriguing to track how this whisky developed throughout the week. I would be interested to know how the last dram of the bottle stacks up to the first.

But overall I just don't feel like this expression is executed very well. It is not sweet enough to be a competitive after-dinner whisky. The sherry has no real companion in the mix, it just kind of sits awkwardly on top.