The Hive

Where to start? First off, I've uploaded 2 pictures, one of "The Spice King", which is the whisky I'll be reviewing, and the other of "Peat Chimney" which i bought for my son. My son says it's amazing but I'll leave it at that as i haven't tasted it.As for the Spice King, i think it's only proper to start by recognising that the ABV is truly exceptional at 58% (Peat Chimney is 57%) - i have a few gins of a similar strength, but those are not really meant to be drunk neat.The aroma. Well that first reminds me of spiced biscuits (won't say the brand), and then betrays an underlying sweetness. No trace of phenolic smokiness that I could discern.The colour is fairly pale, but not exceptionally so, and it doesn't cloud much with the addition of ice or water.The taste though, that's where the magic is. Neat it's understandably volatile on the tongue, but that's just physics. That it's astonishingly smooth is down the quality of the malts and the blender's skill; i commend both. You couldn't produce a whisky of this standard without exceptional malts to blend, and a blender at the peak of his art. It's eminently drinkable neat, but be careful given the strength.With ice or water though, it is transcendent, and it's here that the ABV earns it's keep so to speak, as it retains exceptional mouthfeel in the glass while subtleties of flavour are revealed.The taste, on my palate at least, begins spicy, with an underlying sweetness, becoming more robust with subtle hints of smoke, and, after the longest time, fading out with the faintest stormy "salt on your lips" finish.All in all, this is one of the best whiskies, Scotch or otherwise, that I've ever tasted and i wholeheartedly recommend it.As an afterthought...i was asked to rate this whisky for "sheerness". Well, the last time i visited Sheerness was 40+ years ago, but i seem to recall it was very nice, so i gave it 5 stars.

I have been collecting and sampling Malt Whisky forever 40 years.During that time I have sampled some 85 different makes of Scotch Whisky, Irish Whiskey and Bourbon.I particularly enjoy peaty whiskey, and Peat Chimney is certainly up there with the best on the market.I would certainly award it “Very Highly Recommended”One important thing I have learned from my 40+ years of experience is ‘ where whisky is concerned :You only get what you pay for. This whisky is certainly worth the invest.

I've had cask strength whisky before but have always found them slightly on the harsh side (just need to get the right balance or whisky/water). Tried this as I thought the honey blend might be interesting and the good news is that the honey complements rather than overpowers. The good news is that this is the only cask-strength whisky I have tried where you don't need to mix water as it is a smoother whisky. Will buy again

An intense but delicious blend of whiskeys. Enjoyed every sip. Compared to laphroaig and talisker etc it's nicer as it's not only smokey but very intense flavours kicking in at different levels of the whiskey touching the tongue as it shows us different palates and the effect is euphoric in the mouth! I will definitely order more albeit the price could be more economical. But one of the best blended whiskeys I have enjoyed. Comparable but not as good as Johnie Walker explorer edition range.As you can see from the photo i had also ordered the smokehead bottle but that's not as well rounded like this one. Smokehead is just all smoke and very harsh. Unlike this gem of a blend.

Was looking forward to this one. Got the standard blended which is still 46% and didn’t seem bad value for that. I have a very wide variety of whisky in my collection and have had a few Wemyss before.The nose is quite faint. Dominated by the alcohol and a hint of sulphur which didn’t bode well. On the palate this is confirmed with the alcohol burn evident and spoiling any honey that might be present. Finish is short and equally disappointing.The addition of a little water makes a notable difference. This brings out the honey and improves the mouthfeel immensely. It’s even improved with a little ice and actually makes a decent old fashioned. But despite this it’s not a worthwhile purchase in my opinion. Far better whiskies out there for this money

Imagine back In the olden days when you could smell the soot and burning embers of the wood wishing you could sniff it up an drink it .. well now you can, those for the love of smokey intense flavours you wont go wrong. Deep sniff and your lifted Into a smell that sweet and subtle then lifting it to your lips just before you take a sip you can smell the aromas of fire and smoke embraced by peat all wrapped around and that's before you taste what you have a feeling will be an explosion of flavours. Wow let it rest in your mouth and you can feel the hotness grow and grow till you take anymore as you slowly let it trickle down your throat you can taste all the notes of peat smoke and the burning Amber's from a freshly burnt pine tree which leaves your tongue tingling thr back of the throat making you feel like you could throw fire from your mouth. All these sensations and tastes whirling round your mouth tingling wanting more. Being a lover of peat smoke earthy amber smells this is a well balanced rounded of dram and with it being a punchy 57% you sure do get a bomb of smoky weaving layers of peat forming into intense flavours and a long lingering smouldering fire cracking finish. It's not for the faint hearted but if you like your peat smoke and deep hot notes then this you have to try.

This is a nice tasting 12yr blend, I prefer the sweeter whiskies to the peated. I can certainly taste the honey taste influences. I find whisky taste improves when the bottle has been opened for a while and having refreshed my memory before writing this i would certainly buy this again at the right price. It's nice with or without a single ice cube at it isn't strong.Think I'll try the spicy one next!

Could easily stand alongside the best Islay whiskies. Ideal for sipping by the fireside and at a reasonable price. As the name implies, this is very smoky and peaty so perhaps not suited to lovers of lighter whiskies, but it well worth a try.