Tastes

Nose is fresh pine straw, an old cedar chest and a hint of something floral….not quite jasmine, but almost. Palate is light and almost sweet, but the spice notes keep trying to insist this really is a rye while your brain is waiting to chew on a pine bough that never really shows. It’s like a rye-light…most of the flavors with less of the challenge. Even the spice is more kind; there’s certainly nutmeg and cardamom and anise, but the sharp, hot black pepper is missing completely, and the mint only makes a cameo right at the close. The whole thing is easy like Sunday morning, but much like that relaxing time, there’s also not much happening to keep me coming back. Glad I tried it, but this style of rye is just not my thing. It’s like bourbon without the caramel and rye without the minty pine, and those traits are why i generally drink those spirits.

Nose is unmistakably Laphroaig smoke and peat, but slightly tempered…sweeter…with less iodine, and the dirty ashtray is missing entirely. Palate is also undeniably Laphroaig, but the peat and brine aren’t so powerful that they wash out the nuance, allowing honeysuckle and smoked pears to more easily pop in and briefly say hi. Transition to close is quick and pronounced,, almost abrupt, and the missing burned rubber, peat and iodine are back before the beach campfire shows up to close the show. I probably shouldn’t compare this so directly to the standard 10 yr, but the profile is so similar (and familiar) that it just happened that way. This is not what Uigedail is to Ardbeg 10, as a different outcome that shares a few similarities; this is Laphroaig 10yr that went to a manners class but still can’t completely hide who and what it really is. If you find the standard offering too brusque, too in-your-face, then give this a try. It has almost all of the same flavors, but with the troublesome sharp edges removed. For my money, this is only $10 less than the 10yr cask strength, and my momma always yelled at me for running with scissors 😂

Nose is cereal grains, vanilla and fresh hay…more reminiscent of (but still different from) an Irish whisky than any American Rye, Palate is rich and creamy, almost but not quite oily, and bursting with flavors: Vanilla, shortbread, fennel, cardamom, chocolate, dark berries (but not cherries), and sage warmly race up your tongue. The baking shop flavors linger for a good 20 sexonds before the faintest bit of mint pops up and then i finally get my pine trees and black pepper before malted chocolate closes everything out. This is unlike any rye I’ve had before, and I can promise I will have it many more times in the future because it has earned a permanent home in my liquor cabinet. Talley yet another win for Chattanooga Distillery.

Nose is very full of ethanol, but a careful approach pulls out dark cherry, oak, vanilla and green peppercorns. Palate starts briefly smooth, and richly coats the tongue in chocolate covered cherries before flashing to hot ethanol which takes some time to subside. Once it does pass, there’s more peppercorn and caramel before a clean, sweet finish. Sonewhat reminiscent of Four Roses Special Edition, only much hotter, and not as well executed. A Norlan glass tames the ethanol but also mutes the cherry and completely removes the peppercorn, leaving mostly vanilla and caramel which is somewhat boring in any whisky, but even more-so in what is purported as a limited release. A splash of water (in a Glencairn) mutes the heat, making it easier to find the cherry, vanilla and caramel, but it also makes it barely discernible from a dozen other mid-range bourbons. Somewhat disappointing, as this to me is the weakest of the entire line. It drinks much hotter and younger than the 111, which is readily available year-round for 20% less, and also has a better flavor profile. I’m happy to have tried it, but I also won’t spend a lot of time hunting for new versions every spring and fall.

Nose is clean and fruity, with cherries, a lot of pears, and the perception of rich sweetness, like a good fruit cocktail. Give it a swirl and light honey joins the mix, but try as I might I can’t find much else. It’s quite nice, but certainly not earth shaking. Palate shows off those sherry casks, with a warm, rich, oily sweetness that coats from front to back. Honey, pears, fuji apple, raisins and dates lead surprisingly quickly to drying astringency and then a clean close with just the slightest of cherry briefly lingering. Take a larger sip and swirl it around and you’ll find the same fruits, but also a dash of sage and basil, and the cherry is more like Luxardo than maraschino. I started this as a solid 4.0, but a prolonged tasting leads me to add another quarter. I wanted to go to 4.5 because it is really quite good, but then I remember this is a 25yr sherried single malt, and in that context it’s underwhelming. I’m happy I bought it, but my future purchases will be of the 10, 12, and 15, and the rest of this bottle will be shared with friends who are new to scotch.

Barreled 02/2014 and aged 8yrs, 3mos. Nose is vanilla, corn, sugar and oak. It’s almost candy corn until the oak arrives to offset the sweet. And the nose also foreshadows that it’s probably going to be a bit hot on the palate. And, surprise, it’s a bit hot on the palate. I should clarify here that it won’t marvel you with smoothness and that it’s a 53.5% ABV whisky, so yeah, there’s a little heat. But beneath the heat is a rich mix of vanilla, leather, caramel, sage, thyme and fennel. It starts sweet but the spices keep it in check and give balance….they keep it interesting and are what makes this also viable as a neat sipper instead of just a high-end mixer. Finish is oddly thin for the proof and age, but it’s clean, and vanilla lingers for a minute or two. Water dampens the heat and sweetens the finish but also completely wipes out the spices, and therefore I don’t recommend. Try this if you see it on the shelf, but don’t pull your hair out looking for it.

I’m happy I waited a while before writing this review. The bottle on first opening was a mess, with no cohesive flavors or profile except sharp, bitter heat. Now, almost a year after opening, it seems to have settled down into a drink that resembles decent single malt, even if it doesn’t exemplify the standard. Nose is Ardbeg, but not obviously so. It’s missing the grassy hay notes I associate with the 10 year, but that’s okay because they are replaced with a nice meatiness. Think opening a pack of cold cut ham versus a slab of smoked pancetta. There’s also a whiff of bakery and sugar, like you’d get when popping the top off of a cake carrier. It’s not the most engaging, but it’s certainly not bad. Palate is still a bit scattered for me. When I take small sips, like i want to evaluate and pick apart the individual flavors, it feels thin and still a little hot and unrefined. There’s peat and iodine and rubber, which aren’t objectionable but quickly move to drying smoke and ash in a rather short finish. But when I take a large swig and swirl it around it displays a richness and depth that is quite nice. Cigar smoke, raw tobacco, and leather dominate, and the dry smoke is just a background taste that carries through to a medium-long, clean, finish. It’s not a bad drink in the least, but for just under $200 there are literally hundreds of others that are just as good or better, for much, much less. Try it if you can find it in a bar, but stick to the 10 year or Wee Beastie when you’re in the liquor store.

Nose is corn, oak and alcohol; decidedly ‘meh’, but also not off-putting. Palate is better, and starts with oak and faint cedar spice leading to a quick blush of dark bitter cherries before fading to a pleasant numbness. Don’t get too carried away thinking this is the next Taters big discovery, because it’s not. Or at least, it shouldn’t be. But it is a very solid drink, and at under $15, pretty much unbeatable for an unchallenging, tasty bourbon. This has worked its way into my mixer rotation with Old Grand Dad BiB, Old Crow, Evan Williams and Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Rye.

Nose smells like a pine forest on a chilly, drizzly day…there’s a little bit of wet bark mulch and a ton of pine and cedar. Palate is spicy, just a little hot, right on the edge of thin, and a bit of a letdown if I’m honest. It’s obviously an aged rye, but there’s nothing special about it, no wow-factor. The finish is cleanly numbing and does a good job of making you want another sip. Unfortunately, what I want is another sip of something else. I’ve had a few Whistle Pig single barrel and store picks, and they have been amazing. This is not them, even though it’s priced much the same. I’m glad I tried it, but I won’t be repeating the experience.

Don’t let the fancy wood and cork topper fool you; this isn’t deserving of much more than a plastic twist off. Nose is candied corn from a fresh-opened bag…the sugar and chemical smell lingers at the top of the glass just above the ethanol which reminds you this is young and undeveloped. Palate is relatively smooth, but that’s the nicest think I can say about it. Tastes of stale Sugar Smacks, cheap checkout aisle caramel and the runny part of creamed corn. There’s no finish to speak of and nothing to remind you that you just had a sip of whisky. I figured I’d try it, and while it is unobjectionable, it’s also unremarkable in every way.