Tastes

Nose from the bottle is very sweet, with little alcohol present. In the glass, there's far more alcohol present, but there's also vanilla, caramel and the faintest hint of honeysuckle. Wood is notable in its absence, something I think indicates a younger than average time spent in barrels. Based on nose alone, I'd guess it's a 4-5 year whisky, but that assessment falls apart when I take a sip. The flavors are predominately, almost overwhelmingly, sweet, but it's the depth of richness and flavor that blows me away. Vanilla bean, brown sugar, browned butter, caramel, nougat, and a hint of candy-coated pecans all seem to arrive small, grow large, and then fade as the next flavor arrives. It's like tasting them individually versus pulling flavors from an overall profile. Most unique! The finish is medium short, and cinnamon finally makes an appearance before fading to a pleasant numbness that doesn't burn at all. I can see why some call it Japanese bourbon. It hits all the same notes (sweet, vanilla, caramel, honey), but they're all just a quarter-pitch off, as if it's a piano tuned by a deaf guy who simply turned the wrench until all the torque readings are the same. So while it's technically in-time with bourbon, it's not in-tune. And I'm eternally grateful, because the end result is something not often found. This is my second Coffey Still whisky, with CR Hand Select being the first. They share many of the same unique traits, but most profound is the depth and richness of character. I believe I've found a new friend in the Coffey Still. Now it's time to find a bottle of the Nikka Coffey Malt.