Tastes

5.0 stars - Spectacular; 750 ml bottle Second review, same bottle. The last glass is just the same as the first. Many months and lots air have not changed this one. This is straight up black magic. I am not sure what Willet is doing, but they better guard their secrets better than Coke guards their recipe. I am going to KY soon. Mostly for some family rest and relaxation. But on the way back we are doing the tasting tour at Willet. Hopefully some of this is in stock and we get to taste a few more family estate bottles.

4.5 stars - Fantastic; 750 ml bottle Wow. Like. Wow. Original flavor. The closest comparison is the old recipe of High West Double Rye mixed with Four Roses Select Small Batch. Herbal, rich rye flavor, gentle oak, hint of malt, and with some air a very nice dark chocolate note. Perfect proof, cool bottle. It is a shame New Riff Malted 6 yr Rye and Willet 4 Yr Rye are a rarity around here. I would keep these perpetually stocked. Tasting both side-by-side, I give the edge to Willet. But it is damn close.

4.0 stars - Excellent; 375 ml I hope this is a sign of things to come. This bottle was part of a 2-pack of 375 ml bottles. One was MM 46 CS, one was MM Private Select. I have started noticing a trend of 200 ml or 375 ml bottles bundled together by a distillery. The size let’s you fully experience the whiskey without the same commitment as a 750 ml bottle. For the price of a regular bottle, you may try 2-3 of their higher end offerings. Recipe was 5 Baked American Pure, 1 MM 46, 4 Toasted French Spice. Aroma is deep, rich caramel. Taste is chocolate brownie and toasty oak. Well done.

4.5 stars - Superb; 750 ml bottle This is everything an 18 year old whisky should be. Originally I had JW 18 year ahead of this one, but with some time and air the GM pulls into the lead. Emotional picture: Ever wear a $100 sweater and go, “how the hell do they make this so much better than a $30 sweater? This is soooo worth the extra money.” Candied ginger, oranges, and old oak. This falls into the sip and contemplate realm. Give it plenty of time, enjoy it after warming up the palate, avoid distractions.

3.0 stars - Good; 750 ml bottle Do you need a quesadilla maker? A quesadilla maker is a heavily specialized piece of kitchen equipment. It is $60 and often sits on a shelf seldom being used. But it does make damn fine quesadillas. This is the quesadilla maker of whiskey. A blend of Caol Ila and Laphroaig, I have to wonder what is the purpose? They both make good entry level malts. It will be near impossible to make something better than the sum of the parts. This is a damn fine whisky: oily, lemon drops, coal smoke, hay, menthol, brine. Caol Ila appears to dominate, which it tends to do in most blends. I will give it to Compass Box. They are never bad and never boring. This whiskey does exactly what it is supposed to to. It provides a well-peated drink that is both accessible and balanced. It is just hard for me to devote the shelf space to yet another specialized appliance.

2.5 stars - Very Nice; 750 ml Close your eyes. Picture Elijah Craig bourbon. Picture it finished in a toasted oak barrel. Open your eyes. This is exactly what this whiskey tastes like. Kudos for finally being a whiskey where I say “that is exactly what I expected.” Strangely, that is the exception. Emotional picture for this whiskey is sitting around a campfire, chewing a toothpick, eating s’mores and taking swigs of Elijah Craig from a flask. That sounds delightful, but somehow this whiskey never quite comes together completely. For the price, I think OF 1910 runs circles around this one.

3.5 stars - Very Good; 750 ml bottle This is a delightful find. The first several pours were nothing special, but with time this has opened up nicely. Spicy and herbal. Spice is from the oak and rye, slight hint of cinnamon. Herbal nature skews heavily towards mint. Fits right in the profile of the ryes from Michter’s, Willet, and New Riff. Those are better, but this is 30-50% lower cost. At the price, Knob Creek Rye is probably the closest competition, but I like Elijah better.

Seems like a missed opportunity to not release 10,946 bottles instead of 9,000. Blend #F21. Come on!

3.5 stars - Very Good; 700 ml bottle I am halfway through my bottle and this is quickly racing to the top of my $30 bourbon list. Only Elijah Craig is higher, and he is in jeopardy. Bananas, vanilla whipped cream, cinnamon, chocolate sprinkles, and charred oak. I am getting an element similar to highly aged Scottish grain alcohol. Weird as this sounds, I have a lot of flavor overlap with Compass Box Experimental Grain, sans banana. There were a couple young, spirit forward notes when I opened the bottle. Quickly disappeared after two pours and three weeks of being open. Whoever is running JDs product development deserves a raise.

4.0 Stars - Excellent; my third 750 ml bottle Clynelish is like an underdeveloped plot of land in a desirable neighborhood. This is a subtle whiskey. It reminds me of a softer, gentler Kilkerran 12 yr. It is fantastic in blends and standalone. My only question is why this does not have a featured lineup? I mean, even Oban - yes, Oban! - has Little Bay NAS, 14 yr, 18yr, and Distillers Edition on a regular basis. Why not Clynelish? It is a travesty.