Tastes

Working Title: What’s My Lime? Honorable mention/runner up: Meet the Lemons! As you may have surmised from the title, this is a citrus lemon-lime show. First tried this at a bar and didn’t think much of it then. I mean, it tasted like whiskey. I just remember it being a very light, delicate and inoffensive tasting whiskey. I ended up picking up a bottle at Costco for $30 to continue building my Japanese whiskey taste library. Definitely a far cry and different vibe from Nikka From The Barrel (my first Japanese whiskey foray...check review). To the experience we go! Eye: Color is VERY light/pale yellow gold. Nose: Light ethanol and malt. Citrus zest...the lemon and lime kind. Not complex. Palate: Continues with the “light and delicate” theme. “Soft” mouthfeel. Citrus punch. Fluctuates between lemon and lime with a light drizzling of orange blossom honey. Some subtle wood spice and bitter orange rinds shows up mid-palate, and continues to cascade down the tongue through a short-medium finish. Overall, this is as close to an epitome of a light scotch whiskey as I can think of. Reminds me of Tomintoul 14yr -The Gentle Dram, from a texture and mouthfeel PoV. Would prolly make the list for good summer whiskies, it’s that light. If whiskey ever becomes a diet fad, this would be a main ingredient. I can see some “expert” talking head on tv describe this as low calorie/low fat dram. No major complaints. I see this as a non-cerebral, pastime dram. Something you sip on while grilling or doing monotonous chores, which don’t require much mental musings trying to pick out complex aromas.

Quick Hit Review: Seattle Marriott hotel bar. Off memory - rich, full-bodied & flavorful rye. Not overwhelming spice but you can tell it’s there. Also makes a pretty good old-fashioned. Will revisit after I open my bottle.

Hands down one of the best vfm entry level bourbons out there! Rich caramel toffee & vanilla on the nose. Continues on the taste where milk chocolate and a bit of oak spice make an appearance on the palate and finish. This gets high marks for not giving up anything in taste and quality for such an affordable buy. Case helped by the fact that I picked up couple bottles on sale at Fine Wine & Good Spirits for ~$10 a bottle, while on a project in PA. If you’re looking for a rich, no fuss, yet satisfying and tasty bourbon, I highly recommend this! Solid 3.5stars. Cheers frendz! Btw, the regular 90 proof black label iteration is pretty decent as well.

Dusting off another long overdue review that’s been sitting in my draft folder. You know me. I taste, I write down initial impressions. Then I ponder, and if other tasting opportunities presents itself, maybe some new hidden notes. Then I post. So some of my reviews tend to lag a bit behind the actual date of taste. That’s my process and I’m sticking to it...for now. Heads-up/spoiler alert...lazy imitation attempt at old Shakespearean english coming up! Backdrop: In ATL for a leadership conference. Wrapping up team dinner at a fine establishment (aka another opportunity to try some “pricey” drams on the company’s dime). I was looking for a “legitimate” night cap to close out a great night before heading back to the hotel. Oh ye Macallan 18, thou reputation dost precede thee...to no avail, in my book. Thou art been greatly lauded doth far by imbibers across the spectrum. Dost thy perceived greatness deserved...or fallacy? Tis thy chance to astound me. In case you were wondering, I was bit of an old English nerd in high school...possibly ONLY when it served my purpose. I’m partial on Shakespeare. Nonetheless, enough with the “contrived” Elizabethan english . Take this review for what it’s worth given it wasn’t in a controlled environment and was after tasting other alcoholic bevs that evening. To be fair (and if it makes you feel any better), I did take out my phone there and then to jot down my tasting notes. My colleagues probably thought I was crazy. So without much further ado, let’s indulge shall we. Nose (4) vanilla galore, low fat caramel, [reminiscent of bourbon notes], light sherry. Good, balanced nose. Didn’t pick up a lot of oak. Some sweetness. Pineapple?? Banana foster. Banana Candy? Can’t tell exactly but defintely some tropical fruits coming through. Palate (3.75): Follows the nose very closely. The sherry flavors are more pronounced here but not overwhelming. Good balance. Finish (3.75 ) - Medium. Sherry, vanilla. Ending with Star anise / bitterness/oak tannins. Not unpleasant. Overall (3.75 stars). To buy or not to buy? That is the question. I went in expecting at least a 4-star dram, and it came close. But alas, given subpar vfm + Macallan self-imposed atmospheric standards, it wasn’t not flawed (I know, double negative. Sue me). I guess what I’m trying to say is, for a well-aged Macallan at the $250+ price point, I expected near perfection. Maybe it was the environment, maybe my taste buds were off that day. Whatever it was, it didn’t quite live up to the expectation. Still a nice dram. Would NOT turn it down if offered but will not likely add to my collection...unless maybe as a gift (wink wink). Upon this dram I proclaim 3.5 - 3.75⭐️

Tasted from two-of-two 50ml samples that came with my 10Yr old Ardbeg purchase. The other sample was the Corry. So naturally, I had to do a side-by-side. Here are my initial SbS taste “observations” Even though cask strength, this drank smoother than the Corry. Also had more fruit notes. Still very enjoyable but gave an ever so slight, minuscule edge to the Corry at the time. I have a bottle of both to spend time with. Who knows, maybe over time I’ll reverse myself. Again, initial sample observations. Will add more detailed tasting notes after cracking full bottles.

Tasted from one-of-two 50ml samples that came with my 10Yr old Ardbeg purchase. The other sample was the Uggy. So naturally, I had to do a side-by-side. These were initial sample tasting notes. More like taste “observations”. I’ll add more detailed tasting notes after cracking main bottle. This one was a brute across the board - nose, palate and finish - all heightened experience. I kept going back and picking up more flavors - campfire smoke, cooked fruits and roasted vanilla. Drinking side-by-side with the Uggy, I enjoyed both immensely. If I had to choose [this go round], I gave a slight edge to the Corry. Realistically, it’s more like a 1A & 1B, where the ranking is pretty much an interchangeable coin toss, with not much fuss from me on either side. Cheers friends!

I spent some quality time with this bourbon. Long and short of it is - If you’re looking for a life-altering, mind-bending [bourbon] experience, look elsewhere. This bourbon is not for you. If you’re looking for a reliable and tasty daily sipper, you’ve arrived at your destination! In a world of seemingly endless whiskey options, including craft iterations, both fostering bourbon traditions and pushing experimentation boundaries respectively, this is my “return to normal” bourbon. It placates my oak, caramel & vanilla cravings. Everyone should try an EC at some point in their bourbon whiskey journey. This one (and it’s SiB & CS/BP variants) have secured a permanent spot on my rotation. 3.25 - 3.5⭐️ Cheers friends!

Tried a couple pours at a dinner celebration at one of our partner’s home. This was pretty good. But for a 25Yr old Islay, averaging $600 - $800+, it didn’t quite hit the mark IMHO. It seems the age mellowed out much of the character. EVERY gustatory and olfactory sensation for this dram (smoke, peat, malt, fruits and other flavors), was extremely subtle. If there was ever a scenario where the typically positive refinement that comes with age was ambiguous, this would be it! I just remember thinking as I was savoring my pour, “is this it?” To be clear, my overall score heavily indexes on the vfm here. If this was a $150 - $200 bottle, this would prolly be a solid 4+. Nonetheless, it was somewhat too “smooth/delicate” to a point of diminishing returns. 3.75 - 4 ⭐️ Since I suspect some folks here will cry blasphemy, I’ll plan on coming back with more detailed notes and possibly a revised a score if I obtain a sample or somehow come in possession of a bottle.

I’ll say ONE thing about this bourbon. It has kept me company on many a business trip. It’s my “go to” bourbon on [very slim pickings] domestic flights drink menu... top-tier mileage status notwithstanding (one of the few decent perks of said status). It always gets the job done when I need a sipper in-flight. Ok, I guess I said THREE things about it. Ooops! To the taste (and it’s a quick, analogous one): Since we’re in an election year, I’ll go with a political analogy. If this were an amendment, I’ll say the eye, nose, palate and finish are all towing the grand ol classic bourbon party line - brown sugar, caramel, cinnamon, vanilla, & spice. This does not stand out in a crowd. It does not wow. It does not offend or disappoint. It’s simply bourbon, made well. 2.25 - 2.5⭐️

Working Title: “Spice Me Up! We’ll Worry About the Taste Later.” Prologue: TGiF! Looong week...it’s performance review time amid Covid and financial pressures on company’s top & bottom lines. Second wave of layoffs possibly in the works. So you know, good times? Prediction: I’ll go over my self-imposed 2 pour max per wknd day, this weekend. This bottle has been open for a few months . Currently at the half-way mark. Let’s jump in. N: From afar, a combo of ethanol, rubbing alcohol and rye spice wafts through the air, fighting for dominance. Reminds me of the weird-smelling faux hand-sanitizers, which were a by-product of early Covid response from distilleries pitching in and redirecting their production towards hand sanis. (Btw, If you haven’t experienced this yet, try smelling one of the off-brand hand sanitizers at your local grocery chain). As I nose closer to the glass, I get a bit of paint varnish, sweet vanillirye (yeah I made that up)...like what a genetically engineered hybrid of vanilla bean + rye grain would smell like. I also get some unfinished butter caramel. Kinda reminds me of first trial batch of DIY home-made caramel thrown together by an amateur home cook. Don’t ask me how I know. A little bit of water softens the alcohol hit and more of the vanilla peeks through. P: The warm spice hits you HARD upfront. Coats entire palate. Let me hear you say spice bomb! There’s some vanilla and bitter chocolate breaking through in the middle but still plays second fiddle to the hash rye spice, which I can only attribute to youthfulness. This one needs a little bit of time in the glass, and some H20 to open up. Adding a dash of agua and letting it sit, turns into a creamy vanilla mouthfeel. Now the spiciness complements the “not-quite-there” butter caramel, instead of fighting it. F: Long and spicy. Some bitter lemon notes. Nail varnish vapor still lingers. Epilogue: This one will probably make a killer old-fashioned. What it won’t make, is my permanent rotation, after bottle kill. A splash might end up in my infinity bottle for some spice kick, if it starts to trend towards sweet. Try, own, or pass? I will always try most things once but if I had a time machine, semi-hard pass on picking up the bottle.