Tastes

Stranahan's Single Barrel Cask Strength Barrel #15-757 @ 108.74 Proof (I'm going to assume the 15 in the barrel number is the year, putting this around 5 years old.) After trying and liking the Stranahan's Blue Peak, I saw this one on sale for $50 and decided it was worth a chance... NOSE: Starts off rather simple and Fruit Forward (Pineapple, Pear, Apple, Kiwi) with Leather in the background. After a few minutes of air it becomes much more complex as the Leather moves more to the forefront and the Fruit notes are joined by a general Florality, Dry Barn Wood, Warm Oatmeal with a Strawberry Jam Swirl, and just a hint of Maple. NEAT: Substantial, Rich Mouthfeel leads to Heavy Fruit Sweetness on entry. Again, Pineapple, Pear, and Crisp Red Apple. My first thought is a Smoother Unpeated Highland Park. Mid-palate has Leather and a Slight Nuttiness with just a Hint of Tannins. Heavy Cherry on the Medium Length, Slightly Warming Finish. A nice Silky Coating of Kiwi, Cherry, Leather and Oak remains and increases in layers with each subsequent sip. SPLASH: A few drops of water and the nose gains a "Soapy" note and a Dry Pleasant Sweetness that I can almost, but not quite, place. The mild Tannic note that was present on the Palate is gone. The Fruit notes dominate the entire Palate and it becomes even sweeter. VERDICT: WOW. This is good. I can imagine that this would satisfy the sweetest of Sweet Tooths and still manage to appeal to Scotch, Bourbon, and Rye Lovers of all types. An American Whisky not dominated by Vanilla and Caramel, but equally sweet with notes of Tropical/Jammy/Syrupy Fruits? Sign me up every time.

LAGAVULIN 8YR - $50 APPEARANCE: I was expecting a very light color, but I wasn't expecting a pale straw that is roughly the same hue as Beam's "Jacob's Ghost". Bonus points for no added colorings! Clings to the sides of my Glencairn and takes forever to form tiny slow moving droplets. NOSE: Taking my time to get a rotation of the following... Grilled Pineapple. Fresh Cream. Freshly Baked Flaky Fruit Turnovers. Salt Cured Country Ham. Fireplace/Campfire Ash/The smell of your jacket the morning after you sat around a Bonfire the night before. Fresh Sea Air. Hints of Iodine & Bandages. NEAT: Mouthfeel is Fairly Thin, but Oily. First sip is all Ash with a Slightly Bitter Smoky Finish. 2ND Sip starts to reveal a little complexity... A Light Malty/Fruit Sweetness that persists throughout but is dominated by: Smoked Meat, Capers, Olives, and Salted Fish. Nicely counterbalanced by that Light but Persistent Sweetness. There is a Black Pepper Tingle, but not nearly as much as you would expect for 96proof. Finish is Slightly Bitter & Medicinal and Medium to Long in length with a nice blooming heat in the chest. Has a Coating Ash/Menthol/Medicinal Aftertaste that hangs around long after the Dram is done. SPLASH: A few drops of water and the Nose gets a little Citrusy Zing. The Grilled Pineapple from the Nose makes its way to the Palate. VERDICT: At first I was a little disappointed in this, but finally decided it was more a result of how good the 16 is than any flaws the 8 may have. Lagavulin (in my area, anyway) has somehow found a way to return to pre-tariff pricing and for $50 (appropriately exactly half of what the 16 goes for), this is now almost $20 less than Lap10 ($68). While I prefer the Lap10, this will do until (if?) Laphroaig returns to pre-tariff pricing. The catch is, NC doesn't carry this one so I will have to grab a bottle when I travel through VA. It is between a 3.75 and 4 for me, but I'll round up based on VFM.

I've always been curious about Stranahan's, but had always shied away due to the cost. When I saw this release at a very reasonable $42, I figured it was time to give it a go. APPEARANCE: Great bottle shape and labeling (but this one is missing the tin cup cap). Pours into the Glencairn a pale copper color. Fairly clingy with slow to form thin legs. NOSE: Very Good. Has an overall Light Floral Quality. Faintly Tropical with Coconut and Pineapple. Gives off a Dry Dusty Sweetness almost Like the Dry Crumbly Streusel topping found on top of a Coffee Cake. I do get faint wisps of the Banana that others have mentioned, but it grows and becomes more prominent the longer it sits. There is also just the tiniest bit of Heat. The empty Glass smells just like Honeycomb. NEAT: Nice Velvety Coating mouthfeel. That Floral Quality is strong here as well. It enters with a Light Malty Sweetness followed by Buttery Biscuit, Leather, Honeycomb, and Butterscotch. There is an Oaky Note, but not charred. More like Weathered. Just a hint of tingle on the palate with a fairly Long Finish. Old Leather and Oak on the clingy Long Lasting aftertaste. Just a hint of bitterness. SPLASH: A few drops of water and the Butterscotch really takes over both the Palate and Nose. VERDICT: Very pleased with this one at $42. A unique experience that is definitely one of the better American Malts that I've tried. At what is apparently not much more than 4 years old, it shows what good Craft Whisky can be in the right hands. This is one I'll definitely keep on hand as long as it remains available at its current price point.

So, for some reason tonight seemed like a good night to finally review that bottle of 46 CASK STRENGTH that I've been meaning to get around to... NOSE: Excellent. Deep and Rich. Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Dusty Oak, Walnut Sundae Topping, Hay, and Cocoa Powder. NEAT: Again, Deep and Rich. Caramel, Butterscotch and Oak on the front of the palate. Mid-Palate is all Oak and slightly Bitter Tannins. It loses some points here. The finish has Medicinal Cherry and Oak. Slightly Sweetened Strong Black Coffee coats and lingers on the palate. SPLASH: Really helps. Nose becomes the sticky Caramelized Brown Sugar in Apple Cobbler. Takes out most of the Bitterness from the mid-palate. Brach Cinnamon Disc Candy becomes the dominate note from start to finish, right down to the Cinnamon-y Tingly Finish and Coating aftertaste. VERDICT: This is a 375ml bottle from the first issue of the Generations of Proof 3 pack found at Costco. Time open has helped this one a great deal. While the overall bitter character was a bit off-putting, a couple splashes of water really help by sweetening it and adding that great cinnamon note. Worth a buy if you can find the Genrations pack, as I feel it is a little better buy than the standard issue 750 size(it also comes with a 375 MMCS and a Private Selection). Either way, this 46 is a real winner.

LEGENT APPEARANCE: Great Copper Color. The packaging/labeling is not my favorite, but I see what they were going for with it. NOSE: An overall Dry, Rich Character. Red Wine. Dried Dusty Corn. Old Barnwood. Develops a Floral Note with some time. Not overly complex, but solid. NEAT: Interesting. Again, not overly complex. Sweet, Dry, and Oaky. Some Beam Vanilla Peanut Funk paired with Dark Jammy Fruits. Plums? Prunes? Raisins? Melded together for an overall general sweetness. The Sherry Influence (along with the Beam Nuttiness) is very evident on the Finish and Aftertaste. Again, no specific notes other than a general sweetness which along with the peanut, almost gives it a PB&J character. SPLASH: A few drops of water have little (if any) effect on the nose. On the palate it highlights the Peanut Funk & Oak, and adds a Cola note. VERDICT: At a very reasonable $40, this reminds me of a Poor Man's HW MWND. Of course this is Bourbon and not Rye, and Sherry & Red Wine instead of Port, but I get that same overall vibe. The Beam Nuttiness seems to pair well with the Sherry/Wine influence. As I've said before, any extra age or extra finishing you can do with 4 year old Beam is a plus, but usually those reduce or eliminate the Beam Funk whereas this almost amplifies it and compliments it. Count me as an original skeptic on this one, but a current convert. Props to both Noe (oh, to be a fly on the wall at the board meeting where this was initially proposed) and Fukuyo for this collaboration. It's solid.

Hirsch The Horizon (Blend of 6'ish year MGP rye mash bills 75/21/4 and 60/36/4) APPEARANCE: Love the Flask Shaped Bottle and Labeling. Unique without being Tacky or Kitschy. Nice Burnt Orange color. NOSE: Buttered Corn Bread, Rye Spice, and Oak. Mostly Savory, but hints of Vanilla Bean and Brown Sugar. A little Alcohol Sting. Just okay. NEAT: A lot Sweeter than the nose would suggest. Enters very Sweet with Lots of Oak, Vanilla, and Pink Bubblegum up front. Dry Cornbread and Tingly Rye Spice dominates the Mid-Palate and Finish. Decent building KY Hug with heat blooming in the back of the throat and upper chest. Drying Slightly Tannic Oak and Rye Spice coat and layer the palate. SPLASH: A few drops of water bring BIG changes. Nose gets a hint of chewable Baby Aspirin? Rye really dominates the palate now. Wintergreen, Eucalyptus, Clove, Black Licorice, Varnished Oak. That taste you get chewing on the Lacing of your baseball glove between pitches. Very Interesting. The coating becomes Sweet Mint and those Edible Flowers they use as garnish at those quirky, cool restaurants. Verdict: A solid 4. Very Good. Different. Clingy. Sweet. The Aftertaste lasts long after the glencairn is empty. Changes drastically with a few drops of water. One of the rare Bourbons where the taste drastically outperforms the nose. I knew absolutely nothing about this when I spied it on the shelf, but the label was very open about what was in the bottle and I thought $40 was decent VFM for 6'ish year old MGP. I definitely think it slots in well with some of my other favorite $40 bottles like HMcK10, Longbranch, MM46, Knob Creek, etc. Looking forward to spending some more time with this one and will definitely buy again if I see it.

This has been my go-to sub $20 bourbon for about a year now. Quality seems to have held. Cinnamon, Cherry, Oak, and butterscotch goodness. At less than $20 it is more than capable as a neat pour, on the rocks, or dumped in a glass of ice cold Coke or Ginger Ale. **As a side note, this is now branded simply as Rebel Bourbon (no Yell). Apparently a rolling change that flew under the radar or that I just completely missed.**

TX Bourbon APPEARANCE: The Mahogany Colored liquid is presented in a modern-ish bottle. I love that the Stopper is topped with repurposed boot leather. Nice touch. NOSE: Surprisingly good, if you give it time to breath. It starts off in typical Wheater Fashion, Dry & Dusty with Vanilla, and Fresh Straw/Hay. After a few minutes, the Corn takes the lead along with New Leather, Raisins, Peach, Strawberry, and Sweet Iced Tea. Occasionally you get a huge blast of Cinnamon. NEAT: On the first sip the initial impression is Sweet Fruits, but that doesn't last long as the Mid-Palate is all Dry Corn Funk (awesome name for an Iowa based R&B cover band). Luckily, on subsequent sips, that Musty Dry Corn is either lessened or the palate becomes used to it. You now have notes of New Leather, Vanilla, Oak, and Tingly Black Pepper. Clingy Mouthfeel. Not a lot of heat on the finish. Sweet Musty Corn and Oak Spice Aftertaste coat the palate. Weirdly tasty. SPLASH: The Nose and Palate both gain some Spice. The Musty Funk is reduced a bit. The Malt now dominates the back end and finish leaving a Sweet, Leathery aftertaste. VERDICT: I was torn at first on this one. As a traditional Bourbon it should score lower than average. Then I thought, "But, did you enjoy it?", and the answer to that was a resounding yes. Just a reminder that not all Bourbon has to taste like traditional KSB. I will forewarn you that YMMV as I can definitely see that corn note being polarizing. At an uncraftlike $42, it could be worth a flyer if you're looking for something a little out of the box.