Tastes

Yamazaki 12 APPEARANCE: Nice box and Retro looking bottle and label. Pours into the Glencairn a Bright Gold. Don't even mind the screw cap. NOSE: There is an initial Tart Malt Vinegary note when first opened, but it is not present in the glass. Overall Tropical. There is a foundation of Dried Coconut topped by layers of Orange, Lemon, Pineapple, Vanilla, Almond, and Marzipan. Just a hint of Florality at first, but the longer it sits, the more prominent it becomes. There is just a smidgen of Heat. The more time I spend with it, the Richer and Deeper it becomes. NEAT: Light but Complex. A Silky Coating Mouthfeel. A foundation of Spice layered over by Buttery Vanilla Icing, Pineapple, Citrus, Leather, and a Wisp of Smoke. There is a Tingly Effervescent Quality. Finish is Lightly Warming with Tart Berries and Light Smoke. Slightly Bitter Citrus and Sweet Oak linger and coat the palate. SPLASH: A dribble of water and the palate becomes a little richer? Some Dried Cocoa Powder. Takes on the character of that Old-Timey Brown/White/Pink Striped Coconut Bars. Finish gets a little sweeter. The aftertaste is still with me over an hour later. VERDICT: I'd never seen this before and was surprised to see it in an out of the way ABC when traveling through Virginia. It doesn't quite live up to the nose, but is still an amazing Whisky, especially after a few drops of water. Another solid Japanese product. However, I feel that the VFM factor is very low here. A lot of Single Malt Scotches that are its equal for around 1/2 to 3/4 of the $113 this one set me back. Still, it's nice to have it in the collection.

MM101 APPEARANCE: Nice presentation in the box. Standard Maker's shaped bottle, but I really prefer Maker's with the rough paper labels. Pours the typical light copper color that Maker's is known for. NOSE: Traditonal Maker's dialed up a few notches. Richer. Creme Brûlée, Brown Sugar, Deep Vanilla, Dry Dusty Barn Wood, Straw, Oak Spice, with a Little Stinging Heat. A Light Floral Note rings the whole experience. Moist Brown Sugar on the empty glass. NEAT: An Overall Drying Character. Up Front: Oak Spice, Vanilla Extract, Brown Sugar, Coffee With Cream, Slightly Tannic. Back-End: Cocoa and Cherry followed by a Nice Building Warmth on the Finish. Cocoa, Vanilla Extract, and Oak Spice Coat and Layer on the Palate. While I find standard Maker's Mark a little on the thin side, this has a Thicker Coating Mouthfeel. Very good! SPLASH: Takes the sting out of the Nose. Palate becomes a Little Sweeter and Less Tannic. Milk Chocolate Covered Cherries. A hint of Maple? Still very good! VERDICT: Hopefully this becomes a permanent line extension. Probably my favorite Maker's expression to date. Worth the $10-$12 upcharge over the standard issue. THIS IS WHAT MAKER'S SHOULD BE DOING! Stop it with the million and one Stave Finishing Combinations. Take the tried and true mashbill and release it at higher proof points. How about a Single Barrel or 10 Year release? Add these to the Regular 6'ish year, the Cask Strength, and Maker's 46 and have one of the strongest lineups on the Bourbon Aisle. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Damn near perfect. Maker's? Good job outta' you...

JTS Brown BIB (New to NC ABC's) NOSE: A little heat at first. Then typical Heaven Hill Peanut, Vanilla, Oak, Clove. Maybe a hint of Cocoa. NEAT: Mirrors the nose. Enters Sweet with Vanilla, Maple, Clove and Slightly Tannic Oak. The Roasted Peanut shows up on the Slightly Hot Finish with the Peanut and Vanilla coating and lingering on the palate. Nice KY Hug. SPLASH: Not much change to the nose, but the Peanut note dominates the palate start to finish. Maybe just a hint of Bitterness on the Finish? VERDICT: I went in search of MM101 (BINGO! Picked up two of those) and just happened to look down and see this one. Not widely distributed it is brand new here in NC. I didn't have any to try a Side by Side, but I assume this is very similar to EW White Label BIB. However, it's about $5 cheaper (it was $13.27 out the door). Maybe this gets some lower graded barrels in the mix? Either way, a solid one to keep around to pour in Coke/Ginger Ale, a Cheap Old Fashioned, or Neat in a pinch.

OF 1910 APPEARANCE: All the bottlings of the Whiskey Row Series look pretty good from bottle shape to labels. Pours into the Glencairn the color of Mahogany. Viscous and Coating. NOSE: Dark & Brooding. Perfect for the unexpected cool snap here on the NC coast. Dry and Dusty character. Burnt Brown Sugar, Burnt Vanilla, Dark Roast Coffee Beans, Charred Hickory and Oak. Just a hint of Medicinal Cherry. NEAT: Sweet on the tip of the tongue. Toasted Marshmallow. If you taste in colors, this is solidly in the dark brown camp. Charred Hickory and Oak, French Vanilla, Black Cherry, Slightly Bitter Black Coffee. A nice warming finish with a Mild Blooming KY Hug deep in the chest. The aftertaste is sweetened Espresso. SPLASH: A few drops of water add Charred BBQ Sauce and a Floral Quality to the Nose. Again, if you taste in colors, the palate becomes a lighter brown: Butterscotch, Toffee, and Maple along with some Black Pepper Spice. VERDICT: Another hit from the Whiskey Row Series. I was intrigued after hearing an interview with their brand ambassador who described the second barrel that they used as "charred to the point of disintegration". I'm about 1/4 of the way through the bottle and have enjoyed every pour, but none as much as I enjoyed the last pour combined with "Fall Weather". These notes just seem to pair perfectly with cooler temps. It’s like the Peg Leg Porker I like so much turned up to 11. This leaves the lone bottle of Woodford Double Oak I've had in the dust, and for only a couple dollars more. 4 1/4 Stars from me.

Pig's Nose I picked this up on a trip through VA as it is not available in NC (in fact, it seems none of Ian Maleod's offerings are available here). NOSE: Fruity & Malty. You pick from Peach Purée, Apple Sauce, or Apricot Preserves swirled into Warm Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat. With some time in the glass, nose gets a healthy helping of Buttercream Icing and Citrus Peel. Some "Barnyard" notes also creep in. Appropriate for a Whisky called Pig's Nose. There is maybe just a hint of the Peated whiskies that are used. This is youthful, but VERY nice. NEAT: Light. Thin. Oily. Oaky. Fruit notes from the nose are here, but lighter in character. A little Butterscotch as well? The Peat shows up on the disappointingly short finish and aftertaste. It does have that nice layering, building effect that I like with Peat, Ash, Leather, and Straw building on the tongue. SPLASH: Brings some of the Peated notes to the front of the Nose and Palate. Picks up a touch of bitterness as well. Splash is not necessary here. VERDICT: I really like this. For $26 it's a no brainer. This one is right up there with Cutty Sark Prohibition and Monkey Shoulder as best blends. Next trip through VA, I will definitely snag another bottle.

Tenjaku NOSE: Reminds me of a good quality Blended Malt. Buttery, New Leather, Vanilla. Light "Green" notes: Green Tea, Grapes, Granny Smith Apples, and Pears. Dive deep and pick up Orange and Grapefruit Juice. There is kind of a "Dry" character. Dried Malt, Dry White Wine all backed with a hint of Smoke. NEAT: Front of the palate is excellent. Leather, Malted Grain, Vanilla Custard, along with some of those "Green" notes from the nose. The finish is a chameleon. Maybe just depending on where it hits the tongue? Some sips end with a Burnt Smoky Vanilla, while others lean toward a Slightly Sour Bitter note. Eventually the Burnt Vanilla wins out. There is a nice Sweet,Tingly coating that gains a touch of Dark Roast Coffee over time. SPLASH: Really makes the Creamy Buttery note on the nose pop. Palate loses a bit of the complexity, but is still very good. Some Wood notes emerge on the finish. VERDICT: Very "Glen" (Livet or Fiddich) like. At $40 this will be a repeat buy for me. Better on its own than the similarly priced Toki. Good enough for "special occasions" with friends/family, but won't break the bank.

Ezra Brooks Distiller's Collection/Selected by Virginia ABC Barrel #7167088/Barreled 9/3/15 Between 4-5 Years? NOSE: Light in color, the nose starts off with some Heat followed by: Orange Peel, Peanut Shell, Oak, Light Rye Spice, and a Mild Sweetness. NEAT: Thin & Hot. Roasted Peanut, Bitter Oak, and a Light General Sweetness precede an overly Bitter Finish with Peanut and Bitter Oak lingering to coat the palate. SPLASH: A few drops of water add Caramel to both Nose and Palate. This still has an overall Bitter Character. VERDICT: "Hand Picked From Extraordinary Barrels" according to the label. That doesn't appear to be the case. With the heavy peanut notes and bitter oak, even though Heaven Hill is the likely source, this is more like reject Beam Barrels. Picked this up simply because it was something I couldn't get at home. At $35 this would be a hard pass if I was traveling through VA again. Just not a profile that I am a fan of.

GD BIB Release #2 (11 Year)- I think that anyone who has read more than a couple of my reviews knows that I am an unabashed Cascade Hollow Fanboy. The 13 Year BIB is one of my favorite American Whiskies. Let's see how the 11 Year fairs. NOSE: Oak. Dried Fruits (Banana, Cherry, Apricot).Kellogg's Corn Pops Cereal. Cinnamon. Dry Brown Sugar. Corn Bread. A little bit of heat. NEAT: Oh, my. Coating, Syrupy Mouthfeel. The Canned Fruit Cocktail that has the Peaches, Pears, and Maraschino Cherries. Sweet Oak with just a hint of Tannin. Some Cinnamon and Baking Spice. Medium Length Finish. Nice Oak Spice. Sweet Oak and Fruit Syrup coat and layer on the palate. SPLASH: It merges the Fruit and Cereal notes on the nose into Fruity Pebbles Cereal (It wouldn't be a Dickel review without a Flintstones reference). Oak becomes a little spicier on the palate. VERDICT: This is every bit the equal of the 13 year. In fact, some of the more tannic oak notes of the 13 year were reduced here. I'd love to side-by-side. As a side note, there was absolutely ZERO trace of the Flintstone multi-vitamin note that many find in George Dickel. How in the world this is a sub $40 whisky is beyond me. Beam, Heaven Hill, Jack Daniels, et al., take notes. This is how it's done.