Tastes
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Booker's Bourbon Batch 2020-01 "Granny's Batch"
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed December 4, 2021 (edited June 12, 2023)Side note: somewhat gratifying when you compile your tasting notes without reading any others on this site and when you go to post you see some similar flavors mentioned. Go taste buds! Neat. Glencairn. The nose is a close cousin to Knob Creek single barrel. The proof comes screaming out as cayenne-dusted corn. Lots of hay and musty barn wood, peanut brittle and bit of oak and barrel char. Appropriate for a bourbon like this but doesn’t quite stoke my fire. Palate is weighty. Definitely zippy but enjoyable neat. Initial wave is super dusty peanut shells, then sweetens nicely into honey water with cinnamon and char iodine. A bit of vegetal capsaicin and mint. Tingles and lingers nicely like an oak flavored cinnamon red hot. Seems to enhance the sweetness when left to air for a spell. Overall not terribly complex but pretty enjoyable corn syrup for grownups. Attempting to characterize this as an experience, it’s like the bougie high proof bourbon version of wandering into a Texas Roadhouse, skipping the steak and instead licking the peanut shells off a wood floor, biting a jalapeño, and then pounding the whole ramekin of that cinnamon honey butter and a scorching hot yeast roll. If that sounds like your kind of party I’d say grab a pour if you can still find one! Biggest knock is the significant price inflation for a bottle of bookers. -
Driftless Glen Small Batch Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Wisconsin, USA
Reviewed November 20, 2021 (edited June 18, 2022)An appealing sienna color. Nose is middling - cherry cola and orange rind, but thrown off by a strong undercurrent of oat. Huge cherry on the palate. Caramel. Orange bitters. Oaky barrel notes are a tad heavy. Proof is nicely calibrated - just a twinge of spice. Well clear of the craft pack - no obvious flaws. Critiques are preferential only. I’d sip this anytime for a reasonable price. -
Starlight Single Barrel Indiana Straight Bourbon (Market District Carmel #1518)
Bourbon — Indiana, USA
Reviewed November 20, 2021 (edited January 6, 2022)A1 (Effingham IL) store pick. 106 proof. Finished in bourbon barrels that previously aged maple syrup. Pleasant and unmistakeable bourbon nose. No ethanol but unremarkable. A net positive. Sharp palate right off the bat and doesn’t ever settle down. Maple syrup is front and center, but nothing about the source bourbon stands out as enjoyable. A clear cut above bottom shelf stuff, so respectable for a craft distillery, but isn’t aided by the elevated proof or relative youth. Some promise here but I wouldn’t buy this bottle or order a pour on purpose. -
Balvenie Peat Week 14 Year (2003 Edition)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed October 31, 2021 (edited January 6, 2022)A pleasantly deep honeyed color with an orange hue. Not much viscosity – thin and generally lacking legs. Orange juice, medicinal smoke, clover honey, watercress, raw barley, and a hint of mushroom. A clear sweetness that pulls things together. Nosing stays sharp regardless of how much you return to it, but definitely still pulls you back in. Some petrichor brings familiarity and comfort. Opens with sweetness building back into the orange juice, followed by bitter rind. Honestly getting sweet orange bitters (Fee Brothers?) before the underlying phenols blossom. A touch of cooked carrot and coriander, but generally a persistent, tangy sweetness. Bell pepper. A bit like burning grassland. Some playful floral notes and honey show themselves throughout. Honestly the freshly-cracked bottle started a little too sharp, but that settled out in pretty short order after a quarter of the bottle was gone. Can’t say this was explicitly worth $100, but it is a quality dram – well made and pretty tasty, and I'd say it is unique vs. Islay peat albeit in subtle ways. I know I won’t see this edition again, but I also won’t be afraid to take the plunge on future releases given what this one offered.100.0 USD per Bottle -
St. George Baller Single Malt Whisky
American Single Malt — California, USA
Reviewed October 27, 2021 (edited January 6, 2022)Dank bottle aesthetic - keep it coming. Flips the bird to the run of the mill corporate marketing department. A pale straw in the glass. Weak legs but a smidge of oil to the liquid. A bit of a floral+chemical nose with a muted vanilla undercurrent. It doesn’t nose harshly, but nevertheless usually forces me out after a solid huff, confirming the youth. Hint of prune, but hard to place overall. A bit of paint thinner. Not a killer, but surely not a selling point. Thin, but retains a tease of oily texture. A light vanilla opening reminiscent of recent experiences with Toki or Hatozaki. Those prune notes eventually return as the spice and saccharides gradually build. Carries a pervasive mustiness that I like to characterize as “oat” but clearly is young barley and has this creamy starch to it that’s hard to embrace. The floral character often roars like a dragon, then disappears. And every now and then you can catch a distinct vein of smoke, but it is impish and only shows itself every seventh sip. The plum liqueur finish definitely sets this apart and creates a reason for the palate to be intrigued, but tragically doesn’t seem to ever quite arrive at desirable. While this is drinkable, it isn’t really up my alley. I’m all for supporting American single malt but I think this bottling has been overbilled. It is serviceable and I’d have a pour on a whim, but I’m not sure why I’d ever purchase another bottle. There are more than enough established and composed single malt options around this price range that ultimately just provide a more enjoyable experience.40.0 USD per Bottle -
Union Horse Barrel Strength Reunion Rye
Rye — Kansas, USA
Reviewed October 26, 2021 (edited January 7, 2022)Batch 5. 112.3 proof. 100% rye mash, a low 110 entry proof, NCF, locally-sourced barrel wood, and an 18-month age statement. Quite an unusual combination brought to you exclusively by the craft distilling movement. A deep chestnut brown, despite the age. The venerable @robertwayne64024 notes undersized casks were used and that would almost have to be the case given the color and flavor. Current listings from the distillery note 5+ years, so I’m speculating that my bottle predates the switch to fully-aged stock (which is likely matured in standard casks). Despite bottling at cask strength, the low barrel entry point leaves the final proof quite modest by today’s standards, but I’m still wary of youth+proof. It is, however, surprisingly nose-able and it really can’t drive me out. Vanilla and maple come right out of the gate to cross-check your olfactory holes like Kris Letang. Butterscotch and char. A quick line change brings lacquer, oak, and cinnamon spice. Clean, bright, and young. It dances around a vegetal spicy chili influence, but ultimately sticks closest to the sweet baking notes supplied by the barrel. Pleasant. The opening is quite gentle and ancillary to sweet desserts but lacks the actual sugars, then settles pleasantly into a thin but lasting caramel. Abruptly, the rather demure opening falls away, and rye spice rushes in to bloom on the palate, bringing a drying astringency, vanilla again, an approachable cooked serrano, simple syrup, more char, and morphs into a finish defined by that astringency and a lingering medicinal note somewhere between licorice, gentian, and anise. Correction - it is definitively fennel, which is actually pleasant enough but I’d expect to land a bit out of mainstream preferences. Calls to mind my dad’s “Tom’s of Maine” fennel toothpaste from my childhood. Honestly… this is really dang good. It is assertive and memorable and not mainstream, and 90% of that is a good thing. Pretty mind-blowing the amount of flavor, barrel, and character they captured for something so young. Low entry proof, small casks, NCF and cask strength is really a great concept to let quality distillate and the unaltered rye shine, resulting in a respectable body and mouthfeel that belie its youth, and show off the distinctive and appealing features of rye that other common whisky grains can’t replicate. This is pretty impressive for the price paid - not sure what MSRP is for the updated version. Ultimately I’d still lean toward an affordable stalwart with a touch more centrist appeal, like Pikesville, but would recommend this to about anybody. I hope the fully-aged replacement is even better, and I will purchase to find out.45.0 USD per Bottle -
Rock Oyster Blended Malt
Blended Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed October 10, 2021 (edited January 6, 2022)Holy sh*t this is delicious. Finally cracked this bottle after many many months slumbering in the vice closet and I am regretting my patience. Nearly exquisite sweet peat. Lemon vanilla salty smoke. Green apple. Cream. Belies the proof. Very much on the sweet end but executed extremely well. Hopefully the rebrand did not affect the component parts in any substantive way.52.0 USD per Bottle -
Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie Scottish Barley
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed October 8, 2021 (edited January 6, 2022)Very pale in the glass. Honey water. Mostly thin but a little tacky on the glencairn when swirled. The nose is restrained but a tad sharp. Simmered marmalade, cereal grain, and crushed lemongrass. Unusually prominent barley notes. A pervasive floral undercurrent. Oatmeal and blackberries. Uncommon, but neither a plus or minus. Tart and acidic. Flashes sweet but ends more saccharine with a touch of minerality. Somewhere between apricot and tangerine. Granite. Salty in the way only scotch can be. Maybe too salty? Earthy and yeasty barley returns prominently. Lemon curd. Strong vein of flowers again. Coriander. Honey. Allspice. Some cream at the end with echoes of the tangy, saccharine sweetness returning. While I appreciate the 100 proof, I think it’s a little heavy handed when neat. Admittedly can proof down but not up. Reverberates impressively without any ethanol presence, but is just a touch too sharp. Metallic - but, more stainless steel than copper. Verdict is an unusual and tangy malt. Interesting and a bit challenging, but unfortunately not captivating. It feels like it has the backbone of some of my favorite assertive/musty/yeasty distillates, like Glenfarclas or Craigellachie, but hasn’t rounded off that prickliness with age and/or sherry in the way I have come to love. Quality product, no doubt, and iconic if unconventional packaging, but a close miss for my preferences. I understand there is very intentional batch variation, but reviewing my notes vs the critic reviews and distillery tasting notes I think they align pretty solidly. Batch 21/015, dominated by 1st or 2nd fill bourbon casks. I am surprised that this particular profile appears to be so universally appealing (3.8 @ 2k reviews), although the mystique of Islay may yield a slight bias (or my taste buds are 3rd rate - Occam’s razor suggests this may be the case). Continuing through the bottle I'll note it has grown on me, but not enough to rewrite the narrative. Appreciate the concept, distiller philosophy, and transparency. Would drink again, but probably won’t buy of my own accord.48.0 USD per Bottle -
Old Pulteney 12 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed September 7, 2021 (edited December 3, 2021)Full-flavored and rich, but overall quite gentle, approachable and oh-so-sweet. Honey. Loads of vanilla. Lemon cream. Rich, malty cereal notes, with a silky, creamy mouthfeel. Peaches. Substantial minerality morphs into the much anticipated “characteristic” saltiness but really blends seamlessly with the other flavors. Definitely a dessert dram, and not a world-beater due to a pretty linear flavor profile, but tasty stuff that can be an exceptional value and has an extra couple of dimensions versus nearly all competition at this price point.40.0 USD per Bottle -
Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum
Navy Rum — Multiple Countries
Reviewed August 26, 2021 (edited May 13, 2022)Bottle-kill review: starting neat in a Glencairn…we’ll see how I finish. On ice? On the floor? In the doghouse? I honestly enjoy the backstory and label. Contrived or otherwise, Gabriel inviting these cocktail/rum gurus to help him develop a new blend (or accidentally doing so on a purely social call) feels very genuine and these are people with a passion for their industry and (most notably) a sense of humor, even when money is on the line, which I respect greatly. Surely colored (as is typical for a dark rum), however the deep brown hue is enticing and makes some bold promises to your tastebuds… but promises are fulfilled, as this stuff is 100% the chief underwriter at the loan office. Nothing new to report here, but your nostrils get slapped with molasses, pineapple rind, rosewater and fusel notes before the ethanol twinge builds, obscuring other scents, and eventually pushes you out of the nosing after 3-5 seconds. Traditional oak vanillas and butterscotch get absorbed seamlessly by the tropical fruit, flowers, and hogo. Really nice and noses nowhere near 138 proof. Palate leads with classic high-ester Jamaican – a sweet wallop of ripe tropical fruit, then the Guyanan molasses washes over, then whoooa! The proof builds quickly and singes the sides of the tongue. Again, 3-5 seconds, tops. Extremely concentrated and sweet. Molasses and oak are driving the bus, but the funky fruit and petrol fumes are blaring over the loudspeakers. Unsurprisingly, the finish lingers forever, tingling the cheeks and tongue with oaky tannins and saccharides and allspice berries drawing saliva and celebrating holidays and hosting a beach-side bonfire all at the same time. This is not a perfect rum. Brought down to everyday proof, it would show a number of warts. But honestly at $25-$30/L this is nearly faultless, and a standout example of what rum is all about. I have used this liter in half-ounce floats and split-rum bases working through the tiki pantheon and it never fails to deliver loads of flavor and unmatchable value. This is not a replacement for 151-proof demerara rum, simply a great bottle that stands on its own merits. Highly recommended. (price adjusted for 750ml basis)19.5 USD per Bottle
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