Tastes
-
Rhum Barbancourt 3 Star
Rhum Agricole Éléve Sous Bois — Haiti
Reviewed March 20, 2021 (edited January 11, 2024)Sits just on the wrong side of the cutline for a balanced spririt. At 4 years, the fresh cane distillate and tropical aging just barely haven't coalesced, and instead end up presenting rough rather than assertive, and unfortunately call to mind some of my more regrettable experiences in the rum pantheon. All that said, there is quality here, and lineage of the longer-aged bottlings is clear, it's just not the snapshot in time where I'd prefer to take my cut. Light gold with a thin body. The nose is mostly top notes without much heft, but is sweet - vanilla, cantaloupe, and ephemeral floral notes before the hogo appears and ethanol eventually forces you out. Attractive overall and in-line with the 8-year plus a few rough edges. The nose is a plus. Light mouthfeel and trends towards sweet syrup off the bat. Pretty narrow band of flavor - a few gentle notes of clementine peel, honeysuckle, pineapple rind - then things go harsh quickly with aspartame, minerality, and some fusel notes. Tangy sweet lingers for the finish. To be clear, the promise of what this rum can become shows throughout and this is a reasonable value, but I would unequivocally recommend shelling out the extra 25% to upgrade to the 8-year, or opt for any number of blends at the same price that offer the same assertiveness but delivered with a much more elegant hand. The same bottle with a minimum aging of 5-6 years might be just right.20.0 USD per Bottle -
Compass Box Great King St Glasgow Blend
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed March 15, 2021 (edited November 6, 2021)2019 bottling. A pleasant golden straw with orange hue. Medium weight. Peat controls the nose, but tempered with subtle fruits lingering in the margins waiting to reward those with perseverance. A bit grapey with touches of vanilla. Iodine teases, but remains restrained. Chestnut. Honeydew. Heather. Not overpowering, but not captivating either. Smoke opens - notably more ashy than meaty. Sweet sherry and malt rise up, then are beaten back by the phenols. Cantaloupe. Honeysuckle. Biscuit. Cigarette smoke returns and lingers, which is likely a negative. There are other smokes that I enjoy much more (bring on the applewood!) I had some unfounded optimism that I was surely to "discover" the ideal highball scotch when I purchased this - in my mind's eye: a balanced yet wildly affordable blend in which the peat affirmed one's manliness and the "scotchy" origins while the sherry and more genteel components made it refreshing and quaffable at any time of day. In short, I'm not sure my vision had any realistic basis whatsoever, and this bottle's failure to meet those expectations is 99.5% not the scotch's fault. The peat is far too pronounced for me to have, as yet, skillfully render an elegant and effervescent cocktail. In a stirred alternative it may shine, and assuredly as a neat pour I have few reservations for the price. In the recent past when I could find Laphroaig 10 for $35, I would see little rationale to own this bottle. But while the tariff effect is still in play preventing any single malt competition worth mentioning for less than $50, this bottle knocks the socks off most peated blends. Clean, cohesive, balanced, and little one might find objectionable beyond the cigarette note. You could do much worse.32.0 USD per Bottle -
Glenfarclas 12 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed March 15, 2021 (edited April 26, 2021)Revisiting 2/3rds of the way down. Butter. Gently malted grain. Lemon tart. Gooseberries. Sherry. Fresh bread. Buttery butter. Astringent oak. Custard. Toasted pie crust. Oh god look at those legs. Boozy bananas foster. Rosewater. A snickerdoodle cookie where the cream of tartar stands front and center. OK. Me and this whisky are finally having a moment... I think I get it now. This ‘farclas distillate and aging are one of a kind. Creamy, grainy, salty kettle corn with a very sharp tanginess. Musty. Heather. Oloroso DNA is all over this but somehow doesn’t feel sherry-dominated. Challenging and aggressive, yet somehow still refined. This is not a crowd-pleaser. But it has a concentrated lemon drop hard candy essence and an “abuse me and I like it” intensity that get into you a bit.45.0 USD per Bottle -
Del Maguey VIDA Mezcal
Mezcal Joven — Oaxaca, Mexico
Reviewed February 28, 2021 (edited June 15, 2021)Simple green wine bottle and a dead simple (nearly cartoonish) label that actually works pretty well - iconic and recognizable. An unusual black synthetic cork seems classy but is oddly rigid and ultimately quite annoying to squeeze back into the bottle. Neat. Glencairn. A beautiful “near clear". Some weight is evident with a swirl. Nice and leggy. Honey, jasmine, and Turkish cake soaked in simple syrup. Some nosings exude phenols, while the next beguilingly lack smoke entirely. Regardless, the sweet and floral backbone are consistent, along with a snap of crisp green bell pepper. An undercurrent of paint thinner follows: just one of those oddly appealing chemical smells you know you aren’t supposed to like but can’t help but to embrace and covertly enjoy. Not harsh in any way. The taste begins sweet and clean - then brisk vegetation, metallic notes, and finally back to rich simple syrup filling the mouth. Grapefruit. Smoke teases the periphery - sinuses, nasal cavity, and the back of the throat - filling in the edges without ever being the primary note. The classic (to me) mezcal profile of sweet, coppery, cooked carrots dances on the palate and lingers impressively with a lasting tangy bitter edge. This is a flagship mezcal qualified for sipping yet priced for mixing. No observable flaws, and showcases a quintessential profile: sweet, vegetal, and smoky, with a bracing metallic edge. This is my first bottle but I’d put it in a group of affordable espadin mezcals I’ve had that consistently deliver for the price, alongside Montelobos and Sombra. Highly recommended.34.0 USD per Bottle -
Extremely different from my wheelhouse. Fresh, sweet, round, and floral. Apricot and honeydew. Jasmine. Fresh white grape must. Quite distinct from aged spirits, there is a saccharine stevia sweetness that is inescapable, yet underneath that my tastebuds toggle between yeasty hefeweizen beer, Medjool dates, sweet simple syrup, and crisp green bean vegetal notes. Raw egg white. Agree whole-heartedly with the reviewer's oolong - somewhere between green and oxidized tea. Everything works surprisingly well but is totally in left field versus my expectations and preferences. The youth and single distillation seem to reinforce the impression of unaged spirit, but cohesive and soft, without any prevailing ethanol note that one would expect. I have to peg this as a success because most of the factors I could construe as detractors seem to be based in my lack of familiarity rather than a lack of quality. Fresh, young, vibrant, and inescapably floral, this is clearly a good value. I'll need to continue my pisco education.24.0 USD per Bottle
-
Plantation Pineapple Stiggins' Fancy Rum
Flavored Rum — Multiple Countries
Reviewed January 30, 2021 (edited August 1, 2021)A deep, rich orange. Vegetal nose, pineapple for sure but sharing a kinship with rye whiskey. A twinge of spice. Sweet syrup, then the pineapple builds. Prominently features the bark: grassy, bitter, and fresh, with pineapple juice complimenting around the edges. That bitter edge offsets the sweet, with a delicate burn and spice that lingers. Really nicely done, and complex in a way that conventionally flavored rums can only dream of. Creamy coconut evokes pina colada. Gentle fruit and floral notes. Somewhere between a rum and liqueur, this is a quality option on the shelf that is not imitated by merely mixing rum with pineapple juice. Worth a try.26.0 USD per Bottle -
Cappelletti Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro
Amaro — Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Reviewed January 21, 2021 (edited August 1, 2021)A striking aroma right out of the bottle, no nosing necessary. While it edges toward pungent, there is some intrigue about it. Earth, bitter roots, medicine, some citrus, rain-soaked campfire ash. Not phenolic, like a peated scotch... more like, "evocative." of smoke. Not explicitly bad, but also not a selling point. Unique, no doubt. Unusually cloudy. Whereas most liqueurs are transparent, no matter how dark, this is milky and opaque - a chalky chocolate brown. Not explicitly bad, but also not a selling point. Unique, no doubt. An above-average sweetness opens the palate, quickly revealing veins of smoked vegetation and a rich, molasses-y pumpernickel rye, then rides a building wave of bitterness throughout the mouth, which echoes for minutes. Rhubarb, obviously, but not your grandma's pie (maybe your nonna's, though). Cola. Oregano. Citrus. Menthol. Walnut. Toothpaste. Cocoa. Fennel. Explicitly: not bad, and grows on you as you start to see how it all comes together... there is the selling point. Unique, no doubt.20.0 USD per Bottle -
Relatively deep mahogany brown. Caramelly vin santo nose. Not as sugary as expected based on how this one is often described. Offers a pleasing, modest sweetness that plays cherry and vanilla well to the forefront, but I think it presents sweeter than reality because it isn’t tempered by much of any acidic or bitter elements. Bittering agents stay well in the shadows, and the herbal components are present but very subtle. Gentle nutty, cola notes. Extremely well-executed and high-quality, but… perhaps not quite all that interesting? Still, it's good-to-great and makes a knockout “sweet” Manhattan just begging for those amazing candied Italian cherries - Maraschino or Amarena... pick your favorite. Side-by-side with Cocchi and I wouldn’t see a reason to pick this one given how much more expensive it is and surprisingly less complex.35.0 USD per Bottle
-
Cocchi Storico Vermouth di Torino
Vermouth — Italy
Reviewed January 19, 2021 (edited September 30, 2022)Medium brown. Orange, cola, raisin, and hint of menthol and bitter roots on the nose. The palate is the nose, amplified. I can’t escape the notion of a cherry coke, but sweetened only with pressed raisins. A relatively thin body, considering the weighty appearance. The sweet fruits and vanilla start, then turn to raisin/port, then the mint notes and bittering agents take over, finally coming full circle to off-sweet citrus, cherry and vanilla to linger and dance with a gentle bitterness. The sugar is just right on this, and the flavors are complex but cohesive. Great value for a higher quality vermouth. Side-by-side with Carpano Antica, and I’d select this one for the more interesting bitter notes and is only 60% of the price.20.0 USD per Bottle -
Banks 5 Island Rum
Silver Rum — Multiple Countries
Reviewed January 11, 2021 (edited March 19, 2021)Bright and clear, modest weight but leaves decadent legs cascading down the glass, surprising considering its low proof and probable youth. Hogo slaps the nose, married quite appealingly to a bouquet of young tropical fruits and herbal notes. Pineapple, banana peel. Oregano. 100% agree with a previous taster’s tarragon. Brown rice? Simultaneously assertive, complex, yet smooth as silk. Clean, young, and bright. Can inhale all day. Really nice. Uh oh. The palate is great too. A dash of sweet syrup and pineapple juice tangoes with the aromatics from the nose, then settles across the tongue with bitter lime pith, mint, and a touch of saccharine. Thin vein of Tahitian vanilla. Finally, those herbs return and settle across the tongue, throwing the finish off marginally with a bitter, earthy vibe instead of a tropical sunset. A modest critique, at most. Did we just become best friends? Yep! This is one heck of a lot of affordable fun. Wow. Leave it to E&A Scheer. If you dig young, expressive rum: this is your jam to drink neat. If you dig clean, charismatic rum as cocktail fodder: this is your jam to shake with fruit juice. If you dig neither of those things: just give me one sunny Saturday and I can probably overwrite your operating system.20.0 USD per Bottle
Results 51-60 of 309 Reviews