Tastes

The nose is very much true to its name: copper pennies, metallic. In fact the metallic quality pretty much permeates through the entire process. I breathed through my nose and got definite gasoline/fusels. There are secondary notes of caramel, brown sugar, fennel and black pepper. Butterscotch and creamer. Smoldering smoke embers in the finish; vanilla pipe tobacco. I can't say it's my favorite budget blended, but it's certainly not offensive. You really have to be able to endure the metallic stuff going on, but if you stay with it you'll be rewarded with pipe tobacco and softer, more rounded flavors.

A little darker than your average Irish whiskey: a deep gold color. Sticky on the inside of the glass. The nose is burnt sugar; sweet and nutty creme brulee. There is a bit of iodine and smoke, but less peat than car exhaust. Herbal and tart lemongrass. Vanilla and coffee cream. A nice mix of disparate aromas that balance it nicely. The taste is butter, creamer, vanilla cake frosting. Tart lemondrop. Savory, nutty toasted brown sugar and creme brulee. Breakfast blend coffee grounds. Stewed apples and honey. Copper pennies. The finish is more muddy and inky than almost any Irish I can think of, this side of Slane. Dark or semi-sweet chocolate morsels. A lot of tannic/metallic stuff that's reminiscent of a jar of pennies. West Cork 8 is a sweet, tart, and surprisingly nutty, especially for an Irish whiskey. There are notes of savory sugars and tart citrus, with a metallic finale. I wasn't a huge fan of the last West Cork I had tried, but this one quite enjoyable.

Auburn/mahogany color. A little bit of dripped-paint legginess; looks pretty sticky. The nose is spicy rye and prickly black pepper at first. Dried corn kernels; heather, herbs, field grains and molasses. Sawdust wood from dad's workbench. Not incredibly complex but definitely gets the job done. Taste is soft corn syrup sweetness up front, with a quick, ashy burn mid-palate. A little bit of vanilla and toffee, which really comes out with an ice cube. A pleasant peppercorn, which stings a bit at first and then settles down. Barrel spices and charred wood. It washes over the rest in a slick, syrupy smoothness. Right in the pocket. The finish is a charcoal smolder at the end. Tobacco ash. Dusty mocha chocolate. Corn syrup, almost like corn oil you'd use in cooking. JB Double Black is a good, nicely-priced Bourbon. It has some good barrel char, tempered by some syrupy corn and a dry, ashy finish. It's Not terribly layered, but it's exactly what you want when you want a well-priced bourbon.

Creme brulee and burnt sugar. Molasses, caramel. Stewed apples. Almost no smoke to speak of. Grainy and grassy nose. I hate to use the dreaded "S"-word but it is smooth as hell. A syrupy and slick feel. The finish is a little bit tobacco ashy, but not harsh. It's so sugary and pleasant. I feel like this could be a good gateway Scotch for people who don't like smoke or who only like Bourbon.

Fall 2016 label. Honey-orange color that's the same tint that cinematographers use when they set a scene in Mexico. The gas fumes that come out in the first whiff are no joke: every decimal of that 50% abv registers in the nostril like a stock car finishing a lap. The nose is prickly: black licorice, pepper and fennel. It's root beer barrel candy, and cola with a soaked cherry dropped in. Hay and rye grains. A mint-scented scratch-n-sniff sticker. The taste is pine needles/fir trees; a very resinous and oily wood presence at the front. Peanut dust. The middle is a lot of black pepper, rye and cinnamon. Black licorice and star anise. A syrupy flavor and feel. It finishes with expected intensity: rye spices and potpourri. Metallic with some charcoal ashes. More of that characteristic pepper. The finish smolders for a bit, but then transitions into a minty coolness. This is a peppery, bitter rye that challenges the taste buds and lights a little fire in the belly. Starts with some prickly heat, and finishes with a slick, cooling coda.

Dark golden color; shades of light orange: russetmuscat. The aroma has plenty of heat off the top; diesel fumes. Corn syrup, maple, caramel and deep cherry. Musty oak finished in a dark lacquer. Spicy orange rind and seeded rye bread. The aroma is pretty intense,and can burn the nostrils if you get too close. The flavor is first a rubber eraser. (Don't lie, you've licked one.) After that it's a lot of prickly spicy stuff: lots of black pepper, rye, cinnamon and bitter carraway seeds. The oak is just this side of punishing: lots of barrel char, burnt wood spice and sawdust. The finish is a curious cherry liqueur smoothness that acts as an apology to its prior harshness. Burnt embers and charcoal ashes. Cracked black pepper. Sawdust and burnt oak char. A pleasant dark chocolate at the finish. Rowan's Creek is a challenging bourbon whose time in the barrel was well-spent, picking up a full slate of woody and spicy flavors.

A solid mixer for the price. The nose is sawdust, mild barrel spice, and corn. The taste is corn syrup, maple sugars, vanilla, and root beer barrel candy. Finishes with a nice wood spice, some black pepper, cinnamon/rye, herbs and a bit of metallic astringency.

Vanilla bean, coffee creamer, cake frosting. Pleasant vanilla tobacco. Soft caramel. Marshmallow. Coconut. Circus peanuts? Cigar burn in the finish. A mushroom/umami that I didn't expect. A drop of water really opens it up. Not incredibly complex but very enjoyable.

Pale gold color. Droplets on the inside of the glass like raindrops on the window. The nose is sweet vanilla frosting and red apple skins. Sherry that manifests itself like pennies and (sorry) blood. Black licorice. Butterscotch. Sandalwood. The taste vanilla cake frosting and coffee creamer. A tart, puckery lemon drop, with a citrus spice. Some ripe red apple. Sherry tannins. An interesting herbal quality, though I can't pick out which herb. Unexpected dried apricot and honeydew melon. The finish is fresh tobacco with a lingering cigar burn right in the front. Black licorice, star anise. More of that metallic, tannic linger, reminiscent of a jar of pennies. Some bitter perfume and flowers. Sandalwood and cedar. This is a very soft, pleasant, friendly Irish whiskey that is surprisingly complex. It introduces a lot of sweet, puckery flavors at the start, and then finished with a slightly smoky and woody residue at the end.

Quick note: Orange peel nose; deep cherry; maple; ribbon candy. The taste is syrup, lots of sugars. The feel is incredibly slick and oily, more than maybe any I've ever had. Lots of cherry, potpourri. So slick and delicious. I'm actually really into this.