Tastes

Neat. Sample. First reaction was salty but there is a sweet honey cheerio right behind that. There is a nice pear with accompanying sourness. Light caramel. Nice and crisp but not too dynamic. Thin on the feel. Cereal aspect coming through up front with that honey. Still getting the pear but it’s just hinted at until the finish. Salted chocolate on the finish. Just a solid, crisp everyday sipper. A good background Scotch for a night I just want to relax.

Neat. Sample. Batch 20. Never had this Joseph Magnus before. So the nose is musty. Wet wood and leaves. It’s very dark. Raisins and prunes. Okay some butterscotch is emerging and it reminds me a lot of MGP light whiskey. I know some 9ish year light whiskey is in this and I can pick that out. Sweet old oak is emerging too, reminds me of Rhetoric 24. Hint of mandarin orange. Vanilla frosting. It’s lightening up since that dark first impression. Oh, I just got a really nice maple note. This is all over the place. Let’s see if it comes together on the taste. Oily but light in texture. Almost fluffy like air. Cinnamon and brown sugar are conquering my tongue. Making me pucker even. Okay, the taste is very familiar MGP territory. The upfront vanilla sweetness is overwhelming and I am getting a hint of those orange still. Transitions to butterscotch and that remains the dominate note. Sweet oak comes out on the finish as well. There is a strange harshness to it on the back end. There is an aftertaste I would equate to prunes as well and it is hanging with me for way too long. Going to get some water to give it one last shake. A palate reset helped. That harsh note that started building subsided and the sweetness is coming out again. It will be interesting to see if the harshness builds up again as I work on the second half of this sample. I have passed on this bottle quite a few times over the years. Love MGP, love Joseph Magnus but reviews were always divisive and it’s not a cheap bottle to buy without solid reviews backing it. Glad I never purchased this. It’s a bit muddied, odd, lacks a stand out note to hang my hat on. The aftertaste is a bit odd too and it’s building up again after a few more sips. Yep harshness is building up too. The more I sip on it without water in between, the funkier it gets.

Neat. Neck pour. Surprised this find this in my area today. I thought it was a distillery only release still. Next to New Riff, Wilderness Trail is my favorite of the young distilleries. I liked all their releases and have had some great single barrels this far. Excited to see what an extra two years has to offer. A very very rich caramel leads the nose. Surrounded by a honey graham cracker crust. Hint of pepper. Bit of peach with cinnamon. A deep leather. Nothing really standing out or drawing me in. It’s nice but just okay. Nice thick texture. Really coats. Super dark on the tongue. Cinnamon and leather. More bitter and tannic than sweet initially. That rich caramel stands strong throughout this entire experience. I mean strong. Calling it a caramel bomb doesn’t do it justice. That is the most intense and unwavering caramel note I have ever had. It lasts for minutes after the sip too. Starting to get a hint of oak up front now. Gosh it is just caramel. Oak turns into a hint of chocolate on the legs. Okay, I am starting to get that honey and graham cracker crust too. This is intense flavor. I was not prepared for that off the nose. My eyes are even watering. Once that note hits it does not relent for a solid 10 seconds but then when it wavers it still takes forever to go away. I’m not sure what to think of this. I am drawn to it but maybe not enjoying it. But I want more. Going to let this open up before revisiting.

Neat. Sample. Excited to try this. Oddly the only Bunnahabhain I have had is a 30 year that came as the Christmas pour in an advent calendar. The nose is sparking all types of memories. Immediately I think of a restaurant down the street that sells these salty soft pretzels with this decadent caramel sauce. I get that entire plate in this glass. The salt and soft pretzel are more forward but then caramel is resting right behind it. It may be a bit lighter though like a butterscotch but definitely triggered some good memories. Hint of raisin. New car leather. Hint of chocolate too. It is a fun nose. I think I could sit here and pick it apart for a bit and keep coming up with stuff. It’s just a little different at every angle. Light on the tongue, but a decent amount of oil rolls off the tongue and coats the mouth and gums. The salt is the main characteristic up front. Gosh it even tastes like those soft pretzels with the caramel sauce. Just like the pretzels the salt hits you first and last on each sip. Mmm that sherry is coming through strong on the back end and on the finish, that is really nice. There is a slight hint of apricot. Getting the chocolate now too. Gosh, I like this. It’s delicious, approachable, light but with a surprisingly long and delightful finish. That sherry is just hanging around. I forgot I was being sent a sample of this and actually found a bottle today too. Quite happy I like this so much.

Neat. Neck pour. 5 year Gallenstein pick. I was bummed when New Riff sold this brand because I don’t wait the new release to tarnish the old classic. The original O.K.I. Is my favorite bottle/label design. Including the Roebling Bridge on the new label is pretty cool though. But can the juice live up to its predecessor? The nose is crisp and really lacks the MGP young note, so that’s a big plus. Even getting some sweet oak initially, which is surprising for 5 years. Getting so solid MGP cherry on this one. Caramel drizzle. A vanilla scone. Medley of fruits beyond the cherry. Solid nose, so far so good! Very oily texture. Cinnamon, sugar and apple on the tongue. Pepper coming through too. Transitions into a cinnamon bomb over to the rye spice and pepper. The finish is where things get very very interesting. After the pepper, I get this nice dark chocolate and just when I think it’s over there is this secondary blast of vanilla and cherry. It is so oily and that must be producing this great elongated finish. Oh wow. I was skeptical but bring on the OKI! What a barrel! I think this crushes every Old Scout I have (I have 8 different barrel and I thought those were good). This is simply better and the best young MGP I have had. Crap. Brand revived, time to hunt for more!

Neat. Neck pour. NASA Liquors pick. Traded a bourbon friend a bottle I had multiples of for a barrel I have never had. So glad Old Scout jumped back on the MGP train. This is my 8th bottle from a different barrel. Only two have been disappointments thus far. Oh this is a good pick on the nose. Lacks the MGP young note, which is a big turn off for me. I’m excited! Getting a ton of citrus on this one, orange peel specifically. There is a lot of vanilla with it, creating a dream sucks effect. There is a little graham cracker covered in honey but the nose mostly stays light and bright. The fact that it can stay this bright and not exhibit the youthfulness is great. The Old Scout picks I have liked the most have been darker in nature with the youth blocked out by the heavy barrel influence. This one is going down a different route on the nose. Super oily. The graham cracker and honey are dominating at first. Wow. This is a good one. Transitions into the orange and vanilla. And the orange lingers and lingers. And lingers. Delayed Kentucky hug. More orange. Ooo starting to get a chocolate note on subsequent sips. Doesn’t get much better than this for a $50 MGP. I would guess this is in the 7 year range blind, it’s hitting well above its class. And this is the neck pour. I think this is the best of the young MGP picks I have grabbed recently. I will need to blind this against the Gallenstein and Party Source after it has a chance to open up.

Neat. Neck pour. About two months ago I won a Bull Run Cab finished from Nasa Liquors called “Mars Attack!” Coolest stick, it looks like one of the hologram cards I would collect as a kid. This is the next in the series - this time finished in Pinot and called “Earth Fights Back.” The neck pour of the Cab didn’t blow me a away, but I couldn’t resist this just for the sticker. It’s a cool sticker, don’t judge. One thing I learned since the last tasting is that this is 12 year MGP aged in used barrels. So that is good context going in. Okay, right off the nose this is striking me better than the Cab. The wine influence is tremendous but balance. Strikes me more as a dessert wine due to the immense amount of sweetness surrounding everything. Getting many characteristics of creme brûlée on this. Not just a charred caramel, but the vanilla pudding underneath and even some raspberry jam on top. It’s interesting how bright the nose it. I was expecting darker leaning notes. Mmm, nice and creamy. I feel like the last couple whiskeys I have sat down with were a bit thin. Nice to enjoy the thick coating mouth feel here. Flavor bomb right off the bat, overwhelmed with grape and sweetness. Transitions straight in the creme brûlée experience with the charred caramel and vanilla pudding. I’ll even add in the little waffle cookie to complete the dish. Then the finish caps it off with the wine as if I am washing the dessert down. Geez, this is great! I will need to go back to the Cab finished one now. Top of mind, I like the Pinot finished better. This is a great finished Whiskey because the finishing so perfectly complements the whiskey. It takes you on such a nice, complete ride. Well done NASA and Bullrun.

Neat. Neck pour. I debated what to do with this bottle for a few days. It’s tempting to trade it off when it’s worth 10x’s more than my own investment but I also haven’t had it. And I like trying new things, thus here we are. Nose on this is delightful. Sweet oak and caramel mixed with a blend of apple and strawberries. Some nice vanilla sweet cream. Honestly the fruit coming off this is quite surprising. Gosh there is some angel food cake resting behind all this. Texture is oily but thin. Sweet oak dominating my tongue immediately. Surprised this is only 8 years old. That angel food cake is coming through too. Transitions right into those strawberries covered in vanilla sweet cream. Strawberries remain on the legs. Okay, I like this a lot. Angel food cake covered in sweet cream and topped with strawberries. Okay this is delightful. I was not expecting such crisp, fruit flavors to dominate the experience of this wheater. From the oak on the nose to the strawberry on the tongue, this is quite the delicious treat. No regrets opening it!

Neat. Open for six-ish years... but only one pour gone! Wow, talk about a lost bottle in the house. Came across this while doing some fall cleaning today. Not sure why it found its way in the back of a cabinet with paper plates and napkins. Might as well pay it some respect and review it. Pears and vanilla leap from the glass. Bit of salt and sour dough. Hint of chocolate. Very approachable and polite but nothing really drawing me in. Just nice. Milky mouth feel. Lots of salt up front with a bit of that chocolate. Chocolate transitions into a vanilla and brings the sweetness. Oh there is a nice subtle peat on the finish. That is a really balance, nice transition. The saltiness to the sweetness to the peat. There isn’t much too this but it’s a nice comfortable ride and super smooth. Not something I am going to crave but for a Tuesday as I am just trying to relax staring at the stars on the first night of fall, it does the trick.

Neat. Opened a year or so. I had Larceny barrel proof earlier and it really opened up or my palate was just in a place that liked it. I have had a love hate relationship with Rebel Yell so decided to experiment with this wheater next. The oak on this is really blasting through. It’s a nice fresh oak, not sweet or musty. Just fresh. Cinnamon and clove, lots of baking spices. Decent amount of ethanol coming off the glass for just a 100 proof. Hint of mint. Little vanilla. Really just not getting anything too exciting off this nose. Little thin on the tongue but oily enough to coat. Cinnamon sugar and oak on the tongue. Man. There is this wheater funk. The sweetness just takes a left turn in a direction I don’t like. Trying to place it... Maybe like a super over ripe banana. It’s not brown on the outside yet but you open it and it’s mushy and gross. I must have bad luck on Rebel Yell 10. People love this and I just can’t relate. I think it is my least favorite wheater. It just has to be a poor barrel.