Tastes

Neat. Neck pour. Binny’s pick. First time I have seen an Ezra Brooks single barrel. Surprised by the young age but also only $30. Worth a shot. Wow, the nose is young Old Ezra. Peanut shells still dominate but there is a green young note. Charred caramel. Slight pear. Hint of pepper. Peanut shells dominate and it’s a great note, just like the Old Ezra. Texture is interesting. Syrupy but also thin. Weird. Slight vanilla sweetness up front, then the peanut takes over accompanied by charcoal. Nothing else really intriguing here. Well I am glad this was $30 because I can’t be as disappointed. I think this needed more time in the barrel because it’s pretty much a one note, young bourbon and I am not enjoying it much tonight.

Neat. Neck pour. Batch 12. Excited to try their whiskey. I have a few Mayor Pingree MGP but this is my first of theirs. This nose is pure candy. Caramel, butterscotch and vanilla. Bit of oak tying it together. Little salt to go with the caramel. Little apple is emerging as well. It’s a very good nose. Texture is average, but it immediately lights up the tongue with peanut brittle. Wow, that is packed with flavor just on the tongue. Transitions to the salted caramel and vanilla. Bit of apples on the medium to short finish. This is a solid intro to their whiskey. The nose is fantastic. It was a bit underwhelming on the taste at first, a bit generic. But some air time opened it up a bit. I am most intrigued by that initial blast of peanut brittle. This makes me excited and hopeful as their stock ages a bit more.

Neat. Neck pour. I swore off Dickel after being burned by high priced store picks and Old Scout Select. Enough people I trust said this was worth trying so here we go.... Alright, initial impression is quite positive! Nice rich, deep oak that comes equipped with some sweetness that results in a milk chocolate upfront. Sweetness is very inviting. Behind the chocolate is a nice vanilla. Nice depth of baking spice with pie crust qualities. Even getting some nice dark cherry too. I would have no clue this is Dickel off the nose. Rich and creamy on the palate, positive first impression again. Vanilla is lighting up my tongue immediately and it’s super sweet. Shifts back to darker notes on the taste, charred caramel. That Dickel vitamin note is there next to the caramel but it is turned down and it’s not the usual turn off. Lots of sweet oak on the finish accompanied by those dark cherries. If you like sweet, dark, rich oak in your whiskey then this is worth checking out. For $40 it’s a pretty amazing value. There are Dickel qualities to this but it is not stereotypical Dickel. It goes well with the rich caramel. Hype on this one is real. If this opens up further, I may even buy a second bottle of this release. I’m so shocked right now.

Neat. Neck pour. Another bottle hidden in the back of my collection unopened for years. I use to drink this on the rocks all the time a decade ago but never had it since being obsessed with whiskey. There is some nice depth on this nose. Very salty almost like an ocean breeze. Salty hard Dutch pretzel even. Some strawberries and maybe even blueberries. The fruit really dominates the middle of the experience. Nice vanilla cream, more like a French vanilla. Very light caramel and butterscotch too. Light on the tongue but also more oily than I expecting. Hint of brown sugar and oak on the tongue. Oh that is extra fruity. Strawberry and blueberry medley still. Light caramel emerges more than the vanilla. Even a bit tannic on the finish. It hovers in the mid to dark range. A nice honey note is emerging as it opens up. Lot more barrel influence on this one. Gives it some good character. Nothing really sticks out in this pour though. Just middle of the road.

Neat. Neck pour. Friend bought this for me years ago and never opened it because I wasn’t into Scotch at the time. Time to explore this Highland. Very light and pretty on the nose. Fruity with a hint of nuttiness hiding in the background. It’s a medley of fruits. Pears and blackberries highlighted by a little vanilla cream. Not much else sticks out. Light and fluffy in texture. Very sweet initially with the blackberries the first flavor to emerge. Tastes a bit different than I was expecting. Fruits still leads with the pears and bit of sourness but the nuttiness transitions into a hint of dark, bitter chocolate. Vanilla is coming out more on subsequent sips. Just an easy sipper. Nothing offensive but no stand out characteristics either. Once this is gone, I can’t see myself buying it again.

Neat. Neck pour. First time exploring Lagavulin and man, the glass is two feet from my face while sitting outside and the air is surrounding me with flavors already. That’s impressive on its own. On the nose, it’s very dark. Darker than I was expecting. Plum, chocolate, salty beef jerky. Not as peat forward as Ardbeg. Oh, there is a very nice sweetness emerging as I acclimate to it. Almost a sea salt taffy. More fruits are coming forward beyond that initial plum. Grapes and nectarine. Very dynamic and pleasing. Nice and oily mouthfeel. Once again dark and subtle on the tongue. Chocolate and the salty jerky. Those quickly give way to the peat but then it turns all sweet and pretty. Some really nice vanilla mixed with that taffy. The chocolate comes back for another round. Vanilla and hint of peat linger on the medium to short legs. This is a very pleasant and easy sipper. Josh this might be the perfect intro to a Islay even. That peat isn’t in your face and it so sweet and inviting throughout most the experience. I think I might put this ahead of the Ardbeg 10 but behind the other Ardbeg expressions I have had thus far. Very nice pour.

Neat. Neck pour. I’m excited for this. I’ve heard good things and I love these little barrel bottle grenades. This almost started in tragedy though. Didn’t realize this was a screw top and tried to uncork it... it almost spilled everywhere but my cheetah like reflexes saved it. I’m sure the extra adrenaline will only enhance the tasting. On the nose, there is a surprising port like note I got going in. This might trick me if it were blind. Oak and buttery pie crust are really dominating. Charred creme brûlée sweetness. Some strawberry. Oh, I like this. A less aggressive and oaky ECBP. The proof come across lower than 125. Getting a nice toffee note in the back mixed with a hint of chocolate like a Heath bar even. Lots to pick out here, it’s a fun nose. Velvety texture, quite thick. Creme brûlée coming through all over the tongue immediately. Getting the pie crust there too. Transitions into one of the richest deepest caramel notes I have had which then transitions further into a chocolate only to pull a 180 and turn into vanilla on the legs. Nice nuttiness on the finish too. Wow, that peanut butter is coming through so strong in subsequent sips. Creme brûlée is disappearing and now it’s a delicious buckeye. The nuttiness on the nose now is so dominant I am not sure how it didn’t pop up before. Finding a very nice rye note now too. Oh man, buckeyes. I love buckeyes, top 3 desert for me. I don’t recall ever calling a bourbon a buckeye. I don’t recall getting chocolate on a Beam product and if I did it was it’s only distinct note in the experience and not combined with the peanut butter at the same time. This pour makes me happy. One of the best Elijah Craig products I have had.

Neat. Neck pour. I’m excited but cautious on this one. My favorite store had this in today and I cashed in the loyalty points I have been hoarding since March. They had a lot of good options today but this is the one I don’t own, so I grabbed it. I love Antique, but was disappointed by the Full Proof I have. It will be interesting to see where this falls. On the nose, I get rich toffee and butterscotch. Very nice cherry. Plenty of oak presence but not dominant. Hint of pepper. Honestly, it is a bit spikier in the ethanol than I was expecting. It’s so buttery. Almost like a fresh butter soaked roll from Bob Evan’s. It’s also very delicate. Slight hint of cotton candy in the back. It’s a very inviting and pleasant nose, but doesn’t get me excited either. Texture is nice and creamy and it comes in surprisingly dark. Milk chocolate sweetness all over the tongue and the edges of my mouth can feel the oak. That is interesting. On the taste, it brightens up with a blast of vanilla and butterscotch. Gosh, then there is a candied grape there - like grape cotton candy. That’s a new note for me... Finish is right back to that milk chocolate. Initially I thought the finish was lacking but the chocolate notes hangs around longer and longer on subsequent sips. Pulled out a NCF Antique pick to compare since they are the same proof. This OWA pick is so light and bright compared to the Rip 10, all cherry and apple. Lots of similar notes too like the cotton candy. They are two completely different animals though. Those extra years on the Rip 10 make them less comparable than I was expecting. It also makes these dark chocolate notes on the Rip really stand out and more delicious. (I honestly thought the Rip 10 was going to lose against this pick, but I think it is better in many ways.) No regrets grabbing something I didn’t own but I passed on a few other great bottles to get this and I can’t feel confident I made the right choice. The Rip 10 in many ways is what I want Weller 12 to be if they would up the proof to 107. Its dark and filled with this velvety chocolate. Lacks nuance and it’s not an interesting ride. It’s simply good. Hard to believe people pay $450ish for this on secondary...

Neat. Sample of Louisville Bourbon Club #2. Batch 1 of this was a bit of a disappointment to me. The toasted barrel finish didn’t add to the MGP profile I love, instead of just muted some of the rough edges of a young MGP. Still enjoy it but it wasn’t the Double Oaked MGP I was hoping for. A fellow whiskey enthusiast sent me this sample so I could see how Down Home was evolving their Toasted barrels. On the nose, I am getting notes I associate more with scotch. The first thing to pop in mind is a salty jerky. Then the young MGP note is quite bright and shines through. Charred caramel. Hint of raspberries. That salty jerky note is throwing me off, I like it but it’s not where I saw this going. Texture is oily, but not quite creamy. Brown sugar on the tongue. Blast of vanilla, transitions to the charred caramel, unexpected hint of almond with raspberries all over the medium-long legs. This is a step above Batch 1 so it’s nice to see they are learning and improving on this idea. However, I do fear the MGP is too young and green to do this idea justice. The double barrel isn’t turning into the creamy chocolate or toasted marshmallow I want. I think the almond or coconut is the new aspect it gave the MGP with the barrel. Enjoying this but still not what I hoped a toasted MGP would be.

Neat. Opened over six months. Reviewed Rare Breed Rye earlier today and decided to have a pour of Cornerstone. It’s been awhile. Off memory, I believe I called this one of the best Ryes I have ever had. Time to see if it still lives up to that billing. The nose on this is just so perfect. The rye comes across as this fresh out of the oven cinnamon roll dosed in vanilla frosting. Beautiful citrus notes of orange and lemon. Hint of fresh cracked peppers. Hint of salted chocolate. Honestly on paper it’s the same notes as the Rare Breed Rye but the Rare Breed Rye isn’t fresh out of the oven, it’s been laying on the counter a few days. Smooth like silk on the tongue. Vanilla frosting initially on the tongue but gets darker into a charred caramel. Cinnamon roll comes through on the taste with a hint of refreshing orange. The oak is really coming through on the legs as a salted chocolate. I need to buy a back up bottle of this while I still can. Close to the top of what a rye can be.