Tastes

Belated notes. A friend brought this over and technically isn’t the same as the one listed here but close enough. Justin’s House of Bourbon 2019. Barrel 1, 58.1% ABV, bottle 2 of 192. Sourced by Charles Medley from somewhere in KY - likely Barton if my senses are correct. This is not the over-aged, over-oaked Barton that has a variable wrap but instead is in line with 1792 BiB and Full Proof. At 116 it’s a hair below 1792 FP (at 124) but shares many of the same notes. On the nose I pick up candy cigarettes, vanilla frosting, light peanut, slight nutmeg and clove. Fits with a high corn, med rye mash bill. Thin mouthfeel, hot but not painful at all. Lands with sweet corn, clove, nutmeg, cherry and balanced oak. More sweet than tannic and no bitterness to speak of. No idea what these cost but if one turns up in the $50-70 range I would pull the trigger. That said there’s no telling from barrel to barre where these come from but it stood its own against 2 other 1792 FP picks we pulled out to compare.

Not sure how I failed to leave notes on this one. Essentially a benchmark dram for me. Light golden color. Nose of peaches, peat, brine, ash, heather and malt. There’s a bit of grilled pineapple and chocolate as well. Smoky and peaty with sweet resin, almond paste, grilled pineapple, slight guava and blck walnut. Compared to the Loch Lomond 12y sample from @ContemplativeFox this has more smoke, a bit of ash and pinch of bitter walnut with less fruit overall. I think it’s a slightly more complex pour but with more peat, wood and sea spray but maybe a bit less approachable in that it’s noticeably more dry with a tannic kick. As compared to the ex-bourbon cask sample from @pkingmartin this is rougher around the edges with more astringency.

Time for another episode of “Is it Scotch?” thanks to the generous @contemplativefox! Golden. Slightly dusty malt and tropical fruit. Grilled pineapple, guava, honey, ginger, plum and earthy barley. Hint of coriander, peat, and citrus. No ash, iodine, no brine. The barbecue smoke, brine and higher ABV make themselves known immediately on the palate before the transition to the grilled citrus fruits from the nose. There is still honey and heather in between the smoke and fruit. The finish isn’t profound but is rather lengthy and pleasant with funky, soft peat, brine and grilled pineapple. Reveal - Loch Lomond 12. Tasting this I was wondering if it could be Campbeltown. This could be a Springbank 10 competitor, and at a bargain basement price from what I understand. This is a bit fruitier and slightly harsher though. Still, I could absolutely daily this. Automatic buy if I ever see one of these.

Amber-orange in the glass with sparse, quick legs. Another wonderful pour thanks to @pkingmartin. As usual I’ve blinded myself to remain objective. Could it be from Scotland? Wales? Texas? Mexico? I have no idea at this point… Right out of the glass I get canned peaches in syrup. There’s a bit of apple cider and cola that follow. Outright bonkers. Not funky or old, just an interesting mix of aromas. Sort of like a state fair. Pre-test probability and the availability heuristic make me think this is another Penderyn. With cognitive bias out of the way, I could even believe this is brandy and not scotch. It’s so fruity. There are slightly astringent oak notes as well as vanilla extract, maybe a bit of cacao nibs or even blonde espresso. Hot! Also, this is a bit thin, but so be it. The fruit hits up front, bright and acidic. Then a swell of buttery notes come around that weren’t expected, then some rather jammy bits and some wine-finish rancio. I would venture to say this is a wine cask finish whisky because on the second sip, before the air makes it into my mouth and as long as I can hold it before the burn wins – there is a really nice base of less astringent, soft oak and caramel. It’s quickly overcome by the wave of fruit, butter (maybe even ghee) and then nuts, cola and jammy wine finish. I’m gonna go all in on this being red wine-barrel finished. I would guess that maturation is curtesy of first-fill ex-bourbon but those caramel flavors just get blown out. Answer – Penderyn 10y Maderia cask strength. Sometimes cognitive bases serve a purpose. I never would have guessed anything close without having recently tried another cask strength Penderyn. The DNA is clearly the same but the wine is much more present here. Reading over notes from @pkingmartin, @contemplativefox and @pbmichiganwolverine the guava is now readily apparent and the Sweedish Fish is pretty dead on as well. Nuts stuff, never would have guessed 10 years. I’m not sure the Maderia works for me but it might for plenty of others. Regardless, this is an incredibly interesting and in your face pour!

Tasting night, belated notes. Nose reminds me of the old bottling of Bakers but lighter. Caramel, oak, peanuts, peaches. The palate starts out softer than the nose with lighter than expected oak, zero heat, medium mouthfeel and then - whiney. Jam, butter and nuts rum away with the show and the spice and oak disappear. I wish this had a stronger, or at least more lasting, bourbon presence. Probably just me but bourbon + wine finishes just don’t work as the bourbon flavors tend to lose out. I looked at this on sale many times and had to make myself put it back on 2-4 occasions and glad I did. Wine lovers could probably go for this and while I am wine-curious, only fortified wine finished whisky does it for me.

Straw color, legs that barely move. Once again I prepare to humble myself thanks to @pkingmartin. The nose is plenty peaty (less smokey) with slight medicinal phenol from feet away. There’s a layer of ash deeper in the glass along with malt and resin. Alcohol is noticeably but not offensive, actually provides some balance. Vanilla paste, oak furniture. The fruit is hard to place, almost a dried banana chip. Hot and ashy. Astringent oak and walnut follow with a burnt green pepper bit of earthy spice. In ways this reminds me of Mezcal but with the wood and bit of vanilla paste to back it up (instead of charred earth and vegetation). Continuing to work through this the ash proves difficult to get beneath. Rubber tire. I’m gonna make the executive decision and add water. That’s really something - honey comes forward and the palate turns slightly more creamy. Maybe there’s some fried plantain (cooked in oil that exceeded its smoking temp). Overall this is really way more ash laden than the nose let on. I hate to say it but this is a bit one or two dimensional for me. I only get this level of ash with Lagavulin but there’s no real sweetness or meaty brine to balance it. The phenol is there but not to the level of Laphroaig. Could this just be too young to have come together and mellowed a bit? It’s just so damn vegetal. Hard to rate because it’s novel, but not my jam. Will forego a rating for now but wouldn’t be especially high…. That’s a lie, I can’t go above a 2.5-3. I’ll split the difference and say 2.75. Answer please - Chieftans 15y single malt. Ardbeg. (Scratches head). I guess I see it now from my limited, but joyful, experience with Cory. This is just nowhere near as sweet. The finish just doesn’t quit, but it also doesn’t change up. It also lacks some of the more resinous notes from the nose, although they do come out a bit with a splash of water. Sadly I’m still too basic for this dram. I want more pumpkin spice and less Ugg boot. Maybe some day.

Cola colored. What does the good @pkingmartin have up his sleeve this time? Nose screams high rye whiskey - but is it? Cola, vanilla, thyme, cedar, mint, raisin. Maybe a bit if sea salt and mesquite? Is this sherried? Does that explain the color? The ethanol singe suggests a higher proof but only rye in virgin oak or a sherry cask finish could explain the depth of color. If this was a rye whiskey in virgin oak I would expect more, well, oak. Hot and strong mesquite notes. This has to be Texas. Balcones. That’s my guess. I’ve not had Garrisons outside of Cowboy but this ain’t wheat. There’s an Oloroso nuttiness and slight sulfur note. Lots of cola. I don’t know about this one but would guess a barrel-finished Balcones based on my one experience with a single barrel, barrel proof sample courtesy of @ghill40509. That would also mean this is an American, dare a Texas malt and not a rye whiskey at all. And now the moment of truth…. WTF is Penderyn?? Single malt. Single cask, cask strength. Matured in a series of Buffalo trace and recharged European (French?) oak barrels. I stand by my Balcones comparison and 4-5 TX years seem equivalent to 13 years in Wales. Something about this just doesn’t work for me. It is unique. It is tasty. I think I’m just the odd one out in that this combination of particular malt, barrels and sherry influence… just is r something I can really place. I think most of all it’s the sulfur that turns me off but I believe I’m genetically susceptible to it and still struggle a bit with Joseph Magnus triple cask finish. I like that one more (thanks to the sweeter, corn based distillate). Tally is that 3 out of 4 whisky drinkers will be impressed, the fourth will scratch their head and swear a bit but walk away more well rounded.

Lovely golden color. Plentiful, medium speed legs. Loads of malt sweetness on the nose, slight clover, maybe PX (maybe Oloroso) sherry and rancio, milk chocolate, banana bread, canned peaches. Viscous campfire smoke, then a burst of earthy leather and chocolate, then sherry and nuts. Wow, that smoke was a surprise. Maybe there’s some wet wood on the nose or an old pipe. There is definitely cavendish tobacco coming through on the finish. Serious Glendronach vibe here. Highland malt + sherry + tobacco. No bitter or astringent, black walnut-eaque notes as with the 18. The leather is more subdued. Is this the 15? It doesn’t have any additional heat to suggest this is a cask strength batch but I’m sure this is Glendronach…. WRONG! Campbeltown strikes again! Sticking my nose into my almost-empty glass I can pick up some sea spray that I missed (or that I’m just making up). That slightly (but not overly) peaty smoke should have been a tip off. Also a bit of peaty, almost hoppy acidity in there. Wow. I’ve wanted a shot at this for a while. Ie and owe @pkingmartin a big THANK YOU! I would put this above Glendronach 15 (and might nickname it peaty GD15). Giving it the same score at 4.5 but would be 4.65 if that was a thing. Might be 4.75 but trying to hold back because, we’ll I’m not sure why but just not ready to commit. Bottle has officially been ordered and now to hope it actually arrives! 😬

Time to raid my mother-in-laws liquor cabinet! Likely 10 years old now with around 1-2oz left in the bottle… and likely has been in this condition for at least 5-6 of the past 10 years. Inoffensive! Light golden, no legs. Malt cereal, grass, hey, bit o’ raisin, hint of leather shoe. I had to ask if someone could have added water to this bottle… they say no, but I have my doubts. By far this is the thinnest mouthfeel I can recall. Very little flavor, no burn. Would guess close to 20% ABV. Malt, water, bit of chocolate, slight apple and pear. There you have it. Don’t think I’ll go blind. Wonder why anyone would drink this but can see replacing light beer with this in the rocks and not seeing much difference.