Tastes

The flagship Balvenie 12 was one of my very first single malts, and obviously I enjoyed it enough to continue on a long, frutiful (expensive) whisky journey after. But, strangely, I've given basically zero thought to the Balvenie as a distillery since then--there was always just so much else out there to try. But I am chastened, because I have discovered today that the Caribbean Cask is a gorgeous whisky. Smell is the Balvenie signature heather honey, some floral, and then a big wad of apples and fresh cut pineapple. Huge caramel/butterscotch and fresh vanilla. A touch of cream, and perhaps a bit of sugarcane sweetness. The taste cannot quite compete with the lushness of the nose, but it's still a thing of beauty: honey, sugarcane, apples, pineapples, pears in sugar syrup, ever-so-light smoke, and then--just on the tail--a bit of that Jamaican rum-funk and some molasses sweetness. A faint soggy bitterness on the finish (fruit rind? some citrus bitterness, more rum funk) is the lone weakness of an otherwise creamy, rich, flavourful whisky. A surprise on two fronts, because (despite the rum finish) it's not too sweet, and it's not over-the-top rummy. It's just damned delicious. Drop the price by $10-15, and I'd make this an everyday sip.

A weird, boutique-y blend that's suddenly showing up on local shelves, Adelphi's "Private Stock" blend actually has some qualities to recommend it--its sub-$30 price, for one. Actually this whisky reminds me a lot of that *other* boutique affordable blend with spotty distribution, Té Bheag. The nose here is heather honey, followed by light orchard fruits (apples), and a nice base of brine, iodine, seasalt, and earthy peat. Leather, maybe. Honeycomb, and some floral character as well, then a wisp of smoke. Some butterscotch and caramel. Taste is fruit initially (apples, pears)--though soft--and then you get that honey, that earth, brine, and the (light) smoke. Some pepper (signs pointing to some Talisker in this blend, somewhere). A light meaty fattiness, and some more smoked meat and ash on the finish along with apple skins. The body here is quite light, but it's not a super watery whisky--there's just enough creaminess to make things pleasant. Shockingly full and flavourful at this price point, with actual honest to god seaside/peat character, and all without a lot of that grain whisky "pretzel dough" character I get in many cheap blends. This seems like a well-kept secret of a blend: a real treat at a superb price.

I have to concur with the reviewer beneath me--three stars feels too low here, but four stars feels too high. For the price, though, I actually quite like this whisky, and there are tantalizing hints here of something truly great: an elusive hint of blueberry on a bed of almonds is the note that I keep searching for, but only rarely pokes its head out. When it does hit, though: glorious. Beautiful. Hints of berries and orchard fruits in the nose, barley sugar. Fruits in cream, green apple, slight sweet vanilla. Faint smoke on the taste (or so I'd swear, anyway, though I always thought Glen Moray was unpeated). More apples of all kinds--red and green and crab--and a surprisingly lovely creaminess. Sweet, nutty, slightly vinous. Shockingly full and mouth-coating given the low ABV, but (the below reviewer is correct) quite a surprising amount of heat as well. Some tongue-numbing white pepper, certainly, and a slightly off bile-ish character on the finish, with some lemon rind and soggy wood. Slight yeast or dough as well. For a $40, 40%, non-age stated bottle from an also-ran distiller, though, I'm honestly super impressed (slap an age statement on it, and give it craft presentation, and this could go toe-to-toe with some of the big names in scotch, frankly). I'll definitely be investigating the rest of the Glen Moray line-up.

Well. Initial smell is nail polish remover/varnish mixed with some serious peanut funk (almost Beam yeast-esque). Then you get some dry erase marker. Beneath that, youthful wood and raw, green spirit. Close your eyes and there's a touch of the Wild Turkey signature--a smell I describe as like walking into a deli, all brining spices (caraway, clove, dill, peppercorns) and rye. Taste is--I have to admit--surprisingly mellow for 101 proof (the heat builds on the finish), offering up an initial citrus sweetness, then lots more of that nuttiness, and some white pepper. Soggy wood, light caramel. Green, un-integrated wood. Gone in a flash, again, are those Wild Turkey brining spices, followed by a slight sourness, vanilla, some bitter wood. This whiskey feels shockingly young, and I'd love to do a side-by-side with much older bottlings to see if the distillery is just cutting corners. I like Kentucky Spirit. I like Rare Bird. I like the Russell's Reserve bottlings. But the flagship just doesn't work for me. I suppose I can better understand the appeal of the Dirty Bird in the US, where it's a fairly reasonably priced offering. Outside of the US, however, where it sells for a premium ($39 in Canada), it's just not worth it.

Blowhard Jim Murray's Whisky of the Year in 2011. Copper colour (seems artificial), though decent legs. Nose is light, but actually quite nice. Sea salt, vanilla, toffee. Maple syrup, fresh fruit (apples, pear). Light smoke and fresh peat in waves. A grassy, heather honey floralness. Melons and faint pretzel dough (a flavour I get in many blends). Sweet taste, bordering on too sweet. Apple, pear, vanilla, maple syrup, toffee/caramel, and very light peat/sea salt. Soft pepper and spice, especially if you let it sit on the tongue. Short finish of fruit and vanilla and sweet wood. Very much a "tour of Scotland"-type blend that hits most of the major notes across the different regions/styles of the country (Speyside fruits, Islay smoke, island brine, sherried sweetness, etc.,); a nice blend, but it really does lean a bit too sweet for my tastes. Not *demonstrably* better than a number of blends half the price, but quite enjoyable--I finished the bottle awhile ago (tasting notes are from an old notebook), but I think fondly upon this whisky. Not *too* fondly, however. Ultimately, it's one of that genre of luxury whiskies that's got more prestige than flavour--even if I did quite enjoy the flavours that *are* here.

Generic amber in colour. Some serious heat here, which is unsurprising for an 8 year old whisky. Slight burnt rubber/burnt tire smell, faint brine, stone fruits. Barley sugar, nuttiness, citrus. Lemon zest, watered-down maple syrup. Green, vegetal. Taste is hot and spicy, but soft in terms of flavours--barley sugar, malt, fruity (red fruits, stone fruits, a bit of citrus). Earthy, slight smoke. A kind of odd bready yeastiness. Rubbery? Watermelon and pineapple, strangely. A lot of heat on the finish. Full-bodied. An interesting whisky. Not a classic GlenDronach profile (very little sherry here), but has some depth--a balance of brawn and elegance, base spirit and barrel influence. It's not perfect, and it's not for beginners, but for the price, I actually quite like it.

Four-star quality, five-star value. On the nose, there's thick honey, light smoke (campfire, not vegetal), big seaside-y brine. Moist cake (vanilla!) and nuts. A bit of water brings out some light fruitiness. On the taste, more peat and smoke, big brine, and a nice butterscotch. Peppery and citrusy. Dry smoke & spice finish. Canada and France account for more than 50% of Té Bheag's sales; I'm not sure you can even *find* it in a lot of other places. But it's sub-$40 Cdn. and just a remarkably lovely value whisky. Punches well above its weight-class.

You know what? This ain't bad. It ain't magic, but at $30 Cdn it's not bad. Like a slightly sharper, less smokey, fruitier JW Black equivalent. Smell is honey, vanilla, apple, salt, fresh herbs. Some berry flavour. A touch of pretzel dough, which is a note I get in a lot of lower-end blends. Taste is thin but surprisingly creamy. Faint smoke. Honey, pepper. Sherried fruits. Apple, plum. Smoky finish,with light oak, honey, and vanilla. Not a great whisky, but a steal for the price. Let it sit for 30 minutes before drinking and most of the off-notes fade entirely. Good bargain sipper.

Colour is surprisingly pale for a straight whiskey, hovering on the light-ish side of amber. Smell is sawdust, big vanilla, and the deli smells I often associate with Wild Turkey: huge caraway seed, a bit of dill, grainy rye, black pepper. A bit of butterscotch/caramel, some candied cherries, some alcoholic fumes. Taste is mellower than expected, though there's some definite spice. More brining spices, a bit of cinnamon, vanilla, wood char. Mint, some green leafy flavour? Peppery here, too, and a finish of dry vanilla, dry wood, and something herbal. Body could be beefed up a bit, but I have no big complaints. This is a versatile whiskey: mellow and compelling enough to sip, but also at home in some of the great classic cocktails.