Tastes

Compass Box Hedonism Well, I guess I had at one point opened this, which is a bummer, because I didn’t write down tasting notes, and I’ve owned the tasting collection from Compass for what must be four years. Look: pretty light. Somewhere between straw and a light orange. Almost like a Pilsner. Nose: I sense maybe this being open for years may have hurt this a bit. Or I haven’t had enough whisky lately. This has more American whiskey notes, vanilla, sweetness, really that’s all I’m picking up sadly. Palate: up front is that barrel, vanilla, custard, but a little more shows that fruits, more scotch note. Slight pear/apple. Finish: barrel, vanilla. This is really barrel forward, but kind of fun. I’d like to try this fresh when the bottle isn’t open. Overall: I’d say this is a good thing to try, pretty unique from my Scotch experience

Look: Burnt orange, typical American whiskey look to it. Slight alcohol kegs showing up when I give a gentle twirl of the glencairn. Nose: first whiff I get grain, slight perfuminess to it. The more I smell, the more sweetness, vanilla, I get. Really not much spice at all. Palate: Sweetness, barrel, but more vanilla. Second sip I get more barrel astringency, but again, that sweet vanilla. Little spice in this bottle. Finish: Wood, slight bitterness, and apples. Overall: When I first tried this in Nashville, I asked the waiter if he poured me honey whiskey. I was skeptical when he told me it was the rye. A year later, I finally bought a bottle, and he was right. This is an incredibly sweet rye, and I’d say worth an adventure for the price.

Look: Like a bourbon really: burnt orange, gold hues on the edges. Lacing, legs. Nose: sweetness, little to no spice or diversity seems like. Mainly a grainy smell I’d say. Swirling opens more ethanol than I’ve smelled in a whiskey. Palate: sweet as the nose insinuated, little bit more flavor though. Caramel and vanilla. Finish: somewhat astringent, some burn but no barrel at all. Reminds me of a rum almost. Overall: I use this for manhattans and old fashioneds, but figured I should give it a fair shake. Not the greatest neat.

Look: Amber in color, Kentucky Spirit doesn’t look much different than most other bourbons. Lacing when moving the spirit around, alcohol legs, etc. Nose: Cinnamon and sugar are filling my nostrils even before going in for a sniff. Caramel, toasted bread, more cinnamon. Swirling gives more of that caramel smell rather than spice. Palate: Oakiness hits first, followed by the cinnamon sugar, and more barrel. Way more wood than I expected, but the sweetness comes back mid palate, followed by a nice mix of spice with the other flavors Finish: Cinnamon, clove, slight oak and even less astringency, but it’s there. There’s heat, but not overpowering. Overall: I think I paid $50 for this bottle, and it punches at that at least. I love the mix of spice and sweetness, reminding me of my childhood using cinnamon sugar on buttered toast.

After years of hearing how good this is, I finally decided to get a bottle of Four Roses Small Batch Look: Dark straw, amber colored. Really, looks like that scene in Jurassic Park where they extract the Dino dna from the mosquito, except appetizing. Alcohol legs with swirling. Nose: This seems pretty mild - cinnamon, barrel, vanilla. Your usual bourbon notes. Digging further may give you a little cherry, but that’s about it. Swirling opens up more cinnamon and brown sugar notes. Palate: after swirling, I wanted to dig right in, and was rewarded with brown sugar and oak. Not so much cinnamon, but a very nicely balanced bourbon between sweetness and spice. More oak than I’d have figured. On my third sip, I noticed what I think was chocolate, which was neat as I’ve never picked that up before I’m whisky. Finish: there’s more heat than the nose led on, bitterness in the finish and a strong woody presence. Overall: Maybe a little underwhelmed, but that’s because the bar set for all of bourbon is so high with bottles in a similar price. Even though I’m underwhelmed, I still really enjoy this bourbon, but the oaky bitterness is what turns me off.

Look: Fairly dark compared to most scotch I’ve seen, not sure if Lagavulin puts in coloring or the aging on this just made it a bit more amber than pale straw. Slight swirling leaves plenty of lacing and alcohol legs. Nose: comparatively, to the peated malts I’ve had, Lagavulin seems a little less pear heavy on the nose. Still, I mostly get medicinal, smoky notes from peat, ham, earthy notes. Some slight pear and herbal smell there when I inhale a bit more. Swirling opens up more fruit, and the peat sea being parted. Palate: Smoke, right away. Ashy, intense flavors, followed by a huge herbal flavor, somewhat like marijuana, but also mint. Incredibly complex. Finish: dry, with the mint and herb flavors really dominating. There’s some firewood lingering flavors too, but mainly herbal. Overall: I’d heard rumors that Lagavulin 16 generates mint flavor, but kind of figured that was people reading into things too much. I was wrong, and this is easily a top ten whisky I’ve had. Price tag is hard to swallow, but the whisky itself is not.

Look: Burnt orange, with lacing when moved around the glass. Slight alcohol legs. Nose: Oak right away, some earthy notes, clove, vanilla, brown sugar. This smells pretty dang good. Palate: sweeter on the palate, fruits vanilla and brown sugar. Some barrel and spice show up mid palate as well. The sweetness comes back in a big way. Finish: One of the sweetest finishes I’ve had, almost a cherry vanilla flavor, slight heat, and little bitterness Overall: really impressed with this bourbon, one of the more unique bourbons I’ve had.

Look: Burnt orange, lacing and heavy alcohol legs. Nose: Get a lot of rye spice and barrel. Slight sweetness but nothing specific. Fairly perfumy Palate: Pepper, rye, oak, pretty typical bourbon notes. Finish: fairly hot, some corn in the finish Overall: not really going nuts with this one. No frills bourbon.

Look: Burnt orange on the edges, more of a mellow gold color elsewhere. Somewhat darker than I’d expect, Alving and alcohol legs when moving the whisky around the glass. Nose: Alcohol on the nose, sweeter bready aromas, some slighter floral and grass notes as well. Agitating the whisky doesn’t really change the flavor profile. Palate: Slight oak, vanilla, pear and bread. Pretty decent taste, not overly flavorful though. Finish: clean, little to no burn, very short flavor on the finish of the sweet vanilla. Overall: I didn’t know what to expect going into this, but Prop 12 is a decent budget Irish whisky. Maybe not something I’d reach for often, but tasty nonetheless

Look: Fairly light, straw colored. Compared to the bourbon next to this whisky in my closet, this is looks like a light beer sans carbonation. Dark on the edges, alcohol legs that drip down, Glen Moray looks par for the course: Nose: A lot of toffee hits me from a distance, with some grape, pear, and other fruity notes. Sticking my nose into the glass further, I get more toffee, less fruit, and more malt/bread. Agitating the glass gives more floral and fruit smell. Palate: Bready, and fruity on the first sip. Some of the grape that I was picking up in the nose shows itself, followed by pear, caramel, toffee. Finish: Slight heat, fruity earthy finish is what I’m getting, and hangs on for a bit. Overall: I like this, and for less than $35 a bottle, this is a decent bargain pickup. Usually one of the cheaper single malts I see, Glen Moray 12 is worth a shot.