Tastes

Look: Light brown/burnt orange, average lacing, alcohol legs show up. Nose: The nose on Jr is potent. Dark fruits, barrel, vanilla. The high proof gives this almost a perfume level of aroma, super strong. Palate: Sweet on the front of the palate with the vanilla, then the oak barrel follows with the astringency, proof, and dark fruits. Slight spice flows just before the finish. Finish: Barrel, somewhat bitter, with the oak really present as the flavor I get. Did I mention hot? Overall: I really dig the Stagg Jr, and for 50 or so bucks, that seems about right. Definitely take your time, as the heat on this, barrel proofed, is pretty intense. Flavorful, aromatic, great stuff

I have to thank my friend Mark again for getting such a crazy sample to me. Since this, again, is the only time I’ll ever get VW 12 in my life, I had to review it. Look: Burnt orange, not really any light on the edges even when put up to the light. Alcohol legs make there presence known but slowly dissipate. Nose: Before getting up close and personal, I can smell a whiff of banana. Getting even closer, I still get that banana, but this time with oak and spices. If I try hard enough, I get what I think is apple. Swirling unleashes more oak. Palate: Not what I was expecting at all, sweet, brown sugar vanilla, almost like a coffee drink. Cuties or tangerines or whatever you’d like to call that small orange ball of a fruit is there too. Sure, there’s oaky edges to the coffee drink, and some spices, but this is much sweeter than expected. Very good, I definitely prefer this over the 20 year. Finish: Slightly bitter from the oak, lasting a minute or so, and a slight burn further down in the throat. As the finish lingers, any signs of sweetness go away and I just get the oak. Overall: Whereas I was a little disappointed in Pappy 20, 12 is great. The sweetness and, dare I say, smoothness, of 12 is really a bit shocking to me considering the age statement. If you know what Pappy is and manage to see it in a store for, I don’t think you need any recommending, you’ll already know.

Thanks to my friend Mark for the sample. Look: Looks like a mid orange color, and with a bit of illumination more of a golden color. Alcohol legs fork and quickly dissipate to droplets Nose: I know that there’s a stave thrown into this bourbon, but I can’t remember if it’s a stave that wine was used in. That said, I get an initial whiff of oak and wine, big time. Reminds me of a red wine from a local place I’ve been to. I get more fruit on my next blast of aromas, reminding me a lot of a Speyside scotch. Swirling gives a little bit more traditional bourbon nose, vanilla. Palate: Oak, grape, vanilla, some slight spicy notes and a grainy flavor. Honey, almost floral at some points. Reminds me of Glenmorangie 10 for some reason. Finish: Oaky for sure, with some acrid notes, turning more towards that earthy grape sweet note. Overall: I’m not sure I’ve had the base Makers, but this is super interesting, and worth drinking absolutely. The stave thrown in really changes this up enough that it’s a truly unique product to me.

Grabbed a bottle of Rittenhouse, one of my go to bottles, and first rye I ever had. Look: the label is red, so the spirit looks especially dark in the bottle, but in the glass comes out a more light brown, slightly golden. The rye sticks to the glass once moved around my Glencairn, with alcohol legs dissipating pretty quickly. Nose: I get a lot of butterscotch, cinnamon, clove, really a bunch of spice, with that butterscotch sweetness. Slight nuttiness Palate: my first taste was like eating potpourri: cinnamon all over the place, but not in a super spicy note but almost a cinnamon granola bar. Wonderful. The second sip brings the sweet butterscotch notes more, sugars, and clove cinnamon. Finish: Almost no bitterness at all, and a medium amount of heat. The taste that lingers most would be the cinnamon that dominates the whole dram, with some earthy notes hitting a minute or so in. Overall: While I’ve had Rittenhouse a number of times, I never really had much of an ability to pick apart flavors, but finally having this with a little more experience, I love it. The cinnamon is beautiful, with little cloying bitterness in the finish makes this about perfect for me. I’m excited to try the big brother, Pikesville, in the near future.

I’ve never seen a 100% rye, so I just had to grab this. While this is Canadian Club, blended, and likely not that old, $18 for a 750 seemed reasonable, and could help me explore the flavors of rye more. Look: Canadian Club 100% rye is a nice amber colored, with golden yellow on the edges, showing in the light. Nose: I get a lot of ethanol, some slight wheat note, mild spice, little bit of oak. Not much to speak of, but this is also a 40% alcohol. Disappointing to say the least. Palate: The flavor is much better. Big time rye bread, some slight oaky notes, almost maple. The rye bread is really what sticks out. Not a lot of cinnamon or pepper until you let the rye sit on your tongue. Finish: The finish is nice and sweet, the rye bread again is what I get, not really a vanilla or brown sugar I’d get from a bourbon. Some slight bitterness in the finish, but pretty mild in length. Overall: For 18 dollars, this is pretty good. I’d say upping the proof would be helpful, but I’m not sure that’s a realistic proposal for a CC product. If you’ve ever wondered what flavors and aroma rye gives off in a bourbon or mixed grain spirit, take a look at Canadian Club 100% rye.

Found a bottle of the 2016 at my local store, and just had to grab it. My first experience with Bookers, and I hope it’s a good one. Look: Bookers comes out damn near brown, definitely a dark dark amber, with the edges showing some slight yellow. The proof-age show with the color. Twirling the glencairn, I don’t see a lot of alcohol legs, but there is some, and lacing that looks like it’s defying gravity. Nose: I don’t even have my nose up to the glass, and I’m getting some good aroma. Tons of sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, smells really sweet. Sticking my nose in the glass gives me more spice, but not a pepper, more a sweeter clove, slight cinnamon, then a nice milder oak. Palate: Initial flavor is that sweet sugary flavor, and then in a split second it goes to spice, and oak. After the oak I get hit with more sweetness, maybe cherries. Finish: Holy Christ, the first three seconds of this, I thought this was like a milder proof bourbon, and then, the heat hits big time. More so than after the swallow, the heat really hits more on the tongue and mid palate. Finish is the cherry and oak. Overall: I was expecting a lot out of this, considering how much Beam likes to charge for these bottles, and I’d say expectations are about what I’d expected. You’re getting a high proof bourbon with tons of flavor, and while the burn is intense, not as much as I’d have expected. Definitely worth grabbing.

My coworker hooked me up with a sample of Pappy 20, which I’m super gracious for. I’ll never have this again, so I figure I should write my thoughts Look: Dark amber, really shoes it’s age with the color that 20 comes out as. Lacing graces our presence with alcohol legs making an appearance as well. Nose: It’s rare that I smell a whisky and think “wow this smells like wood” but Pappy 20 smells like wood. After that note, I get some fruit, really just cherry and some sugary sweet notes, ie brown sugar. Slight spices, not hot notes ala cinnamon but more muted baking spices. Edit: All if a sudden, I’m getting peach in the nose and I love that. Palate: Good God, this is way hotter and spicier than I would’ve figured. First thing: oak, pepper, followed by some more mellow sweet notes. Brown sugar and vanilla really. I can get some cherry from the nose but it’s not nearly as much. Really, the dominant things I get are spice and oak. Finish: Light sweetness, vanilla is absolutely what I get, but there’s plenty of that bitter oak in the finish too. Long lingering, Pappy 20 really has a long finish. Overall: okay, as much as you here about Pappy, I’m a bit underwhelmed. After trying enough whisky in my life, I’m realizing I don’t maybe like overly aged bourbon with a lot of oak. That said, still a great bourbon. The stone fruit really bumps up the flavor now that I get that, and bumps the rating up.

Look: Burnt orange, with some gold notes as Quinta Ruban reflects off the light. Lacing is prevalent as well as alcohol legs. Nose: Pear, plum, vanilla, plenty of port. Some spice as well, honey. Palate: Fruit is right up in your face, then the pear, honey hit and stick around, with vanilla creeping in. Finish: Dark fruit, and pear are what I pickup in the finish as well as oak. The finish is somewhat drying and bitter, with the flavor lingering for a minute or so. Overall: Quinta Ruban is a great whiskey, as are all the Glenmorangie’s I’ve had. While I like these finished products, I think my preference may be for the original Glenmorangie 10. Definitely try this though.

Look: Burnt orange, a bit darker than Glenmorangie 10, Lasanta shows the influence of two more years in a barrel. Translucent, plenty of lacing and some alcohol legs. Nose: There’s your typical scotch pear and vanilla that hits me, but also an addition of sherry notes - dark fruits, berries, and surprisingly some smoke. Inhaling fairly deeply, you can get some spice notes as well. Palate: Dark fruit berries, slight vanilla, but not the pear orange that I get from the base so much. Letting the scotch settle on the tongue gives more mild, sweet flavors, and some spice I’d get from a lot of rye heavy bourbons. Finish: Barrel, earthy notes and sherry. I also get the bitter earthy flavor you would after eating a grape. The longer I sip, the more I get a chocolate coffee thing going. Medium finish in length, and not especially hot. Overall: I like Lasanta, but I’m not sure I like it as much as Glenmorangie 10. The sherry really adds a new layer to the whiskey, but may take away some flavors.

Look: Glenmorangie 10 comes in at a yellow straw color with some gold as well. Lacing, but minimal alcohol legs. Perfectly clear and appetizing. Nose: Vanilla, and fruits. Pear, and apple, then some citrus popping up, honey. The notes on the app mention floral, which I can see as well. Palate: honey, vanilla, and the fruits. Initially I get more of that pear than the citrus, but the citrus pops it’s heads as I explore the whisky, and then more vanilla and an oaky wood note. Finish: The finish is where things really liven up. I can taste the floral notes, fruit, and this earthy finish. The finish is medium in length, with some tannic bitterness in the finish and taste. Overall: It’s hard to go wrong with Glenmorangie when looking for a Speyside. This is my first bottle of Glenmorangie 10, but I’m very happy with this, and compares a little more highly than the Monkey Shoulders and Glenlevit 12 I’ve had.