Tastes

Nose: Dill, Fennel, Molasses, Black Pepper, Ginger, French Vanilla, Over-Ripe Bananas, Laffy Taffy, Slightly Medicinal Cherry. Palate: Cardimum, Toast, Light Bitter Oak - Tannins, Mint, Anise, Maple Syrup, Rye Spice, Lingering Banana Laffy Taffy, Rum Raisin Bread. Im always excited to see bottles coming from new distillers on the west coast or anywhere in the United States. Redwood Empire is one I've been keeping an eye on. They started off blending product from MGP and then started putting their own product in with the blend once it was old enough. Now they have enough of their juice to put out batches that are 100% their own distillate. The nose is rich and comprised of strong herbs, deep dark molasses, artificial candies, and deep raisn bread on the back. The palate continues with the herbal notes, baking spices, cooking spices, light oak Tannins. The second half of the palate develops into something slightly sweeter. Maple Syrup, Sweet Artifical Banana, and Raisn bread. The finish consists of light herbs, spices, toasted bread, and hints of that sweet banana keeps popping up. This bottling is wonderful, and I greatly enjoyed it.

Nose: Grass, Candied Pear, Granulated Sugar, Pepper, Vanillas, Slightly Under Ripe Pineapple. Palate: Spirity, Honey, Simple Syrup, Malt Sugar, Cane Sugar, Canned Pears, Fondant, Lingering Light Lime Citrus, Grass, Earthiness. I found this bottle at my local Trader Joe's grocery store and decided to pick it up because I've been a big fan of Signatory's bottlings of Linkwood in the past.This did not disappoint, 10 years in an ex bourbon barrel hogshead has created a surprisingly sweet expression of Linkwood. The palate starts with a full spirity character but then transitions almost immediately into candied pears, grass, and all different forms of sugars on the front of the palate. The sweetness is then balanced out by a heavy pepper, lime citrus, earthiness, and grass. Overall, it's a fantastic bottling of linkwood, and I wish I could find more of these around. Pick up a bottle if you're ever in a Trader Joes with a whisky section!

Nose: Malted Barley, Baked Apple, Lemon Citrus, Cinnamon, Brioche, Mild Spirit Note Palate: Toasted Barley, Cardimum, Black Tea, Caramel, Green Apple, Oak Tannins, Light Butter This older bottling is quite different than the modern ten year. Leaning more towards baking spices, barley, and light barrel influence. Where the "Original Ten" leans more towards Sweet Malt, Vanilla, and Fruits. . The front palate isn't very eventful. It opens up more toward the mid palate with a burst of cardimum, black tea leaf, and subtle caramel. After sitting out for about an hour an overt note of mint comes through on the front palate.The finish is surprisingly long and consists of a mingling of Green Apple, Oak Tannins, and a light buttery note. There is also an interesting note in there I get out of some armagnac, but I can't quite describe it. Simply put, it seems very grapey. It's nice stuff, very enjoyable even at a lower abv, would recommend.

Nose: Ripe Pears, Malt, Honey, Sugar Cookie, Nutmeg, Vanilla, Light Oak, light pineapple. Palate: Honey Suckle, Malt, Vanilla, Stewed Apples, White Pepper, Oak Tannins, Sweet Nuttiness, Mildly Astringent Finish. A lovely Speyside malt that embodies the sweet fruitiness you would expect of the region but also leans into the particularly malty characteristic of the distillit. It starts off with a strong sweetness comprised of Honey, White Fruits, and Malt, which transitions into the mid palate which is full of pepper and a mildy nutty sweetness. The whisky concludes with a hint of sweet nuts and honey. An excellent whisky for anyone at any point in their whisky journey. Being bottled at 43% abv and most likely chill filtered it still has legs to stand on and is surprisingly complex.

Nose: Dark Honey, Baking Spices, Orange Citrus, Light Lemon, Dark Chocolate Shavings, Vanilla, Sultana. Palate: Vanilla, Honey, Floral Sweetness, Orange Zest, Nutmeg, Long Lasting Marmalade, Hints of Custard, Gentle Umami Finish. Overall a really fantastic dram, a wonderful harmony of cirtus, baking spices, and sweetness. The nose and the palate are rather similar, the only difference is the honey on the palate doesn't come across as dark and heavy as it does on the nose. Excellent stuff for the price, would recommend getting a bottle or two!

Nose: Sharp Vanilla, Light Honey, Light Malt, Pumpkin Spice, Maraschino Cherry, Salinity, Toasted Sweet Bread, Green Apple Peel, Hints of Butterscotch, Sharp Spirity note. Palate: Rich Honey,Vanilla, Barley Sugar, Malt, Clove, Cinnamon, Mild Barrel Char Smoke, Umami, White Fruits, Musty Floral Notes, Full Oily Body, Long Finish. If im being honest I am a little disappointed with this one. I was hoping for a bit more of a complex whisky here. Influence from the Sauternes and port cask is almost unnoticeable on the palate, which for me is upsetting because I was really excited for the Influence from those barrels to be more present. It feels like a much more mature classic laddie. Full, Malty, Vanillas, and some Salinity. This is only my first pour though, hopefully with time this will open up more and improve.

Nose: Toffee, Honeyed Grains, Oak, Cotton Candy, Hint of Dried Figs, Mild Marzipan. Palate: Red Fruit, Honeyed Grains, Nut Meg, Cinnamon, Burnt Sugar, Vanilla, Sweet Cornbread. E.H. Taylor continues to be the saving grace of Buffalo Trace's core line. It is a complex,interesting, and elegant bourbon that sticks out from the crowd. It shares similarities with the Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year, mostly the baking spices and sweet granular notes. If you can buy it at msrp I'd recommend grabbing a bottle, you wont be disappointed, $60- $80 USD is a fair price for this in my opinion. Anything more and you're getting ripped off.

Nose: Spice, Light-Oak, Small Hints of Over-Ripe Banana, Gentle Citrus Vanilla, Generic Dried Fruits, Malt, Burnt Sugar. Palate: Cooking spices, Light Oak Tannins, Brown Sugar, Orange Citrus, Dates, Vanilla, Lingering Syrupy Body. A really wonderful dram, good price for this too considering whisky prices in the states at the moment. It opens with a balance of warm oak tannins and baking spices then transitions into a decadent array of subtle sweetness. The sweetness comes primarily from the Spanish oak, I'm uncertain if its ex sherry because it isn't giving off your typical sherry cask notes. Then again it could be a sherry I've never had before. Anyway buy the Speyburn 15 its good shit 👍.

Nose: Vanilla, Dark Stewed Fruits, Salinity, Malty Cream, Demerara Syrup, Raisin, Pepper, Toffee, Toast. Palate: Coa-coa, Spice, Light Brine, Full oily body, Sweet Dried Fruits, Toffee, Mild Oak Tannins, Candy Orange Citrus. Great whisky, it takes a minute to open up, but being patient with this dram is well worth it. It is a bit abrasive at first and gives the robustness of a cask strength whisky. Lots of Spice, Coa-coa and Pepper on the front. Once you get through the spices though you get a burst of sweeter notes. Toffe, Vanilla, Dark Fruits, Sweet Orange-Citrus, and mild oak tannins round out the whisky.

Nose: Heavy Earthy Peat Moss, Earthy Pepper, Salinity, Sugar Cookie Vanilla, Wet Charcoal, Sharpie, Under- Ripe Banana, Over-Ripe Apple, Decaying White Flowers. Palate: Full Oily Body, Brine, Pepper, Malt, Heavy Honey, Vanilla, Ripe Apple, Ash, Heavy Earthy Peat Smoke, Ripe Banana, Long Meaty Protein Smokey finish. The best way to deacribe this whisky; Like eating a sugar cookie thats been left in a peat bog. What a phenomenal bottle of whisky! I am absolutely blown away by the myriad of flavors and smells one can experience in this bottle. Such unique smells that remind me of hikes I've done on the Washington coast line that cross large peat bogs.Ripe and under ripe fruits that co-exist with decaying wild flowers. Charcoal, ash, wet cinders, heavysmoke. Absolutely incredible! This has to be one of the best whiskies I've had if not the best. Even if it did cost me almost $300 in my market. I am so happy to have been able to enjoy it and experience it and have shared it with friends, co workers, family. Dont forget to share your whisky folks, it is better enjoyed with those you care about than just by yourself. My bottle is almost gone so I figured it was about time I wrote a review on it. If you ever happen across one, BUY IT!!! For a reasonable price of course....or maybe even slightly unreasonable.