Tastes

I picked this up a few days ago after neglecting bourbon for the better part of this year and decided to delve into a side by side comparison with the traditional Angel’s Envy which I had not yet opened either. I decided to start both neat and then slowly (one drop at a time) water down the 124 proof cask strength. The nose of the traditional was brown sugar, woodsy, allspice and black pepper. After spending a lot of time exclusively with scotch the brown sugar was the most evident here making it almost sickly sweet for me. The nose of the CS was definitely banana as mentioned and I would go as far to say banana foster with some cinnamon and cream. The alcohol is very evident when dipping my nose into the Glencarin. The palate on the traditional was cherry syrup, leather, baking spices with a twinge of orange at the end which actually gives this bourbon a nice balance all things considered. I would consider the finish to be medium. I really wanted this to stick with me longer but this is my only complaint. The palate on the CS was a wakeup call but also provided intense sweet notes of fig, dark brown sugar, and chocolate. The more water I added the more chocolate came through but I think I broke the charm somewhere around 15 drops of water which I consider to be a lot. We will call this a resilient whiskey. Strangely I could not find any banana on the palate no matter the amount of water. Finish is insanely long and high octane with a wood bite but is balanced with that brown sugar. I really enjoyed comparing these side by side and as I sipped I considered value. The traditional can be picked up for $50 in my parts while the CS was $180. While I definitely think the CS is a more fun bourbon with the “pick your own adventure” option with how much water you want to add, but I don’t see the CS being worth the coin. I would rather spend my money elsewhere. I also do want to put a plug in for wonky finished whisky. I personally think this is where the future of American whiskey will have to go to differentiate themselves from just another wheated bourbon. A prime example of this is Whistlepig Old world cask finish or the Boss Hog series. Rest in peace Dave Pickerell. All in all these are both damn fine drams and I easily recommend the traditional Angel’s Envy but only recommend the 2018 Cask Strength to someone who has to have a special edition to display on a shelf. The traditional just has too much value. Traditional – 4.25/5 Cask Strength – 3.5/5 when considering price point. If this were $100 it would be right up there with the traditional

When I first started experimenting with non-bourbon/American whiskey earlier this summer my chaperone of all things scotch/Irish/everything else said he had tried an Octomore downtown Chicago with some work friends and deemed it “undrinkable”. I am not sure which edition it was but as my first scotch being Lagavulin 16 and loving it I knew I wanted to reach for an Octomore at some point in my whisky journey. After purchasing this bottle I finally had an opportunity to try it with a group of friends I knew would actually appreciate a mighty Octomore. On first nose and tasting I, as well as my friends, would have assumed we were drinking a bourbon as it was super sweet with little to no peat at all with a definite alcohol burn. I was honestly extremely disappointed as my friend who had tried one prior said this was nothing compared to the monster he tried downtown Chicago. So I took the bottle home and forgot about it until recently. I offered my roommate a dram telling him this tasted like a bourbon and his reaction after a sip was something I really, really wish I had on camera. This was my long way of saying this bottle needs some oxidation before the peat is unleashed. But holy hell, I didn’t know a liquid was capable of the sensations I experienced trying this for the second time. I don’t know if a liquid has ever elicited a fight or flight response out of anyone else other than myself but this triggered that magnitude of a reaction. After calming down and profusely apologizing to my roommate I began to hunt for nosing and tasting notes. The nose is a sweet peat with unmistakable barbeque qualities. Digging below the initial punch I got chocolate, woodsy evergreen sap, and orange. It reminded me of a Ghirardelli brownie mixed with orange flavored oil while baking. I put a cover on the Glencarin for about 20 minutes and after taking a large sniff, for a few moments, I felt like the person in the movies who passes out from the chloroform rag. Tread carefully. The palate is on a level of peat I had yet to experience which really threw me for a loop, not in a bad way, just a challenging way. I would classify this as an ashy smoke as opposed to campfire. The whisky has a spice note to it which I would image is from the new oak. I got some very faint citrus after letting the whisky sit for about 20 minutes. This whisky is the most challenging I have experienced yet. I don’t mean “hard to drink” (although it may be for some) I mean there are definitely notes I am missing here and look forward continuing the experience of the 7.4 Virgin Oak. I will definitely update as I progress through the bottle to present what else may be present. I would not recommend purchasing unless you already love big peat. If you do love big peat this will push your senses to their limits which in my opinion is a ton of fun! 4/5 for now. I feel there are more nuances than what I am finding now but I cannot fault the whisky for me not picking up on them. Will revise once bottle is empty. 4/5 out of sheer ability to acomplish the largest "wow" factor I have had to date.

The quest to diversify my growing collection of whisky has continued as I finally broke down and bought my first bottle of Macallan. After hearing so many people complain they are not worth the money and not wanting to pay for their aggressive marketing campaign I stayed away as long as I could. I was a convert to scotch early this summer after drinking exclusively bourbon and beer for the past five years. My introduction to scotch was Lagavulin 16 so peaty whisky is what I consider my “home” and first love. Sweetness was something I associated with the corn from bourbon and was not something I had been looking for in this new found hobby of buying and tasting scotch. Holy hell have I been missing out. The nose may have brought me to my knees had I smelled this for the first time while standing. Chocolate, vanilla, wood, berries, and honey. The shock came from just how sharp and in your face the scent hit me. It is the exact opposite of a Laphroaig/Ardbeg in regards to flavor/scent profile but I’ll be damned if the volume of this isn’t turned up to eleven as well. I think I smelled this for ten minutes before taking my first sip. The wood and vanilla really come across on the palate well. The sweetness is not as strong as the palate suggests but I did get pear and cinnamon on the finish. I would have guessed this was a 40-43 ABV but I appreciate the Macallan clocking in just over 48 ABV. I don’t know if I just got lucky with this bottle or if I am really loving strong sherry finished whiskys now (my only previous experience is the Glenfarclas 12 and 25). The store had nine more of this edition and I may pick up another bottle as reserve. Any recommendations for sweeter drams are very welcome as I prepare for another trek to the store to see what else I may be missing out on. 4.75/5

As a big fan of peat I have noticed my collection was rather lopsided with islay. I decided to rectify that by buying my first Campbeltown. An interesting card was inserted into the whisky tube (is there a technical term for these?) along with the bottle explaining the different colored labels signifying the different age statements. My shop only had the 12 year which corresponds to the white label. The first few things I noticed on the nose was sweet peat (apparently I did not branch out far enough), vanilla, rosemary, brine, and lemon. I was surprised not picking up any red fruits as I know this spent some time in sherry casks. The oiliness of the palate was very welcome, contrasting to sweet sugar coated grapefruit with a twinge of green apple and lemon (blink and you will miss these flavors). Finally the smoke and brine swarm the palate with something I would describe as a warm peppered goat cheese on the finish. I am very happy with this purchase at $40 and am looking forward to exploring this bottle more. I recommend without reservation and am excited to see Kilkerran release older expressions as time marches forward. I hope to see the price stay reasonable as they will undoubtedly will be praised in the future if this 12 is any indication of the direction the distillery is taking. 4.5/5

Picked this up earlier this afternoon as I’m a massive GoT fan. I tried it room temp then put into freezer to see the “change” happen to the labeling. The bottle recommends to freeze it to enjoy the flavor while it warms. Bleh. Alright I’ll try your method.. Now, onto the whisky. As with any whisky in my personal opinion I’ve always enjoyed it more when room temp vs ice or putting it in the freezer. I had low expectations given the price point ($32 at my shop). That being said I was a little surprised that I enjoyed it room temp at all. The cold reduces the blend to something you could take gulps of which is not a positive, let’s be honest. When warm the nose reminds me of an Irish. Light honey with some peppery notes. The palate is vanilla, orange zest, and berries. Finish is short to medium in length. Overall I stand by this is a surprisingly good whisky for $32 a bottle. I suspect more Clynelish is in this blend then I figured would be and I believe it carries this whisky on its back. While I do enjoy the flavor profile the volume knob is turned down to a 4/11 which for some people is perfect. That person just isn’t me. I will enjoy sharing this on the final season premier when that day comes. 2.5/5 Winter is coming.

I was recently traveling for work and decided to browse the wares at a liquor store unfamiliar to me and decided to purchase a bottle. I will say as not a mega-fan of sherry/overly sweet whisky but I do enjoy a reasonably priced Glenfarclas. I was curious to see what this cask strength sweet whisky would have to offer. The nose is dark chocolate and sherry, nothing too complex here. The palate is a different experience all together. The best way I can describe it is imagine yourself in the ring with a boxer who is known for their left jab. The bell rings and you take the jab but you were not expecting the right hook following it. This whisky is the right hook of the Glenfarclas line. I don’t know if I just did not prepare myself for the cask strength experience here knowing how friendly Glenfarclas usually is or it really does pack that big of a punch (I would guess the former). Knowing the right hook was coming on the second sip I experienced sherry, chocolate, dried raisons and almonds with a spicy burn from the high abv. While this whisky truly was an experience I am not sure a cask strength Speyside is what I would spend my money on for a whisky I want to put up a fight. I think I would rather sip Aberlour’s A’Bunadh as it is a bit cheaper and in my opinion, preferable. Am I glad I picked it up? Yes. Do I now know to duck after the left jab? Yup. 3.75/5.

I was traveling for work and decided to browse the wares at a liquor store unfamiliar to me and stumbled upon Bushmills 21. While I tend to stick with scotch because of my love of peat I had a friend rave about this before and decided to give it a go for what seems to be a fair price of $127. The nose has fruit a plenty in the red and tropical variation. The sweetness is cut (not in a bad way) by a spice I can’t put my finger on but what is important is this really balances the Irish out nicely. Palate instantly gets honey, lemon, the sweet fruits and macadamia. The feel of this whisky really reminds me of my very limited experience with dry wine. Maybe I am just not used to whiskey being this dry but this adds another dimension to the identity of this dram. The finish is oh so dry moving from the sweetness of the fruit notes to a pleasant spiciness. While I usually wish a whiskey at 80 proof has a higher ABV I don’t think this one needs it. It is a very pretty whiskey and I would wager anyone claiming to be a whiskey fan would be hard pressed to not find something they like in here. At the very least it is a unique whiskey and I am a happy sipper indeed. 4.25/5

Glenfarclas has quickly became a personal favorite after leanring this is a private distillary and deciding to try their products. I enjoyed the 12 so much I wanted to find a older age statement (at a very fair price) and so here we are. I get a marshmellowy creme brulee on the nose with a vanilla and orange hint. You get the feeling this would go great after a savory meal. Palate is a whirlwind of fruits from different seasons. Orange, apple, candied cherry with a woodsy flavor I would think of around Chrstmas time. While this is a fun (and affordable!) drinker with an old age statement I do not think I would stock on a regular basis. Regarldess of a great deal on age I need to fall in love with a whisky for the $150+ pricepoint. I really enjoy haveing friends try it as an older speyside example but I'll stick to the 12 next time i'm hunting for a Glenfarclas. 4/5

After noticing the price of this dropped from $150 to $102 at my local shop (I would assume to make room for the Viking Pride) I decided to pick up a dusty bottle. Hving a dram after bringing it home I was initially disappointed with it and researched to find there had been some quality control issues with the 18 at some point and was disheartened I had recieved one of "those" bottles. Fast forward to trying it a second time and wow. This has happened to a couple bottles I have opened where it seems to need to be unsealed for about a week before the flavor displays what I would expect. This could very well be I ate/drank something earlier throwing off my palate. On to the tasting notes - The nose provided light tea, apricots, plums, dare I say nectarines? The palate bursts with more summer fruits as well as peat. I never considered this to be a peaty whisky but for someone who is just getting into the nectar of the gods would they say they taste smoke as that as well as lemon which stands out on the finish. A pretty dram indeed. I would be super interested to try a cask stregnth version of this to see if the nuance would stand out in a slight burn. Islay is my preffered whisky so I would not call this a favorite but I can definitely respect it and the people who do. 4.5/5

I decided to buy myself an early birthday present and so here we are. I cannot understate how beautiful the color of this whiskey is. When I think of the color "amber" this is exactly what I expect. I also cannot understate how heavy the pewter topper is on this thing. Anyways. Wow. This is genuinely unlike anything else I have ever tried in any whiskey category and I feel any distillary would be hard pressed to mimic it unless they too had some Armagnac casks laying around. When you think of this as a rye (which it is) you think major spice but the balance of the Armagnac (brandy) barrels really balances this out into something special. I had to hunt for it but the MGP dill and mint is present on the nose adding another layer of nuance to this insanely well done rye. This just hits the rich, sweet, fruity, spicy flavors all at once. Is it worth the price of admission? That's your call. If you can go in with some friends to split a bottle, do it (and trust the one storing it) or buy a dram if you can find it at a watering hole. 4.75/5