Tastes
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Licorice and maple leap out, though the nose is more maple than the palate is. It's very sweet and quite fun. It's sort of like Kentucky Owl 11 mixed with some rum and maple syrup. There's some rich woody backing that is well balanced with the maple. It's fun but not what I expect from a rye the smoke is plentiful and it's bitterness helps to offset the intense sweetness. Maybe it's like Kentucky Owl mixed with Ron Diplomatico. If you handed me this, I'm doubtful that I would guess it was a rye. There's some harsh spiciness that is cinnamon flavored with a bit of mild Christmas spice. The complexity and balance are both very good. The alcohol is there but is fairly subdued. There is some mineral flavor that I'm not a fan of so I guess I just wish this wasn't a rye. It all blends very well. It smells buttery and custardy. To the extent that there is fruit, it is dark cherry. I'm confused by this because it is very good, but it is hard to judge as a rye. I would happily sip it though.78.0 USD per Bottle
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Smooth and fruity with plenty of sweetness. There's a little spice here in the forms of cinnamon and white pepper, but it is not overwhelming. Surprisingly, there is almost no wood or smoke here. Vanilla is noticeable but not overwhelming and there are some floral notes nearer to the finished that are mixed in with the minerals. Tartness is present, but it's minimal. The flavor is mild with some mineral backing, but the notes it has are good. Not super exciting, but enjoyable. The nose is woody but wet and has a bit of rich red fruit, as well as some rye and spice. The palate is musty with some gross wood coming through strong. There are clear mineral notes, but there's also some nice dark cherry hanging out a bit along with some caramel that doesn't not taste like butterscotch but is not obnoxious either. There's a bit of spearmint that reminds me of mothballs and therefore grandpa's house. There's a fair bit of numbing clove too. It has an interesting profile going on, but the traditional wood, char, fruit, and caramel notes aren't all that great and the other flavors are odd. I appreciate the added fruitiness, but the result is kind of like a more subdued Old Forester Signature with some added spearmint. There's a dab of chocolate, but it's mild. Gross bread does make it into the finish. There are all sorts of syrupy sweet flavors that remind me of Arta Anejo, but that is is a questionable profile to begin with and certainly isn't what I want in a bourbon. There's complexity for sure, but the flavors are a mess. It isn't all bad, but this drink has a lot of faults. This is interesting and wants to be hedonistic, but it doesn't quite work. Still, I could sip it.40.0 USD per Bottle
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The nose is damp cardboard. Fortunately, the palate is much sweeter, with plenty of fruit (cherry with some prune and nice pear rounding it out), but also some gross damp cardboard. It's this mix of tasty fruit and unpalatable ick. The high ABV helps to smooth it out and enhance the sweetness. It's a sipper with some nice flavor to it and also some ugly flaws. The finish fortunately loses a lot of the cardboard and taste more like rich cherry with something a little odd backing it. With water, the wet cardboard comes out a lot more, bringing out some smoke and moderate spice with it. This are bits of fig and honey in here too. The complexity comes out in a nice way with the added water, but it doesn't escape that one weird note. If it could just replace that cardboard with some barrel age, this could be quite good. As it is, this is a mix of some really good notes and one seriously disappointing one. Bits of chocolate do come out, but not in a way that is super transformative. The orange flavor is Abit strong here, adding to the cardboard and making it taste ever so slightly like alcohol too. There's so much here that's really good, so it's tragic that there is that one gross note. In the end, I could enjoy sipping this (at least it avoids gross bread) and is surpasses most Irish whiskeys. Still, it wouldn't be one of my highest choices. All that said though, I could definitely get over that cardboard flavor eventually and it is otherwise quite good. That richness is a really good selling point, especially with the nicely balanced fruit. The intense spiciness does make it taste like a more serious drink. That weird flavor though is just so disappointing.140.0 USD per Bottle
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Amrut Fusion Indian Single Malt Whisky
Single Malt — Bangalore, India
Reviewed June 7, 2020 (edited October 16, 2022)That peat is really present on the nose. There is also plenty of fruit though. Tasting it, the peat and cherry come through immediately, but so does a surprising mesquite smoke and spice flavor. I appreciate the sweetness and also how it balances with the peat. That's often difficult to pull off, but since the flavors isn't aggressively bitter and tart, it works well here. It's surprisingly smooth for 50% ABV. The richness and balance are nice, but a bit more richness would be nice. This kind of reminds me of Westland Peated, but it seems a bit less complex and plain delicious. The Amrut Portonova may have that weird cardboard flavor that this doesn't, but it also has a lot of richness and some additional complexity. This kind of tastes like Peated cherry Pepsi, which I must admit is better than regular cherry Pepsi because eit avoids that grossly bitter finish, but it also has some mineral and mild salty flavors that strive to be Scotch but don't quite make it. This is absolutely a sipper that I would be happy to drink on most occasions, but it also needs to have more complexity and richness. Sweet, fruit, rich, peat, smoke. It's like cherry Pepsi whiskey. It's very good, but also quite odd. It's hedonistic in a pretty dumb way, but I'd be happy to drink this. The balance is shockingly successful. Everything that this tries, it succeeds at. It's odd, but it is also delightful. Amrut Portonova is generally better, but this wins over it because of that weird wet cardboard flavor in the Portonova.63.0 USD per Bottle -
Mezcal Amarás Cupreata
Mezcal Joven — Guerrero, Mexico
Reviewed June 7, 2020 (edited August 30, 2021)This smells really vegetal and full of bell peppers and chilis. The palate is a fascinating combination of Earth, sweet roasted bell peppers and savory, spicy chilis. I haven't tasted a drink quite like this before, but it is very interesting. It has a lasting numbing effect. It's quite intriguing to drink, but it doesn't seem like a great staple. As I drink more, the Earth starts taking over. Some acrid vegetal notes persist and it becomes more drying. Unfortunately, this quick descent into the less appealing side of mezcal brings out that gross alcohol flavor with the Earth and the whole thing starts tasting like a muddled mess. There's some nice cinnamon holding up just a little bit, but it isn't all that enjoyable beyond the first 3 or so sips. The herbal notes do eventually come back out to balance the Earth, but it really tastes medicinal at that point. It isn't out of control, but it is in an areas that I find unappealing. That last glimmer of sweetness doesn't disappear though and little bits of complexity do reemerge.53.0 USD per Bottle -
Mezcal Alipús Santa Ana del Rio
Mezcal Joven — Oaxaca, Mexico
Reviewed June 7, 2020 (edited September 24, 2021)The nose is mild and kind of sweet with a surprising amount of tropical fruit (with an emphasis on banana). It's a smooth drink and is sweet, but not as sweet as it smells. There's definitely mezcal smoke with iodine elements and Earth alongside the fruit. As I sip more, the balance starts to come out, with spices and herbs balancing each other. The smoke is a bit much, but it's fine for a mezcal. The finish turns a bit harsh and butter on the back of the tongue with some numbing effect. The fruit lingers a bit, though the spices and herbal flavors do overpower it. There's a lot going on here, but a few of the notes never quite land. It's very drying and does have a fair amount of mineral, which I'm not a huge fan of. Ultimately, I guess I'm just enjoying the cinnamon and fruit, even though the rest is not that great. I could sip this, but it would be far from my first choice of drink. As it goes on, I like it less and less and it seems more and more bland. Going with such a high ABV was probabaly a mistake.45.0 USD per Bottle -
Mezcal Alipús San Miguel de Sola
Mezcal Joven — Oaxaca, Mexico
Reviewed June 7, 2020 (edited July 18, 2020)Sweet but very herbal. The sweetness quickly gives way to a strong taste of Band-Aids like you wouldn't believe. It's a full flavor but the bitter medicinal finish is unappealing. It's an interesting drink to try with various hints of other notes scattered throughout. There are hints of fruit (sort of like cherry), Earth, a little tobacco, allusions to semi-sweet chocolate. There's some heat, but not too much. It's a little spicy in a sort of black pepper way. It's kind of interesting and drinkable once the taste becomes familiar, but it's a bit much with its obnoxious Band-Aid flavor. At least it doesn't taste too much like alcohol, though the alcohol could just be disguised as Band-Aid.70.0 USD per Bottle -
Fruity, sweet, and spicy. Ginger, cloves, cherry, and strawberry are notable, along with some creamy chocolate and burnt caramel.. There are clear herbal and earthy undertones. There is a bit of green olive. There finish is a bit creamy. By the third drink, it tastes pretty good, but I'd appreciate it more without the hints of cherry menthol. There are a lot of flavors here, but I don't think they blend terrifically. Fruity and sweet with menthol is the broad description of this tequila. Starts off with some green olive on the nose and at the front, but it never overwhelms. The flavor of menthol comes through throughout the drink, but it is balanced by smooth and creamy toffee with hints of cherry and a notably cinnamon and white pepper presence. A vegetal backing is always there, providing a reminder that this is a tequila. There is a fair amount going on and the flavor develops well. I wouldn't call it amazing, but this is a unique and respectable tequila that I would enjoy sipping. It tastes a but on the reposado side, but that isn't necessarily bad. There is a bit of prickly numbness on the finish that is characteristic of clove or maybe Sichuan peppercorns. Caramel, toffee, some mint and cherry and chocolate. Fairly smooth. This is a good anejo, though not the best. It's better than Arta Anejo and not quite as good Don Julio 1942 (but close). It's fully developed but a bit mildly flavored. I would be happy to sip this any time. This is a classic case of tequila with subtleties hiding away. There is a toffee, wood element, but there are also mint, cherry, herbal, and spicy elements. It's interesting and generally tastes good, though interesting is its driving force of quality. It isn't super strong, but it is strong enough to hide most of the alcohol flavor. It's enjoyable, but I'd love to try an older version of it. Fruity, minty, spicy, rich. This is quite a robust anejo. There is a notable caramel presence that mixes with minty alcohol. Vegetal agave comes in for sure. This is a great representation of what anejo tequila is. The spearmint is a bit strong here but somehow it doesn't taste bad. The fullness of the flavor here isn't amazing, but it is quite substantial for a tequila. The spice is largely clove, which is surprising, but also nice in how it adds a bitter rich ess that blends with the 50% dark cocoa flavor. The hints of tartness make sense in the dark cocoa context. There is a little wood and hay but it is mild rather than assertive and in the way. This is a very tasty tequila to sip. It's decently smooth with some nice balanced flavors. It isn't the richest or most complex tequila, but it strikes a good balance with a nice hint of Don Julio minerals. I'm happy to sip this though I'd prefer something a bit richer.66.0 USD per Bottle
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The nose is fruity with a nice combination of cherry and orange peel. There's some spice on the nose that fits in well. The palate has those same cherry and orange flavors in nice balance with the spice. There's some alcohol coming in, but it isn't overwhelming. There isn't a ton of complexity here, but it's solid enough in the flavor department. The sweetness is not overwhelming, though it does have a bit of an icing sugar presence. This has much more orange and spice than Symbols National does, though it is less rich and layered and has more of an alcohol presence. This also has a more floral, lighter flavor. I do like the orange and spice though. This isn't a bad Cognac. This compared favorably with Hennessey VS in terms of being punchily fruity with a syrupy backing. It has a nicer core than Bushmill's Black Bush does, but it also has less complexity. In a direct comparison, Bushmill's wins due to its ability to mask it's alcohol and provide more depth, but this is still pretty good. The nose is more rich and woody than that of Pierre Duchene. There are slight hints of cherry, but there are also grapefruit and orange. There might also be faint scents of chocolate and caramel, as well as some light floral notes. It smells very good. The palate is fairly rich and viscous with a tangerine sweetness before some mild notes of dark cherry and chocolate and a bit of oily bitterness, reminding me of Irish whiskey like Bushmill's. This would be a disappointing substitute for Bushmill's 21, but it's quite good and certainly better than Pierre Duchene. There's something a bit like formaldehyde tannin coming out that I'm not a fan of and none of the flavors are all that exciting and powerful. There's a bit of a metallic flavor with the tannins that I wish were absent. It's less floral, sweet, and grainy than Bushmill's Black Bush is. The Bushmill's has more complexity to its flavor, but it also has more of an immature sweetness. This is surprisingly numbing, though I guess it does have some clove flavor. I appreciate the richness here, but the metal is a bit much. Despite the sweetness of the Bushmill's, it executed a nicer balance of flavors. This is richer with some lurking subtlely, but it's more jagged. I'd say that the two are about the same quality, but the Bushmill's is a little bit better. Compared with Pierre Duchene, this has more floral and fruity (apricot) notes on the nose, as well as less murky scent. The palate has a nice sweet floral apricot flavor. The profile is cleaner than that of the Pierre Duchene, though the flavor is also milder. It isn't as harsh and the apricot flavor is juicy and lingering. The Pierre Duchene isn't bad by any means, but this is clearly better for drinking (likely no better or even worse for cooking though).27.0 USD per Bottle
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The nose is a bit hard to get. The palate is a combination of Westward, Nikka From The Barrel, and Johnnie Walker Green. There's some substantial spice with nice barrel and smoke. It's a bit bitter and has a bit much alcohol, but the flavors are generally good. There's some complexity, but mostly it is nicely balanced. It's quite good, though not exemplary. The fruit is nice and fresh without tasting immature. The fruit is clearly sherried with blackberry and strawberry notes. It's sweet, but more rich, spicy, smoky, and harsh.68.0 USD per Bottle
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