Tastes
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Laws Secale Straight Rye Bottled-In-Bond
Rye — Colorado, USA
Reviewed June 7, 2020 (edited April 17, 2022)It has a rich nose, almost like Campbelltown or island Scotch. It immediately has a rich taste that avoids the usual vegetal and medicinal cliches, tasting meaty before tasting like rotten vegetation. It's a unique experience in that regard. I adore the richness but I feel like it could have hit some better notes. There is some gross bread flavor that takes the forefront here, masking some nice chocolate and subtle caramel notes. Some nuttiness hangs out there too. There are some strong toasted wood flavors that are quite tasty. The rotten flavors quickly drop out, making gross bread the only major remaining problem. Smoke appears for sure, but not to an overwhelming extent. The fruity notes on the finish make for a nice ending. They tend toward rich redness like dark cherries. I wish the mint weren't here. The spices pack a bit of punch, but cinnamon is not a prominent as allspice and corriander. There is even a little bit of a tea flavor. This is probably the most sippable gross bread drink I have had because of its great complexity, but the gross bread keeps all of the pieces from quite coming together.63.0 USD per Bottle -
Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon Finished in Armagnac
Bourbon — Colorado , USA
Reviewed June 7, 2020The nose has a surprisingly dry, mineral rye character. There are some wood and spices on the nose too with a kind of musty earthiness. The palate has a flavor I expect from Laws with a kind of mustiness that is like gross bread. The palate is fairly light, though it is only 3 years. It's oily with some bursts of spice the are distinctly barrel flavored rather than the sweet cinnamon that characterizes many whiskeys. There's a little bit of red fruit, but it isn't a major component. It has sort of that off note that Old Forester Signature does, but with a bit more complexity. There's a hint of coconut and maybe toasted almond coming from the oiliness, but it isn't enough. I appreciate some elements of this, so it isn't a total loss, but it's really not an enjoyable sipper. I can believe that this was aged in Armagnac casks, but I'm disappointed by the outcome. The complexity really is kind of interesting, but the result is just not that tasty. The soft tannins are nice, though they are eventually numbing. -
The flavor is rich and has a mix of fruitiness, floralness, nuttiness, a few spices backed by some faint woodiness and a strong sweetness. Unfortunately, the underlying flavor comes through as cherry cough syrup more strongly than in just about any other drink I have tasted as a result. While I can appreciate the complexity and enjoyed this drink at first, there is no hope of getting past the cough syrup taste, so I can't like or recommend this. It smells fruity with fresh cherry and spice along with a bit of milk chocolate. The palate has a lot of sweet cherry like Hennessy VS along with some sweet spices. There's a hint of licorice, but also a nectar sweetness. It has an interestingly herbal bouquet of spices along with some sugary sweet cherry. The sugary sweetness would be better if it were subdued with some more richness from the wood and some bright notes of orange. The nose has a lot of orange marmalade like Grand Marnier. It smells sweet with bitter and tart elements mixed with a little bit of spice. The fruity, floral nose is quite nice. The palate is smooth and viscous with some tingling from spice going on in the background. The flavor is quite sweet with some nice spices balancing it out, including some licorice. There's a bit too much sweet cherry in my opinion, occasionally inducing a brief bit of gagging. The complexity here is quite good though. It wouldn't be my first choice, but I'd be down to drink this because of the more interesting spice elements. It's a tad shy of ABK6 in quality, but it beats out Pierre Duchene fairly handily. The prickliness is sort of quickly numbing so that's a bit of a disappointment. This has a more mild fruit nose than the deep, rich fruits of Symbole National. It also has more spices though, making it reminiscent of Remy Martin 1738. A bit of coffee and a robust tobacco flavor with bursts of sweet cherry that taste faintly of cough syrup but is not wholely unpalatable. The palate lacks the richness of the Symbole National, though the spices do make it more interesting. Ultimately, the Symbole National has more richness with nicely hedonistic flavors and a solid amount of complexity, so I like it better, by a solid margin. Still, this is an interesting drink with a mix of flavors. The balance of fruitiness with spice and some more light chocolatey and barrel flavors is actually quite nice. I'm actually pretty happy sipping this. This is spicier and more lively than Symbole National, but it also has a bit more bitter alcohol and less smooth decadence.40.0 USD per Bottle
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Siete Leguas Blanco Tequila
Tequila Blanco — Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed June 7, 2020 (edited February 5, 2023)This immediately smells like tequila, with a mix of minerals, sweetness, herbs, and a kick of spice. There are just a few things going on, but the flavors are all quite good. I do wish there were less pepper, but I would sip this as is and be reasonably happy. Pineapple is here, mixed with lime and maybe a little olive. The pineapple presence makes this really refreshing and fun. Some sage gets in there too, but it does not overwhelm. As it is, this is pretty smooth and quite rounded. It's rich without having a bunch of bad flavors. The slightly bitter earthy and smoky notes on the finish play well with the sweetness and minerals. There is a good amount going on. Not a masterpiece, but very good. Note: this review underestimates the sweetness.36.0 USD per Bottle -
It smells very slightly like blanco tequila - its nose certainly isn't nearly as strong as that of Lunazul Blanco. The palate is light like the nose with substantial sweetness that doesn't overwhelm. It reminds me a bit of El Tesoro Blanco in its lightness, though it is sweeter. The flavor is delicate and fruity with a nice floral element that doesn't make it too mineral in its flavor profile. It's hard to pick out all of the nuances, but there is some nice mild burn from the spice and there's also some bitter vegetal flavor that doesn't overwhelm. This is no Fortaleza Blanco, but it's quite good with its mild complexity and clean execution. Some more complexity and oomph could make this great, but it's still surprisingly good. Flavor-wise, it isn't nearly as strong as Lunazul Blanco and actually it seems like it isn't quite as complex either. I guess is actually just not a very complex tequila after all. In direct comparison, this actually has a slight fishy flavor that I don't like. It's unfortunately not very good when compared with a benchmark. The complexity fairly quickly reemerges, but the fish does kind of stay. It also has nothing on the delightful fruitiness of San Matias Blanco. While there is more of a typical tequila profile here, the flavor is just way too light. There's a hint of grassiness that is likely to cause contention because it pairs well with but also accentuates the lightness. This is a heck of a lot better than the disgusting 1800 Blanco though and it also beats out the 1800 Reposado. It's thoroughly unexciting though and really doesn't have that great of a flavor. Without drinking anything else right before it, the sweetness and bit of caramel richness are nice. There is a bit much alcohol on the back though.25.0 USD per Bottle
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I tasted woodiness, nuttiness, and caramel. The balance was nice, but there was no further subtlety. The drink was reasonably smooth, but really it just made me think of a passable but dull single malt whiskey. There is an umami mushroom flavor that reminds me of Corralejo reposado without being so strong. The flavor tends toward the mild side, but has a good balance of caramel, vegetation, umami, and faint spices without having and gross off-notes. It doesn't have a memorable flavor, but it is well-rounded and balanced without any weird, gross notes. T1 reposado is like a hybrid of this and Fortaleza reposado. This can't compete with Don Julio 1942, but at its price, why should it?32.0 USD per Bottle
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The nose is kind of spicy and herbal with some bitter root and a little licorice. It also has a little brown sugar scent and some mint. The palate is minty and smooth with a strong saltwater Taffy flavor that is sweet and enjoyable but very weird. My palate is shot though, so this could be totally imageinement. It's fairly rich, but well within the reposado range. The sweetness is quite present but it isn't overwhelming. The saltwater Taffy adds salt, but mainly richness. The mint ties in nicely with the saltwater taffy, causing the spearmint element to not overwhelm and taste like toothpaste. It's a very interesting and tasty tequila, but it's also very confusing. This is an oddly refreshing drink that is decently complex. Ultimately, it's a bit on the weak side, but that saltwater taffy flavor is surprisingly compelling. The flavor is unfortunately on the light side, but it's still enjoyable. Because it tastes like saltwater taffy. It's sweet and fruity with a balanced richness to it and some viscosity (though not too much). I'd like to try the anejo to see if it makes this have a fuller flavor and some added complexity. Smooth but bland. Lime, mint, some white pepper. Not bad, but pretty unexciting. There's a fairly herbaceous and lightly vegetal backing with a hint of agave sweetness. It's fine, but lacking in character. Super mild and fairly uninteresting. On the latest sipping, it tastes closer to a 12 or maybe even an 11. For now, I'll drop it from 14 to 13. Still, maybe that's just the oxygen getting to it. Yeah, I'm bumping it down to a 12. It's bitter and watery with some subtlety, but not enough.45.0 USD per Bottle
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The nose has a surprising seaweed smell. It smells bitter, herbal, and vegetal in a somewhat murky way. A bit too much squash comes out on the nose. The palate is surprisingly sweet and oily with an aggressive grassiness with chalk dust that is really unappealing. The squash flavor is there mixed with gross bread in an interesting but unappealing way. There in something earthy like Sauza Blue tossed in like a lifeline. There's a fair amount going on here and it certainly is interesting, but the result is jarring and unpalatable. A strange prickly spiciness comes through throughout. What it can't be faulted for is the viscous mouthfeel. Good Lord that gross bread though - it tastes so mildewed! Balcones Baby Blue is a bit more interesting with a couple of more luxurious flavors coming through that remind me a bit of Green Spot. This is not as good on any dimension. It's remarkable how little this has going for it - a truly awful tequila! It almost tastes like some bastardized Martinique rum. This is so actively hard to drink that it's impressive, mildewed cardboard and rubber for days. The alcohol is clearly there too. There are hints of other things too like fruits, minerals, and unaged sugarcane rum (squash), but it's awful.18.0 USD per Bottle
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The nose has a similar murkiness to that of the blanco, but with a bit more squash and smoky wood in place of some of the lime notes in the vegetal mush. This has a richer flavor with more wood and Earth, indicating its increased age. A bit of bright lemon rind and some salt peak out and a mellow spiciness numbs the tongue. There isn't a ton going on here, but the citrus is a nice improvement from the blanco and I'll take the added bitterness, especially as it pairs with the citrus. This lacks the oiliness and complexity of Herradura Reposado and has some more flavor flaws. This is truly an interior drink. Just right across the board, this is uninteresting and bad. Being better than the blanco is a low, low bar and somehow this is still closer to the blanco than to most other drinks in quality. The gross bread melds with the wet wood and Earth, so maybe that's something. Beyond that, most of the flavors get trampled. Lunazul Blanco is clearly more complex and tasty by a substantial margin, though not so great a margin as Herradura Reposado. Sauza Blue has some similar qualities, though it is much fruitier. The gross bread here is awful though, so the Sauza is clearly superior. Still, this is quite a step up over the blanco. There's decent sweetness here, though the bitterness is stronger. There's definitely plenty of spice. It's viscous, though not so much as the blanco. It's not as sweet and fruity either. The gross bread makes its way out and really messes things up. I'm not a fan. I'm so glad that this isn't as bad as the blanco, but it's still pretty bad. There's some interesting citrus, though it reminds me a bit of goo gone. To be blunt, the caramel, vanilla, and orange zest are just nowhere near enough to salvage this train wreck. Maybe this is Stockholm syndrome (like Hitler, which I mentioned in my review of the blanco, Stockholm syndrome is not a good topic to have come up in a review), but I think Clan MacGregor is quite better than this. This just is not actually all that much better than the blanco. On the initial taste, the Blanco actually even has more life (though the flavor here is better for sure).18.0 USD per Bottle
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