Tastes
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Forty Creek Confederation Oak Reserve
Canadian — Ontario, Canada
Reviewed February 7, 2020 (edited November 4, 2021)I've been a Canadian whisky fan since I came of age. My first northern friend was Canadian Club 6 year (circa 1980) and I've explored quite a few since then. I've had several bottles of this particular whisky and I'm generally a fan of Forty Creek since I ran into a crazy 50% off sale at a liquor store several years back. I purchased a case of Barrel Select, a case of Copper Pot and a case of the Confederation Oak under consideration here. This is from the very last bottle of that case. Confederation Oak pours a rich, clear burnt sienna. It exhibits clingy sheeting when swirled, with quick tears that leave thick tracks. By appearances this is going to have a creamy mouthfeel. On the nose this is vanilla, candy corn, sweet demarara syrup, and Squirrel Nut Zipper candy. There's a little nuttiness to this. Pecans, not peanuts. There isn't a lot of complexity and this isn't going to hold your interest for some deep tasting session. It smells good, nuff said. Tasting this bears out its gentle, sweet nature. There isn't any real bite to speak of. This is a relatively low 80 proof. I'll admit that in recent years my tastes have leaned towards much higher barrel proofs. That said, this seems even kinder than its proof suggests. It's an easier sipper than Jack Daniels Gentleman Jack, for example (though quite a bit different in profile). The rye makes its presence known with traces of dill, mint and cedar. There isn't any giant profile, just a sweet candied flavor bomb. A drop of water will take any semblence of complexity from the nose, leaving mostly vanilla and candy corn. The water makes this really a very easy drinker, perfect for dessert. Mostly I've drunk this with a single large cube, often as a accompaniment to a coffee or espresso. I've also used this to make a brandy alexander, substituting for the brandy. I've also used it to make a crazy-sweet smoked old fashioned for guests who aren't whisky-experienced and want to try something new. This is a sweet, creamy, easy drinking honey/vanilla/candy liquor that's right at home when you want something that's not challenging. At the sub $35 price I got it for, it was a steal. At the $69.99 price I see it for at Florida liquor stores today, it's a hard pass. I have to dock it at least half a point for lack of value. It's good, just not $70 good.69.99 USD per Bottle -
Widow Jane 10 Year Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — USA
Reviewed February 3, 2020 (edited February 15, 2020)Tasted neat in a rocks. Butterscotch hard candy on the nose. Oh my. This is warm, sweet, & easy on the pallet. Very delicate. My wife who is not a brown liquor fan but knows good stuff from bad pretty damn quick, immediately approved. Super approachable! There's good measure of vanilla and almond, bit'o honey candy and a slight touch of ginger and white pepper on the finish. Immensely enjoyable! -
Belle Meade Bourbon Sherry Cask Finish
Bourbon — Indiana (bottled in Tennessee), USA
Reviewed February 1, 2020 (edited February 15, 2020)Tasted neat in a glencairn. Rested for ten minutes after the pour. This is a rich polished walnut color. There is some sheeting noted on the swirl, but little by way of legs. On the nose is sherry, ripe fruit, barrel wood, cinnamon, a tart note of blood orange, and a smidge of ginger. It's got a bit going on, but is slightly thin. On the palette the sherry is very evident, sweetening the bourbon. It has a very creamy mouth feel, and there's healthy amounts of spice. The ginger and black pepper giving a nice warming finish. This is a very tasty bottle. For $30 more, the Cask Select Sherry Finish is a full cut above. I'd opt to spend a few more dollars and go there for the best experience with this sherry finished whiskey. It's definitely the better "after dinner" quaff. This is a solid pick in a finished bourbon. It's a fun drink, but not an everyday drink.60.0 USD per Bottle -
BenRiach Authenticus 30 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed January 31, 2020 (edited February 15, 2020)AYFKM? At a tasting a Luekens Liquors in Dunedin FL. Surprise pour! This nose is beyond. Leather and honey and raisins and just glorious notes. Stunning. I'm afraid to sip it. But I'll get over it... Peat and ocean and honeycomb and cream and vanilla. The depth of flavor is beyond anything we've had tonight and is really at the top of my experience. This is an extraordinary whisky, as it should be for its price point. I can't afford to drink this. Which is a shame, because life is too short to not drink this.579.0 USD per Bottle -
BenRiach Temporis 21 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed January 31, 2020 (edited March 28, 2021)Viscous pour with solid sheeting and slow legs. Pour is a golden brass. Lovely. The nose. Oh, the nose! Beyond Lagavulin 16. This is deep water. Complex. Profound. Astonishing! In addition to the peat, the smoke, the barrel, the wood, the oak, the vanilla, the honeysuckle, I'm getting just tons of minor notes. Perhaps the finest nose from a peated scotch that I have ever experienced! Just wow... On the pallet there is DEPTH. Peat, iodine, saline, honey, orchard fruit, barrel notes. This is better than Lagavulin 16. Better. Better... The finish is sublime. Slow, spicy, peppery. Sophisticated. Complex. This is the first time I've immediately given a perfect score on a scotch whisky. Temporis is that good, imho. Definitely worth the price of entry and more than competitive with the handful I've sampled at this elevated price point.279.0 USD per Bottle -
BenRiach Curiositas 10 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed January 31, 2020 (edited September 18, 2020)The pour is a clear, blonde straw. Tasted neat in a glencairn. Smokey nose, rubber boots, saline and seaweed, umame. This tastes like a tidal pool with a sugar rinse. Oaky, peaty, iodine. But the sweet doesn't meld. Reminds me of JW Green label. Curiositas maybe better integrated, but its not quite as complex. They are comparable, however. The Green leaning more to its Islay roots, the Curiositas leaning towards the Speyside. I'm going to pass on buying this for $65, but I'll have it at a bar anytime. With the prices of scotch whisky being impacted by politics and tarriffs its hard to judge value, but I'm feeling like I can do better for the same money.65.0 USD per Bottle -
Lighter in color than the 20 yo. The nose is even more delicate. Traces of Bordeaux? Sweet and candied on the nose. Tons of fruit. Apples and peaches and pears. Honeysuckle and vanilla. Tart and sharp on the pallet. Sherry and oak and spice. Gentle but complex. Not my favorite tonight at this tasting, but very very good. Great finish. Long and warming. Mmmm...
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Tasted neat in a glencairn. Pour is polished brass. Nice sheeting and slow legs. The nose is surreal. Super delicate. Ripe orchard fruit is in the front. Damp fields of tall green grass, soft apples that might have gone over ripe, a touch of quince. On the tongue this is rich caramel, saltwater Taffy, black pepper and old barrels. Wow! Amontillado? They say PX but it's so delicate. No longer available makes me sad. Tasting it makes me happy.
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BenRiach 10 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed January 31, 2020 (edited October 3, 2020)Tasted neat in a glencairn. Pour is a light golden yellow. Very delicate nose, honey & florals & slight ethanol. Definite apples, light pears, dry grass. On the tongue this is sweet, creamy, creme brulee, toffee, slight white pepper. There are notes of oak barrel and lumberyard. The finish takes its time. Not a lot of spice, but a lot of glow. This is subtle & delicious. -
Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Year
Blended Malt — Scotland
Reviewed January 30, 2020 (edited August 27, 2022)Tasted neat in a glencairn. About 10 minutes allowed to elapse after the pour. Beautiful color compliments a viscous fluidity that exhibits solid sheeting and thick, slow legs. The nose is sweet honeysuckle on a spring evening. In the background is a whiff of brine and a peat fire on the beach. Florals dominate a complex bouquet that ticks a bunch of boxes for me. The taste is a tale of two profiles. On the one side I get honey, orchard fruits and vegetation. Reminds me of a lovely sweet Speyside. On the other I get malt, brine and high tide near the beach with a dash of black pepper. The two work well, but aren't melded. The sweetnees goes just a little too far for me. This scotch whiskey misses greatness. But it's still very good. Clean, smooth, rich, complex, easy to drink, lightly smoky and definitely sophisticated. I'm not a single malt snob by any means. I enjoy all manner of tipples so long as they represent a best effort by the maker. In the JW universe Blue still outclasses Green - until the price is figured in. Then Green becomes a contender. This is good stuff.65.0 USD per Bottle
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