Tastes
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I love rye in all its forms as a sipper and in cocktails. I'm also a fan of the expressions I've tried from Chattanooga, so adding a bottle of their rye to my shopping cart was a no brainer. Tasted neat from a copita sbs with my staple Wild Turkey 101 Rye. There's a color difference immediately noticeable. The C99 is a shade darker than the WT101. On the nose the WT is rich with delicate backing spice notes, carmel, vanilla, slight dill. The C99 is richer in wood and barrel notes, butterscotch, dark rye bread and caramelized sugar. The WT is smooth and dry on the palate offering a dry ginger, vanilla, rye toast opening that is far gentler than its 101 proof might suggest. The mid-palate is rich and the finish is very nice for a budget rye. There's a reason this is in my bar as a cocktail base and neat sipper over such competitors as Rittenhouse, Old Overholt, Old Forester, etc. The C99 offers a similarly smooth entry devoid of "young whiskey ethanol spark". The flavor builds from a creamy intro to a demisec mid palate topped with stewed cherries and very little of the vegetal elements I get from some rye. The C99 has a faster finish than the WT and fades quite cleanly. This is a great rye for a bourbon drinker. This is a great rye introduction. In a Manhattan this is a rich, silky rye that loves Cocchi Storico Vermouth di Torino and a couple dashes (3) of Angostura bitters. Chattanooga 99 Rye is a very good rye, full stop. This wont kick the chicken out of my cabinet. WT101 rye is about $24 for a 750, this is about $38. It's not 50% better for my money, but it was definitely worth buying a very enjoyable bottle. I might even re-up. It's a good change of pace.38.99 USD per Bottle
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Maker's Mark 46 Cask Strength
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed October 3, 2023 (edited October 5, 2023)I've enjoyed Maker's 46 since its introduction some 14 years ago. I typically prefer MM46 to the flagship label, but I find the MM101 to be the most satisfying of Bill Samuels' contribution to the bourbon world. It has been a while since I've had a bottle of the 46 on my bar and seeing the cask strength expression just sitting there on the shelf, all by itself... Tasted neat from a grappa copita after a few minutes rest. This is the last of the bottle, a perfect 1.5oz pour. I've enjoyed this in an Old Fashioned, a couple Manhattan variations, on a rock and neat and it didn't take long for the bottle to go from neck pour to final pour. The nose is cherries in syrup, almonds and walnuts, caramel and brown sugar. It's sweet, but certainly not saccharine. There's a whiff of ethanol and a touch of latex paint that hints at the 110+ proof. Mouthfeel is silky and not quite as rich as the very best cask strength whiskies can be. Still, it's quite good. The flavor is rich with slightly bitter wood tannin that plays against the sugar from the corn and the bready richness of the wheat. The profile is familiar 46 with the volume turned up a bit - or maybe the saturation knob was twiddled a bit. There's more contrast than I remember from my last bottle of MM46, but there's also that bitter element. The finish is moderate and unremarkable. There's a slight pepperiness and some left-over syrup that coats the back of the palate. Yes, I like this just fine. It's an excellent bourbon and a favorite wheated expression. But I'm not blown away. It's not a Knob Creek 120 proof flavor bomb. It's not a Chattanooga 111 Stagg Jr killer. It's good, but it's not great. I rate on a bell curve where the average product should score between 2 and 3; the peak of distribution. This is much better than average, but not quite good enough to make it into the top quintile.37.99 USD per Bottle -
Greenall's London Dry Gin
London Dry Gin — England
Reviewed September 26, 2023 (edited July 10, 2024)Exploring various gins I haven't had, this is a budget option that's pushed hard at Total Wine. Let's see what's going on here. Tasted neat from a copita sbs with Beefeater as the control. On the nose I get the bitter chemical scent of crushed aspirin, ethanol, floral elements and some juniper/pine at the end. Overall I'd say the nose isn't anything special and is more likely a liability than an asset. In comparison the Beefeater has a far more prominent juniper note, clean pine, ethanol and a sharp element that reads as sweet but is otherwise too muted to identify. On the palate the Greenall is soft, reminding me more of bad vodka than good gin. There's some juniper and vegetal notes but they are shy and cloaked by the overall "manufactured" personality of the gin. It's not bad per se, but definitely isn't anything I need to taste neat again. It tastes like cheap, weak gin - full stop. The Beefeater continues to dominate with a much bolder profile, stronger juniper, easily identified citrus elements, some slight mintiness, all followed by a fast fade through black pepper to a slightly chemical finish. Okay, neither of these is a neat sipper although the Beefeater is far less objectionable. How about mixed into a cocktail? I tried Martinis (my favorite) made 3:1 gin to Dolin Dry vermouth, 2 dashes of saline and a dash of orange bitters. Served up, no garnish The Beefeater is the clear winner but the J & G Greenall put up a much better showing here. I can see how some might even prefer the muted gin profile that is more of a partner with the vermouth. Not bad at all, but not a stand out either. It's soft but likes to work with the vermouth and was brightened by a twist. I wouldn't object to this martini at a restaurant, but again I think the Beefeater has both more personality and more developed flavor. Pricing isn't a big challenge. The J & G Greenall at about $15 for a 750ml bottle (when on sale) is about 15% less than the Beefeater, but otherwise they sell for an identical $17.99 per 750ml bottle. It's really no contest. I'll take the Beefeater.14.99 USD per Bottle -
Iron Smoke CASKet Strength Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Fairport, NY, USA
Reviewed September 13, 2023 (edited September 15, 2023)Tasted at an event so take my notes with a grain of salt. Tasted neat. Color is indistinguishable from 80 proofer. Nose is more subtle than 80 proof. On palate this isnt bad. Reminds me of Benchmark barrel proof. Told its an $80 bottle. Hard pass for value. Unfortunately this is a 3 star whiskey with a 5 star price. 2 stars is a gift.79.99 USD per Bottle -
Iron Smoke Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Fairport, NY, USA
Reviewed September 13, 2023 (edited September 15, 2023)Tasted neat at a tasting, so add a grain of salt. Aged in 30g barrels, nice coppery color. Good nose. Lots of carmel. Fresh sawn wood, & creamed corn. Dry. Tart. Woody. Really dry. But sweet. Not complex at all. -
Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed August 6, 2023 (edited January 9, 2024)I'm not going into a lot of detail on the tasting notes here. This is a single barrel so there's variation from bottle to bottle and batch to batch. Suffice it to say that this is a thicker richer creamier version of wild turkey 101. Unfortunately at $60 it's more expensive than Rare Breed near me, which makes it a little bit less compelling.59.99 USD per Bottle -
I'm just finishing the last dram of my bottle. I came to this whiskey with no real knowledge of its origin story. That's one of the problems with bourbon in particular; there are so many stories and most of them are from brilliant marketing minds. At this point in my journey I tend to tune most of that out, sampling new expressions based on recommendations from friends, acquaintances and the occasional random bon vivant. Either that or I buy based on an interesting label, concise shelf-talker, or colorful stack-out. This is a pretty cool bottle and the shelf-talker mentioned Legent being finished in wine and sherry casks, so it was almost inevitable that it would end up in my rotation. This last sample from a bottle that's been open several weeks was enjoyed from a grappa coppita. The nose delivers a caramel and tart wine greeting followed by milk chocolate covered cherries. These are the notes I get, but somehow they are delivered sans saccharine or excess sweetness. The bouquet is ultimately woody and dry, moderately complex and slightly spicy. On the palate this opens with a sweet note that quickly dries, leaving a sweet aftertaste. There is a bit of ginger and black pepper, keeping this nicely balanced. Overall this is an above average sipper that combines the sweetness of a Jim Beam Single Barrel with a little bit of the bite of Old Grand Dad and the fruitiness of something like a Starward Nova. The finish is short and clean. Legent is just a bit thinner than optimal and that keeps this from getting a full four stars from me. That said, it is very nice and a good value. Where this whiskey really can shine is in a Manhattan cocktail. This bourbon loves vermouth. Carpano Classico, Carpano Antica, Cocchi di Torino, Martini & Rossi Ambrato all blended beautifully. Another bottle will likely find its way back into my collection as the weather cools this autumn and the clear drinks give way to darker spirits, and Manhattans take over from Martinis at the cocktail hour.34.99 USD per Bottle
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Old Forester 1897 Bottled In Bond
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed July 20, 2023 (edited August 17, 2023)This is the final taste of the bottle, enjoyed neat from a grappa copita. The nose off this polished walnut liquid is sweet with caramel, waxy crayons, burnt sugar, and slight ethanol. These notes lie on a bed of cherry cough drops. Its moderately complex, appealing and inviting but not exceptional in any way. On the palate this is slightly drier than the 1910. It doesn't have the sweetness or lushness of that expression, which is my favorite so far of the Old Forester Whiskey Row series. That said, it does have a measure of sweetness all its own that's balanced nicely by oak, barrel char and a hint of woody bitterness. The finish is moderate and fades to a dry, oaky smolder of black pepper. I've had this neat, on ice and in several cocktails. This was really at its peak in an Old Fashioned, particularly if a bit of Luxardo cherry syrup is used as the sweetener. It's quite good in almost any whiskey forward stirred cocktail. And maybe that's the problem with this expression. At near $55 it's not twice as good as Wild Turkey 101, or Knob Creek. It's a good cocktail whiskey, but it's priced with solid sippers that offer more complexity and a richer experience. 1897 is good stuff, but not exceptional.54.99 USD per Bottle -
Casamigos Blanco Tequila
Tequila Blanco — Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed July 11, 2023 (edited August 17, 2023)Purchased at Costco for the princely sum of $48 or so as an impulse buy. I'm not big into blanco tequila other than for mixing cocktails, although I love mezcal. And maybe mezcal, a recent addition to my fascinations, is why I'm impulse buying tequila; to see what I may have missed? I don't know. The answer is far less important than the question. And the question is 'what does this tequila taste like and is it worth adding to the bar?" Tasted neat from a shot glass, a copita and in cocktails as diverse as a tequila martini (60ml Blanco Tequila, 30ml Bianco Vermouth, orange bitters, orange twist garnish), Margarita, Mexican Mule and as a chilled shot (no training wheels). The nose is agave forward with a bit of lime citrus, vanilla, mint, coconut & slight ethanol. On the palate this is pleasingly sweet, very simple in profile and easy to drink. I hate the word "smooth" but I'm sure that's how many fans describe this. I'm thinking more "bland", "expected", "stereotype", and even "the MacCallan of tequila". In other words - and let's be perfectly clear here - this tastes good. Everyone will like it. Some will love it. A few will make a note in passing that they've had it and it doesn't need to be revisited because it's just not that interesting. Count me there as a member of that group. This is the tequila to bring to a party for people who want to do shots of tequila but are turned off by rough edges. You know, adults and like that. This isn't a cocktail tequila, lacking the spine to show through in a Margarita or other juice-forward concoction. I mean, it's okay and all but... there's better. No way this works in a good Bloody Maria, it's way too soft. Good taste if not at all demanding or daring, overpriced and a good flex for gift giving. Above average but not really... so 3 stars is a good compromise rating.48.99 USD per Bottle -
González Byass Vermouth La Copa Extra Seco
Vermouth — Jerez, Spain
Reviewed July 7, 2023 (edited August 17, 2023)Just purchased a 375 of this as I explore vermouth and sherry wines in the context of building cocktails. Here's the skinny on this one - best gin Martini vermouth I've had yet. Beats out Dolin Dry, Martini & Rossi, Noilly Pratt, Cinzano and a host of others. In fact, this is the best Martini vermouth I've tried so far. And I mean a lifetime of Martini's, btw. This is just ideal in a 3:1 with Botanist and a few drops of saline. Nothing more is needed. Delicate, light, complex, and satisfying. This vermouth offers hints of cinnamon, sweet grains, spice and green botanicals over a layer of tart, complex Fino sherry. There are notes of lemon, baking spices, bittering agents, floral elements and more. And its all in a harmonious balance whether consumed chilled, on ice or in a stirred cocktail. Impressive as a cocktail component and pretty tasty solo. Top recommendations!25.0 USD per Bottle
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