Reviews

Review #70 - Whisk(e)y #52 A 1L travel exclusive rum cask finish, bought for around 17 euros or so. Chill-filtered - Yes Added colour - Yes ABV - 40% Aspect - Golden colour, perhaps slight orange hue, relatively oily in glass. Nose - Sweet, honey, caramel, oak, crispbread - cereal, seeds, ripe apples, oranges, grain spice. Palate - Albeit initially quite viscous, sweet, with honey and caramel...it becomes thin on the mid-palate, with sharp and youthful grain spice and some orchard fruit. Finish - Short-medium...this is where the rum cask finish shines through! Sweet tropical fruit, prickly pineapple, mango, slight bitterness...along the lines of grapefruit towards the after-taste, with some cereal and herbal / vegetable notes. Very enjoyable! My first rum cask whisky, and it is really drinkable! Yes, it's rather thin...yes, it is mostly grain whisky, with barely any malted barley in its composition...yes it is youthful and sharp on the mid-palate...but for 17 euros per liter it can be very enjoyable for beginners, or people who drink whisky without overthinking aromas and chasing unchillfiltered high-proof single malts.

Review #69 - Whisk(e)y #51 A 1L travel exclusive bought for 42 eur including shipping. Chill-filtered - No (personal verdict :) ) Added Colour - ? ABV - 46% Aspect - Deep golden colour, with slight amber hue. Nose - Sweetness, raisin, strong oak spice, cinnamon, (salted) caramel, honey, vanilla, red apples, milk chocolate. Water brings forth a beautiful peach aroma. Palate - Herbal, oily, bready matliness, very strong spiciness on the front - mid-palate, which fades away to a very prominent and unique peach note! Very nice! Reminds me of Pecorino white wine :). The latter is brought forth with some water, and the spice is pleasantly diminished. Finish - Medium, slightly mineral, leading to dark chocolate bitterness, raisins and figs on the rather long after-taste and late pleasant, subtle seedy and cellery notes. A couple of water drops / ice bring a clear cloudiness, mist to the whiskey...likely unchillfiltered. It's a shame it is not mentioned on the bottle... Definitely not complex, yet very enjoyable, fruity and unique! So far I have not had a bad Bushmills...albeit the Original is the least enjoyable (also the cheapest).

Review #68 - Whisk(e)y #50 Bought for 39 EUR per 700ml. Chill-Filtered - No Added Colour - No ABV - 46% Aspect - Deep amber colour with golden accents, high viscosity in glass. Nose - Sweet, round, caramel, vanilla, old-dusty oak, malt, crème brûlée - caramelised brown sugar, underlying subtle spice, fresh orchard fruit (red apple), and some savory note...along the lines of slightly smoked meat. Air brings forth some pleasant sea salt and prominent figs. Palate - sweet, fruit - general dried fruit, caramel, honey, creamy and soft front-end, yet turns sharp-spiced, the latter quickly fading away to oak, roasted nuts, leather and some dryness. A couple of water drops make it dramatically more oily, and the spice is also heavily diminished. Finish - Medium-long...if not long. Lightly minerally, almost ever-so-slightly salty yet very creamy...salted caramel, brown sugar, slight herbal note as the finish progresses, turning to milk chocolate. After-taste is slightly bitter, along the lines of dark chocolate, with underlying figs and raisins, even red berries and almonds, showcasing some very late cellery note and finally prominent dates. Extremely long after-taste. Absolutely beautiful complexity and evolving aromas. The least linear whisky I have tasted this far, the palate-finish being an absolutely delightfully intriguing, long journey. Extremely positively surprised by this, especially at 10yo...and one of the best whiskies I have ever had (tasted 49 prior to this one). Rating System: 5.0 - Perfect 4.5 - Exceptional 4.0 - Very Good 3.5 - Good 3.0 - Decent 2.5 - Average 2.0 - Below Average 1.5 - Barely Drinkable 1.0 - Undrinkable 0.5 - JB

Review #67 - Whisk(e)y #49 I have no idea how I am opening the bottle this late in the liquor tasting journey, given its staple position in the community. I have purchased on offer for 23 EUR / L. Chill-filtered - Yes Added Colour - Yes ABV - 40% Aspect - Golden colour with orange hue, quite oily and viscous in glass. Nose - Sweetness, malt, caramel, honey, vanilla, oak, oak spice, cinnamon, with a herbal, green hint, some orchard fruit. Full, well rounded. Palate - Creamy front-end, caramel, honey, vanilla, turns sharp-spiced on the mid-palate, with more spice, cinnamon, oak, apple. Finish - Medium, with less sweetness and more oak presence here, dry, woody. After-taste features prominent cinnamon and mild cocoa, which turn to a more herbal-celery root aroma. I do understand why it is so loved by everyone, although I admit I was suspicious at first. Interesting flavour evolution, quintessential ex-bourbon maturation. For anyone looking for the best whisk(e)y in a similar price-range, I am happy to recommend this (ex-bourbon expression), alongside Bushmills Black Bush 80/20 (darker, PX-sherry influence) and the Dewar's 12 (in-between).

Review #66 - Whisk(e)y #48 Chill-filtered - Yes Added Colour - Yes ABV - 40% Aspect - Gold-amber colour. Nose - Sweet, malt, caramel, honey, oak, oak spice, slight grainy sharpness, general dried fruit, dryness, dark chocolate. Palate - Slightly creamy, malty and sweet on front-end, turns hot and, spicy, with oak on the mid-palate. As the harshness tames down, there is a burst of fresh orchard fruit sweetness, followed by dried fruit and dryness. Finish - Medium...perhaps even medium-long, dark, dried fruit, malt, raisins, caramel, honey, oaky dryness, pleasant subtle bitterness...dark chocolate after-taste, with crême brulée - caramelised sugar coming in later. I think for a bottle available at 23 EUR / L the finish remarkable, while the nose is also great...although harshness is clearly present on the mid-palate. Significantly better than the overly-bitter classic Black Bush, and it has just become a favourite in this price range, together with the Dewar's 12yo.

Review #65 - Whisk(e)y #47 Chill-filtered - No Added Colour - No ABV - 46% Aspect - Golden colour, oily in glass. Nose - Mellow, barely any alcohol, oak...or woody, different than usual...sandalwood?, oak spice, herbacious, greenery, honey, sweetness, caramel, vanilla, marzipan, dry. Palate - Creamy front end, sharp spicy and dry mid-palate, sweet, malty, caramel, honey, herbacious, orchard fruit, integrated dried fruit Finish - medium, creamy, cellery, dry after-taste with dried fruit, woody, slightly bitter...very subtle raisins. Compared to the Lustau, it is brighter, less sherry influence, no figs / distinguishable dried fruit. The Lustau seemed more interesting...However, from this taste pack, this seems to be the most mellow, with flavours that are best integrated together. Much more approachable and much easier to enjoy. Probably for me Lustau > 15yo >>> 12yo.

Review #64 - Whisk(e)y #46 Purchased as part of a Redbreast tasting pack, together with the 12yo and 15yo, all in 50ml format...and paid 25 euros. Not the cheapest pack, but the set sure is nice, with high quality packaging, magnetic opening to the box and so on. Chill-filtered - No Added Colour - No ABV - 46% Aspect - Golden colour with amber hue, very oily in glass. Nose - Rich, sweet, prominent sherry influence (finally), dried fruit, figs, dates, but especially raisins, oak, oak spice, dryness, ripe red apple, very subtle crispbread (especially compared to the 12yo), honey, caramel, vanilla. Palate - Creamy front-end, caramel, honey, turns suddenly very sharp spiced, profoundly so, slightly minty, remaining oily and sweet. The spice fades on the back-end, taking a secondary position. A bit of water mellows the spice and brings forth some crispbread notes. Finish - really quite long, dry oak spice in the back, quite bitter, prominent raisins, long after-taste with figgy accents. Substantially better than the 12yo, richer, much more complex, more balanced with evolving aromas and good mouthfeel. Nice nose and an absolutely delightful sherry finish...too spicy on the palate for my taste, but I will not dismiss it for that alone. All that considered, I do not believe that it is worth the asked price of around 70 euros for a full bottle. Rating System: 5.0 - Perfect 4.5 - Exceptional 4.0 - Very Good 3.5 - Good 3.0 - Decent 2.5 - Average 2.0 - Below Average 1.5 - Barely Drinkable 1.0 - Undrinkable 0.5 - JB

Review #63 - Whisk(e)y #45 Bought from duty free at 28 eur per liter, which seems like a good deal for this quantity. First Marsala cask whisk(e)y I try out, so let's see... Chill-filtered - Yes Added Colour - Yes ABV - 40% Aspect - Golden colour, not too watery in the glass. Nose - Crispbread, malt, oily, honey, cellery, caramel, vanilla...heavily reminds me of the Redbreast 12 on the nose! Fresh orchard fruit (apples, pear), plums, some alcohol and spice. Palate - Prominent spice, but tame, sweet, honey, caramel, crispbread, cereal, oak, dryness. On the back-end it really becomes unique and intriguing...not something I can pinpoint, but fruitiness for sure, complex, raisins, dates (both subtle and integrated). Finish - short-medium, dried fruit...raisins, very pleasant. I think this is quite similar in many ways to my tasting experience of the Redbreast 12, but it delivered where the latter did not! Unique, balanced, spice but well integrated. Rating System: 5.0 - Perfect 4.5 - Exceptional 4.0 - Very Good 3.5 - Good 3.0 - Decent 2.5 - Average 2.0 - Below Average 1.5 - Barely Drinkable 1.0 - Undrinkable 0.5 - JB