Tastes

Nose - orange blossom, fresh cut flower, honey, peach, almond, powdered sugar, apricot, cocoa, caramel apple, light vanilla, grass, cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet oak, mint, lemon, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - orange zest, grapefruit, grass, green apple, salted caramel, sweet floral notes, vanilla, peach, cinnamon, dark chocolate, clove, honey, apricot, bitter oak, spearmint, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with citrus zest, mint, chocolate, and light baking spice flavors. The only Bushmills I’ve experienced is the Original, which was rather mediocre, as expected. Let’s see if some aging significantly improves it. TLDR it does. The nose is beautifully delicate, fruity, and floral. It’s reminiscent of walking through an apple orchard. Crisp fruitiness abounds with sweet honey, malty chocolate, and a light touch of nuttiness. The palate is similar, but the citrus and creamy chocolate notes are accentuated. Some sour grapefruit comes through as well. Interestingly, there’s a sharper bite than I expected. I’m not sure whether it’s an oakiness or a bitter nut note, but there’s a spicy, tannic quality that builds around the mid palate. Overall, this is great stuff. I think the nose is outstanding and the palate is solid, albeit slightly underwhelming. There’s a nice contrast between the delicate aromas and the more robust flavors. It‘s in the same territory as some of the best Irish whiskies I’ve tasted. And at around $200, I think this is priced right for a tasty, well aged whisky. Many thanks to @ContemplativeFox for the sample.

Nose - toffee, creamed corn, mint, marshmallow, vanilla, cherry, cinnamon, brown sugar, clove, light oak, candy corn, pineapple, toasted coconut, orange blossom, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - caramel, vanilla, apple, clove, sweet floral notes, underripe banana, walnut, brown sugar, cherry, orange zest, light oak, black pepper, mint, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with caramel, baking spice, and mint flavors. I received a package today with some goodies in the form of surprise whiskey samples. I recognized all the names with the exception of this one, Still Austin. Founded in 2015, Still Austin is the first distillery (legally) located within Austin since Prohibition. They specialize in producing grain-to-glass whiskies. This cask strength release was a limited edition of only 1,100 cases, so I don’t think it’s readily available to purchase at the moment, at least until the next release drops later this year. The nose is light, corny, fruity, and creamy. Some mint and clove from the rye component follow closely behind. Hidden in the background is a subtle tropical fruit note. The palate is classic high rye bourbon, but there are more floral and fruit flavors than I usually find with the category. It’s actually really nice, however the youth is hard to ignore. This is very good two year old bourbon, but alas it’s two year old bourbon, and it doesn’t have the robust richness that young Balcones or Garrison Brothers achieve. Nonetheless, Still Austin was able to deliver something unique with this special release, and I dig it. A huge shout-out to @jonwilkinson7309 for sending this one along with some other great whiskies I’ll be cracking soon.

Nose - banana pudding, toffee, buttercream frosting, cherry, strawberry, lemon, marshmallow, powdered sugar, coconut, candied pecan, cinnamon, taffy, green apple, fresh oak, resin, mint, orange blossom, grass, cocoa, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - underripe banana, green apple, powdered sugar, toffee, lemon, cherry, orange zest, milk chocolate, strawberry, cinnamon, vanilla cream, bitter herbal notes, clove, earthy mint, spicy oak, grass, black pepper, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with underripe banana, sweet red fruit, chocolate, and baking spice flavors. This is highly complex whisky. Each time I nose the glass, I find completely new aromas and old ones morphing into something different. The wine influence is front and center, with juicy red fruit and citrus making a strong showing. As with Green Spot, there is a significant banana quality, manifesting on the nose as banana pudding and on the palate as underripe banana. Unfortunately, it’s not without flaws. There’s a nontrivial amount of bitterness and sourness on the palate. The palate isn’t disappointing, it’s just not in the same league as the nose. Regardless, this is a classic that has taken far too long for me to review. I opened my bottle a year ago, and I think it’s actually improved significantly over time. Either that or time has made my heart grow fonder. I wish it tastes as good as it smells, but this is great whisky that outshines its younger Green Spot sibling. Now I need to get my hands on some Red Spot and Blue Spot.

Nose - peanut toffee, nutella, vanilla, milk chocolate, cherry, apple, orange blossom, cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet oak, marshmallow, graham cracker, leather, mint, black pepper, dry floral notes, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - caramel, vanilla, cherry, peanut butter, graham cracker, toasted marshmallow, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, leather, orange zest, black pepper, sour apple, rich oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with caramel, baking spice, and sour apple flavors. Holy peanuts! Is this a Beam product? If I didn’t know better, I might have mistaken this for some double oaked JB release. The nose is all sorts of nuts. Peanut butter, nutella, toffee, peanut brittle. Some more traditional bourbon aromas appear as well. Leather, baking spices, and sweet fruit, with a decent oak backbone. The palate delivers much of the same, but a bit of unwelcome sourness encroaches, a mix between orange peel and sour apple. The finish is above average, with a mouthfeel falling somewhere between thick and thin. Overall, this is really good bourbon, but the flaws I mentioned above hold it back from greatness. Unfortunately, Peerless charges a premium for all their products, and $80 is steep for a four year old whiskey that’s not magical. At least with Booker’s at around the same price, you get something that’s a minimum of six years old. Many thanks to @pkingmartin for the sample. I’d like to try more Peerless offerings, but will do so via samples or restaurant pours, instead of purchasing a bottle anytime soon.

Nose - brown sugar, salted caramel, strawberry, raisin, vanilla cream, honey, orange zest, baked banana, black pepper, apple, tar, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecan praline, chocolate ganache, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - salted caramel, bananas foster, cinnamon, hay, lemon and orange zest, dark chocolate, vanilla ice cream, honey, subtle peat, strawberry, raisin, tar, chili pepper flavor, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, candied pecan, baked apple, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with salted caramel, strawberry, nutty chocolate, and baking spice flavors. This is the third and final Glen Scotia I’ll be reviewing for now, and it’s another 14 Year cask strength, but finished in Port casks this time. The nose greets you with much of the same Glen Scotia backbone present on the standard 15 Year release, but the Port makes itself known with a jammy strawberry quality. Additionally, the chocolate aroma is darker and there’s a rich, nutty praline note that draws you in deeper. The palate is excellent. It’s liquified, boozy banana split with all the fixins. This is also the first time I picked up on the ginger that others find with Glen Scotia offerings. The strong citrus note is present as well, but it’s much more well integrated than on the 15 Year and 14 Year Rum Cask. It’s inviting and mouthwatering here, not sour and harsh. What a great whisky, and a nice way to end my Glen Scotia tasting miniseries! This Port cask bottling is richly decadent and would be a more apt namesake for Hedonism than the Compass Box release by the same name. It’s delicious and completely changes my mind about what Glen Scotia can offer. A huge thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for the taste. You were right. I saved the best for last.

Nose - toasted banana, milk chocolate, Nilla Wafer, subtle smoke, pineapple, molasses, black pepper, nutmeg, honey, lemon, hay, sunscreen, salted caramel, vanilla cream, baked apple, cinnamon, cookie dough, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - honey, almond, bananas foster, brown sugar, salted caramel, molasses, vanilla ice cream, chili pepper, pineapple, bitter herbal notes, burnt toast, sour apple, charred orange, lemon oil, rubber, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with burnt caramel, baking spice, and bitter herbal flavors. Coming off the heels of the standard 15 Year, I didn’t have very high hopes for this one. It’s a year younger, but at least it’s cask strength and adds an interesting rum element. So the rum is definitely present on the nose. Actually, I think it was a good choice in a finish, highlighting and transforming the subtle banana note on the classic into a sweeter, baked banana dessert quality. Molasses, honey, and sweet and salty caramel shine through as well. The palate is similarly sweeter and more dessert-like than the original, although many of the same flavors are here. Sour apple, citrus, bitter herbal notes, and a bready quality, although it manifests as burnt cookie here instead of a generalized yeastiness. It’s not an amazing palate, but great in its own right. Maybe it’s the higher proof, maybe it’s the rum finish, but this is absolutely better than the 15 Year. However in my opinion, it suffers from some of the same issues. It’s a bit too sour and bitterly herbal, although I’m more willing to excuse the flaws here than on its counterpart. A big thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for this special sample. I’m looking forward to the 2020 Port finish version I’ll be reviewing tomorrow.

Nose - salted caramel, vanilla, charred orange, apple, white wine, milk chocolate, cereal grain, honey, white pepper, nutmeg, lemon, sweet floral notes, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - lemon and orange zest, salted caramel, vanilla cream, yeast, chili pepper, floral and herbal notes, subtle smoke, toasted banana, cocoa, cinnamon, clove, sour apple, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with citrus zest, cocoa, and herbal flavors. I love Campbeltown whiskies, or rather I love Springbank, which is the only Campbeltown distillery I’ve experienced. Let’s see what the rest of the region has to offer. Right off the bat, I know I won’t like this as much as its 15 year old Springbank counterpart. The nose hits with salted caramel, chocolate, honey, and a double dose of citrus. The palate holds some toasted banana, a nontrivial amount of graininess, sour apple, and more of those strong citrus notes. This is good whisky, but it’s not great whisky. There are some nice aromas and flavors, but for 15 years old, there’s more grain character than I’d like and it’s generally too sour to deserve a higher rating from me. I look forward to tasting different Glen Scotia expressions, but I won’t be buying another bottle of this at the $100 I paid. However, it appears that this can be had for cheaper, so at $70 it may be worth pulling the trigger.

Nose - fig, plum, apricot, cinnamon, raisin, sulfur, black pepper, clove, strawberry jam, barrel spice, grass, honey, nut, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sour apple, plum, apricot, dry vanilla, raisin, orange zest, caramel, grass, lemon, allspice, clove, black pepper, meaty sulfur, date, spiced nut, bitter herbal notes, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with dry fruit, baking spice, and bitter herbal flavors. Last up on my Virginia Distillery Co is this Sherry cask offering. The sherry influence immediately hits you on the nose. The dry, spiced fruit and nuttiness are strong. This is the only of the three cask releases that would have probably fooled me into thinking it was from Scotland. The palate is bold, citrusy, jammy, and spicy. However, there’s a nontrivial sulfurous note that doesn’t altogether ruin the nose and palate, but it’s certainly unwelcome. This reminds me of Glenmorangie Lasanta, and I think it’s about on par with it as well. Both have some nice sherry influence, but fall short with the execution. The same insidious sulfur note sneaks in and puts a damper on the entire experience. Of the three Courage & Conviction cask releases, the Cuvée is my favorite. I’m not sure whether I like this or the Bourbon cask better, but they’re fairly close for me. Still, the flagship Courage & Conviction bottling remains my number one (and it’s cheaper than the three cask editions), although I likely won’t pick one up due to the premium pricing.

Nose - cranberry, raspberry, caramel, vanilla, orange zest, lemon, cinnamon, cocoa, yeast, grass, black pepper, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - salted caramel, raspberry, vanilla, lemon and orange zest, cocoa, clove, red wine, nutmeg, plum, sour apple, grass, burnt toast, black pepper, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with raspberry, citrus zest, and cocoa flavors. This is day two of my three part Courage and Conviction & Conviction cask series. The Cuvée cask release starts with a nose that’s obviously influenced by red wine. It’s jammy raspberry and cranberry, with a double dose of grassy, citrusy freshness. The palate affirms the red wine influence with some strongly salted caramel and a borderline burnt toast, cocoa note that carries through the finish. This is not quite at the level of the flagship Courage & Conviction release, but it’s better than the Bourbon cask for me. This is still a 3.0 on my scale, but it’s certainly a stronger contender than its counterpart. The improvement I see is the presence of darker notes to balance the sour brightness of the Bourbon cask offering. While still bright and green, it’s more well balanced, with the red wine adding some much needed depth to the experience. It’s not worth the price of a bottle, but snag a miniature for $3 if you enjoy wine influences.

Nose - vanilla, grass, dry herbal and floral notes, orange zest, peach, green apple, cinnamon, lemon meringue, toffee, light oak, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - green apple, pear, grass, salted caramel, dry vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon, bitter floral and herbal notes, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with green apple, lemon zest, and bitter herbal flavors. I’m revisiting Virginia Distillery Co sooner than expected, after being disappointed by the Port cask finished offering. I saw this miniature at the VA ABC, along with the Sherry and Cuvée cask releases, so I snagged all three. The nose is fresh and citrusy. Bourbon cask aromas abound, but only the high, light notes. There’s some floral, herbal grassiness in the mix as well. The palate follows suit with light, sour fruit and citrus zest. Some baking spices present with more floral and herbal notes, but they’re more bitter here than on the nose. Overall, this is a step up from the Port cask finished release, but not by very much. It lacks depth, like a radio with the treble cranked up and the bass flatlined. If you like bright, fresh, and effervescent malts, this may be for you. It’s just above average for me.