Tastes
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Nose - orange zest, salted caramel, banana, pecan, walnut, brown sugar oatmeal, chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, miso, sweet cream, water chestnut, barrel spice, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - raisins, orange zest, chocolate, salted caramel and toffee, banana foster, coconut, creamy vanilla ice cream, chili pepper, mild soy sauce, miso, grape, sweet and spicy barrel notes, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, spearmint, moderate alcohol bite, finishing moderately long with lingering creamy vanilla, pepper, and sweet nutty flavors. The subtlety of the nose belies the explosion of flavor hidden beneath. This is like drinking a dessert, multiple different desserts, yet it maintains a beautiful harmony between the sweet, sour, spicy, and savory components without one dominating the others. This is delicious; every sip unearths a flavor I missed in the previous and pulls me back in for another.
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Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed August 5, 2020 (edited December 11, 2020)Nose - pear, apple skin, honey, grape, caramel, vanilla, cereal grain, oat, brine, brown sugar, floral tea, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - honey, pear, apple, caramel, vanilla, cereal grain, granola, brown sugar, cola, mild brine, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium length with citrus, cereal grain, and honey flavors. This is tasty, but I think it suffers from the high proof. If it were a bit more diluted, I think more of the delicate complexity would shine. -
Ron Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva Rum
Aged Rum — Venezuela
Reviewed August 4, 2020 (edited December 2, 2020)Nose - butterscotch, vanilla, thyme, cinnamon, allspice, root beer, ginger snap, molasses, anise, overripe banana, grape, low ethanol burn. Taste - butterscotch, caramel, root beer, thyme, cinnamon, syrupy molasses, anise, grape, mint, vanilla, low alcohol bite, finishing moderately long with lingering minty molasses and root beer flavors. This is the first rum I’ve reviewed. It’s extremely sweet, which I’m not very accustomed to in a spirit. However, the depth of flavor is enticing and altogether tasty. After this experience, I’m definitely interested in trying more of them. -
Virginia Distillery Co. Courage & Conviction Dr. George G. Moore Batch
American Single Malt — Virginia, USA
Reviewed August 3, 2020 (edited May 1, 2021)Nose - raisin, plum, red fruit, caramel, orange zest, banana, vanilla, peanut, cocoa, high ethanol burn. Taste - Hawaiian Punch, raspberry and other juicy red fruit, nut and raisin (from the sherry cask, but it’s not overpowering like some can be), black pepper, spicy barrel notes, cocoa, banana, vanilla, peanut, moderate to high bright alcohol bite, finishing quickly with fading fruity nuttiness, chocolate, and barrel spice. For some reason, I wanted to dislike this one, but I don’t. It’s not amazing, but a solid first release for the Virginia Distillery Co. You can tell it’s a young expression, due to the bright, spicy alcohol bite. It’s very sweet (which I don’t particularly like), but it’s not cloying or off-putting. The nose is fairly flat and obscured by the ethanol fumes, but the flavor profile is complex and unique. Looking forward to the distillery’s next release. -
Tequila Ocho Plata Los Nopales 2017
Tequila Blanco — Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed August 2, 2020 (edited December 11, 2020)Nose - strong cooked agave, butter, creamy custard, tropical fruit, unripened banana, mild black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, lime, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sweet cooked agave, creamy vanilla, pineapple, rocky minerality, black pepper, mint, subtle banana, caramel, nutmeg, cinnamon, lime, mild alcohol bite, finishing quickly with fading pepper, mild citrus, and creamy caramel flavors. I don’t have experience with many blancos yet, but I find the complex combination of creamy, sweet, sour, and peppery notes quite delicious. -
Siete Leguas Blanco Tequila
Tequila Blanco — Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed August 1, 2020 (edited February 5, 2023)Nose - cooked agave, black and chili pepper, lemon, lime, wet grass, butter, tomato, sharp minerality, flan, nutmeg, clove, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - cooked agave, clay, prickly chili pepper, spearmint, lemon, lime, pineapple, subtle banana, hay, buttery vanilla, yeast, earthy mineral water, vegetal funk, custard cream, clove, nutmeg, mild alcohol bite, finishing medium length with black pepper, vegetal, and mild buttery vanilla flavors. -
Clase Azul Tequila Reposado
Tequila Reposado — Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed July 29, 2020 (edited February 1, 2021)Nose - marshmallow fluff, cream soda, subtle agave, wet grass, nougat, tea, baking spice, mint, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - cooked agave, marshmallow, sweet cream, Zero candy bar, cinnamon, apples, honey, raisin and pecan (similar to a sherried scotch), clove, nutmeg, grass, lemon, lime, nonexistent alcohol bite. This is super sweet, tasty, and well engineered, however I know tequila aficionados scoff at the inclusion of additives that detract from the expression’s purity. It’s a good tequila to introduce to non-tequila drinkers. I can imagine this appealing to most palates. It’s also extremely overpriced for what it is, although the handmade and hand painted bottle is pretty cool. -
Corralejo Reposado Tequila
Tequila Reposado — Guanajuato, Mexico
Reviewed July 28, 2020 (edited December 2, 2020)Nose - fungal mushroom, funky moist decomposing grass, rotten wood, oily overcooked vegetables, soggy cereal, stewed pear, black pepper, lime, vanilla, clove, whiff of smoke, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - stewed agave, savory mushroom, cereal, oil after cooking vegetables, funky earth, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, mild fishiness, subtle smoke, spicy barrel notes, mild alcohol bite, finishing moderately long with lingering baking spice, savory vegetal, and spicy oak flavors. -
Don Julio Añejo Tequila
Tequila Añejo — Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed July 27, 2020 (edited January 28, 2021)Nose - agave, prickly pear, bamboo, green spicy wood, buttery lemon, tomato, lime, apple, grass, honey, vanilla, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - bright agave, green wood, black pepper, mint, vanilla, butterscotch, toffee, floral spice, marshmallow, caramel, sweet tobacco, clove, cinnamon, wisp of smoke, mild alcohol bite, finishing fast with fading pepper and green flavors. This is my first tequila review, after focusing exclusively on whiskey. My prior experience with tequila was rail shots with salt and lime, so I never really gave myself a chance to enjoy quality ones. I find the Don Julio to be pretty good and believe that it stands up against many of the whiskies I’ve reviewed. Looking forward to experiencing more of them. -
Wild Turkey Diamond Anniversary Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed May 15, 2020 (edited January 3, 2022)Nose - black tea, cherry, apple, chalky caramel, spiced vanilla, bubble gum, dry peanut must (similar to the Beam funk, but not quite as funky), horehound, mild licorice, sweet subtle oak, light cinnamon, mild ethanol burn. Taste - black tea, cherry, grape, strong (but not bitter) oak notes, peanut, licorice, black pepper, slight rye spice, caramel, sweet tobacco, dry spiced vanilla, almost nonexistent alcohol bite, finishing long and mellow with lingering, sweet and mildly tannic earthy tea flavors. I rarely get tea flavors with bourbon, and never this strongly before. While I generally like higher proof bourbons better, I disagree with some of the other reviewers who indicated this would be better at a higher proof. It is wonderfully mellow; all the harsh edges have been rounded off by time. Reminds me of lounging on a big front porch on a hot summer day drinking sweet iced tea. There are bourbons whose flavor profiles I like better, but this feels perfectly balanced and masterfully engineered. However, for my money I’d rather have two bottles of ECBP.
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