Tastes
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Springbank 12 Year Burgundy Wood
Single Malt — Campbeltown, Scotland
Reviewed December 2, 2018 (edited July 16, 2019)I tried this for the first time with @KoryH in April, sipped on it again in late May after J and I found out we were going to be parents, savored it at the beach in July, and have spent time with it on candlelit Saturday nights and on contemplative Sunday afternoons. Last night I finished off a generous pour after an excruciating week of witnessing the deepest evils humans are capable of. Much like life as I’ve experienced it lately, this 2016 limited release whisky from Springbank is a nemesis, complicated and multifaceted. The analogy breaks down in that this whisky is beautiful and delightful through and through. On the nose is salted papaya, the heavy aroma of late-summer gardenia, new leather, Manuka honey, black plums, and rhubarb. The longer it sits, the more the sweet wineyness mellows out, and the maritime signature wafts up as the dram continues to open up. The palate is thick and sweet in the front – pomegranate being added to the flavors from the nose. Mid-palate, brine and spice follow the deep fruitiness. Cardamom, tarragon, cayenne-dusted cashews, crushed pepper… At the back of the mouth these sensations are tied together by a deep maltiness and luxurious roundness. This whisky is tannic and heated, numbing the cheeks and gums. The finish is a wash of berries, seawater, nuts, and maltiness, and its burn fades on the tongue only after several minutes. This exquisite whisky invokes daydreams of a chilly day at a North Atlantic beach, saturated with red wine. I’m so glad to have experienced this well-balanced and beautifully crafted single malt. Its sweetness, though tantalizing, never outshines the Springbank richness. What a memorable bottle of whisky… -
Port Charlotte Islay Barley
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed November 10, 2018 (edited March 11, 2019)Islay Barley pours a flax-colored liquid into my glass. The nose is surprising—cinnamon bread, iodine, dried orange peel, and the striking scent of fresh thyme (oily, savory, and floral sweet all at once). The palate follows well, and I get impressions of crisp gala apples, moist mellow pipe tobacco, orange–vanilla cream, and grilled fruit. A smoky and sweet tobacco-like finish with an impeccable alcohol burn lingers on the palate. The mouthfeel is simultaneously oily and cleansing. This is an afternoon dram, one that enlivens and refreshes the senses. -
Kilchoman Machir Bay (2016 Edition)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed September 15, 2018 (edited November 17, 2019)Similar to earlier vintages. Lovely medicinal peat, tarred rope, and sea salt. Cedarwood plays a forward role on the palate, and mellow vanilla and light fruit follow. The aromatic wood and peat character dominate, and the dram’s finish is spicy and heated. Tasted in the great company of @heymitch at Dressel’s. -
BenRiach Curiositas 10 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed July 22, 2018 (edited June 12, 2019)It’s raining outside, a gentle shower after a midsummer thunderstorm. The trees are dripping, and thunder and lightning fade into the distance. The aroma boasts vegetal peat. It is neither oily nor meaty, neither salty nor smoky — it just smells like mossy, boggy peat, and wonderfully so. Curiositas is buttery and creamy actually, both on the palate and in the mouthfeel. I taste marzipan, fresh cracked cardamom pods, and lemon peel. With the rounded and rather malty foundation, though, there are nuances, among them the sensation of floral jasmine after a rain shower. The juniper-like and peppery finish is somehow cooling. It’s not an easygoing dram per se, but it’s certainly one that I’d introduce to peat newcomers, and is overall a stellar quotidian malt. The creamy mouthfeel is elevated and the dram becomes sweetened when accompanied by an Hoyo de Monterrey de José Gener cigarillo, as it was tonight on the front porch. -
The appearance is very dark, though I’m afraid it is a result of caramel coloring. The nose is rich and sticky: cinnamon roll, candied blood orange, sherry, and anise swirl upward. The smell is the most exciting part of this dram. The initial taste is richly malty and heavy on toasted oak, and while it takes some time for other notes to show up, I eventually perceive molasses, Manuka honey, buttered bread, and ginger snaps. The mouthfeel is symptomatic of what is lacking in this whisky – up front it is thin and rather impotent, while it is syrupy towards the back in a more medicinal way. The finish is also lackluster, mostly reiterating the above notes (spice driven, oaked, and sweet) and leaving a sugar-and-spice aftertaste. This is a dessert whisky, but not one that I’d buy a bottle of. The GlenDronach, in comparison, is far more refined, nuanced, and exquisite. The difference in craft shows here. This dram sponsored by @KoryH.
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Ardbeg Corryvreckan
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed January 8, 2018 (edited December 6, 2020)I have been saving the last of my slightly mellowed bottle of Ardbeg 10 to pair with this. I’m amazed at the visuals here. Corryvreckan is amber-gold with a deep mauve hue. The nose is sticky, and the first impression is of a bottle of el refresco famoso Sangría Señorial, freshly opened. The nosing then reveals raspberry creme and sweet pipe tobacco. While the peat is shrouded behind the more vinous aromas, patience confirms that this is a seaside whisky. The elixir coats like wax, and it numbs the tongue with sticky, high-proof heat. I experience this dram as meaty and fruity, like pork tenderloin with a raspberry peppercorn glaze. Salted pecans and rich butterscotch also show up in the body, while there are lovely floral overtones like tarragon and clover. The smoldering, 114-proof finish is woody and musty and lasts a lifetime. The aftertaste betrays the wine cask influence as well as chamomile and remnant smoke. Now, to compare it to its sibling, dear Uigeadail. I would be hard pressed to say which was better. They’re both one of a kind. (I know that’s a cop-out, because my father says the same thing, but everyone knows my younger brother is the favorite.) What I can say for sure is that Uigeadail is more enigmatic, whereas Corryvreckan is more voluminous and centripetal (as it’s namesake would imply). It coalesces more, in other words; the wine casks seem to finish off this malt well, adding a flare while tying things together nicely. Like Uigeadail, Corryvreckan is an envigorating and sensational whisky. Even though I sip it slowly, its presence is gladly felt. -
Booker's Bourbon Batch 2016-06 "Noe Hard Times"
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed January 1, 2018 (edited March 14, 2020)At a New Years gathering and someone said there was Bookers. I said, “Ooooh, what kind?” It’s this guy. The nose starts out sour and oaky. As it rises from the glass it becomes a drying aroma. It gives the impression of opening up an antique wooden chest. On the palate, there are herbs and spices up front, like basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. There is a juicy berry sweetness mid-palate, and lots of complexity at the back. Mouthwatering and incredibly astringent, this bourbon finishes burning all the way down, numbing and soothing. What I needed all 2017 but only got at its end. (Partially kidding.) -
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2016 Madeira Cask
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed December 27, 2017 (edited October 29, 2019)Rosé hue. Appearance unlike any I’ve seen. It is a liquid jewel. The nose is also really special. Salted raisin, orange blossom honey, cardamom immediately, with rich and earthy peat surfacing as it opens up. Overall the nose weds smoky and sweet, presuming smoked game bird altogether. First on the palate is the classic Laphroaig peat punch. The second wave is rather hot, with smoldering cigar and madeira coming through. Hints of candied hibiscus. It took time to realize it, but for me the punchline of this dram is buttery, melt-in-your-mouth empire biscuit (Scottish shortbread with berry jam). This whisky gets sweeter as it goes down, but that sweetness is not a sugary sweet. Like the nose would suggest, it is rather a peppery, meaty sweetness. I will say, though, that the meatiness isn’t necessarily a dominant aspect of this malt in the way that I might characterize the Lagavulin. The richness is more central. To take a more apophatic route, it’s definitely not cloying. The mouthfeel is oily, but not uniformly so. It’s also waxy, but very smooth. It’s really a unique mouthfeel that evokes salivation. Cairdeas 2016 leaves with a maritime finish and a medicinal burn that diminishes to an impressive aftertaste of patacón, Che berry, and musted grape skins. -
The color is deep amber. The nose is an impression in itself: A light, but consistent rain is falling as I am walking through a woodland setting sometime during the Lenten season. It's one of those existentially rich, pensive moments outdoors where my being and the earth's feel especially uniform to one another. I come upon an ancient, gnarly evergreen, and at its base on the exposed roots there is a bright green tuft of moss. I stoop down to the ground and gently smell the simple scene: the rain-soaked moss, earthy and storied; the old evergreen, sweet, resinous, and vibrant. With time, the arboreal nose evolves into a more classically maritime one. Notes include worn leather, sultanas, tree sap, peat, black peppercorns, balsamic reduction, onion jam, maduro tobacco leaves, and Japanese pine incense. The mouthfeel is balanced, the oak tannins and the oiliness working together seamlessly with the peat flavors. The finish is a wave of salinity, dried chile árbol, fig preserves, and plum skin. When the finish diminishes at long last, sweet peat and light smoke remain on the palate. This malt is a paradox: austere as much as it is mundane. It is definitely one of the most special bottles in my collection.
Results 51-60 of 144 Reviews