Tastes

Neat in Glencairn at home. Nose has oak, black pepper, clove, orange peel. Taste is a bit dry, with hay, oak, pepper, allspice, and a lingering dry spicy finish. Heat comes on late and lingers. OK. 11/22/19.

Neat in Glencairn at home. Nose has some nice fruit notes, mainly apricot and pear, with spice and smoke coming though at the back. Taste has oak and peat, spice and smoke, green apple, heather. Nice long peaty finish. I am big fan of both Nick Offerman and Lagavulin, and - thus acknowledging the real possibility of a subconscious bias - I am a really big fan of this whisky. More nuanced than the 16, but still retains that smoky peat awesomeness I expect from this distillery. Highly recommend. 11/19/19

Neat in Glencairn at home. Nose is tons of pear with some grains and mild brine. Taste has some peat smoke notes, particularly on the back end, with apples, heather, and sea breeze coming in and out. The sea breeze lingers for a while, with some grains mixing in. Quite decent, though far from stellar. 11/18/19.

Glencairn neat at Breezy's, then another strong pour in a little Bowman snifter neat at home, both courtesy of - and along with - Matt the Lion. Spicy yet smooth, alcohol well masked, just delicious. Great mouth-coating spices, with vanilla and char adding to the punch. This is like a super Baker's cask strength blend for me. Awesome. 11/16/19 Edit: I liked it enough to drive today after work to a pop-up VA ABC holiday kiosk at a busy mall (torture, just torture) to buy a bottle after having tasted it. $124.99 is a tough ask, but on this one, I was happy to pay it.

Neat in Glencairn at home. Nose is nutty, with vanilla and oak (surprise), some dusty hay, mild cinnamon. No burn. Taste brings some heat on the front, dissipates through mid palate, then returns for a nice lingering soft spice. More nuts, vanilla, meadow grass, with some definite dryness towards the end. I think I get the name choice: the description of the biscuits Booker liked emphasized their dryness, and this definitely has that character. If I am being honest, not really a fan. Adding some water helps a little, bringing out the spice more, but the finish is still dry, even xerostomic. Swing and a miss.

750ml neat in Glencairn at home. Near hazmat level, so expecting some heat on this one. Nose is nutty, with lots of vanilla and caramel, some mild oak. Sweet, with some ethanol coming on late. Taste is more vanilla, ripe red apples, then the heat comes smashing in, bringing oak and spice to the party. Lingering hot spicy end. This batch has more heat than others I have had - it is higher proof, so that is on the one hand to be expected, but on the other hand the proof typically didn't make much difference in other batches, with the smooth vanilla and caramel winning out. This batch packs a real punch. Add 3 drops of water. Nose is a bit more complex, with spice notes subbing in for the ethanol. Taste is similar, with more spice and vanilla shining through over the heat. 11/6/19. Verdict: definitely add some water, this batch is no joke, but really nice.

750ml in Glencairn at home. Nose has stone fruit, mainly apples, with some citrus, peach, heather, and an ethanol tail. Taste is complex, with apples over brine and mild campfire, touch of Christmas spices coming on, then some bittersweet burnt caramel and clove. Drinks hotter than it is. More interesting than good, I'm afraid. 11/4/19

50ml poured neat in a Glencairn at home. Nose has candied orange peel, fruitcake, vinous notes. Sweet. Nice. The cognac cask has done its work. Taste is a touch astringent and bittersweet, the orange peel has lost its candy, replaced by darker fruit like dates, raisins. Leaves a bitter and frankly unpleasant lingering heat on the back roof of the mouth. If the taste was more in line with the nose, I would like this so much more. As it is, not a fan. 10/18/19

10/12/19 Beer Bourbon & BBQ fest in Leesburg