Tastes

Really happy I wasn't the one to add this. A touch sad I'll have to lower the score since a 5.0 seems comical if someone has you know drank whisky. So full disclosure I've had the pleasure of getting some samples from the guys involved in this. I got to try their 5.5 year for free and got a sample of this while it was aging, well before it was done aging in the toasted barrel. Lets just say, I'm REALLY glad they weren't done aging the sample cause that was NOT good. But yeah I might have been biased but this all started with my praise for their batch 2 12 year which I fell in love with. Nose - vanilla and over ripe banana. Now my scotch fans will be like "omg YOUNG" and while that's not false this one kinda works. Honestly I get a white board marker with that alcohol and sweetness note big time. As I dig in I get more cream and vanilla and just robust flavors. Taste - Now I get more shoe varnish, vanilla, creme, bananas, and chocolate. That said there's a funky oaky and cardboard and water oak and what not going on. This is normally a flaw in a bourbon but here it's crazy complex and unique. I can't lie for under 70 this is a fun whisky. Solid 2.25 and a winner imo. I mean guys 2.25 for a 65 dollar whisky and it's polarizing? Oh yeah that's one to buy and checkout.

Nose - Spicy as hell rye with this vegetable funky note. I jokingly have said there's a note of swamp ass and I'm not backing down on that. Still mint and steamed vegetables and wet oak are here. taste - A complex as hell whisky to real extremes. That said a disjointed whisky is complex, but it's not good. This is somewhere between a disjointed mess and actually good. You get all these rye notes of mint and spearmint, and just this rye spice sweetness that I get so often. There's a hint of christmas. Still this comes off young and spirited and youthful. It's funky and weird and odd. 2.0 it's actually pretty interesting and it's so complex I have to score it that high.

Well, lets just do this. Nose - so the bourbon is really light on the nose. Vanilla. So I gave it a bit of a shake and I'm getting some vegetable notes. So I don't get peat here, just vegetable notes and some vanilla notes. It's kinda boring. When I shook it I get some alcohol, it was harsh but that's not normal, unless you're shaking the hell out of a glass to get a nose, this won't happen. Add 10 minutes in the glass. OK I get more traditional bourbon oak and vanilla notes. There's a hint of a mint too which I associate with rye, not sure where that's coming from. This is a bit higher rye mash bill than some bourbons. Taste - This is the most disjointed whisky I can think of. Now that's not bad by itself. The taste to finish is about as long and complex as I can think of with a 4 year old whisk. So it's vanilla, steamed funky vegetables, hints of oak, and really minty spearmint and oak. So is it good? Not really. I love the long lingering finish and the complexity. I however don't really enjoy any of the flavors or what we get with all that. A lot of those notes I think are harping on this is young bourbon AND they added this odd peat that doesn't work here. I think these needed 5 or so more years of age to work. I just can't see why or who would like this. If you're looking for strange and unique whisky this is one to try. I don't hate it and I don't think this is without any value. So 1 star. I'd avoid the hell out of this. Given this was a one off distillery pick only and they sold out in an hour. Don't chase this secondary unless you're just a fan boy of weird. If that's you then have at it.

Nose - At first I really can't get past the dusty oaky and nutty notes. Instantly has me thinking Jim Beam though Heaven Hill isn't impossible either. However if you dig down you get into a really rich leathery sweetness. There's some classic bourbon but it's being shifted and sweetened by the XO casks. They really do come off rather nicely here. Taste - Up front it's smooth and light, almost instantly the XO sweetness picks as it moves back. I've let this open a bit and the oak and dusty/nutty notes that make me think Beam are already fading, still there and there's still peanuts and corn nuts. But the real showcase is the bourbon vanilla notes and the xo sweetness. The finish I feel is fairly decent despite some other reviews. The dry nutty oak comes and goes a few times while the sweetness admittedly drops off but finds a way to come back as well. A surprisingly rich mouth feel on what is a somewhat thin bourbon...I know that sounds odd but it's one of those bourbons where you can tell you're drinking a thin bourbon BUT it's oily and viscous which gives it a really creamy mouth feel too. There's a part of me that was hoping for a bit more given the use of 14 year old bourbon and my just general love of XO finished bourbon. There was also a part of me praying it wasn't another batch 5, it's not. Anyway I'm going with a firm 2.75 with this one. Very nicely done, clearly a step above average bourbon, but I'm reaching for any deeper notes or complexity that isn't more or less beam with xo casks at an OK but not great proof. 108 bucks and for that, it's not a must buy but if you're into these kinds of finished bourbons I don't think it'll upset you either. It's funny how I'm becoming more and more forgiving of over priced bourbon while getting ever more frustrated with younger scotch prices.

Another "90" eh? Nose is vanilla and sweet sherry. There's a bitter oak note here as well, a bit off putting and giving me lingering feelings of young raw whisky. I even get what could be a hair of banana. Taste - Citrus fruit, creamy milk chocolate, some dark fruits, spices, and young oak on the back end. Overall this is a pretty run of the mill NAS sherry whisky. I think the casks are decent. The ABV is a really nice place where I think most will be able to go right in drinking but adding water is perfectly acceptable as well. Yes it's a bit sparky and young, but it's 75 bucks and I think it's hitting a sweet spot between the spice and sweet notes. 2 stars, very average whisky. I think those who enjoy younger whisky will find this more like a 3 star and the price while I would still say it is a bit high it's getting hard to be critical of a bottle at an ok proof, with sherry casks, under 100 bucks today.

Gotta love these "expert" reviews. Jake Emen gave this a 90...I can't even get to words how absurd that is. but anyway. So yeah this is supposed to be mostly 10 year whisky but it's NAS so we're sure they dumped bad low age stated stuff in here. Nose - so sharp and acidic, the alcohol is brutal. Chocolate and vanilla along with citrus and again more alcohol. Water tames the alcohol but same notes otherwise. taste - young and spirited. The PX gives sweetness and vanilla and chocolate while the oloros gives some dark chocolates and perhaps some fruits. Water makes the whisky more bitter though still focuses on the same profile, I am ok with or without. A perfectly drinkable super proofed scotch but the youth and quality here are nothing special. A solid 2.0 average whisky. Again the idea this is a 90 is so absurd I can't even start. This is more a 75 if you're a big fan of this style or a 65 if you aren't. in no world is this a 90. That said this is massive HUGE upgrade from the terrible batch 7. I rather am enjoying this but the price at 100 for this seems off. This isn't close to 100 dollar whisky.

Of course there are 2 of the same bottles posted here....anyway. So macallan the distillery who makes our skin crawl, but darn it if they don't have some good malt they water down and ruin and then bottle incorrectly and then over charge us for! This their 2019 "classic cut" which is a proofed down (they pour water into the whisky) fake NAS CS bottling...again marketing. Is their newest in the classic cut line. A line I've really enjoyed despite macallan's dreadful marketing, and their odd commercial with the guy committing suicide only to I assume in a dream state while falling to his death growing wings. Suicide support aside lets get into the whisky. Nose - an inviting mix of vanilla and chocolate. Accentuated by ginger and only lightly hinting at young unrefined alcohol notes. Then I get a bit of citrus as it opens up almost coming in with orange notes. Interesting when sitting in the glass I get those chocolate and vanilla notes but when keep going back and don't let is build up, it's orange vanilla cream and alcohol. Taste - So elephant out of the room, there's zero question in this being young whisky. This is a super sweet dram up front that goes bitter and more bitter as it goes down. Vanilla and a mix of bitter and citrus fruits really come on hard and punchy. The finish is all vanilla and cream and wonderful milk chocolate and even perhaps as the box says honey. Overall the finish is great but the flavor is really a bit off putting in the context of everything else. . So 17 vs 18 vs 19? The 17 brings in far more oak but in an extremely inviting way for these younger casks. Richer and sweeter and just fuller in body. The 18 feel thin next to these. It's more spices and frankly thin and almost dismissive. The 18 feels like an odd ball in the lineup. oak is not really playing a role until the finish where it is a nice change of pace. So the 19 vs them? Well the 17 still stands out as the most drinkable and enjoyable while packing the most abv punch. For me that's a true standout thought my 4.0 score does feel like me hyping a bottle I just really felt was a good value vs a fair and honest score. I think I need to review that score and move it back to a more fair score. The 18 still to me is not an enjoyable whisky vs the other two, but still very good. The 19? Well it's good. But not special. I'm going with a 3.0 here and frankly I think i've overrated both the 17 and 18 before this. I still think this is better than a lot of vastly higher priced macallan but my standards are going up for what is a 3.0 and certainly a 4.0. So full disclosure while this bottle is going 120-135 at actual fair prices around me, I somehow found this for 80. At 80 it's a must buy for sherry fans. At the 100 mark it's a good buy and over that it's a pass. I will be reviewing the batch 8 glendronach and glenrothes blenders or makers cut...so two more NAS higher proof sherry whiskies and I'll be going back to this 19 in reference so I reserve the right to adjust this score. But I suspect both will come in below this as 3.0's are not low scores for me.

What is a 5 whisky to me? A 5 is something that flat out changes your perceptions not about whisky, but brings happiness to you that you that your 18 year old self couldn't have imagined a beverage doing. It can't just be a moment of bliss, but it has to linger and last, changing, dare I say it must have not one crescendo but it must peak over and over again while you savor it. it isn't that it is "perfect" but that the moment you're having with it is and that it can be repeated. I had the great pleasure of getting 3 pours over the course of a bottle's life of a 2004 edition. The first pour was aggressive, assertive, and powerful. The second was fruity, complex, lively. The final one seemed older and as if with time it had become something more influential in the glass. While I generally don't review whiskies I don't have a bottle of or at least an hour plus with a fairly healthy sample, I can assure you that was a 5 every time I had it. Today I have the blissful opportunity to share with you my thoughts on a fresh bottle pour of a 2005 edition I recently acquired. Nose - there is an almost fresh and clean element here. Fruity, tropical fruits all over, reminding me perhaps a bit of a tropical fruit skittles candy. The aged by sea idea is in full force as you almost can smell the sea breeze in all of this fresh and lightly salty, briney goodness. Grape fruits and pineapples and just this wonderful mix of sweetness. Water teases out some oak tannin pushes out more of the salty brine notes and is now giving me a very distinct vanilla note I wasn't getting before. Taste - The talisker spicy profile is here in full force as this is truly a journey of experiences and flavors. The sweet skittle like note is here upfront, balances with sea salt and brine. Then you start down this path of light peat notes, sea salt, spice, and a vanilla and fruit fused transition. It's like riding down a perfectly smooth road of flavors waiting for the next turn. Of course that turn brings us to this amazing finish where the fruits get a bit darker (more orchard like, though I'm not sure I get say apples), the oak comes out and gives this an almost chewy finish almost making me think I'm about to chew on something like a tootsie roll. While I'm not sure I'd go to chocolate there is a dark sweetness from the oak that is very familiar and incredibly inviting. Water much like in the nose is bringing out a bit more salty character, if one were a bit disappointed with the fruity and sweet notes, this pushes it back a touch and brings forward a bit more of the island heart. This is a whisky I plan to have a very long time and it'll be one I go to in celebration of great moments. This is happiness in a glass folks. This is the kind of dram that us geeks spend years and countless dollars chasing in hopes of finding that special moment with a glass where the whisky just takes us places. Well guys, I need to end this review because frankly, this whisky is too good to allow myself this distraction from it. Quick ending note - the 45% version that's out today IMHO is utter garbage in contrast to these CS versions. It honestly doesn't taste anything like this. Today's 30's while better than the 25 by a margin are still nothing remotely close to this. Make no mistake the whisky was simply better in the past.

Picked a couple of these up online recently, likely paid too much but that's the market. Nose - classic springbank funk. Heavy vanilla icing, salted malt, and some dark red wine notes. Very much taking on some levels of soy sauce notes with classic springbank sweet and funky notes. You can't miss the distinct springbank. Water brings out sweetness, alcohol, and showcases these wine casks. Taste - The taste is more springbank springbank and springbank . Reminds me a hell of a lot of a 12 CS. Water makes this drink a lot sweeter, as we all know at CS SB wants us to play with water and I think a drop or two really is a perfect spot. The wine casks really jump out and you really get that burgundy profile. At the same time the whisky remains springbank funk with that salty and ever so slightly peated whisky notes. This is hands down my favorite 12 year (it's about 12.5 years old) old whisky to date. It's not really significantly better than a 12 CS and to be honest side by side I'd be interested in how different they are. Actually - test. So 56.2 which isn't my favorite 12, but the first one I grabbed. So this 12 is seriously not one of their better ones, been drinking on some others, wow. OK so a bit more bite to the funk. The finish is a bit more citrus and lingering, the higher use of likely refill bourbon casks gives off more oak funk and bitterness. Overall the 12 CS as you'd expect is a much more old world type funky, sour, bitter experience. Meanwhile the Burgundy is more BBQ, salt, savory and sweeter. Anyway, I'm digging this 12 year Burgundy wood. It's springbank through and through (and yeah I'm saying this because other reviews have said otherwise, and I cannot more strongly disagree and I'm someone with 30 or so springbanks on the shelf), but it adds this incredible finishing and I find I like a depth in the finishing that sometimes gets lost on more used casks. 3.75

This one comes in 108 proof and 11 years old from MGP, barrel 030. So the story is a bunch of people...likely who don't know much about bourbon...bought whiskey and then bottled it while they happened to have an office in a distillery, that they really want us to know is historic... Gotta love the fake "history" with the picture on the back and the "old" title to make us think this is something from the past. Nose - I tend to agree with other reviews, this comes off as a high rye bourbon. A lot of mint, spices, vanilla, and not much else. Taste - This has to be the most spicy bourbon I've had out of MGP. It's a white bread and caramel malt base with light spices leaning on Christmas and mint notes. Medium to light finish, minimal depth. Shockingly little oak or complexity beyond the spices and sweetness. I'd have really expected more out of an 11 year MGP barrel, but it's a single barrel and they can't all be winners. I don't think anyone will dislike this one unless they can't stand spice. I will add in it drinks super easy for 108 and that might be a seller to a lot of people. Giving this a 2.25 for being a nicely made bourbon, but without anything really standing out. Overall at 130 bucks, this is an easy and hard pass.