Tastes
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Pinhook Bourbon Country Cask Strength
Bourbon — USA
Reviewed September 4, 2019 (edited July 30, 2020)MGP juice...batch proof...I've heard good things, what the heck? Nose - Smooth creams and vanillas over young cheap cheap oak notes. A touch of earth, perhaps some hay or straw. Taste - Butter, oat bran, young oak, vanilla...a bit different but no sharp notes, alcohol is well under control, good mouth feel. 50 bucks. At that price I can't recommend. This is just too young. This is too expensive. It's also not the sweet and oaky mix I like for mixing. This is for the adventurous with money to spend. I'm a bit disappointed given some hype I heard and the price point. That said it's pretty good if you're just comparing it to 3 year old bourbons. Actually very good for that standard.50.0 USD per Bottle -
As always disclosure, rumor has it this uses "organic" barely which is either a marketing tool to steal money or potentially more dangerous. Thankfully they don't say it on the bottle or box so I don't mind buying it! Nose - I get white grapes, freshly peeled, a touch of salt, some grass, and a bit of meaty peat. Then I get a touch of oak way back there, very light. These are not first use bourbon barrels! Taste - it's soft, gentle, opening with white wine, turning a bit to a vinigar/peat/salt/brine type note, at no point is this sweet, always a bit acidic, a bit salty, a bit meaty, but minimal sweetness. i started to think of balvenie 25 year single cask but that has that wonderful honey and more of a tea note, but there's a similar lightness to the start. The peat and so they say Springbank sulfur are really the showcase (I don't think springbank is sulfur but that's how it's often described). I won't shock anyone by saying the sherry finished is on another level. I've got a 19 year single cask, cask strength bourbon barrel version of springbank I'd like to try side by side with this. This comes off much more salty and peaty, but the bourbon isn't really doing much and the oak is pretty minimal. The other springbank to try this next to is the 9 year local barely. This is really just a showcase of the new make and it's a good new make. Maybe letting my bias in, but it's great new make, very good whisky, but nothing special and springbank is going to be polarizing. If you like springbank this is a buy. If you don't, I'd stay away unless you're just looking for something unique.115.0 USD per Bottle
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Old Carter 12 Year Straight American Whisky Batch 1 (2018 Release)
Blended American Whiskey — USA
Reviewed September 4, 2019 (edited April 6, 2022)Said I was done till the weekend but this followed me home and I wanted to get some notes out early as possible on it. Plus...I'm pretty excited. Full disclosure, I have zero idea what this is beyond being whisky and 12 years old and 134.9 proof. Nose - One hell of an alcohol kick here. Oh this is unique. There's a grape/plum type fruit nose over good american oak, and I think some vanilla. Water brings out that butter scotch note I get on the flavor profile. it's still super fruity. Taste - Oh flavor is all butter scotch and then a fruity funky oak finish. Oh man...this is special. I'm getting a nice tobacco note (maybe because I smoked cigars this weekend I'm getting it), touch of leather, and i swear this note could be some kind of soda even, it's this fruity and vanilla. Then I get some nutty notes. I'm really impressed with this. Their rye (batch 2) is decent stuff, their bourbon (batch 2) was really nice but to me a touch young. This is better than the other two. A lot better, but you really have to like this butter scotch and oak.160.0 USD per Bottle -
Hazelburn 14 Year Oloroso Cask Matured
Single Malt — Cambeltown , Scotland
Reviewed September 2, 2019 (edited May 15, 2020)Nose - springbank funk well placed with the lovely sherry notes, jam, perhaps a white chocolate, Taste - Oloroso and springbank funk. I know that's a simple statement but it's such a wonderful way to think about this one. Touch of chocolate, touch of vanilla, oak (much more noticeable than the 13 year, I only had the one of 12,000 bottles which I believe was the 2017 bottling). This is a great whisky, really special. Also rumor is this is the last of these "older" casks, hope it's not true but it's a pretty reliable source so buy a second if you see it. Anyway my tongue is fried for the week. I'll get back to reviews friday night.125.0 USD per Bottle -
Wild Turkey Master's Keep Decades
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed September 2, 2019 (edited December 27, 2019)Decades. I'm not sure which batch this is, i'm under the impression there were two and I also get the impression one was seen as the better and older option. Nose - had to really give this one some time, it's overwhelming when you first pour it. You can already nose how thick the whisky is, it comes in at 104 proof but the nose has the body of something closer to 120. I get rich caramel, citrus notes, cherry, some aged oak and then some younger more unfinished oak notes. Taste - I get that vanilla, leather, cherry oak that I often get with older whisky. I'm actually amazed at how much this bottle seems to change each time I go back, each time it comes off a bit older than the last. There's some sour notes, some fruity notes, and it finishes with a big puff of well behaved oak. Really good stuff, but I have to ask myself is it better than Rare Breed or Kentucky Spirit? That's where this one somewhat drops off for me a bit. I'm really not sure it is. Really nice bourbon and I'm going 3 stars. If you're ok with the 130, get it. If you're not, get rare breed and you won't be getting all that different a bourbon. Wild Turkey spoils us with just outstanding lower priced bourbons, but as a result their higher end stuff really doesn't punch any higher.130.0 USD per Bottle -
Nose - This brings out so many spices, not the more standard wood price, but nut meg, cinnamon, pepper, and then it adds in this sweet oaked oak. It's lovely. Taste - There's a subtly sweet body here, very middle of that road with caramel and light oak and then it brings out just a puff of smoke and then it finishes with this explosion of spices and alcohol heat. It's even a touch spicy hot on the finish, and that's not the alcohol. I have a feeling this bottle is still opening up and maturing, it's only been open a few weeks maybe a month (ok I can't remember when I bought it, but it hasn't been here that long). Already it seems to have mellowed out some of the spice kick and gotten sweeter. I'm a bit torn, it's a bit expensive at 170 though I know talskers can be greatly different in price, had a friend get the 30 year for 300 for example. It's rather tasty and rather good, but despite having a lot of different flavors and a nice transition to the finish I still feel it is a bit one dimensional and a bit too heavy on the spice and oak. Score 2.5. Very good whisky but lacks the quality I'd want to make this a firm recommendation. I haven't had the 10 in some time, but I don't believe I can fully support buying this based on being a huge fan of the 10 (the 30 I'll fully endorse at 300, it was awesome). I'll certainly come back to this as the bottle opens and see if it warrants a adjustment (I have a few bottles in mind for updates).170.0 USD per Bottle
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Balcones Texas Single Malt
American Single Malt — Texas, USA
Reviewed September 2, 2019 (edited March 4, 2021)I feels like in 2019 you can't drink whisky without being bombarded with these Texas whiskies. So I'll save my views on some of the others and lets focus on Balcones which I believe is the most well distributed and it's not terribly priced either. Nose - fruity, cinnamon, toasted oak, and just a very nice funk I get on Amrut and Balcones, I have to assume it's perhaps a result of the speed aging. Taste - There's this berry and oak and cinnamon, and just perhaps just texas malt. It's really different. I'm giving this is a solid 3.0. I honestly don't really like where this one went, but it's such a clear high quality malt and so well made I can't score it any lower.60.0 USD per Bottle -
GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 7
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed September 2, 2019 (edited February 23, 2021)Sees odd that I know I've had this a handful of times, even done a few side by sides and the bottle is still above the label even after this pour. Clearly one I've been taking safe pours with. Nose - Dark berry notes, some musty oak, young spirit, alcohol. A bit of chocolate at the end. Taste - fruity, oakey, young. Water brings out really just a lighter version of the same. I really can't think of anything nice to say about this one. It is ok outside of some younger notes. The sherry flavor is pretty good but it's young. I hate to say it but for over 100 bucks, this isn't just a pass but a hard one. Bonus points for what seem like quality sherry casks and cask strength, but I still am stuck feeling this is a 1 star whisky. -
Balvenie Peat Week 14 Year (2003 Edition)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed September 2, 2019 (edited January 25, 2020)Oh peat week - you were the surprise thriller of 2018 scotches for me. But are you still THAT good? Nose - soft smoke billows off the glass, sweet smoke, candied smoke, and yet so clean. By contrast the 2004 "week of peat" is much more malt forward with perhaps a bit more wood. 2003 is all smoke, light mint, and all the sweetness is in background. Taste - Soft up front bringing in this light malt, so gently and subtle. Then the whisky turns and you feel the smoke building up, filling your mouth with just this very clean shall we say "Balvenie" like smoke. Peat Week has both the level of peat you'd expect from the big boys in Islay but yet does it in a such a way that it captures that quintessential lightness of a Balvenie malt. This experssion of peat week is soft, gentle, and it really doesn't let the malt stand out, it is there to enhance the smoke. If you compare it side by side to this year's the malt is much more pronounced, more assertive and seems to get in the way of the smoke. I have said since i first tried this, there's just no whisky more dangerous, even when pouring it I can't seem to get less than an oz in the glass (most reviews I do are on 1/4 oz and are whisky I have experienced prior). This is a scotch you can DRINK and I've had a few days where I did just that. I don't think I've bought more than 3 bottle of any scotch in the last 2 years and with the exception of Woodford Double Oaked any whisky. I bought 5 of these and this is the 5th bottle. I simply love this whisky. It seems odd giving a 14 year old whisky a score this high but 4.5 out of 5. I seriously considered this for my favorite whisky of 2018 and through half of the year I think it was the front runner. This is a perfect example of how balance can really push a whisky over the top. This very well might be my favorite peated single malt and that's even when considering Ardbeg 23 and 22.100.0 USD per Bottle -
Balvenie The Week of Peat 14 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed September 1, 2019 (edited November 29, 2019)odd name change - and worse new bottling art. Loved last year's tube with so much info. Anyway to the whisky. Nose - Balvinie's classic honey with a smoke cloud of wonderful fluffy almost marsh mellowy peat behind it. Has that just touch of oak smoke you get when you roast marshmallows over the fire, only amplified as an intense peated whisky would have. Taste - A bit underwhelming after the nose. Those citrus and honey and vanilla notes over creamy smoked fire. Such a wonderful mix of sweet and peat. Think sugar cubes, candy cigarettes, powdered sugar, and just peat soup. I'll have to do a 2003 14 year peat week after this, I think I have another review in me today, to do this one justice in terms of how good it is. I'm a HUGE fan of these peated casks. They mix the best of peat and the best of balvenie's sweet malty notes. This is both a perfect introduction to peat for those who are new to it and the perfect way to explore peat in a new non islay way for experts. I thought last year's pour was a master piece and while this seems the same to me, I'm feeling this is just a great whisky. Thus a 4.0 and we'll see if I do a review of last years if I'll bump it higher. Either way if you like peat at all, this is awesome and if you don't, this is one to test before moving on from the style all together. Did a quick side by side with last year's peat week and I'm dropping the score a quarter point. It really doesn't hold up next to last years.100.0 USD per Bottle
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