Tastes

This is batch 5. This will be a quick review. Nose - You'll hate me but it's bourbon lol. Vanilla, charred oak, and clean clean bourbon notes. The age comes out with almost magic black art swilling and glass exchanges to get this out. This isn't a negative and if anything wow we have classic bourbon without any real flaws or bad character and it's good bourbon notes. Nothing special but it's good! Taste - Here the spice and bite of oak aren't being held back. Thought the finish is starting creamy then dropping to watery and it's all yummy vanilla and oak and spice. There's a fruit here and while barton gets the apple fruit note and cinnamon spice.....I can't make any of those official claims here. It's not a clear flavor. It's sweet and balanced and the alcohol notes aren't offensive. But man, it's kind of generic. There's smoke, bit of Tabaco, Just kinda hot alcohol. Yeah it's well... final notes This is about as good as average bourbon gets. And that's what this is. This is your gold standard for good bourbon at an average level. I like that this doesn't scream barton but it doesn't scream it isn't. I love the balance. I just like this whisky, but it's pretty average. 2.25 score seems about right. This is a whisky to drink and maybe get drunk on. But it's a drinker not to be taken seriously despite the price. Not one to save or savor. But it's lovely for that goal.

Lagavulin 12 is BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After having the 2019 lagavulin 12, I was legit concerned that lagvulin has simply lost their way. It's now been nearly a decade since their last epic release (the 25 year from 2015) and it's been a rough few years for the brand. So i'm here to gleefully tell you all, lagavulin is BACK! Nose - OMG...it's lagavulin 12! Sea salt, slightly almost fishy oysters, that rich powerful classic lagavulin malt, fresh fruits, oils and wax, huge peat as only lag can do, vanilla, smoke, and yes a touch of youthful still malt still is barley here. Taste - Huge lagavulin malt, biting bitter levels of peat, alcohol, touches of oak, huge vanilla, huge smoke fire, clean, aristocratic levels of peat....everything you want in a damn laga 12! Lag 12 is not a whisky imo that the tasting notes or nosing notes really explains. It's a HUGE whisky. It's giant, it's bold, and it's truly amazing as an experience as much as it is a taste experience. This is almost a sensory experience. And this does it better than ANY lag 12 I have had. I actually even compared this one to the 17 and 18 releases and while great, this blew them away. So what's wrong with this whisky? Well, it's still a 12 year that's aged in refilled bourbon casks. You can still tell that and that brings some light sour notes, some of that as I like to call it sour lacose/milk, but it's so subtle here that it's like a nuance vs a flaw. It's a bit more salty than I'd maybe ideally want? But lets do the real test, lets water it down to hell! So I'm now looking at a roughly 50% water mix. Upfront yes that youthful still note is there. God, the finish is still nice lol. It's boring now but I can't detect any real missed flaws either. Wow, normally these younger expressions with this much water start to really show some tannic or acidic or just off elements. Nothing here. OK so score? You ready? 3.75 and I'm debating 4 stars. Buy 2 guys!

Picked one of these up a few weeks ago, I doubt mike and I get to reviewing it....we might? I'm torn on us doing a few quality entry level bottles or not. They do well but you know...brand stuff. Anyway. Nose - worm wood in the house! Funky, vanilla, chewy chocolate, plastic, hints of sulfur, toasted toffee, artificial caramel...i can't really do this justice. It's that worm wood element with not much age, not much barrel char, no peat, and playing with these sweet non fruit elements. Taste - Well now I get some peat like notes. Great rich complex funky nutty oak and weird hard candies you'd have found at your grandmother's house. Hints of sour, hints of bitter, with good sweet without being sugar driven elements. Honestly, this is really dang dang good stuff. I'm at 3.0. It's just really enjoyable. It isn't old, it isn't high abv, it's nice.

I think what's in here has been well enough documented. So lets just jump in? Nose - So for me at least this is pretty classic compass box, really old in nature, and not much more. I think the low abv is a serious concern here. So yellowed paper, leather, and I guess old wood shelving? I can't say that I'm getting that per say. A bit of leather for sure. Some musty notes, but I'm just thinking vanilla from bourbon barrels. Maybe that's me. Does the grain really come in or is that the macallan first fill bourbon? Who knows. Some hints of red fruits and vague chocolate as well. It's really just well aged and balanced whisky, you'd never think blend otherwise. The peat is minimal. Taste - The proof just doesn't hold up at all up front. Really nice creamy vanilla, white fudge. Really simple up front. Once you swallow the mouth is coated with rich OLD world whisky. There's a LOT of older HP elements coming out here. Good touches of heather honey and light peat. Rich old oaks. Water doesn't seem to do much here. I went light on the pour and the water so there is that. Slight reduction in the oak and leather on the nose, mild push towards more vanilla. Similar changes to the taste. Rich old whisky, muted with age, and not worth this price point for most geeks. This is a whisky for a macallan fan who believes in their pricing and is happy to pay it. Still, it's good stuff. 3.0 and only because of the finish. At this weight and body it really should be closer to a 2.0.

Got a sample and I won't be able to fully get into this one, but I'll start my notes here. Nose - What in the HELL? Blasts me with alcohol, red wine, medicinal, funky...weird...rotting fruits? What in the world? As it opens distinct oloroso starts to come out, still, this medicinal funk and smoke is permeating from the glass. This is about as aromatic as any whisky has ever been. This is SHOCKINGLY bold on the nose. There isn't even 1/4 oz of whisky in this glass. A few more minutes later and smoked vanilla, ash, and freshly burned light oak. Lovely , classic Laphroaig has escaped these crazy sherry casks. Taste - Mineral lemon/lime, smoked to hell in the glass. Transitioning to the most perfect smoked lime funk. This is the 25 turned up on the linger, turned up on the smoke, and just rich. Now where is that sherry? Oh yeah it's there up front. More red fruit forward, perhaps a hint of chocolate ever so subtle, but it's there. Oh god....mint huge mint. I need more time with this but for now 4.25. Amazing well aged Laphroaig with a mouth and body that rivals anything. The real show piece is that mineral laphroiag lemon lime thing. It's so much more chalky mineral than most. Unbelievable punch of flavor.

So, let me give you my thoughts on old carter. Their bourbons are over priced, well blended younger MGP that you don't really want to pay for imo! Unless you LOVE MGP. Their rye to me is pretty good but I don't drink enough rye to give advice. But the AMERICAN? Oh...........that's different. A blend of bourbon and light whisky from MGP, it's been amazing and this is the oldest yet at 14 years! Nose - old light whisky! It's pretty alcohol forward. Very vanilla cream pie meets generic vanilla, meets, some kind of vanilla cleaner. Some oak and pastry. Clean simple wood and alcoholic as heck. Taste - Really good simple light whisky. It's big bold rich and everything you expect from a 14 year MGP light whisky. The problem? It's 240 bucks, it's old carter, and it's not up to their standards. Lets be adults and do a quick comp to their first american, the STANDARD they set for us. The nose is richer more creamy and more bourbon and chocolate forward. The taste and mouthfeel are nothing similar. Butter scotch and viscous elements are all over, a bit more unrefined, it burns, but god the flavors are better. The 14 is really nice, creamy simple vanilla and some just light whisky notes...and that's the thing. This drinks like 14 year old MGP light whisky with no bourbon or no other complex finishing. IT's good it's nice and it's over priced. I'm at a 1.75 here. I love the american 1 and it's way better. This isn't bad, but what in the hell is with this price? I'm sorry but this is missing for me. 240+ behind a 500 point pay wall to get the right to buy. This is a pass imo.

I don't get this whisky...so...I'm going to write a fast review out of my norm. This doesn't come off as a bourbon or a rye at all. Neither make sense. So instead of my normal nosing and tasting notes lets just get into it. This comes off as a youthful without the negative elements of sour and alcohol bite or thin grain vokda elements that many young distilleries do (or even the big boys when they go YOUNG). Chocolates, creamy toffee, caramel, vanilla, and just kinda waxy malt balls are here. This is a youthful without being YOUNG grain forward whisky, with a nice abv, good body, and well done product. I just don't know what this is....it doesn't taste at all like a bourbon or a rye. It's a unique product. Score? Oh man, I do tend to spend money on new riff, but I can't say I think they're more than just a distillery who is finding a way to make young whisky come off rich, creamy, and sometimes flavorful. This nails all the quality mouth feel notes and all the yummy new riff things. But it's kinda generic too. 2.50. I'm scoring this so heavily on the mouth feel but it's an experience whisky and for that they get a good score.

Oh Diagio and their never ending marketing dollars. What oh what have I done this time? So this is some old heaven hill distillate with god knows what...but likely some MGP something. So it isn't a bourbon. It is bottled at a hateful 45% and chill filtered to hell just to spite anyone who may still love whisky. But hey...that's some really old whisky and it's got 20+ year old heaven hill in it....and at 160, I guess I'm dumb enough to gamble. Nose - And inviting classic bourbon nose right off the bat. Clean, extreme vanilla, touch of oak, and some caramel character. Deeper inspection will yield a hint of oak smoke, a surprising touch of rye spice, but not a lot more. There's some fruit, but you really couldn't better describe old school proofed down bourbons that used to contain older whiskies than they stated but were chill filtered and watered down from decades of the past. Taste - So there's no character here, the chill filtering and low abv killed that. Still let it sit and sit and sit in your mouth and some spice will come out, good vanilla, good caramel, and yeah there's a nice rye spice on the finish (that isn't the heaven hill). It even leaves what you can call a pretty good finish. Overall this is the most boring orphan barrel I've had, but it's quality whisky at the base that's been just ruined by terrible decisions from the company. 2 stars, great quality spirit that has been forced down to an average whisky by the insanely low abv and the down right idiotic chill filtration. Seriously guys 50% and NCF and you've have a winner on your hands and you could ask more for it without a blink of an eye from anyone. Is this neck pour closed off? Maybe...but I'm not seeing any qualities to make me think that. Sorry big question? Do you buy it? If you want to try old school style whisky and don't mind the low proof and the lack of oils and fatty acids, yeah, buy 3 or 5. But if you think something like what's in my glass right now, the new riff 6 year malted rye is great...pass. This is just too dulled and stripped of character. After further review and tasting. I'm moving this up to a 2.75. The rye spices are coming out more and those are giving it more body and bite. It's hiding the youth and it isn't hiding the older bourbons. Overall, I really appreciate what they got here. It isn't epic and it's a gimmick beyond belief but the whisky is actually good.

Sample reivew So this is the newest release, not sure which one that is? But anyway lets go. Nose - Right away that wonderful armut dirty yet savory malt. Then an insane blast of god knows how many wines and sweet notes. Burnt coca, cinnamon, cherries, raspberries, dates, figs, fall candles at bed bath and beyond, pastry dough, milk chocolate, and yeah it's good a bit of alcohol on the nose. Taste - The taste is a bit less WOW. It's not as big and rich and full as the nose. Still an explosion of intense fruity jams but it's more vanilla and some spice from the amrut malt, followed by some of that dirty burned chocolate. And it follows up with a nice long linger. Very very solid whisky, but comes up a bit underwhelming vs expectations. 3.25

I'm pretty excited to even taste this let alone review it. And I've already had a few pours! Nose - jams, meat, peat, sugar, jelly, earthy clay dirty, and so many fruity wine elements. Oh boy. Taste - I know there's a crazy blend of casks but the sherry cask is KING! Its sherry over fruity elements and this combination of smoked meat and roasted cream if that makes any sense. So much sweet up front, almost too much, and then balanced instantly with oak and dirty smoke then HUGE smoked meat and just straight up charcoal smoke. Overall, this is a completely stupidly balanced whisky. Nothing about this whisky makes sense to me. It's just all over the place and I think ultimately that's a lack of age to mellow this all. That said, it's also AMAZING, lol. I guess that's why this is so experimental. It's not a completed whisky or well put together, but instead a flavor bomb that's giving you so much and none of it is bad. I'm going 3.0 right now. I really am enjoying this, but I think my score reflects more that it doesn't make any sense to me as a premium whisky. I also think I'd buy this again at 130 and I'd think at 130 this should be a higher score for me to rebuy....so maybe I'm crazy? Anyway my 3rd whisky review of the day and honestly, all 3 were crazy challenging for me. This might be the most and that's a HUGE statement. This is however by FAR my favorite, but scores are a BIT more than just if I like it. Edit Going back, no this is 3.75 stunner stuff!