Tastes

The nose is herbal summer, with champagne minerality, and something flowery. As it airs out, you can discern aromas of pear and melon. The palate is honeyed, like mead, with orchard and tropical fruits following. Then a citrus note integrates well as a finish of grapefruit and sandalwood. The moscatel cask influence is the highlight of the show, while the oloroso cask influence is imperceptible to my untrained palate. Still, it's amazing, I could sip this all day! Being as it is double, rather than triple distilled (as are the majority of Irish whiskies), a very satisfactory mouthfeel is apparent. As a summer dram, this Irish whiskey performs marvelously, offering complexity equal to, or better than, Diageo 'classic' scotches like the Dalwhinnie 15 or Cragganmore 12. This a limited edition release, however, and I'll probably have a tantrum with it's eventual absence. Kilbeggan Distillery, are you reading this?! For the sake of Jesus, Mary & Joseph: go with this as a standard offering. My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."

Belle Meade - is the name French or Old English? What does it matter - they are producing amazing bourbon journeys that drink like, and approach, single malts. I bought this gift box of 3X375ml bottles for $89.95, encompassing three cask expressions: this one, the Cognac Cask, and the Sherry Cask. It's a bargain in my book, and I like the direction Belle Meade is going with all of them. In my dreams, if I were the Chairman of the Board of bourbon, I'd call this 9 year old spirit, 'Chest Candy'. The expert notes are succinct, without hype or mystery. Again, the taste profile equals some entry-level scotches, sans the nuttiness. Is this a unicorn bottle on the cheap? No... but it won't suck unicorn c**k just to drink it, either... Recently, after a dram of this, I poured myself a "regular"-casked bourbon. And lo and behold, that was delicious like no-one's business. I think a bottle of this can, and will, increase appreciation of your liquor cabinet. It did mine. My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."

The nose is vinous red wine, blood oranges, raisins, and graham crackers. Perhaps the most inviting of sherried drams I've nosed. Plums and oranges, raisins, on the palate, with an underlying oak nuttiness, developing into a finish of baking spices. The expert review of this is spot on. Gentle, and surprisingly warming. There were some inconsistencies in the palate. More than once, I was left with the impression of apple juice. Which is fine by me. Another time, the finish reminded me of fruit punch! (But this is an indication of the low ABV, instead of real maturation character.) With a name like Aberlour and the age statement, I thought this would bowl me over like Aaron Donald rushing the line of scrimmage. While this would work well as an accompaniment to a red meat dish, on it's own there's room for improvement. For the price point, I'd pick the Glendronach 15 over this. My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."

It's not fair to compare the 12 to this, but the higher 46% ABV is immediately picked up by the nose: lemon cookies awash in a wave of alcohol. The palate is oily and mouth-coating with butter cookies, and notes of nut butter underneath it all. (Thanks to JCStylz for the dead-on tasting notes.) Characters of red, and citrus, fruits also accentuate the palate, before the wood spice makes it's appearance. A subsequent nosing highlights the butter cookie note. With the finish closing in, I start smacking my lips and that's when the slight oak bitterness is detected. That eventually mellows into a lightly sweet aftertaste. Enough! Time for another sip! This is definitely a step up from the 12, introducing a deeper flavor profile. Is it worth the $30 USD hike in price? It depends on what your drinking mood is about. If you want something of good quality and simple - a movie glass - the Redbreast 12 checks off those boxes. However, if you want to enjoy a dram with a degree of complexity, without having to work too hard, the Redbreast 15 is the right choice. (I am eager to see how it develops with air, as the bottle goes down.) Of the half-dozen Irish whiskies I've tried thus far, this one takes the cake. My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."

The nose is vanilla, caramel, chocolate, oak and cherry - Bourbon Disneyland jr. (Sorry Florida.) Right away, I realize the 64.2% ABV isn't detected on the nose. I exhale through my nostrils into the glass, but there is no major stinging of the eyes from the blowback. Down the hatch: sour cherry with pepper upfront, followed by big oak and warm caramels. My palate is so blown away, I don't remember much of the finish. Second sip is orange and vanilla, with a zing of cinnamon. The mouthfeel remains viscous and oily: drying as I chew. The ABV hits me in the face this time like a bat boy trying to impress a female rookie cop. That's when I head back to the kitchen to add a couple of drops of water. The third sip is sour [again!], oak, and chocolate. Although adding water produces a bone dry finish (and render the legs runny), by the same token, it's far from useless: orange oil and some kind of dark spice - like cloves or star anise - blooms, without coming across as synthetic, or unnatural. That's unique! But the tongue is on fire. This is a fighting man's whiskey, to be sure, but the man here is not exactly fighting the burn. This is a whiskey that I won't be drinking for pleasure or self-indulgence. Drinking this is for those times when you feel like you're Jacob wrestling with God's angel - times when you're locking horns with the other f***er. It's galvanizing, without being seductive, and clarifying without being illuminating. My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."

In sunny Los Angeles, a bottle of Henry McKenna 10 is as rare a sight as sidewalks without homeless people. When I found this online at a local liquor store, I had this bad boy delivered the very same hour. The initial palate is cola sweet and cinnamon spicy at the same time. The spice builds up as the oak makes an entry, leading to a Dr. Pepper note. The finish is where the spice and 50% ABV meld, leaving the mouth quite dry. By the third sip, the standard bourbon notes of vanilla and caramel take center stage - but the finish remains as mouth tingling and drying as before. For the fourth sip, I added a couple of drops of water and the sweetness was amplified, while the spice provided a nice zing in the background. (It was kind of like tasting sweets on a fast moving train, while eyeing the landscape as it zipped past.) As a bourbon, this has quite the dynamic flavor profile. However, as I paid over twice the MSRP for this (barreled in 2009), my review may be a bit skewed. But this is a unique bourbon without a doubt. Should you pay what I did for one? I can't recommend it at over $70. But, if you're an enthusiast and can find one in the $50-$60 range, it's a no brainer, pick it up - no questions asked. My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."

Oak is pronounced on the palate. (Noah tells me he's pretty old.) As the sweetness and the wood swirl around, the liquid provides a thick, satisfactory mouthfeel. A bit of dryness there. The sweet notes continue to open up into the finish, as the oak and spice leaves the mouth tingling. Very smooth for a 57% ABV. The finish completes with hints of licorice, pine, and hot cinnamon candies. This is my new favorite bourbon. So much so that I doubt I'll be able to keep this bottle stocked on my shelf for the next forty days and forty nights. My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."

This is a wheated bourbon, so the sweetness makes itself known on arrival. Brown sugar developing into vanilla, then hints of butterscotch. The oak doesn't make an appearance until the second sip, and it slowly gains traction from a malt-like mid-palate to a dry finish. Subsequent nosing reflects the initial palate. Adding water rounds out the sweetness, reminding me of vanilla ice cream. This is when I start smacking my lips to accommodate and enjoy the finish. Good work. My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."

This is easily dessert in a glass: palate is chocolate cake and coffee. Oily mouthfeel with sourdough bread as a background note. The trip finishes up with cherry and oak. This is quite similar to another double casked bourbon: the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. Both are stand outs from the status quo. (And interestingly enough, both have Brown-Forman as the parent company.) My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."

The nose is like no other bourbon, namely boozy sweet and sour. It transforms and leads the nose into a zone where dense confectionary sweetness and booze, mix like liquor-filled chocolates. The palate is chocolate cake with sour maraschino cherries. UPDATE: Add a teaspoon of water and I'm drinking red wine with chocolate cake. Not as intense and well defined as the OF 1910, but still, at under $50 - this is a nice VFM bottle. My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."