Tastes

I had never tried a blended scotch before now. I dove into the scotch world head first with single malts. So I decided to see what the big deal was between the blended and single malt worlds. I chose Dewars 12 yr as my first blended scotch, partly due to their excellent ad campaign (seriously, who doesn't like the ad with the guy on the motorcycle bringing a bottle of scotch to see his Dad?) and partly because it was an age stated blend at a very reasonable $35. Now I get it. Dewars 12 yr is a blend of "over 40" different scotch whiskys, with the bulk of the blend coming from Aberfeldy, "the distillery that Dewars built" according to the web. Having never had any Aberfeldy I can't comment to that but I can tell that this blended scotch (and I assume others as well) is just a toned down (i.e., watered down) version of single malt scotch. It has all of the characteristics of a single malt but none of the "oomph". Flavor without the punch, fireworks without the boom, choose your euphemism. Dewars 12 yr is bottled at 40% ABV. In the glass this dram is a medium gold color. Swirling produces quick, skinny legs with some visible water beads. The nose is what I have come to think of as a typical scotch profile: floral, honey sweetness with orchard fruits (apples, pears). Very mild and no complexity at all. The palate is more of the same: sweet honey, orchard fruits, and pepper. The finish is short and unremarkable with some oak tones and more pepper. I can see why this is popular: it's very easy drinking (almost too easy!), has no objectionable flavors, and doesn't overpower the senses. But once you've developed a palate for single malts/peat/barrel strength whiskys, this is very underwhelming. I'm sure there are some out there who would think this is the bomb. But for me, it's just average. 3/5. Cheers!

I cut my whiskey teeth on Jack's "Old No. 7"; it was the first whiskey I actually liked. Didn't drink much of it straight other than in shots (or occasionally on the rocks), but it was a go-to when I wanted something other than beer. Haven't had any Jack for some time now but it still has a special place in my heart and memory. But on to the review! This whiskey comes in a beautiful square bottle, with a nice cork stopper. The barrel info is on the collar of the bottle neck. This bottle is from Rick L-2, Barrel No. 17-0225, bottled on 1/9/17. There is no age statement. Bottled at 47% ABV, the whiskey is a gorgeous dark maghogany amber in the glass. The mash bill for this dram is 70/18/12, rye/corn/malted barley. It leaves a nice oily coating and produces long slow legs when swirled. So far so good! The nose is spicy cinnamon and cloves. Some corn sweetness and oak. Dark pumpernickel/rye bread, burnt butter and caramel. Completely different from the Old No. 7 I remember, but then this is a rye, not a "Tennessee" bourbon. There is very little burn considering the proof. Very nice. The first sip is a little hot with a strong rye character. Dry and oaky. This is not the "spicy rye" that you get with most so-called rye whiskeys that are barely 51% rye and a bunch of corn. This is pungent, dark rye. After the palate and the glass settle down, there is some sweetness with a buttery charcoal note. Deep down inside there are hints of the Old No. 7. There is definitely a familial relation, but more like a 2nd cousin than a brother or sister. The finish is fairly long with more warm rye and oak. This dram has more in common with Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Rye than any bourbon or "barely rye" whiskey out there. Dad's Hat has no corn at all. As a result it's almost too much rye, too dry. The 18% corn in this mashbill adds just enough sweetness to balance the rye very nicely. There is a bold rye punch, but tempered with just enough sweetness to make it more enjoyable. This is a very enjoyable whiskey. I picked up this bottle for $45 at my local Kroger's liquor store, which makes it very accessable and reasonable in my opinion. I have no problem giving this 4.5/5.0. Highly recommended. Cheers!

Dads Hat Pennsylvania Rye whiskey is an attempt to recreate the Rye whiskey style that was distilled in Pennsylvania before Washington (the President that is) put down the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. This Pennsylvania or Monongahela style Rye is America's first indigenous distilled spirit. A great article about the history of Americas Rye whiskey can be found at https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-pennsylvania-rye-whiskey-lost-its-way But on to the tasting. This whiskey is bottled at 45% ABV. Dads Hat is made from a mash bill of 80% Rye/5% malted Rye/15% malted barley. NO CORN!! This lack of corn is apparent in the palate of this dram: there is little to no sweetness. It is a medium/dark amber in the glass. It produces a thick oily coating on the glass, only grudgingly giving up some long legs. There is no age statement beyond "minimum 6 months". It is reported that Dads Hat uses 15 gallon casks for aging, resulting in significantly faster aging. It is evident in the tasting of this dram; it comes off as more like a 3-4 yr old. The nose of this whiskey is RYE! Like Rye bread with dark honey. There is orange marmalade, the bitter kind with Seville oranges. Hints of cherry cough syrup. Also a very slight alcohol burn with some oak char. The palate is very different: woody, spicy, leather, malted cereal. There is little to no sweetness. None of the typical bourbon flavors of vanilla and caramel. It has an oily mouthfeel. Water enhances the malty/cereal tones. The finish is a little hot at first with a dry oak spice flavor lingering. This is a truly different whiskey. It has little to nothing in common with most of the ryes you find on the shelf of your local liquor store. It runs $45-50 online. I don't know if I would keep this bottle as a staple, but it is definitely worth trying as a testament to the history of American spirits. Solid 4.0/5. Cheers!

​I was looking for something a little different and Cardhu is what I came up with. This Speysider turns out to be a major component in Johnnie Walker, to the extent that JW bought the distillery outright some time ago. It's now one of Diageo's brands. It was also at the center of a firestorm of controversy back in the 80's when Diageo attempted to address a supply crisis by turning it into a vatted malt and calling it "Pure Malt". The shitstorm that ensued nearly wiped out the distillery. Fortunately Diageo saw the light and restored the brand to a single malt that is available to us today. Cardhu 12 yr. is bottled at a standard 40% ABV. It's a light to medium gold in the glass, which makes me think it is not colored. No statement as to whether or not it's filtered, so I assume it is. It looks thin in the glass and produces thin legs. The nose is very light, which follows the appearance. Light floral and cereal tones, along with light citrus, apples and pears. That's about it. So far, not too impressive. The palate was a little surprising. I found it fairly dry for a Speysider, with a strong peppery/cinnamon spice flavor. Actually kind of reminded me of a rye whiskey at first, which is really strange, but that's what I got. Water brought out some malty flavors. It had a fairly thin mouthfeel. Pretty one dimensional; or maybe I just can't get those light "barely there" notes. Whichever, it was good, but not great. The finish was probably the best part of this dram. Warm, lingering, and reminiscent of dark fruit cake, the finish saves this whisky from being purely mediocre. The odd combination of fruity nose with spicy palate throws it off balance. It would be a good summer whisky; alas, summer is over and I'm looking forward to richer, smokier stuff. And at $55-60, I have a hard time recommending it. It's not bad, but you can get better for your money. 3.75/5.0. Cheers!

This is my second Four Roses review, the first being the Small Batch, and I gotta say, Four Roses has got it going on! For those that don't know, Four Roses has five separate yeast strains and two separate mash bills resulting in ten distinct recipes. These recipes are designated by four character codes. The first letter in the code is always "O" which indicates that it was produced at the Four Roses distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY. The third letter is always "S", for Straight Bourbon whiskey. The remaining two letters indicate the yeast strain and the mash bill. Four Roses Single Barrel is always OBSV. "B" is the mash bill that is 60/35/5 corn/rye/barley, and "V" is the yeast strain that is delicate fruit, spicy, and creamy. This whiskey is all that. This dram is a deep gold/medium amber in the glass that produces nice strong legs when swirled. This particular bottle is from warehouse MW, barrel 50-2I and it is bottled at 50% ABV. The nose has a light fruitiness (apple, pear), vanilla, and caramel. There is little to no alcohol burn. This is a little surprising considering the ABV. In the mouth this bourbon is buttery smooth. Notes of butter, cinnamon, caramel, and corn sweetness with rich oak dominate. The heat from the ABV is minimal. There are hints of fruit and rye spice as well. The rye is apparent, but not overpowering. The balance between sweetness and spice is just about perfect. The finish is eternal. Warm, oaky char and lingering rye spice hang on forever. Ten minutes after my second glass I'm still tasting the deep spice tones that were counterbalanced by the sweetness on the palate. This bottle is an absolute marvel at $37. Considering that this is widely available under $40 there is no reason this shouldn't be on your shelf. Get some! 4.5/5.0. Cheers!

This weekend the wife and I took a trip to Kentucky bourbon country. We toured two distilleries, the first of which was Woodford Reserve. Prior to this my opinion of WR was mediocre. I had tried their bourbon before: my impression was good but not great. After touring their facility and trying both their standard release and the Double Oaked offering, my estimation of them and their product has been raised considerably. On top of that, this is the first whiskey my wife has tried that she really liked, and she *really* liked the Double Oaked. But that's another review! This review is of the standard Woodford Reserve bourbon. It is an NAS offering that is composed of juice of varying ages anywhere from 4 to 10 years. This is based on information provided in the tour. The mash bill for both the standard and Double Oaked versions is 78% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. Both are bottled at 45.2% ABV. In the glass WR is a medium amber color with average legs. The nose is very pleasant, with dark fruits like raisins, tobacco, vanilla, and caramel. The palate is rich with toffee, vanilla, cinnamon spice. Hints of citrus and cocoa on the back end. Full mouthfeel. The finish is moderately long with more spice, oak char, and tobacco. Overall this is a very good bourbon that can be had online in the $27 price range. Given that price and the above average quality I'm giving it 4.25/5. Cheers!

On a long weekend trip to bourbon country in Kentucky this weekend I had a chance to sample some of this fine whiskey that I have never seen in my home area. I managed to put together some notes even though the wife was with me; she has learned to indulge my tasting on occasion and may even be starting to appreciate whiskey herself (more on that in another review). This whiskey is a 100 proof Single Barrel edition named after the "grandfather" of modern bourbon, Col. EH Taylor. The barmaid was savvy enough to serve it in a glencairn without my asking, which was much appreciated, although a little surprising. Distilled by Buffalo Trace, it was a dark gold in the glass with nice long legs when swirled. The nose was very nice, with little to no burn from the alcohol. All of the classic bourbon notes were present in spades: caramel, smoky oak, vanilla, and some light fruity hanging around in the background. The palate was basically one of the same with sweet corn, caramel, and oak dominating. Maybe it was the bar atmosphere or maybe it was just not being able to devote my full attention to it, but I couldn't get much more out of it. It had a full mouthfeel and a medium oaky finish that made me want more but, alas, it was gone! Overall this was a really good dram. It goes for $70 online. I'd have to really think about it before I put out $70 for a bottle of this. It's probably worth it, but with a limited budget there are other cheaper bottles (i.e. Elijah Craig) that are just about as good as what I got out of this. Solid 4.25. Cheers!

Rittenhouse Rye is a straight rye whiskey from Heaven Hill. It comes in a standard 40% ABV as well as the 50% ABV BiB version. This review is of the BiB version. Rittenhouse Rye BiB is a fairly unique offering in the rye world, as it is only one of two BiB rye whiskeys on the market. The other is Col. EH Taylor rye which is roughly three times the price of Rittenhouse. I purchased this bottle locally for $26; any decent whiskey under $30 is a win in my book, and this is definitely decent. First thing I noticed about this pour was the color: it's a gorgeous dark amber with copper tones, really beautiful. This is apparently a "barely legal" rye with a mash bill of 51% rye, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley. In the glass it produces a thick oily coating with nice strong legs. Nice pleasant aromas from the bottle on opening. The nose was a little surprising with a strong fruity character, bananas and peaches. There was a little alcohol burn that faded after about 15 minutes. Also a malty grain tone and an underlying sweetness with little to no rye spice. Fairly mild but pleasant. The palate makes up for the nose a bit with a strong malty, sweet flavor like burnt sugar in oatmeal. There's a buttery character to the palate with the rye spice finally making an appearance on the back end of the palate. Thick mouthfeel. Again, not what I expected from a rye whiskey but not bad. The finish is decent, warm and medium length with some peppery rye notes to round out the caramel/burnt sugar notes on the palate. Overall, this is an unusual rye whiskey, but a good one that will work equally well neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail. At $26 you can't go wrong. 4.5/5. Cheers!

Knob Creek small batch is a 100 proof offering from Beam global. It doesn't have and age statement and it doesn't claim BiB status, so I'm guessing it's less than 4 years old, or at least has less than 4 yr. old juice in it. In the glass it's a medium amber, with a thick oily coating and long legs. The nose has a distinct alcohol burn with oak, caramel, toffee, and butter. All the good stuff of a sweet roll with a little wood. Took about 20 minutes for the burn to fade. On the palate there's more oak, more alcohol burn, and a sweet caramel corn tone that dominates. Try as I might, I couldn't get much more out of it. Not bad, just kind of one dimensional. The finish is medium with more oak, heat, and pepper spice. This dram is not a great sipper, but is pretty decent on the rocks, and great in a Manhattan. Overall 4/5. Cheers!

Right of the bat I want to mention that I obtained this bottle for the ridiculously low price of $30! It normally runs $75 in my area and I should have got two but I have to maintain a semblance of restraint for the sake of my wallet and the wife. Get your butt to Acespirits.com and get some! This dram is a nice rich gold in the glass. It is bottled at Talisker's 45.8% ABV and has no age statement. It produces average legs when swirled. The nose is pretty fantastic with floral notes, brine, light peat smoke, and some fruit notes like apple. The palate is rich with bonfire smoke, honey sweetness, and a fair amount of spice. Hard to pin down what kind of spice but I got hints of cinnamon and pepper. It has a nice thick mouthfeel that coats every part of the tongue. Water didn't change the profile much but tamed some of the heat which allows the balance of smoke, sweet, and spice to really shine. Just excellent. The finish is medium, dry, smoky and peppery. Overall this is an excellent whisky, made all the more so by the incredible price mentioned above. 4.5/5. Cheers!