Tastes

I was not a huge fan of rum-cask finishing in scotch when I tried The Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask, but that rum is working its magic here. The nose definitely lives up to the proof at first, but when those initial vapors blow off, oh my. There's cedar wood, charred caramel chocolate brownies, molasses, and gingerbread. The sweetness from the rum adds a ton of sweet notes, and so the rye spice ends up manifesting more as dessert baking spices, which I loved. The palate features some prickly heat, but then more caramel, chocolate malt, rye spice, graham cracker and marshmallow, and gingerbread. There is a rough, hot edge to all of this, which is the main downside, and makes me wonder whether a tick or two lower in proof or another year or so of aging would be beneficial. The finish is more rye-like and spicy, with ginger, cinnamon, pepper, and another wave of heat. This is a complex and somewhat challenging rye, which kept rising in my estimation with each sip.

Sad to say, I did not find much to enjoy in this thinner, older version of Whistlepig, which blends together rye aged in Madeira, Sauternes, and Port. The mixture of finishes sounded pretty impressive to me and I was expecting an explosion of complex flavors. Instead, the immediate and dominant aroma was an antiseptic or cleaning alcohol scent, unexpected given the low proof, and then a dilute mixture of brown sugar and wood. There is a rich, underlying roast grain accompanying each sip, along with some mild honeydew, but that was about it. That being said, the finish was better than the 10, with a nice, lingering mixture of sweet and spicy. This costs $130 around here, but I would have thrown up if I'd paid that price for this rye. I'm wondering what's up here. This came to me courtesy of a sample from a friend, so it's possible that this was just an overoxidized, end-of-the-bottle pour or that the sample bottle wasn't adequately cleaned. I just cannot believe this rye is this mediocre. I'm cautiously providing this score for now, but may try to get another sample and try again later.

The nose immediately screams well-aged: tons of dry wood, almost like wood shavings, vanilla, nutmeg and rye spice. It's a very "dusty" aroma, missing some of the tropical fruit notes that I find in younger and more vibrant ryes. The palate retains hints of that rye character, with a mild fruitiness that's hard to place. It's spicy and balanced, with some unusual floral notes for a rye, and a discernible amount of mellow caramel and vanilla from those bourbon barrels. Whistlepig 10's curtain call is seven-grain bread, spice, and a very dry and oak-heavy final bow. This is a worthwhile rye to try because of its high age. I personally may prefer ryes in the 8-year old range, based on my love of Angel's Envy Rye, or brands that blend older and younger components, like the scrumptious High West Rendezvous Rye.

Ardbog has one of the coolest and funniest boxes around. The front features a beautiful sword, a bronze piece purportedly unearthed near Oa. As the text informs us, "Cut 3 foot into the bog and you'll have dug 1000 years into the past. Dig deeper and you'll discover peat formed from prehistoric vegetation -- the essence of Ardbeg." The sides contain additional images of archaeological or paleontological finds from Islay, including ancient coins, helmets, and fossils. One of them, a fossilized nautilus, is "a very early member of the Clam MacDougall, forefathers of Ardbeg's founders." Ha! In the glass, Ardbog is the color of advanced rust. Ardbog has aromas of Woodford Reserve bourbon balls: pecan and chocolate surrounding a bourbon-infused filling. The Manzanilla adds dark, sweet notes of chocolate and toffee or caramel throughout, rather than the jam or dried-fruit scent that comes from other types of sherry. There's a strong burst of leafy smoke, spice, and leather, leaving no doubt as to the heavily peated nature of this single malt. On the palate, the first flavors are of a peat-laced honey, and then I get a combination of sea spray and flowers that I'm going to start calling "spring Ardbeg." In addition, there's some mulled wine, grapefruit, iodine and phenols from the peat. That classic Ardbeg citrus is still here, which makes sense, since this is 60% Ardbeg 10. The palate has a rough, hot edge to it on some sips, and more smoke than Ardbeg 10. Ardbegs tend to distinguish themselves with complex finishes, particularly when sherry gets involved, and Ardbog is no different. Licorice, cream, and strong smoke are the first few flavors. It's slightly bitter and herbal, as the grapefruit comes around the first turn with the lead. This is one of the smokiest, "robusto" Ardbegs I've had. Is Ardbog my favorite Ardbeg of all time? I think not, although it isn't very far from my favorites, like Ardbeg Day or Dark Cove. This is one of the Ardbeg special editions that earns its keep, rather than just paying for the salaries of LVMH's stellar marketing department.

Given my experiences with two of the three distilleries that are used in this blend, it's no surprise that I enjoyed but did not love this generically sweet, malty scotch. The typical Highland apple is present, along with some of the vanilla cream signature of Balvenie, and a slight hint of bitterness that hints at immature whiskies or at somewhat spent casks, releasing their last-gasp tannins. On the whole, the profile is sweet, with that bitterness cropping up toward the end almost, on some sips, lending this scotch a faint smokiness.

This has got to be some kind of Four Roses. Tasting this side by side with Four Roses Small Batch or Single Barrel would be an interesting exercise. The combination of floral, fruity, and spicy characteristics is almost a dead ringer for that distillery’s offerings, but this is a clear case of just buying from the source in my book. The stunning Four Roses Single Barrel is basically the same price, comes at a higher ABV, and is just flat out better. Combined with the hit that Bulleit’s taken recently due to a controversy over the family’s treatment of their daughter Hollis (look it up), I don’t see myself ordering this one again.

Wild Turkey 101 is one of the distillery’s basic, affordable expressions, but I came away quite impressed. The name isn’t particularly creative but denotes the proof, kind of like Weller Antique 107. At over 50%, this bourbon is like prime-era Manny Pacquiao, with a lot of knockout power for its weight class. Although this bourbon lacks an age statement, it does not feel particularly young to me, and has the complexity of a good 8-10 years in the barrel. What begins as a fruit-forward experience, with orange citrus and cherry flavors that would do amazing work in a Godfather or Old Fashioned, transitions after a few sips into a creamy, vanilla-laden sundae treat. Throughout, those sweet flavors are balanced out by some char, heat, and spice. The primary flaw is a little too much spirit-y aroma. I’d slot this somewhere between Buffalo Trace and Eagle Rare 10, which is a great place to be in the affordable bourbon category! Since it's $7-10 cheaper than Eagle Rare, that may make it my No. 1 bourbon of choice for $25.

For some reason, this costs a relatively reasonable $13 a pour at my local bar, in line with the basics like Knob Creek or Bulleit. Anyways, compared to those, I'd give this one the call maybe a third of the time, opting for the other two the rest of the time — it doesn't stand head and shoulders above them, in other words. Relatively one note, albeit a pleasant note, on the nose and palate, with a heavy dollop of maraschino cherry. For a 10-year old bourbon, this is not oak-heavy, although there's definitely evidence of cask influence. I've seen a lot of reviews claim that this bourbon has a strong chocolate note, but I'm not seeing it — fudge, maybe. The most unique feature of this bourbon is that, although sourced from the Midwest, the company uses New York mineral water to dilute it down to its bottled proof. Not sure I can really tell the difference, but there's a slightly bitter or grassy quality, reminiscent of lemon rinds, at the end that may be a result of that New York water.

What is the deal with that alcohol percentage -- trying to squeeze an extra bottle or two out of every single barrel? Don't cut this down any further, please! Happily, despite the relatively low ABV, this rye has a pleasing, oily quality. The oddity of it is that it struck me as more of a high-rye bourbon rather than a low-rye rye, if that makes any sense. As a rye, it has to be at least 51% rye but, if I had to guess, it can't be much beyond 51%. It has all of the classic bourbon scents of vanilla, toasted oak, and caramel, and then follows up with those flavors on the palate as well. The rye emerges on the tongue after a sip or two, and certainly presents itself on the finish. This was an unexpected surprise, and is the most bourbon-like rye that I've had to date. If you're really more of a bourbon drinker than a rye drinker, Michter's might be the "missing link" that leads you to become a fan of the latter. Priced at $40-45, I'd suggest opting for a high-rye bourbon instead, like Four Roses Single Barrel. Among comparably priced ryes, Lot No. 40 (a Canadian, 100% rye whiskey) is better, as is Sazerac.

I enjoyed a dram of this years ago in Phoenix on a sweltering summer night (100 degrees plus), and then saw it on a menu down here in Miami again last weekend. I recalled liking it, so ordered it again. I was happy to find that I continued to enjoy this bourbon, and would place it in the top half of independent bourbons that I've experienced. Its main downside is that it doesn't have the intense punch of flavor that I really look for in a bourbon and has a slightly watery texture that's characteristic of independent brands, which simply cannot afford to age their products as much as the established big-name distilleries. That being said, the four years that this bourbon spent in the barrel has already resulted in a healthy amount of development. The nose features a lot of rye spice, vanilla, corn, and a putty-like smell, which is unusual but not off-putting (as an Islay scotch fan, it may even have enhanced the experience for me). The palate contains a strong orange note, more rye spice, and honey. The short finish is dominated again by the rye and a sweet-and-sour bite that is characteristic of young bourbons.