Tastes

Thanks to MMMNRice for this sample! The nose immediately draws me in with meaty peat smoke, orange, a bit of gravel or earth, hints of brine, and musk.  This scotch features a rich smoke and citrus combination, with the citrus leaning toward the orange side, along with a strong dash of salt, leather, and herbal grassiness.  This scotch is like Laphroaig 18, but a Laphroaig 18 that's done some manual labor and put on some muscle.  The finish is thick smoke, like charcoal from the grill, intense spice, and orange rind.  Its only flaw is that it is almost too rugged, at 57%, with a good amount of heat in the palate and especially the finish.  It's the best of the three standard Ardbeg expressions.

I didn't think Lagavulin could best its timeless classic, the 16-year old. But after hearing about this edition, which features an additional year of finishing in Pedro Ximenez sherry butts, it was hard not to get excited. Think of this as Lagavulin 17, and you wouldn't be far off -- it's a more refined, smoother version of the Lagavulin 16 experience. The aroma is gentle smoke, cashews and mild sherry fruit, candy sweetness (like Gummi Bears), vanilla, coffee, and some clove cigarette. This tastes like exactly what I want out of a sherry-finished Islay scotch. It's salty, with a savory edge of cured meats, brown sugar, apple, malt, and coffee after a few seconds. The sherry adds some tart berry sweetness as well. The finish is one of my favorites, although I suppose I could say that about Lagavulin 16 as well. The two are quite different, however, there isn't as much family resemblance as I expected. I get decadent dark chocolate truffle and cherry, with some wisps of smoke, but not the tar or asphalt-like ruggedness of the 16. 8/18/17 update - I neglected to thank MMMNRice for this sample! Thank you, Matt!

Thanks to Telex for this sample! So I hear this is supposed to be triple the Ardbeg smoke, right?  Not quite.  This is a strange experience from stem to stern.  In the glass there are scents that immediately remind me of baijiu (Chinese distilled liquor, made from a variety of starches, including sorghum) or a barrel-aged gin.  It's botanical, but also very chalky, like kids' chewable vitamins.  The peat is not ashy or smoky as I'd expect, almost like corn tortilla chips.  I do get some pine and rosemary, which may be other manifestations of that heavy infusion of peat phenols.  This dram tastes strange, again reminding me of a barrel-aged Old Tom gin.  It's sweet, medicinal, pine and juniper-infused, and with not as much smoke -- again, a strange lack of smoke.  But then I hit the finish and it billows up, in waves and waves like taking a deep pull from a robusto cigar in the middle of a forest fire.  There's also some sweetness that might come from the Ribera del Duero wine barrels that Bruichladdich uses to age this scotch.  Strange, bemusing, but ultimately not my cup of tea.

This review is for the single barrel 10-year sold by DC's Potomac Wines (currently on sale for $58, a stunning value). It's bottled at 52.3% ABV, relatively low for a barrel proof bourbon. Just about everything you want in a bourbon nose is here. It resembles Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, which I worship, just with the intensity dialed down from 11 to 9.5 or so. Hanging in the balance are oak, vanilla, toasted coconut, barrel char, cherry, coffee ice cream, and some cologne-esque musk or oiled leather. There is a lot intermingling here, but it's like the perfect party, where everyone's different personalities mesh together. The palate progression is interesting. This bourbon enters stealthily, if that makes any sense. The first sensations are of a delicate sweetness, with no burn, but then there is a warming rush of oak, tannins, toffee, honey, vanilla, and corn. It is a rich swirl of flavors, which tails off into a stimulating combination of cinnamon, pepper, and baking spices. It has a creamy rather than oily texture, and it is so gentle I would have pegged its ABV in the 45% range rather than the 52%+ it actually is. Belle Meade ends with a lovely coda of oak, butterscotch, rye bread, and cinnamon. This bourbon is for someone who enjoys a lengthy, languorous finish, but one that doesn't light the tongue, throat, and esophagus on fire. One of the best bourbons I've had -- the only criticism I have is that it hews pretty close to the traditional/classic bourbon flavor profile, and there aren't many surprising notes along the way. This is a high-rye bourbon, so imagine Four Roses Single Barrel but with more oak and vanilla flavors and a little extra oomph. I'd put this at a 96-97 on the Distiller score scale.

This rye seems like hipster catnip. It's a single barrel rye from a small distillery in New Mexico, under a revived brand from the early 19th century whose founder was killed during the Taos Revolt of 1847, and named after a distillery worker (Albert) who fought in a siege during that revolt. This rye is five years old, so similar in age to Sazerac. I also get a very similar profile to Sazerac in the nose and palate: scents of coffee along with a clear rye base; pears, pineapple, plenty of rye spice, and that cleaning solution impression; and a smooth finish that is mostly sweet and not as spicy, with a rich mouthful of bread and grain. It's $60 a bottle, so not cheap for a rye, but worth trying.

I'm starting to realize, after having had some universally well-reviewed ryes, that I might just not be a rye guy. On the nose, I get chocolate, some baking spices, and a big dose of sweetness in the tropical fruit vein. The palate is syrupy sweet, but with another healthy dose of rye spice. The finish is long, floral, spicy, and a bit medicinal. Unfortunately for me, I experience one of the core rye flavors as an offputting antiseptic or cleaning-fluid sensation, in both smell and taste. I noticed it in Lot No. 40, and have since picked up on it in several ryes I've tried. My palate is a bit biased against rye, it seems. That being said, it doesn't have any glaring weaknesses like a short finish or excessive ethanol aroma or heat.

I revered the 12-year edition of Elijah Craig that has since gone the way of the dodo. The toasted oak and vanilla nose retains much of what I loved about Elijah Craig and is its strongest feature. The palate is a pleasant combination of butterscotch, toffee, a bit of apple, and pepper. The finish, however, is shorter than I remember from the 12-year and is where the drop in age probably hurts the most. It's now a little astringent and acidic, although the caramel and rye spice combination remains. I'd still pick this by a hair over Evan Williams Single Barrel, and it remains a solid value purchase at around $30.

Suntory Toki strikes me as the Japanese answer to Glenmorangie Original or Chivas Regal. It hits the core whiskey profile well, but is a classic "jack of all trades, master of none" whiskey. There is a tiny bit of smoke on the nose, along with oats and honey. The palate is sweet and a little savory, with a thin but refreshing texture. The finish is fruity and sweet, but not particularly memorable.

Thanks to Telex for the sample! PX Cask strikes me as Laphroaig's answer to Ardbeg's ultra-popular and critically acclaimed Uigeadail.  The ABV is a few percentage points lower, so it's a milder dram, but otherwise my notes are very similar.  The nose is replete with sticky sweet sherry notes, cherry cordial, and fruitcake to complement some beeswax and floral peat.  The palate is strawberry sweetness, a really mild peat, and honey.  It is simpler and less complex than Uigeadail, but it also doesn't suffer from the young spirit hint I detect in that Ardbeg.  The finish is sherry-forward again, but with a strong swirl of spices on top of hot chocolate.  Laphroaig PX is an ideal scotch for someone who likes Uigeadail but finds it too intense. I'd rate it a hair below Uigeadail myself, but it's a close call, depending on mood.

I'm going to start referring to these guys as jabs ("just another bourbon"). In a way, it's a compliment. To me, a jab is a solid entry-level bourbon, bottled somewhere in the 43-48% range, that hits the classic notes well, doesn't stray too far afield, and has no offputting or negative features. This Wild Turkey product's best feature is a nose I could smell all day, filled with fragrances of cherry, vanilla cream, and sweet toast. The taste is toffee and raisins forming a classic, middle-of-the-road profile that doesn't veer into more heavily oaked or more overly sweet flavors. The finish has a bit of oak tannin astringency, lasts enough beats to make out a melody of caramel and spice, and then moves on. A jab is the foundation of any boxer's repertoire, and of any bourbon fan's liquor cabinet. I would slot this a hair above Woodford Reserve and Bulleit, and in about the same place as Evan Williams Single Barrel, but all of these are solid jabs in the same $30-35 price range that I'd recommend trying for yourself.