Tastes

The nose is fresh cut cherry wood, slightly bitter and tannic but giving way to sweet and spicy notes. There’s herbaceous and fruity sweet vermouth, a pinch of pepper, a sprig of fresh dill, and given time, a whisper of sweet sappy smoke from the barrel char, plus just a hint of vanilla. The taste is intense. Equal parts sweet and heat, both from the spice and the alcohol. Hold it on your tongue and the sweet wins out over the heat and initial bitterness. Flavors include grenadine, chili, pumpernickel bread, a bit of candy corn, and some candied ginger that just burns the back of your throat a bit. The body is good, with a velvety texture and very interesting legs. They take a long time to appear, first as a very thin skirt with many tiny beads. Then, the skirt slowly thickens and the beads become less and less as they chase each other down the walls of the glass. The finish is not as woody or dry as expected, but there is definitely some oak, a bit of tobacco leaf, and some lingering fruitiness with a touch of cocoa, kind of like Raisinets. It’s a mild but enjoyable and balanced finish. Water and ice kill the heat and dull the sweet while retaining some of the herbal notes and adding a bit of mint to the mix. Nose: 9 Taste: 9 Body: 9 Finish: 10

At first nosing, I’m reminded of Redbreast 12 Irish Whiskey. A jammy, fruity bouquet ensues starting with strawberry, raspberry, red currant, red pear, pink lady apple, and a touch of pink grapefruit. I also get some vanilla taffy, and just a whiff of sea air. Sweet and tart on the tongue, with plenty of salted caramel and citrus, both orange and lemon. Stewed fruits and vanilla pastry follow. I also get some spicy heat in the form of white pepper and allspice. It reminds me of a Fruits of the Forest pie. Good legs start out slowly, falling as a tight sheet until forming fat droplets about mid-glass that suddenly pick up speed and become streaking bolts amidst scattered clouds. Syrupy in the mouth, but not too heavy. A medium, bittersweet finish finally shows the sherry oak influence with plenty of nutty tannins, Ceylon tea, and red grape skins. There’s a chalkiness to it as well that makes the finish interesting at first but then becomes a bit too dusty. Add a dash of water to tone down the sweet and heat, and give a little creaminess to the body. A delicious “old school” malt. Nose: 9 Taste: 9 Body: 9 Finish: 7

I don’t often make mention of the eye of a whisky, but I feel I have to say this one is exceptionally light, like a moscato, and obviously contains no added coloring. A lively nose, even spiky and a little funky. Clean vegetal peat, wet hay, cool smoke, vanilla, mineral oil, pungent white flowers, blonde wood, a hint of lemon and plenty of alcohol. Sharper on the tongue, in fact it starts out downright prickly. Once the hot pepper subsides, sweet apple, buttery vanilla fudge, peat and wet slate emerge. The body is on the thin side, but the mouthfeel is satisfactory. In the glass, this whisky runs rather quickly, leaving a broken skirt with holes in its wake. However, it gets its act together just above the liquid’s surface forming a nice uniform ring of heavy droplets. The finish is short, semidry and slightly bitter. There’s plenty of soot, seaweed, a little walnut, more slate, and the slightest lingering sweetness akin to golden syrup. Nose: 8 Taste: 8 Body: 7 Finish: 8

Upon first nosing I immediately detect stewed cherries and spice, with equal parts sweet and tart to the fruit, also a good hit of alcohol but without any harshness or burn. Further nosing and I get red apple skins, cloves, ginger, just a hint of rye, rose water, and finally charred sugar maple. On the tongue it’s a bit like cherry cough syrup at first. As the sugary sweetness fades, the spice starts to emerge with cayenne pepper and ginger taking the lead. Red apples and plums briefly appear, followed by an orange citrus tinge. The body is pretty good, syrupy but not too heavy. The legs are extremely slow to develop, and very thin and quick at the start, but then a delicate string of beads rims the glass and hangs on for quite a while before dispersing. The finish is very mildly dry and oaky, nutty, and somewhat short. There’s slightly bitter cocoa, and a final note of cherry pie. Over ice everything becomes muted and rounded, the finish is more strawberry rhubarb than cherry, and a bit of mint comes out at the very end. Nose: 9 Taste: 8 Body: 9 Finish: 8

A buttery, almost scotchy, herbal nose that comes out swinging well above its ABV but given time to breathe calms down enough to become rather interesting. I pick up sweet roasted corn cakes in butter, as well as heavy esters of fresh wintergreen, and underripe banana. There is also a musty note, masa flour, some cocoa powder, sarsaparilla, and a touch of allspice. On the tongue it is as sweet as expected, but unexpectedly spicy. There are notes of corn syrup, Cow Tales and Hot Tamales candies, jalapeño pepper, some agave, spearmint, and spice. The longer I hold it in my mouth, the more the sweetness fades and pepper takes over. Medium-light bodied, but with a little nice oiliness to it. The legs are OK, running wild at first, but once they slow they drape nicely before dissipating. On the finish there is a lot of vanilla, and finally oak appears. I also get fire roasted vegetables, and a touch of leather. This is one unique whisky that given more time to age could be something really special. Nose: 8 Taste: 8 Body: 7 Finish: 8

I’m greeted with a powerful yet delicate nose, like a pungent bouquet of honeysuckle and apple blossoms, but with an alcoholic kick. There’s unhulled barley, wildflower honey, and a feint minerality, almost a note of chalk but not so dry, more like Bird’s vanilla custard powder. Also, a hint of bourbon barrel spices and just a drop of lemony citrus. Spicy, sharp, and syrupy sweet on the tongue, it is the experience of the nose amplified. The heavy caramel sweetness fades quickly into soft vanilla, as the spice builds through the mid-palate approaching cayenne. The citrus too intensifies at this point, and evolves towards Valencia orange. The body lacks the girth expected but is by no means thin, not velvety but a tad creamy. The legs are so so, disorganized yet beautiful heavy teardrops form pretty skirts for a few moments before disappearing. The medium finish is dry, mineral, clean copper, oaky, somewhat bitter almond skins, and slightly saline. Whispers of spice and citrus hang on to the bitter end as well. The addition of water softens everything but the citrus sharpness, and makes the body creamier. Aroma: 9 Taste: 9 Body: 8 Finish: 8.5