Tastes

Visual: Medium amber color much like pale ale. Not particularly leggy on the sides of the glass. Nose: No heat. Very aromatic – and much like the color, the nose is not unlike pale ale. Lots of fruit esters like banana, and peach, and a suggestion of honey, much like a honeyed ale that I homebrewed many years ago. Palate: Sweet honey at the outset, with copious cereal grain on the mid-palate. Some vanilla and oak soon join, along with a bit of a flavor akin to the smell of wet asphalt. Finish: The medium length finish has a bit of spice (allspice, clove) and oak, likely from the ex-bourbon cask finish. Not too bitter, not too sweet. Empty glass: Toffee and pecans. As Irish whiskies go, thus far in my limited experience with the style, Bushmill’s 21-year is my favorite. While this does not approach the quality of that dram, it is better than some I have had. The smoothness and drinkability is appropriate for its low ABV, and the nose is very pleasing. I’m giving it 4 stars.

Visual: In the glass it is a medium amber color/gold color. Medium, lasting legs after a swirl. Nose: Not hot at all, but that’s not surprising given the age and the 40% ABV. The nose is very sweet, with essences of honey, brown sugar and dried fruits. I tasted this against the Tyrconnell 10-year Port Cask Finish, since I’m doing a dive into Irish whiskeys. If the Tyconnell had a little crème brulee, this dram has it in spades, with a lot more vanilla. The time that a portion of the juice spent in ex-bourbon casks likely accounts for the vanilla, with the sherry casks lending the fruit – at least that’s my guess. Palate: The expert review on Distiller says trail mix, and that’s no lie. The palate fairly bursts with nuts, dried fruits, and white chocolate covered raisins. There’s also a bit of dark chocolate bitterness pre-finish. Finish: The finish is not as long as I expected, but isn’t too short, either. A malty flavor follows the dram down, and is accompanied by continued dark chocolate bitterness, and a bit of tannin dryness. Empty glass: Mocha flavored coffee, diluted with copious cream and sweetened with brown sugar and a touch of Frangelico. This is a pleasing dram through and through. Comforting, smooth, and oh, so drinkable. Do I think it merits the 97 points that Distiller gives it? Probably not. The styles are worlds apart, so it’s like an apples-to-oranges comparison, but this dram isn’t in Talisker 10 territory in terms of quality and point rating, in my opinion, and it is also pretty expensive these days. I would probably give it a 90, which is about a “five-star minus” in my estimation.

Visual: In the glass it is a light amber color/pale gold color. Thin, but lasting legs after a swirl. Nose: Initially hot, with an assertive aroma of red apples accompanied by something like magic marker. After some rest, the heat diminishes, along with the marker smell. The apple aroma persists, and is joined by crème brulee with fresh berries, but a little lighter on the vanilla than a typical crème brulee. Some fruity port wine essence sneaks in, as well, not surprising given the final maturation. Interestingly, the ex-bourbon barrels don’t lend much other than the faint vanilla in the crème brulee. My guess is they aren’t first fill ex-bourbon barrels. Palate: The initial flavor is sweet honey and hay, followed by a definite malty graininess and strong cereal grain flavor mid-palate. There is some definite heat throughout the tasting experience, indicative of the 46% ABV – it perhaps reads more like >50% ABV. Finish: The finish is fairly long, with continued and briefly growing, then slowly diminishing heat. The grain and malt continue, and are joined by the slightest hint of coffee, as well as a nuttiness. The expert notes on Distiller describe the finish as having an almond flavor. I don’t know that I’d get any more specific than to just suggest that the finish is nutty. Empty glass: Mixed nuts and brown sugar. Thus far in my somewhat limited experience with Irish whiskeys (which is about to get more robust, as I’ve acquired several MoM samples), I haven’t been bowled over. However, this one gets my attention. It seems more characterful than some I’ve had – perhaps owing to two distillations as opposed to three, as well as the port cask finish. I would give this dram four stars if it weren’t for the heat, which I thought was excessive for its ABV. In the absence of a half-star option, I’m giving it three stars.

Visual: In the glass it is a deep amber – clearly plenty of colorant added. Nice medium, lasting legs after a swirl. Nose: Pleasing fruity aroma with citrus and stone fruits (cherries, apricots), and a hint of freshly cut cantaloupe and apples after a while. The fruits are accompanied by vanilla, toffee, and a bit of that sense of wet cobblestone that I sometimes perceive in Scotch whiskies. Palate: The tongue is greeted with honeyed sweetness and some malty notes, a little dash of the fruit that the nose encountered, all followed by a dark chocolate bitterness and more malt mid-palate. Finish: The finish is moderate, with the dark chocolate bitterness carrying through, along with a little ethanol warmth, perhaps a bit more than the 43% ABV would suggest. Breathing out through the nose, some of the original vanilla is evident. Empty glass: Some trail mix and a bit more of a woodshop quality than I would have expected from an NAS that likely did not spend too many years in the barrel. This is a Speysider through and through: sweet, fruity, and imminently drinkable. The affordable price would earn it an extra half-star were that option available. As it stands, I’m giving it three.

Visual: In the glass it is a medium gold. Surprisingly viscous with medium, lasting legs after a swirl. Nose: This has a malty aroma with cereal grains, citrus zest, sea breeze, and almonds. After a while a little vanilla and an indefinable spice (almost like a rye whiskey spiciness) come through. Perhaps this is the influence of the ex-bourbon barrel aging? Palate: The flavor presents grains, nuts, and fruit (strawberries, maybe?), but just the essence of fruit without the sweetness. There is also a slight smokiness, but not like peat. It’s more of a faint charcoal note. The mid-palate is quite dry and woody. Finish: The finish is moderate, with an oaky quality, with a little tannin and dark chocolate bitterness. Later, breathing out through the nose, a slight fruit essence again appears. Empty glass: Trail mix. Overall, while this is not an incredibly challenging or thought provoking dram, it certainly is not without character and interesting elements. Impressive at its price point, if you ask me, and worthy of a four-star rating. I can see why many have said this is their daily dram, or at least one they always keep on hand.

It feels like I went to the ends of the earth to get a bottle of this, as nobody local seemed to be able to acquire it. The bottle was surprisingly inexpensive, but the shipping across the continent wasn’t! Visual: Deep reddish amber in the glass. Moderate legs form on the side of the glass on swirling. Nose: Initially cherry coke, leather, oak, and cooked peaches. After 10 minutes the vanilla comes through, giving this whiskey a peach cobbler character. Palate: A nice, velvety mouthfeel greets the palate. It is rich and substantial. The flavor begins with a sweet, brown sugar attack with a slight saltiness, followed by an oaky mid-palate with lots of baking spice and cola flavors. Then, there is more vanilla and stone fruits. Finish: The long finish is spicy with black pepper, cinnamon, and anise. The licoricey anise lingers for a while. Breathing out through the nose, more leather can be sensed, along with tobacco and oak tannins. All in all, this is a creamy, delightful bourbon. At 100 proof, and with its other characterful qualities, I am certain it would stand up to any mixer and hold its own in a variety of cocktails, but why would I bother? This bourbon deserves to be enjoyed neat, and that is my recommendation to any who wish to try it. I’m teetering between a 4- and a 5-star rating on this, trying not to let my general love of bourbon get the best of me. However, I think I’m just going to have to give it 5. I really like it and will be seeking more. I’m hoping Buffalo Trace keeps this as a regular member of its line-up and also expands distribution so that I can enjoy it more conveniently.

Visual: In the glass it is a deep reddish brown like good southern sweet tea. Forms thick, slow moving legs down the side of the glass after a swirl. Nose: The first thing that struck me was the absence of vanilla on initial nosing, as vanilla seems to be the dominant note for most bourbons. I initially picked up dark chocolate, lots of leather (Horween shell cordovan), heavy wood and some alcohol burn – not surprising given the high ABV – and a bit of chemical/solvent aroma that I could not exactly nail down. A couple drops of water and about 10 minutes of rest brought out the vanilla at long last, and dampened the alcohol and solvent notes significantly, while also bringing out caramel apples. The dram starts to smell somewhat like a dessert, except for the leather note in the background. Palate: Wow. The palate could not be more different than the nose! The first sensation on the tip of the tongue is not sweetness, but tart citrus, followed by a slight saltiness and a very drying astringency. Although this whiskey is fairly low rye (10% of the mash bill or so I’ve read), what little rye there is seems to assert itself mid-palate with a hard rye spice note, followed by strong oakiness. Finish: The finish is long and warming (that high ABV again) with lots of licorice. A tannin bitterness follows. This is probably the most complex and challenging bourbon I’ve tried so far. I imagine that, as I work my way through this bottle, I will likely pick up different aromas and flavors. On its complexity alone I give this five stars and a recommendation for those looking for a not-your-everyday bourbon experience. Addendum: I have had several drams of this neat and would not change my review above based upon these follow-up tastings. However, I have now tried this on the rocks, and the ice makes a huge difference. The sour/tart flavor is completely neutralized, allowing a little more saltiness and some vanilla and brown sugar sweetness to come through on the palate. The leather and oak notes are more assertive, as well. The finish is slightly bitter, but not unpleasantly so. When it comes to bourbon, I'm not a strict adherent to drinking all drams neat. In the case of Stagg, ice makes it a much more pleasurable drink. However, I will likely enjoy this one either way depending on my mood at the time. One style isn't necessarily better, they are just different.

With whiskey, it seems rare to get more than that for which you've paid, which is why this dram is a bit of a rarity. It's not great, but for $15 USD, it is more than serviceable. On the nose, at first it presents vanilla and a bit of ethanol, but after 10 minutes or so, it brings grain, creamed corn, and wood to the party. On the palate, it starts sweet with vanilla and marshmallow cream, and tends toward oaky mid palate with some baking spice. The finish is short with a smidgen of tannin bitterness. All in all, it is an okay dram. It's just not as complex or challenging as some more premium bourbons. It's easy drinking (crushable) neat, and also works well in cocktails. Weighing price into the evaluation, I give this 85 points for a scant four stars, since 3.5 isn't available. This is certainly worth picking up if you need a cheap but solid bourbon on hand to make Old Fashionds or Whiskey Sours for guests.

Visual: In the glass it is a medium gold. Long, thin legs after a swirl. Nose: Initially, I pick up a wet asphalt aroma, like pavement after a brief rain, along with a little alcohol and grassiness. After several minutes of opening up, sweet notes of vanilla, toffee, white chocolate, and baking spices come to the fore. Some toast, as well. I really like the nose on this one after it has had a chance to sit for a while. Palate: It’s honey sweet and malty on initial tasting, with a faint smoke in the background. The mid palate brings some spice and a difficult to pinpoint vegetal note. Carrots? Celery seed? Both? Also some cereal grains in the mix. There is an earthy quality to the flavor on swallowing. Finish: The finish is medium length, with a little dark chocolate bitterness. It’s the good kind of bitterness. The empty glass has aromas of dried fruits and trail mix. I’m impressed with the complexity and balance of this Highland malt. I think I’ll be revisiting this one. It’s on the lower end of 4 stars for me. Certainly respectable.

Deep amber in the glass. Nose: vanilla, malt, bananas, nail polish (polish, not polish remover). Palate: not much here. A little more burn than expected at 40% ABV, and malt. A very grain-forward, cereal flavored dram. Finish is a little hot, a bit bitter, and very short. Forgotten almost immediately upon swallowing. As you can see, I'm not overly impressed with this bottle, which I picked up for St. Patrick's Day. I tried really hard to pick up aromas and flavors that, for me, just weren't there. I'm sure I could have done much better with a different Irish. The store I was in at the time didn't have Green or Yellow Spot, which is what I was looking for. I'm thinking this bottle is going to last me a while. I'd put this in the mid-to upper 70's for 3 stars.