Tastes

Review- Laphroaig 10 CS Batch 14 —————————————————————————— Distiller: Laphroaig(OB) Age Statement: 10 years Abv: 58.6% Price: The bottle retails at around £75 ($95 USD) —————————————————————————— ~Nose: This whisky greets you with a coastal allure, leading the way with a prominent peat presence. While it's not overly smoky, the yeasty and classic medicinal notes are complemented by a rounded touch. Additionally, a funky dank moss aroma mingles with the fragrant essence of floral Earl Grey tea. ~Palate: The peat takes center stage, accompanied by a pronounced oak influence. In terms of sweetness, this expression leans towards a drier profile. It can be best described as an elevated version of the Quarter cask, with a higher proof and a subtle sprinkle of rye spice. Rather than being heavily smoky, it focuses more on coastal and brine flavors. You may even detect a faint hint of apple. Notably, it offers a bold and palate-coating experience. ~Finish: The finish is long, albeit slightly dry. It leaves behind lingering notes of ash and oak. Conclusion: While not my personal favorite among the 10 cask strengths I've had the pleasure of sampling, this whisky still upholds its reputation for quality. Its drier and spiced characteristics differ from the dark, sweet BBQ and stewed fruit notes I typically enjoy. Nevertheless, it remains a commendable pour for any peat lover! I just so happen to enjoy other versions more. Score: 82 out of 100 Grading Scale: * 0-9: Hell Motherf@$#!ng No * 10-19: Hell No * 20-29: Nope * 30-39: Nice Try…Shots? * 40-49: Meh * 50-59: Almost There/Mixer? * 60-69: Ok I’ll consider * 70-79: Decent worth trying * 80-84: It’s good and quality is there * 85-89: Excellent/Stands out from others * 90-94: Absolutely fantastic and a favorite * 96-100: Juice of the Gods My rating scale is based purely on flavour experience. It does not take into account the cost or how how much my wallet will hate me. Cheers!

Finally time to give my thoughts on this Remus Repeal batch 5. The House brand of MGP, it is comprised of the high rye mash bill and is a blend of - 51% 2008 bourbon (36% Rye) - 13% 2008 bourbon (21% Rye) - 19% 2006 bourbon (21% Rye) - 05% 2006 bourbon (36% Rye) - 09% 2005 bourbon (21% Rye) Bottled at 100 Proof…. Let’s dive in 👇🏽👇🏽 Nose: Light sweet oak and gentle clove spice. Alittle bit of toasted marshmallow and candy syrup. Bright fruits (cherry/orange) and dusty corn Palate: Nice and and extremely crushable. That toasted oak sweetness is pretty well integrated throughout with all that nice sugar and marshmallow; it’s sorta right in the middle of feeling old and young. I get a sweet tobacco accompanied with alittle bit of tannic. I do wish it had a slightly deeper oak feel; it really is more on the brighter light side of things. That being said this is an extremely balanced dram with everything popping up and making itself known. A final burst of cherry and spice linger on the back palate. Finish: This is my favorite part of the drink and I believe this is where that nice age shows up. It lasts for quite a bit. Very mouth coating and velvety. It’s oaky, sweet, and man does that cherry keep going. A very nice lingering of toasted barrel sugars and spice is what holds on the most. Perhaps also a bit of toffee and light pipe tobacco. Conclusion/ Score: 89 out of 100 I really dig this. It’s crushable, it’s relaxing, it’s balanced and it’s really just an all around enjoyment. I think this is a great dram for whiskey enthusiasts who want to concentrate on the whiskey…but not to hard😉. It’s not the most rich and complex thing in the world but man I think this shows what can happen when blending goes right! Cheers🥃

Nose:⠀ ⠀ Classic! Oaky and vanilla. Maybe some tartness (green apple?). Black tea and orange. But spice follows nicely. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Palate:⠀ ⠀ Dusty sweet corn, old fashioned cocktail type notes of floral bitters, toasted sugars, and orange peel…lots of orange peel. A bit thin but perfectly sipp-able…dare i say crushable? A good oak tannin and old leather bitterness is present but it’s nicely balanced out by that quiet hint of vanilla. ⠀ ⠀ Finish:⠀ ⠀ Wow, it’s not super oily but man it’s a very long lingering finish. Maybe a tad thin but again very enjoyable. Notes of slightly charred wood, mint, and cinnamon with that classic bourbon vanillin and dusty sweet corn. The spice and oaky ness is very present throughout ⠀ .⠀ ⠀ Conclusion/Score: 83.5/100⠀ ⠀ First off…am I the only one who has always seen this but for some reason have never picked it up??🤦🏽 ⠀ ⠀ I’m a bit torn by this. I almost want to score it higher than I did. This is a great example of a higher age stated classic bourbon for an affordable price! Hats off to @wildturkey for once again leading by example. It really is enjoyable. However, at the end of the day it is very simple and a tad thin. I do wish they would up that proof to the classic 101 where I feel WT or RR shines! ⠀ ⠀ Russels Reserve 10 year is a classic yet for the price decently complex background bourbon! And for those who are frustrated by not being able to find a certain other ten year bird… 🦅🦅🦬🙃. Maybe try this instead? ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Cheers 🥃

The First release from @shizuoka distillery. Limited to 5000 bottles for the Japanese market; distilled using the legendary ex #karuizawa stills.⠀ ⠀ Nose:⠀ A young malty minerality to it. Presents Oats and barley sugars. Strong honey strings along with a light peaty funk. There is a grainy alcohol hit. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Palate:⠀ Initial arrival is quite strong initially with some ethanol sting and…plastic? However, after a bit it opens with that earthy/minerality. Digging further there is a pleasant syrupy richness. Now to be clear it is young…and it shows with a slight grainy sting; but, for a three year old malt, it demonstrates a good bit of character and oily ness. There is a dark funk to it (almost a young springbank). A light peat is present. Clove spice is also strung throughout. Fruity pears, apple and honey round it out⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Finish: ⠀ Medium…maybe even long. Left with a peat funk and syrup sweetness. Spice and full body!Pretty impressive and probably my favorite part of the dram. Again the malty character of the distillate is very clear and brought to the forefront which I greatly admire about this dram. That youth does make its self known again but it’s done well. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Score: 86/100⠀ Conclusion: ⠀ Alright…let’s get this out of the way. Up front I want to be clear. I’m sure at this point if you know anything about this whisky you know that this is going for close to $1000 on the secondary. I’m sure it’s due to FOMO, the fact that it’s using the legendary Karuizawa stills, or maybe because it’s the first release from this distillery with only 5000 limited to Japanese market. So I can understand why it would be going for above retail (which was about $85-$89) at this point; however, do I think this is a $200 plus (or let’s be honest not less than $700) bottle…absolutely not. ⠀ ⠀ It’s good don’t get me wrong, especially for a three year old age! And, I will admit, it’s an awesome piece of Japanese history. But the current market prices this is driving is insane. So, for me I’m glad I got to try it and experience something unique; can’t wait for when they put out older stuff. But please for the love of god…if you are going to pay secondary for this…proceed with caution. Or don’t🤷🏽😂 that’s just my opinion 😉

This is for Riverside Liqour in Fredrick MD Always fun seeing what different places prefer in a dram and the barrel staves are as follows - 4 Seared French Cuvée ⠀ - 3 Makers 46⠀ - 1 Roasted French Mocha ⠀ - 2 Toasted French Spice⠀ Let’s see how it is 🥃👇🏽⠀ ⠀ Nose: ⠀ ⠀ Dark & oaky profile with a good bit of spice. Perhaps also a bit of bitter dark chocolate. Actually somewhat subdued to me. Not much is jumping out ⠀ ⠀ Palate:⠀ ⠀ Lots of spice and a bit of coffee and barrel tannin on the arrival It does have a bit of a silky texture and very little burn. As it lingers it presents more bolder notes of chocolate, sugar, oak char, slight notes of dark Cherry as well but one that is covered in burnt brown sugar. ⠀ ⠀ Finish:⠀ ⠀ Espresso, dark chocolate,spice and a round profile. Slight burn but is covered up quick with a oak and cherry flavor. Overall pleasant yet bold in the darker notes. ⠀ Conclusion/ Score: 85/100⠀ ⠀ It’s pretty good and enjoyable with that classic Makers Cherry but had a Chocolate coffee twist to it. For about $65 it’s very good and different enough to be worth a purchase! If you are a big fan of the spice profile in a bourbon this is definitely your jam!⠀ ⠀

Nose: ⠀ Soft Vanilla, Cream cheese, Wet sweet oak, Old barn/leather ⠀ ⠀ .⠀ ⠀ Palate: ⠀ Dusty oak, Leather, Sweet soft vanilla and Cream cheese frosting, Tea spice and Saw dust. Slightly thin but enjoyable. Citrus fruits appear as you hold it longer, maybe some pineapple, orange peel and….dragon fruit??⠀ ⠀ .⠀ ⠀ Finish: ⠀ Medium and slightly dry. Lasting notes of that dusty corn and oak dust. Rye like spice with green tea and bitter sweet vanilla. . Conclusion/Score: 85/100 This was super enjoyable and a nice background sipper. Not overly complex but enough to where I did enjoy taking my time and discovering what it had to offer. The one thing I feel it’s missing though is mouthfeel and proof; if this was only maybe about 10 Proof points higher I thing it would be an absolute stunner. Either way I’m glad I got it and $70 for a liter of old school tasting goodness is a no brained. Cheers!

Nose: ⠀ Soft Vanilla, Cream cheese, Wet sweet oak, Old barn/leather ⠀ ⠀ .⠀ ⠀ Palate: ⠀ Dusty oak, Leather, Sweet soft vanilla and Cream cheese frosting, Tea spice and Saw dust. Slightly thin but enjoyable. Citrus fruits appear as you hold it longer, maybe some pineapple, orange peel and….dragon fruit??⠀ ⠀ .⠀ ⠀ Finish: ⠀ Medium and slightly dry. Lasting notes of that dusty corn and oak dust. Rye like spice with green tea and bitter sweet vanilla. . Conclusion/Score: 85/100 This was super enjoyable and a nice background sipper. Not overly complex but enough to where I did enjoy taking my time and discovering what it had to offer. The one thing I feel it’s missing though is mouthfeel and proof; if this was only maybe about 10 Proof points higher I thing it would be an absolute stunner. Either way I’m glad I got it and $70 for a liter of old school tasting goodness is a no brained. Cheers!

A Taiwan single malt aged in a mixture of ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks at 46%; it is unchill-filtered and natural color according to a Kavalan rep I emailed. Let’s see how it is Nose: Sharp vanilla, oak and cinnamon; actually somewhat similar to a bourbon. It’s overall light, fresh and clean. Notes of citrus and possibly coconut. Slight ethanol sting is present. Palate: Wow…Taiwan bourbon?? Probably due to that virgin oak cask that’s used. Also, I suppose it is aged in a hotter type climate as well. This is almost a tad salty. There is oak, vanilla, and a dry sweetness. Does come across a tad hot with some leathery notes. Can also tell it’s a bit young like it could’ve used a bit more mellowing in a bourbon cask due to some sharp notes that are present. Finish: It is dry leaving behind a medium to long oaky/ tannic vanilla finish. Some rye like and cinnamon spices show up as well. Conclusion: 78/100 This is close to being something awesome but falls alittle short how it is now. Unfortunately, I feel it just didn’t have the time In the cask it needed. It needs more of that bourbon sweetness to show up and less of the bitter tannic. It isn’t all that balanced and the flavors that are there feel a bit muted. Cheers 🥃

Quick Notes👇🏽 Nose: Sugar sweet, Maple syrup, Sweet oak Palate: An over all syrup sweetness, malty, soft, ripe banana, artificial maple syrup. Finish: Slightly short, sharp oak but not bitter, has a buttery texture throughout.