Tastes

Review from 6/2016 from Barreled First whiskey I've had from Detroit, produced about 20 minutes from where I live so I had to give it a try. 43.5% ABV, appears to be natural color but cannot be sure. This bottle is from batch 7. And speaking of bottle, this is the strangest shape I've seen for a whiskey bottle. On the label it states "An American whiskey crafted specifically to compliment the umami of the rich pork and fish broths of Japanese cuisine". On first nosing I immediately agreed. The nose is influenced by the 30% rye in the mash bill, but has a salty, slightly smokey fish tone (think smoked herring). I also get some fruity notes like mango or dried pineapple. Very unique. Nice oily mouth feel. The rye dominates the palate and the finish is long and lingering. I could absolutely pair this with a smoked fish or sushi or pork dish. 3.5

Stop number 66 on the SDT is Dufftown. This Speyside distillery is most used in blends but does release a few official bottlings. This bottle is from the independent bottlers at C & S. Matured 7 years, 5/6/2009-8/17/2016, in an ex bourbon barrel and this sample is from bottle 113 of 260 (love the transparency here). Bottled at cask strength of 58.8% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of a golden straw. The nose is heavily bourbon influenced. Minty bourbon soaked oak. Wood spices, heavy cinnamon and nutmeg. Some subdued vanilla, candy corn and cotton candy. The high ABV prevents much else from coming through so I had to add some water. Fruity notes appear in the form of apples, grapes, pineapple, oranges and apricots. Water also reveals a faint wood smoke. The palate is really more bourbon than it is scotch. Hot. Vanilla, caramel, toffee and some butterscotch. Nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper. With a little water some honey notes and some barley come through. A little fruity with apples and pears. If you like bourbon more than scotch then this one is for you. A full bodied mouthfeel, very oily and mouthwatering. The finish is medium length. Bourbon, oak and cinnamon. I’m not really a fan of scotches that think they are bourbons. They are never as complex as they could be. I did enjoy the thick oily mouthfeel, but it was far too hot and intense to really enjoy neat. At $50 for 700mL it’s a great value considering it’s cask strength. Value or no, it’s not a whisky I will seek out. Thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample and I agree with @LeeEvolved about this making a good mixer with some cola. 2.75. Cheers

Stop number 65 on the SDT is Glenallachie. This Speyside distillery is on the younger side, having been built in 1967. It’s primary use is in different Chivas Brothers blends. It’s has changed owners several times, most recently sold in 2017 to Billy Walker and a few other investors in what’s known as the GlenAllachie Distillers Company Limited. Enough history, on to the bottle. This bottle comes from the independent bottlers at Duncan Taylor as part of their Battlehill line of single malts. This 7 year old is bottled at 55% ABV, and though there is no indication either way, I believe this is non chill filtered and natural color of yellow gold. Only 1200 bottles were released. The nose starts with rich and intense sherry. Initially it feels like a 60/40 blend of Glenfarclas/Macallan. Nutty, maybe Brazil nuts or hazelnut. Quite fruity. Raisins, dates, cherries, oranges, tangerines, grilled plums, red apple skins, red grapes and red berries. Quite the fruit salad. Brown sugar, barley sugar, toffee and caramel with a light mint. Wood spices in the form of cinnamon, clove and ginger. Dark chocolate with a little cayenne pepper in it. Honey, heavily charred oak and a slightly vegetal/green pepper note. Quite complex for only 7 years in the cask. Intense and peppery on the palate at first, expected at 55%. Sherried oak, toffee and caramel. Oranges, dates, cherries and chocolate. A little bitter, oak tannins. A dash of water takes away some of the bitterness and reveals a light tobacco note and some toasted nuts. Medium to full bodied mouthfeel. Thick and oily. The finish is medium long with toffee, sherry, tannins, oranges and oak. I have to say this is much better than I expected from a 7 year old independent bottling. A great value for a 55% ABV single malt at only $55. It’s a real shame that there isn’t more consistency of quality amongst the different independents out there. If the palate on this on didn’t have the bitterness it would have gotten a higher score. As it sits it’s a solid 4. Cheers

After over week long battle with the flu I’m back to my old reviewing ways. The first one after my recovery just so happens to be the first of round 5 of our Scottish Distillery Tour. Stop number 64 is Glen Spey. This Speyside distillery is Diageo owned and produces precious few official bottlings. The vast majority of their production goes into J&B Rare blends. This single malt comes from the independent bottlers at Berry Brothers & Rudd. 12 years old, distilled in 2000, bottled in 2013 from cask number 265, which I assume means it is single cask. Bottled at 46% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of a very pale straw. Wow, this is a very peculiar nose. To the eye this may be straw colored, but the nose is green, green, green. Green oak and wood resin/sap. Grassy and very herbal with oregano and basil. It’s also quite vegetal. Cooked celery and water chestnuts. Almonds, marzipan with a faint honey note. A fleeting sweetness like old raisins and faint apricots. Earthy, like root vegetables that were just pulled from the garden and you haven’t even washed them off yet. A very unique nose. Not entirely pleasant, but unlike anything I’ve ever had before. I added a drop or two of water and it brought out a weak ginger and lemon oil, but mostly amplified the vegetal notes. The palate very much echoes the nose. Vegetal, celery and water chestnuts with a touch of fennel. Green oak and a dash of honey. Green grass, earthy with a dusting of pepper. A far away sweetness that never really materializes due to the overwhelming vegetal notes. A sort of mineral note as well. A light to medium bodied mouthfeel. Mouthwatering at first but turns a little dry with a fizzy or fuzzy feel to it. Almost as if it’s very lightly carbonated. Strange. The finish is short and long at the same time. In the short I got almonds, grass, herbs and a light mint. The vegetal and mineral notes and green oak seem to go on forever, and that’s not really a good thing. Not at all what I was expecting from a Speysider. Such odd notes and a strange profile. I don’t really know if this is indicative of the distillery character or if this is just a bad cask choice (or both). Perhaps they should have skipped cask 265 and gone with 266. Another miss from an independent bottler. At $70 this is an even bigger miss. Not that I would really have the opportunity, but I would absolutely not buy another bottle. 2.5 Cheers

Back on December 23rd my wife and I were in Windsor at my brother in laws house for a Festivus party. If you are unfamiliar with Festivus, look it up and also, shame on you! One of the party guests, a nice Canadian who lived in Australia and was home for the holidays, brought a bottle of this blended Canadian whisky. He popped the cork and before the night was done the bottle was empty, but before that happened I poured myself a couple of samples to bring home with me to review. This NAS whisky is exclusive to the Canadian market. Bottled at 40% ABV, chill filtered and probably has colorant added making it a shiny copper color. The bottle notes that this was from recipe# 9108, whatever that means. The nose is very light and inoffensive. Typical Canadian style. Pronounced butterscotch, toffee and vanilla. Light fruits, oranges, tangerines, plums and subtle cherry. Distant mint or pine notes. Light oak and toasted marshmallow. There is a grain alcohol note, but it’s smooth and well integrated. Not much else, this is a simple and seemingly young whisky. Once again this is a typical Canadian profile on the palate. Strong butterscotch, maple syrup, brown sugar. Vanilla, oranges and a (very) mild pepper. A slight grain harshness, but like the nose it’s not really that off putting. A light bodied mouthfeel, creamy and dry. The finish is medium short with butterscotch and grain alcohol, but mostly butterscotch. This is an incredibly smooth and easy drinking whisky, but it’s very simplistic. It’s an all day/night sipper. One you could pour a hearty dram and drink it without really realizing how much you’ve had. Then another. And another. It’s fine neat or on the rocks, but I’m not sure how it would perform in a cocktail. If this wasn’t a Canadian exclusive I would absolutely buy a bottle to keep around for friends or when I’m having a party. I believe it goes for around $30-35, not a great price for a middle of the road Canadian, but I’d still buy it. 3.25 Cheers

I snagged a sample of this NAS travel retail exclusive (I think), from my brother in law in Windsor, Ontario. It’s important to note that this is not the Signature Reserve as listed, just Signature. Not sure what the difference is, but the labels are different and this comes in a clear glass bottle vs the standard Jameson green bottle. This blended Irish whiskey is bottled at 40% ABV, chill filtered and has colorant added making it a honey gold. The nose is light and the typical Jameson profile jumps out at you with cereal malt and honey. Immediately after that you find a few differences in almonds and floral notes. What I can only describe as fried beer batter comes in with a lightly breaded baked whitefish. Light oak but also cedar planks. Slightly grassy and a definite grain alcohol harshness. Very light toffee and vanilla. A sort of blended fruitiness, like pears, grapes and blueberries all muddled together. A very gentle wood smoke and a quick hit of powdered ginger. This one has complexity to it, but really makes you work for it. Typical Jameson profile on the palate as well. Cereal malt and honey. A touch salty or salted caramels and vanilla. Dry butter cookies made with not quite enough butter. Grassy with a light lemon citrus. Some melon and blackberries. A corn/grain alcohol comes through and makes you realize it’s been there the whole time. Once you notice it, it’s almost all you notice. Light bodied mouthfeel that is thin but lightly oily. Mouthwatering at first but turns dry. A medium short finish. Dry and dominated by barley and more so by that grain alcohol. This is not really better than the standard Jameson, but it’s not worse either. It’s just a little different. The grain alcohol comes through stronger here than the standard version, but also has a little more depth, so that’s a bit of a wash. I’m not really sure on the price point, but I’m fairly confident it’s in the $30-35 range for 1L. Like the standard version, this would be best on the rock with a splash of water or in a cocktail. A solid 3. Cheers

The last of the three bourbon samples given to me by John. Pure Kentucky XO is a NAS straight bourbon that is bottled at 53.5% ABV, is a natural color of dark copper and what I would suspect is non chill filtered. The nose starts sweet, like a sherried scotch, but it’s quickly taken over by cinnamon. Sweet cinnamon Red Hots candy. Savory fruits like apricots, pears and green grapes, but all covered in cinnamon and reduced in a bourbon sauce. Brown sugar, vanilla, a little mint and cherry cordials. Water brings out some toffee and caramel, but little else. The cinnamon is the star here and it’s a shining one. The palate is heavy on the oak and cinnamon. Mint and light cherries follow, but never really come into the foreground. Fairly peppery. It’s slightly harsh with a bit of a metallic taste. Water tones this down and enhances the cinnamon and oak. I couldn’t really pull much more out of it than that. Medium to full bodied, spicy and dry. The finish is medium long, very dry with plenty of cinnamon, some cherries and a little of that metallic note. Like the Forged Oak, I enjoyed the nose, but the palate really was a letdown. It’s just too harsh and that metallic note really turned me off. It’s a pretty good value at $35 for a higher ABV bourbon, but I would not buy a full bottle. 2.75 Cheers

Well, after a week off from reviews while I was preparing for and performing at Tip Up Town USA (if you’re not familiar with it just google it),I’m back home recovering from the marathon weekend. I took an extra day off work to help the recovery and I decided to do a bourbon review. I got a sample of this 15 year old from Orphan Barrel from my Michigan bourbon buddy John. Bottled at a peculiar 45.25% ABV and a natural color of copper and I am guessing that it is chill filtered. The nose is dominated by cinnamon and clove. Plenty of oak as well with some light vanilla. Heavy corn influence, as is to be expected from the high proportion of corn in the mash bill. Mint and some light dill. Letting it sit a while reveals a nice toffee and caramel note with maple syrup. Somewhere in the background there is an orange-like citrus. Even though it’s a bit simplistic, there’s a nice nose to this bourbon. The palate, unfortunately goes the opposite direction. Sweet at first, but turns quite bitter. Very bitter dark chocolate, sharp oak and butterscotch. Pepper and cinnamon bring it to a close. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is slightly oily and dry. A medium long finish that is on the bitter side with cinnamon and oak. This is the third Orphan Barrel that I’ve tried, and I have to say that I haven’t really enjoyed any of them. I hate being overly critical of samples given to me by others, but over valuing them would be disingenuous. At $70 it’s not as expensive as the others I’ve had, but it’s still overpriced. I really did think the nose was good, similar to Buffalo Trace or Wild Turkey or a mix of the two, and that’s why it’s getting a 3 from me and not lower due to the overly bitter taste. Thanks for the sample John, even though I didn’t love it, it’s still fun to review whatever I can get my hands on. Cheers

Review transfer from Barreled from October 2017 At my brother in laws kitchen bar in Windsor right now and he insisted that I try this Kentucky straight bourbon that he bought a few months ago. Not because it was good, but because it was "really bad". So I currently have a good size pour in a glencairn and I'm finding out for myself. Not much info available on the origin of this whisky that I could find. The bottle itself is very ornate, with a big bronze looking emblem and a huge bald eagle head on the cork. The bottle says that it is distilled in Kentucky and bottled in Florida. 45% ABV, natural color that is rusty, and it is chill filtered. According to the website the mash bill is corn and malted barley, but gives no ratio. The bottle also states that it is a minimum of 3 years old. The nose is somewhat anemic. Plenty of vanilla and oak. Some honey and corn. A little cinnamon and clove, and a whiff of mint. Very little else. No real complexity to speak of. The palate is more of the same. Honey and vanilla mostly. Soft, but warm oak. Nothing special here. It is very smooth and unobtrusive though. I would have expected stronger flavors at 45%, but not the case. The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and dry. A short finish for a bourbon with vanilla and oak trailing off. While I don't think this is anywhere near as bad as my brother in law claimed, it's not all that good either. Very weak, but not bad either. At $55 I would say absolutely pass on this one. They should have saved money on the bottle design and invested it back into what was going into the bottle. I bumped it up to 3 from 2.75 because of that bad ass eagle head though. Cheers

Two James is a craft distillery located in Corktown, Detroit, Michigan, not far from my home. They are the first licensed distillery in Detroit since prohibition. All of their releases were made from sourced distillate, until this one came along. J. Riddle is their first release of their own distillate, which is a mash bill of 79% Michigan corn and 21% peated barley from the UK. It is labeled as a “Peated Bourbon Whiskey”. Bottled at 45.5% ABV and as it is called a bourbon I would suspect that it is natural color. I have no info on whether it is chill filtered or not. The color is a honey gold. This is from batch # 17-1, which I believe means the first batch of 2017, and the first ever for this expression. The nose is very odd at first, much like the same oddness I got from one of their other expressions, Johnny Smoking Gun. It’s hard to describe it, but it’s unique. After getting acclimated to it you can pick up on other notes. It’s very vegetal/earthy, which is probably the peat influence, but no real smoke to speak of. Toasted oak and some corn sweetness. Vanilla and toffee. A cardboard note with some toasted coconut. A little smoke starts to waft in. Green vegetables like cooked green bell peppers or celery, can’t quite put my finger on it. More corn and a bit of malted barley. Floral honey and melons like cantaloupe or honeydew. With time some brown sugar and butterscotch are revealed along with pickled ginger. Much more complex than I was expecting, but nothing spectacular. That same odd feeling that was one the nose shows up on the palate as well. The peat smoke is stronger here than on the nose. Very weird to get that from a bourbon but I like it. Vegetal peat as well. Green oak, clove and ginger. Undercooked corn and honey with a little barley sugar. Light toffee and butterscotch. Medium bodied mouthfeel that is very dry. The finish is quite short and again very dry. Vegetal, celery and corn. A hint of mint and fennel. That odd note I kept getting never really goes away, but you get used to it. Much better than the Johnny Smoking Gun. Peated bourbons are not a common thing as far as I know so I’m glad I was able to try this, and the Islay Rye I had from G.T.D. which was a peated rye. Not really worth the $54 I paid for it, but you do pay a premium for craft distilleries. 3.75 Cheers