Tastes

Stop number 17 on the SDT is Bowmore. This Islay single malt is a travel retail exclusive I picked up at the Windsor-Detroit tunnel duty free shop. It's a NAS that comes in at 43% ABV. Per the German "mit farbstoff" on the label it has colorant added making it a burnished gold. As far I know it is chill filtered. The tasting notes on the label claims the nose is "vanilla, coconut milk, delicious baked peaches, oranges and lemons." My initial reaction to the nose was "wow this is some funky stuff", and not in a good way. Damp boxes with old oranges in them was what I thought. I gave it some time and a quick taste and kept going. What I found was that the tasting notes were pretty much dead on. Toasted coconut really came through along with some vanilla. Very fruity, apricots and peaches. Citrusy orange and lemon peels. Bright and warm. There is some dusty oak coming through as well. The coconut gets more pronounced the longer it sits. Vegetal peat creeps in, but no smoke to speak of. Some sea salt as well. After sitting for a while some sherried fruits show up, raisins and dates, but they are faint at best. Tasting notes for the palate, "tangy peat, pineapple, juicy mango and kiwi fruit tempered by sea salt and olive oil" Like the nose, the initial taste was odd, but I kept at it. Other than the olive oil, the tasting notes again were dead on. Light vegetal peat, underripe mango, pineapple and kiwi. Some of the most intense tropical fruits I've ever had in a scotch. A little peppery that intensifies with time on your tongue. A touch of honey and oak. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is a little oily. Medium length finish with orange mango juice and some light peat. I really didn't know what to make of this at first. If I rated it on my first nosing and tasting it would have been a 3 or maybe even 2.75. That's why time and repeat nosings and tastings are key to getting to know a whisky. I really came to enjoy this one. It's loaded with tropical fruits and the light peat adds that little extra. Add in the fact that I paid somewhere between $40-45 USD for a 1L bottle and this makes it a solid 4. It's not overly complex and it's probably under 8 years old, but it's bright, zippy and fun to drink. Great for a hot day like today (87 degrees F in Detroit today). It would probably go really well in a fruity mixed drink. Cheers

Starting up round two of the Scotch Distillery Tour. Stop number 16 is Lagavulin from Islay. This 8 year old is a special limited release to commemorate the distillery's 200th anniversary in 2016. To set itself apart from its 12 and16 year old brothers, this whisky is 48% ABV. It appears to be natural color as it is a very light white wine color, but it is not stated on the box one way or the other. The same goes for any chill filtration, no info. The nose screams Lagavulin, but it is lighter and a little fruitier. Bonfire smoke, briny sea air and maritime notes. I got a quick and pleasant note of brand new tires/rubber and tar. It turns fruity and it is very spirit forward with little to no cask influence. Apricots, peaches, berries and a little plum. A little raisin and sweet sherry if you only put half of your nose in the glass and inhale slowly. There is also a bit of vanilla and butter cream. On the lighter side for a Lagavulin but very nice. There is a big puff of bonfire smoke up front on the palate. A good hit of peppery spice that intensifies the more you drink and the longer you hold it on your tongue. Vegetal, earthy peat. A bit of cinnamon and clove and maybe a touch of ginger. Faint vanilla and even fainter oak, but really none to speak of. Not very complex, but enjoyable. The mouthfeel is lightly oily and mouthwatering. The finish is long and smoky/ashy. Mostly dry with some brine on the tail end. After a while the finish takes on a slightly bitter licorice note. So the story behind this expression is that in 1886 a whisky chronicler named Alfred Barnard visited Lagavulin and sampled an 8 year old of "exceptionally fine" quality and said to be very light in color. Lagavulin wanted to recreate this whisky. Given the color and lack of cask influence I would say that they used 2nd and 3rd fill casks. I also heard rumor that they experimented with a lower level of peat for the malt for this one. Whatever the case may be, I really enjoyed this one and I recommend any Islay fan to grab a bottle while you can. I got mine for $70 and I feel it will only go up the longer you wait. 4.25. Cheers

While watching the Tigers take on those chumps from Cleveland (sorry you Ohio guys but you know how it is between us), I decided to treat myself to this 18 year old Oban. Thanks Lee for the generous sample. Oban is from the west coast of the Highland region. 43% ABV and unfortunately I believe it is both colored and chill filtered. The color is a yellow gold. The nose is bursting with strong fruity notes. Apricots, tangerine, oranges/orange peel and lemon. Jellied fruits as well like orange marmalade, and syrupy fruits like a cup of fruit cocktail. There is a slightly earthy note as well suggesting a light peating of the malt, and a blend of black and green tea. Lightly floral with maybe a touch of honey, and a light saltiness or brine, but nothing compared to Islay brine. Not an overly complex nose, mostly dominated by fruits, but quite nice. The palate arrives sweet but turns a little spicy. The taste echoes the nose pretty consistently. Apricots, nectarines, orange peel, peaches. A touch of floral honey, oak and apples. Wisps of peat smoke fade in and out, and occasionally give a good smoky smack to the tongue. I don't mean to up play the smoke because it's very subdued most of the time. There is something that is slightly bitter and sour at the same time, but it really works well. Medium to full bodied with a thick mouthfeel that turns dry. The finish is long and mostly dry but is warming. Fruity with a light oak undertone. This 18 year old expression is quite good, but it's fairly pricy. I don't know how the prices compare in other parts of the world, but here in MI it's just over $160. In my opinion it's nowhere near THAT good. The Little Bay is nearly as good with an almost identical flavor profile for $93 locally, and the 14 year old (which I haven't tried yet but have a bottle waiting for me) is $84. I'm guessing the 14 is also similar, so why not but a bottle of each of the "lesser" bottles for $15 more than the one bottle of the 18?, but I digress. If you have the means and want to give this one a try you won't be disappointed if you love all those bright stone fruits and citrus notes. 4.25. Cheers and thanks again to Lee for providing me with more of the good stuff than I could have hoped to buy on my own.

My Irish reviews are few and far between so I figured it's time to put a well known Irish whisky to the test. Teeling Small Batch is a NAS blended Irish whiskey that is finished for 6 months in ex rum barrels. 46% ABV and it is non chill filtered and as far as I know it is natural color. This one is a nice pale gold. A fairly light nose that has a sharp alcohol sting up front that fades pretty quickly. Floral honey and citrus (lemon or pomelo) were the first real notes I picked up. Soon after were notes of yellow apples and ripe green pears. Butterscotch and rum, nutmeg and toffee, all from the rum casks become apparent with some strength behind them. Light oak and vanilla follow with dry grass/hay. A touch of molasses and tobacco, with raisins and green grapes to finish it off. A very nice, although again fairly light nose. You don't have to work for the flavors, but they aren't up in your face either. Nice and relaxing. The palate was a bit of a 180. An intense and peppery arrival with oak and wood spices. Rum, butterscotch and toffee take over, but with the oak and spice always in the background, fading into a smoother experience. Vanilla and light citrus round out the dram. Light to medium bodied with a creamy mouthfeel, turning dry. The finish is short and kinda falls off the table. Vanilla, oak and citrus, and very dry, like "holy cotton mouth Batman, where's my water!?" type of dry. At $35 it's hard not to like this whiskey. Other than the finish it's a solid pour. A great nose and perfect to sip on a mild spring day...like today. 65 degrees and light clouds. Works well as a mixer too with some ginger ale. If the finish was better it would get 4 stars, but as it sits it gets 3.75. Cheers.

Monkey Shoulder is a NAS blended malt scotch whisky, meaning it is comprised of only single malt whiskies and no grain whisky. Batch 27 is not in reference to which batch this is from, but rather from the original blending that was taken from 27 different casks. Only first fill American oak is used to mature the malts, which are predominantly Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Keninvie. I got this 2 oz sample from Lee, so I do not have the bottle in front of me. I think that this is the 43% ABV US version and not the 40% European version. Pretty sure it's chill filtered and has colorant added making it a honey gold. On the nose this is a Speysider all the way. Honeyed dates and brown sugar are the first notes to pop out. Baked apples, pears, oranges and maybe some ripe melon. Toasted oak with vanilla and cinnamon. Some almonds and a light coconut note. Slightly malty and there is a light alcohol smell creeping in, but it's really not that bad. The palate is more of the same. Sweet with a touch of spice. Overripe red apples and coconut. Oak with cinnamon, vanilla and toffee. Candy like sweetness if you force the liquid over the tip of your tongue repeatedly. There is a sensation that I get that is reminiscent of smoke, but it's not smoke as I don't think any of the malts are even lightly peated. Can't quite put my finger on what it is but I like it. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, creamy but it turns dry. The finish is medium long to long. Dry with oak and vanilla. This is my first taste of Monkey Shoulder and I was expecting much worse. Yes it seems young, I would guess nothing older than 10-12 years with most around 6-8 years, but I would think that's what they were going for. All those apple and pear notes come from younger whiskies, and that's not a sign of lower quality. A touch of smoke would have really made this something special, but it's fine without it. Thanks for the sample Lee. 3.75

Coming off of the Macallan Rare Cask review, I figured now is as good a time as any to review an ever more special bottle, the Rare Cask Black. This is a travel retail exclusive bottling. Less than 100 casks were used to make this one time only expression from Macallan. From the bottle: "Crafted from predominantly first fill sherry seasoned oak casks maturing a remarkably rare peated Macallan spirit. Hand selected by our master whisky maker from less than 100 of the casks maturing at The Macallan Distillery. An incomparable character, The Macallan Rare Cask Black combines rich intensity with a distinctive smoky flavour." I kept the European spelling because that's how it's written. Bottled at 48% ABV, non chill filtered to the best of my knowledge and natural color. The color is something to behold. The color of dark autumn leaves right before they turn brown, a deep red amber, or dark maple syrup. Truly mesmerizing when held up to a lightly overcast sky close to sunset. Like staring into the soul of mid autumn in northern Michigan. At 48%, this needs a few minutes in the glass to settle down, or you will get a blast of alcohol on the nose. Sherry notes up front, dates, raisins, a nose as dark as its color. Sherried oak and fruits. There is the barest of threads of peat in the background, weaving its way through the nose. Earthy peat, not smoky like I expected. With more time the sweetness really becomes apparent. Sticky sweet chewy toffee and caramel, vanilla and a big maple syrup note. Baked pear coated with cinnamon and nuts. Maybe a faint minty note. Tobacco and new leather appear before finally revealing the faintest hint of bonfire smoke, and I do mean faint. Along with more of the maple syrup, oranges appear close to the bottom of the glass. Like the standard Rare Cask, I could nose this all night, but it is much more full and refined than the Rare Cask. I had a hard time conveying the palate notes, because every time I took a sip I rolled this beautiful whisky around in my mouth and got lost in its elegance. I can say this much though, it is rich, robust and intense. Sweet and spicy arrival. Oak, cinnamon, dates, raisins and new leather. Wonderful. The mouthfeel is oily and mouth coating, turning dry and leathery in a very good way. To say the finish is long simply won't do. It's been at least 30 minutes since I finished my (roughly) 1.5 oz pour and I can still fully taste the dates and maple syrup sweetness. It doesn't just hang around, it rents a room in your mouth, paints the walls, refinishes the floors and hangs pictures of itself for all to enjoy. I was fortunate enough to find a bottle of this Rare Cask Black at the duty free store at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel. I saw the price tag and passed on it several times. After many, many pleadings from my friend Lee I decided to splurge and treat myself to what may be one of the rarest expressions from Macallan in the modern era. I'm so glad I did. It is well matured, and very elegant, with enough intensity to carry the experience into the realm of the superb. At $350 (tax free mind you) for 700mL, this is the most expensive bottle I have ever purchased, but given the chance I would buy another without question. 5/5 and a tear of joy, and a future tear of sadness for when the bottle is gone.

Well tonight's review is bittersweet for me. I'm watching the last Detroit Red Wings game at Joe Louis Arena, and seeing all the great players past and present pay tribute to the Joe and the team, and the final playing of Journey's Don't Stop Believing at JLA made me want to break out a special bottle to join in the celebration. Macallan Rare Cask is a Premium NAS scotch bottled at 43% ABV. It is non chill filtered as far as I know and is natural color of what I would call a dark rusty amber. A sherry bomb at no mistake on the nose, rich and sweet. Up front it's sherry wine, brown sugar coated raisins, prunes, grapes and dates. A strong note of black cherries and cola. Toffee and burnt sugar. There is a slight sulfur note like burnt matches. Not smoky, but sulfurous. I found this in the 12 year sherry wood and it was off putting but it's not like that here, more subdued. Wood spices, soft vanilla and cinnamon and sweet syrup. It's a very mature and elegant nose. I would guess an average age of 15-18 years. Some older casks and some younger as well. It's one of those whiskies I could nose for hours. The palate has an unexpected peppery arrival. Dried red fruits, sherried fruits, and sherry wine. Very mature. Faint oak and cocoa powder. Orchard fruits like apricot and nectarines. Sweet, almost too sweet, it walks that edge successfully. Quite elegant. A little thin on the mouthfeel, but it is silky and a little mouthwatering, turning dry. The finish is medium long. Sweet and a little spicy. Oak, sherry, dried apricots and syrup. Rare Cask is definitely a great whisky for those who love sherried whiskies. It might be too sweet for the die hard peat heads. I think an additional 3% ABV would have helped, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'll be sad when the bottle is gone because I doubt I will pony up for the high price of this bottle again. The only reason I bought it was because I was able to get it at 25% off. Looks like the final count of octopi thrown onto the ice tonight was 37 and the score I'm giving this dram is 4.5. If you have money and you want a special occasion bottle, this is a good way to go. Cheers.

Stop number 15 on the SDT is Oban. Oban is a Highland distillery but they fancy themselves as a "western highland coastal distillery". Little Bay is a NAS expression that weighs in at 43% ABV and as far as I know it is chill filtered and has colorant added. The color is an orange gold. Oban is Gaelic for "little bay". So this is my review of Little Bay from Little Bay. The nose is ripe with oranges, clementines, apricots and tangerines. Bright and citrusy. Dried mango and fresh cantaloupe. Lemon peel and honey. Basically it's a liquid fruit bowl. Raisins and dates show up a while later. A little malty with light oak and vanilla cream. After about 5 seconds of nosing this whisky I immediately likened it to the Cragganmore 12 year old I reviewed a few weeks ago. Incredibly similar but the Oban has a stronger orange note. The palate mimics the nose. Lots of orange and tangerine. Very light pepper and almost no oak presence. It's sweet but not sticky sweet, just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. Again this is a similar profile to the Cragganmore. Medium bodied mouthfeel that is a little oily but turns dry. The finish is medium short, dry and fruity with a little bitterness. This was my first from Oban so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I did know most people got the strong orange notes. I'm happy with it, it's a great scotch for people who might not be too keen on scotch. Fairly light, fruity, and easy to drink. Good for the scotch snob too. Enough complexity to keep you coming back for more. I have to say though, the Cragganmore is nearly as good and can be purchased at a lower price. Tough call, I'd grab either one depending on the status of my wallet. Thanks to Ryan for the sample. This review ends round one of the Scotch Distillery Tour. Round two starts in about 6 weeks. Can't wait!

Taking a break from scotch for a moment to do a bourbon review. This Jeffersons Ocean is from Voyage #4. 45% ABV, and as all Kentucky straight bourbons are it is natural color. This one is an orange amber. I do not know if it is chill filtered or not. Plentiful vanilla and mint initially on the nose. Surprisingly there is a wealth of fruity notes. Orange cranberry juice and red berries. Perhaps some tart apples, but not sure on that. The typical bourbon notes are there as well: oak, toffee and caramel. This dram is quite sweet, with notes of cotton candy and pink bubblegum. The rye content in this bourbon is around 25-30%, but it is very subtle on the nose. A pinch of saltiness. I know some people claim this has huge hits of salt due to the ocean aging, but I believe that to be power of suggestion. These barrels are not laying out in the open on the bow of the boat, soaking in the sea air and getting a tan. No, they are sitting in shipping containers so they don't get the urge to go for a swim. The palate is minty orange rinds and citrus. Lots of oak present and a little peppery spice. Vanilla and toffee. Berries and a strong note of dried apricots (I've been eating dried apricots lately so it's easy for me to detect). Thick and oily mouthfeel that is very pleasant. The finish is medium long with light oak, vanilla and citrus. This is the second Jeffersons Reserve that I've had. This first was the Groth Cask, which was a wonderful wine finished bourbon. This one is good, but wholly forgettable. There are plenty of equal or better bourbons out there for less money. This one, along with the Groth Cask, is $80 locally. I would rather buy a bottle of Elijah Craig and Evan Williams Single Barrel and pocket the remaining $15. I would however purchase the Groth Cask for that price. It's very good. This one is good, don't get me wrong, but will remain off my buy list. Thanks to Ryan for the sample. 3.75

I mean...wow. I felt like I was transported back to 1776. The nose is ripe with 12th use bath water, anti louse powder and the ashes of a witch burned at the stake. Tastes of Tuberculosis medication, horse manure, dirt, but in a good way. You can really taste the oak barrels made from George Washingtons wooden teeth. The finish is smooth with a hint of the sweat of an old man with scarlet fever. The rusty can presentation was a nice touch. Really makes me want to don my powdered wig and ride around on my horse with my musket rallying the militia. I sure do hope this becomes an annual release!