Tastes

So I recently retired from work. A good friend gifted me a bottle of The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve. I’ve been enjoying it along with some of my other retirement hobbies, tonight in particular with my guitars and a new endeavor - electronics. Simply put, the whiskey is wonderful. As I both study the schematic of a classic regen radio receiver I plan to make or pick up one of my guitars and play a few licks, I’m enjoying this whisky. The slight numbness of my lips and tongue induced by the alcohol won’t allow much of a detailed taste description any more than the warm fuzziness creeping into my head. So I’ll go with Distiller’s description (yeah, what he said), which pretty much matches what is on the box the bottle came in. Of course, there is no age statement on the bottle, and I suspect its fairly young. No matter. It's very nice indeed. Too bad whisky doesn’t age in the bottle. The cheap Yamaha guitar I bought in 1974 now sounds amazing, better than the Taylor recently acquired at a much higher price. Maybe my children or grandchildren will appreciate what the Taylor can eventually be. But this bottle of Founder’s Reserve will long be finished.

From the start it was just different in a very nice way. It smelled and tasted like bourbon but subtlety different. The oak nose was earthy, ashy and fruity. The first taste mirrored those characteristics. It was a very satisfying, relaxing tasting - Ahhhh..... I sank deeper into my armchair and enjoyed the experience. The top of the bottle was the best. The second half of the bottle was not quite as pleasurable as the first half. Still good! But just not as it was initially. I should have finished it more quickly. FWIW, this was barrel #908, barreled on 9/27/13 and bottled on 7/16/21.

I’m not a fan of infused whiskies. I prefer to add my own flavorings if the mood hits me but typically I drink whiskey neat (well maybe with a small piece of ice). I had a Smugglers Notch sampler gift pack hanging around so I thought I’d give it a try if for no other reason than to clean up the cabinet. I was favorably surprised. It was clean with a just a hint of maple that contributed more to its crispness than to sweetness. I’ve never really tasted “crispness” in a whiskey before but that’s how I can best describe this. This was a very pleasant dram. Now I have to get up to Vermont to get some more.

I can best describe this whiskey as “inoffensive”. While I didn’t find anything of note that would allow me to recommend it, there was nothing bad about it either. Finding it somewhat bland, I added a slice of candied orange peel and enjoyed the rest of the dram.

The Distiller description is right on the money. Kinda of a Lagavulin light but in very good flavorable way. Served up in a Glen Cairn at an Old Town Alexandria whisky bar, the Jura was a very nice pour

Dark amber and slow legs suggest good things to come. I smell a nice combination of oak and vanilla barrel notes with rye. Neat it is warm and oily, minty on the front end but surprisingly no vanilla as I was expecting. It fades to a young rye burn. I like this whiskey

It's Johnny Walker Black alright but smokier. Not in a good way. I was reminded of cigarette ash. Curiosity satisfied. There are better products out there

The nose is typical bourbon-vanilla, oak, caramel sweet. It’s best with a little bit of added water, yielding a citrus sweetness, a little anise, and a slight oily mouth feel that leads to a peppery rye finish. The sweetness lingers. This is a very nice whiskey!

Somewhat weak nose. Getting deeper into the glass only raises the alcohol burn. But it’s pretty tasty straight up. Peaty but not overdone, with a nice citrusy sweetness. It’s oiliness makes for a very pleasant mouth swish. A satisfying finish with a lingering sweetness and a mild burn. Empty glass - not much there, maybe my schnozz is not working tonight

The more I drink this the more I appreciate it for its consistent balanced smokiness. Smooth, rich and oily. It’s always right on the money when you want a nice relaxing dram