Tastes

Calling this a bourbon creates the expectation for hints of oak, vanilla, maybe caramel. They are disappointedly not there. Instead, this is a peppery, smokey, somewhat fruity tasting whiskey that is better in a mixed drink rather than a straight up sipping whiskey. Dry glass - finally the expected bourbon notes!

Another taste treat enjoyed while smoking some bacon. Loved the oak on the nose and palate along with caramel corn notes. I enjoyed this dram neat, and in spite of its high proof, it was surprisingly smooth without a bite. Empty glass notes? Hard to tell - I was smoking bacon after all.

Got to try this one last night at an impromptu work night party at my house when I was smoking a couple of slabs of home-cured bacon. What better time? And what better drink? We actually had seven different bottles on the table! So the Four Roses reminded me that are fantastic alternatives to scotch. With a vanilla oak nose and a light smokey caramel flavor, it complemented the smoking bacon, which by the way, was using whiskey barrel chunks. Full circle!

I was surprised by this one. It was the only scotch offering during an icebreaker for a climate change conference I attended in DC. Getting a pour that was not 90% ice was a challenge but once I convinced the bartender that I really did want only one ice cube, I had something I could work with. The nose had just a hint of smoke with vanilla, oak and caramel. I tasted fresh fruit (apples?) with enough peat to say yeah, this is scotch. As the ice melted the peat became more evident and I found myself warming up to this blend. The dry glass was "scotchy". Given its affordability, I might have to get some for the shelf.

My son finished the Maryland bar exam today and we celebrated by opening this bottle that his sister gave him and watching the Orioles play the Rockies. Definitely a worthwhile pour for the event. We both picked up the vodka-like nose that was mellowed with some added water allowing the buttery caramel notes to come through. The palate neat was spicy, more like a red zin than a Cabernet. Water brought out an oily mouth feel. The finish was peppery. The empty glass was a very nice buttery oak. If the O's win I may just have another.

(7/16) Enjoyed this one at a neighborhood party. Most of the whiskey drinkers were tearing into the bourbon (Blanton's), leaving the Quinta Ruban for me and a few others. I'm glad they did because it gave me time to enjoy it. The wine-fruit nose matched well with the darker color of the whiskey in the bottle. Tasted neat, the fruit notes were dark, sweet and aged, giving a lot of depth to the palate. There was a nice oiliness to it that carried the flavor through the finish, but not a particularly long one. In the end, I drank it with ice - I don't know why. The empty glass gave me nothing, but then it wasn't a Glen Cairn.

I enjoyed this one again during dinner on the deck of an old train station. Given the peat smoke wafting from the glass, it was fitting that the dinner conversation had to stop as a train went by just yards away. The Lag 16 was my first foray into scotch whisky about a year ago, if you don't count the half bottle of Dawson that was left over from my wedding 30 years ago. I consider myself very fortunate that the extreme peat of this whisky didn't scare me off. Instead I love it along with the other Islay whiskys I've tried. Besides the peat, I tasted ginger snaps, black licorice, and warm sweet ocean spray. An hour later I was still able to taste hints of the peat. It was an experience that refused to simply end, but preferred instead to just fade away.

Had this last night with dinner on the deck of an old train station restaurant, watching a blue heron catching his dinner in the nearby river. The nose (whiskey, not the heron) was a light peat and citrusy, as well as a bandaid note. The first taste was an earthy sherry with a spicy burn. With some added water,, the nose traded some of the bandaid notes for butter and caramel corn. The spiciness also moderated, just kind of hanging out at the back of my tongue and roof on my mouth. There was a pleasant oiliness as well. The after dram (empty glass) had a nice lingering peat scent. I very much enjoyed this.