Tastes

Glen Scotia’s 2015 re-launch was my first foray into Campbeltown single malts. At the time, you could find bottles of Glen Scotia 15 for a little over $50, not unlike another reliable 15 yo, Dalwhinnie 15. As I’ve been re-evaluating my shopping list of late, I see this bottle has been creeping up quite a bit, closer to $70, $75. It seems all the free advertising I did by bringing this bottle to whisky nights paid off for them. Or, more likely, they finally figured out what a winner they had on their hands and reappraised it accordingly. (I also wouldn’t be surprised if the 2019 buyout was responsible for the latest price bump I witnessed this year...) In any case, let’s find out more about this whisky and if it still warrants a purchase at its new price point. Straight out of the bottle, it has a lot going for it already. Bottled at 46% ABV and non-chillfiltered, with a pleasantly viscous appearance. Distiller says its barreled in ex-bourbon casks, but the bottle and information I’ve found says American oak - no mention of bourbon. My only complaint is that coloring is added - of all the whiskies I’ve sampled, this one is pretty high up on my list for unnecessary colorant. Nose: Rich vanilla oak. Fruity and herbal notes that remind me of a white peach tea I’ve had before. A bit of sea spray. Palate: Rich and decadent. Sweet and salty honey up front, followed by delicious bready malt, bits of chocolate, stone fruits, vanilla oak, baking spices, and autumn leaves. The mouthfeel on this dram is nothing short of impressive - incredibly smooth tannins, perfect acidity, and sumptuous oils. There’s not a off-note or harsh feeling to be found. Harmonious. Finish: Moderately long, with sweetness leading, followed by more sea spray and vanilla oak that lingers and lingers and never goes bitter. This is a solid, balanced, well-executed dram that really lets the quality of the malt and the casks speak for themselves. I’ve heard Glen Scotia 15 described as a basic, introductory malt - I think that’s accurate but also unfair. It makes a great introductory malt for being so approachable, yet approachability doesn’t mean this has any less interesting or appealing character to offer. In fact, those new to whisky might miss the full potential this dram has to offer. Verdict? I’m keeping a bottle around for now, even if it’s $70. 4.25 ~ 92 ~ Excellent

For my last pour of the night, the bar trotted out some of their Japanese offerings. I noted they were afflicted with the scourge of Kurayoshi et al. and was going to brush them off until I saw something I hadn’t seen before: Ohishi Single Sherry Cask. Something completely different for $11 a pour? Why not! This is a very different whisky animal if you can even call it whisky, but I like what they’re trying to do. However, this strikes me a very young grain whisky with some reasonable-quality Sherry casks to cover up those obvious flaws. It has nice nutty notes, but an unbalanced, overpowering Sherry influence. I also can’t overlook the young, grainy, and slightly unpleasant mouthfeel and finish reminiscent of something like a poor-quality, grainy vodka. I can’t give out participation points, but this might be worth revisiting in a couple of years if they had an age-stated bottling to try. (Although who would be able to afford it with an age statement?) For now though, I would avoid this bottle at the $70-$80 price tags I see. This bottle gets a 2.5 from me, and personally I would stick with some Nigori.

I tried a pour of Michter’s US*1 Barrel Strength Rye at a whisk(e)y bar that was recommended to me along with a pour of Pikesville Straight Rye (reviewed separately). This sample was from a 2019 release and bottled at 55.4% ABV, a touch higher than the Pikesville. As with my review for that dram, I didn’t feel it was the right setting to take detailed notes and dissect every element of it. So I‘m going with an overall “impressions” tasting. To cut to the chase, I actually preferred the Pikesville Straight Rye. The Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye was very spicy, drank like 110+ proof, and was not as rich or flavorful to my tastebuds. And, at about $80 a bottle, I don’t think you’re getting as good VFM. With its profile, I feel like you’d just be purchasing an expensive, ultra-premium mixer. Or you’d be buying it knowing you’re always going to have it with a large cube of ice like the Distiller review suggests. I’d rate the Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye a 3.5, but if I was taking cost into higher consideration, I might go with 3.25. Thankfully I only tried a pour; I don’t think I’d seek a bottle.

So I checked out a new whisk(e)y spot that was recommended to me. I liked the atmosphere of the place, but most of the pours were ridiculously overpriced. Sure, there were some harder to find bottles (some Hibiki and BTAC to tempt me....) but don’t get me started on the prices (let’s just say $300 and up and we’re not talking about Port Ellen’s or Brora’s). The list of highway robberies goes on and on. $120 for a pour of Glendronach 19? $100 for Balvenie 21? $80 for a pour of Birthday Bourbon? Seriously? These were not “venti”-sized pours either. Not to be deterred, and not to turn it into an evening of settling for overpriced cocktails, I did locate a bottle of the Pikesville Straight Rye tucked away on a shelf. For the sake of brevity and in light of the setting, I will treat this more as an “impressions” tasting - how much did I enjoy the qualities I experienced, what I liked or stood out, and where does it rank compared to other things I’ve tasted, etc. Everything I’ve read recently about this rye is true - different, delicious, rich, flavorful, balanced, and pleasant. It got better as I went along - layers of flavors uncovering themselves on subsequent tastes. It doesn’t drink like 110 proof either. I would definitely pick up a bottle of this later to do a proper tasting and enjoy at home for much better VFM. This ranks right along with the other drams I’ve rated 4 stars. It may even deserve higher. I’ll update this score accordingly when I hunt down a bottle and open it up. Highly recommended, especially if you can find it for ~$40-$45 a bottle.

Sampling some baby Dickel - George Dickel No.8. Makes me wish I had a bottle of No.12 to do a proper side-by-side. NAS, but reportedly aged between 5 to 7 years. Mash Bill: 84% Corn, 8% Rye, 8% Malted Barley (Standard Dickel Mash Bill) ABV: 40% Price: $16.99 Nose: Light, sweet corn. Green apple. Malty oak. A bit of black licorice hidden in there. It could be the sugar, char, and minerality are combining to give it that effect but I can’t un-smell it. Palate: Tart green apple with a tiny bit of salt at first, followed by honey sweetness (like the little to-go packets of “honey” you get with your takeout), malty vanilla oak, char, and minerals. The tannins want to leap out at you, but they suspiciously mellow out before they get the chance to become overwhelming. I still get faint black licorice again. Finish: Sweet and warming, with lots of minerality lingering on the finish. My moniker may make it seem like I have a habit of licking rocks (I don’t) but if you did lick rocks, the finish may taste something like that. I much prefer this dram to the Tennessean behemoth that overshadows it. Pretty good VFM, if a little unconventional on the finish. 3.0 ~ 75 ~ Average

How do you follow up a review of Highland Park 18? Well, you don’t. You don’t even try. So I am swimming down the Straits of Moyle, across the Irish Sea, and pulling myself out onto the shores of County Louth, Ireland. That’s where this oddity starts - an Irish whiskey that’s imported to the US and bottled in Princeton, Minnesota.... Hell-Cat Maggie Irish Whiskey. Of course, you don’t pick a name like Hell-Cat Maggie out of thin air. This fearsome historical female was a legendary member of the Irish-American street gang, “The Dead Rabbits”, who roamed the Five Points district in Manhattan during the 1840s. She reportedly earned her violent pseudonym by filing her teeth to points and wearing brass claws into battle with other New York street gangs, most notably the anti-immigrant Bowery Boys. She died at the ripe old age of 25. So how does the whiskey branded after her namesake fare? I suppose similarly if you consider that not much is known about it - it’s apparently a blend of unmalted whiskies and malted pot still whiskies aged for at least 3 years and first hit shelves in March 2015.* Even the folks at Distiller haven’t dared to review this dram yet. What am I getting myself into? Nose: Young grain and malt. Check this spirit’s birth certificate, I’m not convinced its turned 3 yet. Green apple caramel candies poke through bitter wood notes and sweet ethanol. If something can smell bright, this is sharply bright. Palate: Metallic green apples. Some bitter astringency and more wood than I was expecting given its youth. Subsequent tastings bring out more sweetness and bread. Thin and light-bodied. Definitely some grainy funk going on. Finish: Short and fiery. Not unlike our leading lady. Bready malt. The heat and bitter solvent notes overstay their welcome a bit. Good thing it’s only bottled at 40% ABV. Thoughts? I made it out of my tangle with Hell-Cat Maggie alive. I will need to try this on the rocks and/or experiment with some ginger beer (Irish Mule) or vermouth (Emerald) to use up the rest. I can’t really recommend this neat with the exception of experiencing it for the marketing appeal. Still fun to try though (and hats off to the producers for featuring a female on the label). 2.5 ~ 71 ~ Below Average *Distiller should probably update this to a blend as opposed to the single pot still it’s currently described as...?

While I can’t quite meet the same level of class as @PBMichiganWolverine ‘s hotel tastings, on a recent business trip I got up the gumption to visit a hole in the wall liquor store nearby to see if they had any hidden “treasures”. This was the kind of the hole in the wall (or window into the sewer) establishment that had iron bars over any sort of opening into the premises, salacious ads for women posted everywhere, abrasive clientele, and an eerie aura that made you seriously ponder why you rolled up there in the first place. Actually.... what was I doing there? So this was going to be a quick stop. Nonchalant speed perusing, speed perusing...overpriced Japanese whisky....nonchalant speed perusing....overpriced Irish whiskey...1 bottle of Blanton’s (overpriced)....and 1 beat up bottle of Highland Park 18 (w/o any Viking’s Pride). For $110. Now, there are probably some people who live in markets where this isn’t a big deal. Maybe this happens for them all the time? But I come from a bad whisky market. So I was immediately gleeful and forced to hide my glee because I might tip off the shopkeep that he hadn’t visited this shelf in a while (judging from the other prices in that place, this bottle had been overlooked for some time) and remind him that he had seriously undervalued something in the process. I take my prize up there like it was a bottle of Jack, and he stares me down when he sees that faded, yellowing sticker. Did I switch tags on him? Did this chick know what she just carted up to the counter? Should he refuse to sell it to me? He didn’t. But he did charge me an extra $5 for a bogus service fee that it seemed he was daring me to take issue with. (I did warn you this was a slimy establishment...) In any case, I escape. Back to my hotel room, where I am going to enjoy this delicious bottle of perfectly-aged Scotch in a subpar hotel glass because I haven’t tasted it in so long. Until the cork breaks off when I try I open it. Ugh, my luck! (No, I did not yank on it...) Nevertheless, she persisted. I fish it out of there with some creative toothpick placement and pour the first dram of Highland Park 18 I’ve smelled in much too long. Delicious. And while I’d love to regale you with my hotel tasting notes and equally enthusiastic “TL;DR” attempts to get an 18 year old bottle of Scotch with an AWOL cork home, I won’t. And will instead just tell you that I did manage it, and I can now provide you with notes from a proper tasting performed in the comfort of my own home. Nose: Fragrant and elaborate, yet mild-mannered. Delicate floral notes and peak-season farmers market fruits are elegantly married to sea spray, moss, earth, and sweet smoke on a restrained holiday. It has the aromatic intensity of a perfectly brewed cup of herbal tea with a drop of smoked lemon for balance. I don’t want to stop nosing it, it evolves a bit every time you sit and visit with it. Palate: Smokey creme brûlée, stewed fruits, lemon meringue pie, woody nutmeg spice, morel mushrooms, heather, and refined, mossy peat. A lovely succession of sweets and cream, tart and lightly salted fruits, barrel astringency, and smoke. It may be a bit light-bodied for palates accustomed to heavy-hitting Islay’s, but it has a wonderful mouthfeel and texture and the malt shines through. Unimaginably smooth and balanced. There’s nothing to add or subtract. Finish: Long, sweet, caramel smoke with the faint reminders of quality time in barrels. You can still taste this minutes later and it will probably season your pores for hours later. To me, this bottle is a rare success of the aged, mossy peat pairing perfectly with time spent in quality Sherry casks - you don’t always need a sledgehammer of peat nor a tsunami of wine. This isn’t the profile of your next door neighbor’s barbecue pit char stirred into your Speyside either, this is the incense of something delicious cooking a few streets over and you have to know what it is they’re enjoying. If you could bottle the essence of mountains and meadows with the harvests of late summer and barrel it in a seaside vacation campfire, this may be what you end up with 18 years later. 5.0 ~ 98 ~ Resplendent. Nirvana.

Wild Turkey Bourbon 101 was admittedly the surprise of my bourbon lineup. Let’s get to the tasting details... Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Barley ABV: 50.5% Price: $16.99 Nose: Surprisingly subdued and no strong indications of the ABV lurking below. Turbinado sugar, stone fruits, cream, with floral notes. Palate: Sweet and honeyed, full and rich. A bit of creamy salt and floods of rye spice. Lots of oak. Smooth mouthfeel and surprisingly mellow given the proof. A touch of water brings out some really tasty raw cacao notes for me. Finish: Starts sweet, but is tempered with spice and drying oaky astringency. Smooth. A bit more interesting and certainly more VFM in this bottle. It’s also dangerously smooth and easy to sip at 101 proof. I‘m rating it slightly higher than the other bottles* in this line up - this dram wins best out of the flight of 3. 3.25 ~ 79 ~ Average * Again, this bottle still loses to the great equalizer that is Eagle Rare 10. ;) Also, I didn’t try these with a cube of ice (my tastings are completed neat in Glencairn glasses) but I am a bit curious if that would change the relative rankings at all (masking off-notes, etc.). I’m also interested in sampling Wild Turkey’s Rare Breed as their products are closer to barrel-proof given their lower entry-proof. Cheers all!

Next up in my budget bourbon flight - Maker’s Mark Bourbon. It may appear a little unfair to toss a wheated bourbon into the mix, but I trust my impressions and perceptions can still be fair. And, the wheated characteristics can also draw out contrasts to rye’s presence in other mashbills. Mashbill: 70% Corn, 16% Wheat, 14% Barley ABV: 45.0% Price: $18.99 Nose: Soft and mellow. Mapled honey, toast, creamed corn, light cherry, almond, vanilla. Palate: Sweet, rich, full, and a touch salty up front. Creamy, cereal, vanilla, and almond. Rolls through toast, dark cocoa, and oaky astringency. Smooth, rounded mouthfeel with mild spice. Finish: Short, vanilla-rich, and warming. Dry, mild oak spice. Despite their differences, this dram very nearly tied with the Knob Creek Small Batch. It’s certainly less complex but there were no off-notes here to detract from the tasting. I’ll give the point to Knob Creek though because it has more going for it. Maker’s Mark is like the unadorned mashed potatoes of bourbon. 3.0 ~ 75 ~ Average