Tastes
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Light, yet evocative malt driven nose, with a touch of peat. Lovely entry on the palate, with a fruity, sweet and crisp character. Quite smooth and round on the tongue. As the journey progresses, more shy notes of sandalwood, whole wheat toast, pastry crust and mild pepper arrive. A semi-long finish, ending on a dry, piquant note. Overall, this is an excellent beginning to a new annual series for Nikka.
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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B523
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed May 17, 2023 (edited September 30, 2023)Fruity, nutty and slightly spicy nose. Black cherry, walnut bread, blackberry preserves lead the tasting, with the well known backbone of the EC mashbill. This release has all the hallmarks of prior releases, with perhaps some additional richness. Remarkably smooth and easy going in spite of the over 62% ABV. Feel free to add more than a splash of branch water to open this one up. It won't lose any of its character. These regular releases are a real treat, as you can see the effects of aging, weather and barrel on the distillate across the years. -
A lovely smoky nose, married with a sweet and slightly vegetal sweetness. On the palate, things are even more interesting, with a malty richness that carries with it the ghost of agave. Quite friendly and agreeable, the tequila barrel aging adds a sweet, near fruity quality. A medium-long finish which ends on a lightly wood-smoked note. This is a remarkable sipper, and one which is firing on all cylinders. Grab a bottle or two while you can.
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Rich, dark, evocative nose percolated with high, keening rye spice. On the palate the dessert-like rum character is livelier with a gingery warmth. The rye flavor comes through loud and clear with a complex and introspective mix of darkened toast, bittersweet cocoa, full city coffee bean, and roasted hazelnut. A smooth, pervasive mouthfeel, leaving a long finish which fades to a slight woody note. Another fantastic member to Papa’s ever growing family.
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Rhum J.M Terroir Volcanique
Rhum Agricole Vieux — Martinique
Reviewed May 8, 2023 (edited July 16, 2023)Heady char on the nose with a burnt vanilla undertone. On the palate, there is a slight creosote character giving it the character of a campfire. The rum itself balances out the deep woodiness and ethereal smokiness, making this a well balanced and excellent spirit for use in tropical cocktails. There is a lot of body here, and the finish goes on for miles. We also like this one over a single rock as a contemplative post-dinner drink in place of a Scotch whisky. A welcome addition to the Rhum J.M. portfolio and one that you will want to add to your backbar aresenal. -
A totally unique liqueur that works wonders in almost every cocktail you can imagine. The nose presents a semi-grape-like perfume headily dosed with clove and a more subtle spiciness. On the palate, there is a definite rush of fruitiness quickly followed by a slight numbing sensation of cloves and soft gingery heat. The effect is both tropical and similar to a mulled wine. In fact, Sorel is ideal for hot cocktails as well as chilled. With a medium-light body and a fairly long finish, the overall effect is of a flavorful journey to the Carribbean. GSN is very glad to have Sorel available again after too long of a separation.
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Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B523
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed April 23, 2023 (edited June 5, 2023)Bright, nutty nose with a nice wood perfume glazed with caramel, honeycomb and vanilla bean. Round entry on the palate with a semi-heavy mouthfeel. Warm, rich, corn flavor softened by the wheat and given body by the barley. Loads of baking spices, dessert characteristics and an endless toffee-like punch. The finish is long with sweet, cinnamon bun flavors caressing the tongue on the fade. Yet another exemplary release in the Larcent Barrel Proof program. -
Loads of high notes of birch and root beer, along with toasted cinnamon sugar pecans on the nose. The body is medium heavy with lots of toasted nut character, light roast coffee bean and pecan pie. You'd think this was a sugar bomb, but the high rye keeps everything corraled. A long, sweet finish ends with a touch of young leather. Quite the journey.
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Traverse City Whiskey Co. Cab Franc Barrel Finish
Rye — Michigan, USA
Reviewed April 21, 2023 (edited January 17, 2024)The nose has plenty of caramel, brown sugar and toasted marshmallow. But the tasting is altogether remarkable, with an immaculate blending of spicy rye, and moody Cab Franc. The mouthfeel is light, but pervasive, with the penetrating spice of a dark seeded rye toast. The finish completes things with a quite dry bittersweet cocoa end. A true gem of a whiskey. -
Port enlivens the nose with a bright grape character. The initial tasting denotes an enveloping bourbon flavor deeply infused with a dark, rich port essence. The overall effect is similar to a cocktail in terms of the flavor blend and balance. The finish is long, with some slight tannic, burnt sugar flavors at the finish.
Results 91-100 of 305 Reviews