Tastes

Nose: this is a new nose to me. Different aromas than the single malts, bourbons and ryes I’m used to. I get airy thin honey. Also something floral like rose petals. There is a heavy raw sugar cane presence but it’s not there on every inhalation. There is faint plum and apricot but it’s a secondary or tertiary aroma. I don’t nose any rye but a lot fruitiness. The other thing I find interesting is that the nose is very very soft given the 64.06 abv. A few times I nose wet wood, not oak exactly more like what I would imagine apricot juice sitting in a wood barrel would taste like which makes sense since this rye spent some time in apricot brandy barrels. The nose is complex and tremendous and grew on me over the time I spent with this. Later I thought I nosed a little rye spice a little red hot but it was almost like a whisper and then it was gone. Also later a caramelly flavor emerged. Body: this is tasted neat. Huge. A strong Kentucky Canadian hug. Palate: sugary sweetness, high C, some darker fruity flavors I think the plum I nosed earlier. But it’s like a fresh juicy plum not an old fermented syrupy plum, this dram is alive with complex flavors all taking turns coming to the forefront. Caramel and I get more of the rye spiciness. Finish: long. Not smokey like I love my finishes but sweetness that lingers and just slowly ever so slowly fades away. 2-3 minutes later I’m still getting flavors wafting out. Sugary sweet fruity flavors. Note: another 1010 purchase. Not cheap, phew. But the last gold label was really amazing. This is really an interesting dram. So many flavors and aromas and they come in different combinations I feel like this is a whiskey Willy wonka would take great pride in creating. Complex and sweet. It feels like someone or lots of someone’s would have had to put a lot of TLC to get this all to blend together. This is really top not.

Nose: caramel, cherry, water chestnut, whiffs of vanilla in the background. But it’s all tame bother in your face about it. Later a little rye and later wet oak. Body: medium Palate: caramel, chocolate, then the waves of barrel char and smoke that I love love love. Later I get the vanilla and cola flavors. Finish: medium to long. Much more smokey and caramel than the initial palate and nose would suggest. It’s like there is the initial wave of sweetness and then the slow to evolve finish. So good. Note: expectations are high for this. This was another great pick up from 1010 Washington the greatest liquor store on earth. This might be the best ten year old whiskey. The finish is much longer than I’d expect from the nose. Smokey and lingering for a minute or so. Tremendous. This punches way above its abv of 47.2. This is better than the first iteration I tried which I can’t remember what year it was but this is tremendous.

Nose: caramel, a little wet oak funkiness, faint rye. Burnt sugar (delicious) and barrel smoke. Very faint wiffs of Tennessee orange starburst. Body: moderate to full Palate: much bolder than the triple mash. Rye spice (like the triple mash), caramel and barrel smoke. Finish: medium to long, much more body and full than triple mash. Long smoke. Note: I like this more than the triple mash, it’s like the triple mash with more bold caramel flavor

Nose: caramel, and a dusty wooden box, vanilla, light peppery spice Body: light Palate: similarly to the JD ten this starts very light, the flavors are muted but present. Sweet and almost like a Mexican chocolate things going on with a peppery sweet chocolaty back palate Finish: the finish is medium a little more full than the nose, body and palate would suggest is coming. Has some of the JD ten smokiness but not as powerful or long lasting Note: this is a nice dram but nothing special is going on. It’s sweet and interesting and fun to have but not earth shattering.

Nose: caramel, chalky saw dust. Orange covered in oak dust. Body: thin Palate: nice, initial thought was hmm a little light and soft and the it pops with flavor and lingers in the finish. Starts very soft and sweet but builds up steam and brings on caramel and barrel char. Finish: moderate, a little smokey caramel which lingers longer than the body would let on on first sip Note: I’m excited to try this. I won this at a raffle. Fun. Let’s see how this goes. This is a fun dram. Start very mild and sweet and builds. It’s Fun and tasty.

Nose: cinnamon, caramel, honey, vanilla Body: medium Palate: caramel, vanilla a little cinnamon stick. Finish: medium and sweet Note: somehow I drank this bottle and didn’t review it until the last glass. This is good to very good. Nothing that jumps out as amazing but a very serviceable and dependable it was really a nice bottle.

Nose: caramel, vanilla, cherry, oak and orange. Body: medium - small Palate: cherry, vanilla, oak, salty caramel. First two sips register as salty. Weird. Has classic caramel vanilla but has a strong orange oak and salt thing going on. Finish: medium - small Note: little buzz after finishing my gold barrell and a taste of glen Keith 10 and Aberlour a’bunadh. So let’s try this taste from Jared. Good but too short on the finish, not smoky enough for my liking and the salty thing is different. Ok not great.

Nose: lots a syrupy grape. Faint cereal malt. Dry wood. Later red wine. Body: full, mouth coating. Palate: little smoke and sweet syrup grape, faint cereal, rubber Finish: fairly big and pretty long. Not exactly smokey more like a lingering hot grape. Really nice. Note: batch 6 as a taste from Jared. 59.9%. This is a luxurious sweet large bold dram. Very delicious

Nose: pear, dry wood, box of raisins, honey. The nose is funny to me, it’s like a cedar box filled with raisins. But it’s lively like the raisins are plump. It’s a nice nose. Unique. Body: medium Palate: heather & floral & honeyed but with a very real but mild spiciness. Curious how they got that to mix. It’s very different and very good. Finish: medium long. Nice and sweet but not the lingering smoke that I love but approachable. Note: a sample from Jared. Curious how this young man will stand up. Represent Spey side isla River. Interesting on first sip and mouth watering finish. I’m surprised how the first sip really did a dance in my mouth and lingered. Initial impression, this is better than I thought it was going to be. This would be a very good intro to the non peated and varied side of single malt. Really very good.

Nose: blackberries and caramel. Thick gooey warm caramel. Light oak but it’s really well balanced. Not over oaked at all. Vanilla. Body: medium to full Palate: toffee on the front palate that evolves to caramel and vanilla and then fades into blackberry and vanilla and then just melds into the long smoky, sweet lingering finish Finish: medium to long with barrel smoke and sweet vanilla blackberries. Note: this was an amazing purchase through 1010. Really it was a lucky day. I am excited to rate this after tasting it for the first time yesterday and really thinking this is an outstanding dram. It reminds me of a less in your face barrel gold, it’s more understated (which is not bad at all), but has the classic caramel and vanilla with a very interesting front palate that is almost minty, like minted toast and toffee and then has the blackberry sweetness on the back end. The difference between this and barrel gold is this doesn’t have the Tennessee whiskey orange starburst flavor. This is an amazing dram that is ridiculously easy to drink so if you get a bottle be careful not to finish it too fast.