Tastes

So, I bought this bottle thirteen years ago, back when I thought JD was great and Crown Royal was the best whiskey available. Ignorance was bliss. Now that I just tasted JD no. 7 again, I thought it would be a good time to revisit this one. The nose is bananas and oak just like no. 7, the palate is not quite smooth with some muted oakiness, the finish, not too pleasant with some harsh tones and bitterness. At least the bottle is cool looking.

I haven’t had JD no. 7 in a few years. This past weekend my brother-in-law objected when I compared it to Budweiser, a decent product for the masses, but not particularly good. So I thought I should taste it again and see if my memory is correct. Yeah, I was right. Sweet bananas and a little oak on the nose, sweet palate and a harsh finish. It is splendid with Coca-Cola, so there’s that.

Batch 91. Musty orange, oak, cinnamon and ethanol on the nose, pretty sweet and smooth with barrel spices on the palate, spicy, peppery medium finish. A splash of water does this no favors. The nose turns sickeningly sweet and the palate becomes harsh.

Toffe, fruit and malt on the nose, smooth, sweet and creamy malt on the palate, a hint of smoke and spice on the medium finish. A fine value scotch blend for about $18 at Total Wine & More.

Orange marmalade, sherry, with a little lemon pledge and oak on the nose, oily, creamy with slightly spicy orange on the palate, the finish is medium length and slightly spicy

Sweet rum dominates the nose with a faint molasses and orange peel, it’s creamy on the palate with molasses and vanilla, the finish is warm medium length with some burnt sugar at the end

Picked this up at the closest Total Wine about two weeks ago. This is my third tasting. The first two were very unsatisfactory, with the wine component dominating everything. Now that it has rested and oxidized a bit, the nose is still dominated by the burgundy wine, but there’s a little malt and some sweet nuttiness in there too, it’s hot on the palate with sweet red wine and nuts, the finish is long, spicy and oaky.

This one is shy, very subtle, but oh so good. Raisin cake and candied apples on the nose, smooth and creamy palate with light vanilla and stewed prunes, long, mellow, satisfying finish.

Light peat smoke, sherry, apples and a touch of vanilla on the nose, smooth, light vanilla and caramel, with light peat smoke on the palate, baking spices on the medium finish. A nice light, simple scotch.

Two months have passed since my first tasting of this whiskey. Two months of me sharpening my tasting skills (hopefully) and two months the whiskey has been oxidizing in a bottle that’s about 7/8th full. Time to revisit and see if I notice any differences. Nose: I get fruity, chocolaty sherry, orange peels and some astringency. Palate: Creamy, smooth, oily, chocolate, sherry and oak. Finish: Starts pleasant enough but turns a little bitter, good thing it’s short. I definitely enjoyed this more the second time around.