Tastes

A couple of months ago, I tried my first Ancnoc, the Flaughter.  Although somewhat two-dimensional (peat and sweet), it was well balanced and enjoyable.  I was looking forward to the Cutter because the peat is turned up a bit.  Unfortunately, neither the extra peat nor the dram as a whole worked for me.  While the peat is not exactly turned up to 11, it nevertheless has the effect of overwhelming all else.  What's left under the peat is a non-descript mix of flavor from which I can't pick out much of anything.  And where the peat in the Flaughter is quite pleasant, the Cutter's peat is more of a bitter ash.   The Flaughter is a nice whiskey, but I'm not sure who the Cutter's constituency is.  If you like balance, nuance and complexity, it's not for you.  And for peat lovers, there are far more agreeable and interesting options available.

Federal Wines and Spirits, located on Beacon Hill in Boston, is known for an exceptional whiskey selection. Last week I was in downtown Boston with just enough time to make a quick first visit before a business dinner. Beacon Hill is a beautiful area and FWS is located in an attractive stone building. But I entered a scene reminiscent of a downtrodden bodega - small and cramped, zero decor, and bottles randomly strewn across shelves. But as my eyes focused, gems were revealed. On the messy shelves sat a HIghland Park Fire next to a Yamazaki 18. There were vintage bottles of Ardbeg, a Mortlach 25, Springbanks up to 21 years, a Macallan Rare Cask, and numerous high-end drams from bottlers I've never heard of. I was quickly greeted by an older gentleman behind the counter. Him: "Looking for anything in particular?" Me (at a loss for words): "No." Him: "Well, what do you like?" Me (at a loss for cogent thoughts): "I like a lot of things...and wow, you have a lot of amazing whiskeys." Him: "We have a lot more that aren't out on the shelves, so it would help if you and I had a dialogue". Fortunately, I recovered my ability to make meaningful conversation, and our discussion commenced. Somewhere along the way, I noted I recently tried and very much enjoyed Old Pulteney 17. He smiled. "We just got the new line", he said, revealing a bottle of the new 15 from behind the counter that was about a third full. Pointing to the low level of remaining juice, he told me the bottle had just been opened two days prior. "It's VERY good," he said as he reached for a plastic cup and gave me a pour. VERY good indeed. I purchased a bottle and headed to dinner. I opened it the next night for a more relaxed and deliberate sampling. On the nose, there is sea air, brown sugar, and sherried fruit notes. The palate has the same notes as the nose, plus some toffee, raisins, and a hint of dark chocolate on the finish. It's certainly different than the Old Pulteney 12 or the 17, but retains many of the key characteristics of both, with the saltiness being the most notable. Compared to the 17, I like the 15 just a bit better. It has stronger sherry barrel notes, and I enjoy those notes very much. Those who prefer a bit more oak influence will likely favor the 17. Overall, this is a fantastic new dram, a keeper for sure. And a great start to my dialog with the good folks at FWS, to which I will certainly return.

Even though this distillery is relatively local to me as a resident of the New Hampshire seacoast, I wasn't aware of Fifty Point until @pbmichiganwolverine mentioned it in the comments of my Oppidan Smoke and Sea review.   I checked out Maine Craft Distillery's web site, and it appears that distribution of Fifty Stone is currently limited to Maine.  Happily, through the site's store locator I discovered the Fifty Stone  just fifteen minutes away, right across the state line at...Walgreens.  For some of you, that may not seem strange, but in the Northeast it's highly unusual to buy spirits alongside toothpaste and deodorant.  But so much about Maine is different, odd, interesting, or all three.   This whiskey definitely qualifies as both interesting and different, due to the seaweed smoking of the malt, which is very distinguishable on both the nose and the palate. The bottle labels the Fifty Stone as a "Highland style malt".  That rings true to me, as it shares much in common with martime Highlands such as Old Pulteney and Clynelish.   On both the nose and palate, there are notes of cereal, vanilla, honey and citrus. Also present is the strongest sea salt note I've scented or tasted, along with distinct seaweed that comes at the end of the palate.  While there's a reasonably strong hit of ethenol mid-palate, there is very little alcohol burn on the finish. There is a mild burnt toast note, however, undoubtedly a byproduct of burning seaweed. While the malt is on the young side, it's not dry, and fairly rich. The whiskey presents itself as two distinct but complimentary components - the malt whiskey and smokey seaweed.  If I had been told it was a single malt finished in seaweed barrels, I (probably) would have believed it, even though I have no idea what a seaweed barrel is. Ultimately, your reaction to this whiskey may be determined by how you feel about the combination of the two very different components - highland malt and smoked seaweed.  I suspect that opinions will be quite polarized. For me the combination is a bit challenging, but it works.  This is a complex dram, and due to the unusual flavors, I suspect the intrigue will remain through the last of the bottle. While it's not a whiskey I'd reach for regularly, it's a very nice departure from the norm. And it captures the essence of so many oceanside towns on the rocky Maine coast.  Props to Maine Craft Distilling for a truly creative dram!  This is a 3.75 that I've rounded to 4.0 because I love the concept and brilliant expression of the local terroir.

@dubz480's review yesterday of McKenzie's Single Barrel reminded me that I've had the Bottled in Bond Bourbon on my "to review" list for a long time.  So why the delay? It's not because I've been unclear about my overall opinion - it's excellent.  But it's a complex dram and I was not readily finding the words to describe it.  I'm still going to struggle a bit, but here goes - The nose is very pleasant - a typical bourbon scent of caramel and corn, along with a strong base of oak and mild baking spices. The palate has some really nice, mild wood notes, some more caramel and corn, and a bit of spice.  It's not an overly sweet bourbon, and it's very nicely balanced between rich, oily, sweet and oakey. The whiskey finishes without burn and a slight spearmint note. The details I've given are an accurate version of what I experienced, but incomplete.  I'll update this review if and when I can better place some of the other great scents and flavors.  Had I been served this whiskey blind, I would not have pegged it for a wheated bourbon - it's simply a lot different than other wheated bourbons I'm familiar with - I feel it has more in common with corn/rye/barley mashbill bourbons. At some point I'll do some comparison testing to determine with certainty, but the Mckenzie's BIB quite possibly is my favorite under $50 bourbon.    And it appears that it's popularity is growing quickly. After reading @dubz480's review of the single barrel, I searched for a single barrel bottle for sale online.  No luck. I also noticed that the standard BiB seemed to be out of stock everywhere.  Hopefully that will be rectified soon, or else an emergency trip to upstate New York night be needed.

Whiskey #3 from my trip to Delilah's.   Delilaht's has a lot of bespoke whiskeys, but one that stood out for me was a Kilchoman bottle made for Delilah's and Jack Rose in DC, and aptly titled the Kilchoman Delilah's and Jack Rose First Cask.  It is aged for five years in Sauternes Casks and bottled at 59.6% ABV.   On the nose, there is smoke, salt, berries and perhaps a bread note.  The palate brings a familiar Kilchoman peat smoke that tastes of ash at a level that is far more than a wisp but less than billowing.  There are more berries, perhaps a bit more tart than the nose, and a hint of vanilla cream and oak.   This may be the first Sauternes cask finished whisky I've tried, and it compliments the Kilchoman peat very well without taking the spotlight (which I find can happen with Kilchoman's sherry cask finished whiskies like the Sanaig and Machir Bay).  It's less aggressive than the Loch Gorm, and quite smooth for being just under 60% ABV. Normally, I wouldn't request the addition of a bespoke bottle, but since it's unique, reasonably distinct from other Kilchomans I've tried, and available at two of the best whiskey bars in the US, it seemed worthy of sharing.  It doesn't break new ground for Kilchoman, but it's definitely worth a try if you're a Kilchoman fan and find yourself in Chicago or DC.

A gem, courtesy of Delilah's. This is my second Parker's.  The first, the Heritage Orange Curacao, was exceptional.  The Wheat 13 is exceptional as well. The overall flavor profile did not surprise - typical wheat whiskey notes. I'll skip the details because I would simply be rehashing Stephanie Moreno's review. But, in one respect, i was very surprised.  At 67.5%, I'm fairly certain this is the highest ABV whiskey I've ever consumed.  Yet the ethenol was pleasantly integrated.  The ABV really intensifies the flavors without creating a harsh burn.  If I wasn't so interested in trying another Parker's, I might have passed on this in the belief that a wheat whiskey at this ABV would be all burn, with the flavors overwhelmed. So hats off to Heaven Hill!  Now if they could just produce a little bit more of these gems - they're hard to come by.  

I rounded out my recent Chicago swing with a trip to Delilah's.  Delilah's is a classic dive bar in Lincoln Park that caters to all types - guys hunched over a beer at the bar, 20-somethings crowded around tables doing shots, and whiskey aficianados taking careful sips between consultations with the bartenders.  All with a soundtrack on late seventies post-punk in the background. The whiskeys, of which there are currently about 800, are Delilah's claim to fame, and includes quite a few rarities, barrel picks and bespoke editions.   The selection process was therefore challenging, but I chose to start with the Westland Garryana.  I had yet to see it in the wild, and jumped at the chance. I found primarily malt and grain on the nose.  The palate had the same, along with a sweet coffee note (distinctly coffee for me and not chocolate), and wood. There's also some spice that's a bit hard to place, along with some dryness, particularly on the finish.  I assume that the spice note and perhaps the dryness is from the Garry oak.  Maybe I'd feel differently if I was more acclimated to Garry oak, but I found it to be a bit sharp, although not harsh. Admittedly, I feel the same way about Mizunara oak. Overall, I liked the Garryana but did not love it.  It's smooth and the coffee note is different and very enjoyable.  On the other hand, it lacked a certain boldness, and I'm not sold on the Garryana wood.  There's some exciting stuff going on in the American single malt market, and in the end, I was hoping for a bit more. 

I recently visited my first Binny's - the Lincoln Park location in Chicago - and it's a great liquor store.  The selection is fantastic overall, and they've obviously taken a lot of time curating their craft whiskey offerings, particulary those from Chicago-area and Midwest Distillers. A few months ago, I had noticed the Oppidan Bourbon Smoke and Sea here on Distiller (thanks @PBMichiganWolverine for the add) and threw it on my BOLO (be on the lookout) list.   Oppidan is based outside of Chicago in Wheeling IL, so multiple Oppidan offerings are stocked at Binneys. The Smoke and Sea is a mix of Oppidan's Four Grain and Solera bourbons, finished in French Oak casks and oak casks that previously held Islay whiskies.  It's bottled at 46% ABV.  At $40, it was a go. With two different bourbons, four different grains, and two finishing casks, there's a lot going on.  Fortunately it all works very well together. The nose has cherry, smoke and some caramel.  It's nice, but the palate is where things really heat up.   There's more cherry, a surprising amount of peat given that all of the smoke comes from the barrels as opposed to the malt, some spice notes that are just a tad bitter but not at all unpleasant, and a milk chocolate note that is particularly strong on the finish.  There's a bit of heat, possibly a sign of youth, but the heat meshes well with the other flavors.   A note about the cherry on the palate because I found it really interesting - it's more like a cherry wood note, which I can only recall in the Corsair Triple Smoke.  The Corsair is aged partially in cherry wood, so the Oppidan is apparently getting this note elsewhere.  Regardless, I like it.  I'm really glad I included this bottle in my Binny's haul.  It's a great whiskey, unique, and at $40, the VFM is exceptional.  I plan to maintain a bottle in my collection, and I'm looking forward to future Oppidan offerings!