Tastes
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Weller, that super fancy brand from Buffalo trace, has this elusive and very sought bottle, called C.Y.P.B., which are the initials for "Craft Your Perfect Bourbon". It really got its name from a marketing campaign where customers were prompted to go online at www.yourperfectbourbon.com and pick their ideal bourbon recipe, proof, warehouse location and age. It comes at 95%proof (47.5 abv), and it is what is called "a Wheated Bourbon". On the nose, it starts with fancy red fruits, Tobacco. Smells beautiful. Everything is all about cherries, lemon and a nice spiciness. On the palate, i get fancy red fruits, powerfully spicy. Rye spices. Aftertaste has scorching tongue spices, red fruits and syrup. Overall, this one is very elegant and rewarding. A very well crafted dram, with some interesting mixture of spices and red fruits. My score for it is a solid 92 over 100.
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Part of our Tennessee whiskey tour was the amazing Uncle Nearest Distillery. There, the guided tasting had this Rye expression that really called my attention. On the nose, i get lemongrass, fresh gooseberies, brown sugar, grapefruit. Mostly fruity. The palate is all about red fruits, cherries, a bit grainy though. Aftertaste had a chocolate profile, with cherries, ginger, and dry grain. Overall this one was very flavorful and interesting. I get some complexity out of it that is not usual in most Tennessee whiskies. My score for it is 89 over 100.
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Octomore 21yo 2003 vintage
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed July 17, 2024 (edited July 23, 2024)There is this remarkable guy in Scotland called Ross Barr, who knows everything about scotch, who works for the amazing Bevvy app, who i happen to know. I consider him a friend. Lucky for me, he has some serious rare expressions, and i have had the wonderful chance to try some of them. This is the case of an ultra rare 21yo Octomore, drawn from a 2003 cask, i believe this is from their first distillations. I have no idea of its abv, i got a sample from the great Ross, at Bruichladdich Feis ile 2024 day. Some things i know from it, is that it comes from a triple maturation, in refill bourbon casks, Spanish oak and Bordeaux casks. On the nose, it is very fruity, not super peaty as you would normally expect from the powerful Octomore. Leather, Peat has been tamed. Fruit salad, tangerine, oranges. On the palate, i get cigarrettes, orange notes, spicy ashes. Very acid but drinkable. Aftertaste is where peat lives, in a good enjoyable way. Cigarrettes, Ashes; it is an ashtray. Overall, for me, not being an Octomore fond fan, this one really suprised me. It is easy to manage and enjoy, which is not something that i usually say about Octomores. Complex enough, peaty enough, acid & fruity, this is a great dram. My score for it, is 92 over 100. -
My good Uruguayan friend an whisky enthusiast, Alfredo Poggi, gave me a miniature of the Uruguayan single malt, one of the first ever made in South America, called Larnaudie. On the nose, i get peaches, apricots, maize. A little young on the nose, i can identify yellow apples. On the palate, it has an apple profile. Sider; Yellow appples. Aftertaste is dry and astringent. Peaches. Overall, i really appreciate that this type of single malts are being made in this part of the world. I can tell that they are starting a new, flavorful movement, and i believe this one in some years will even be better. My score for it is 80 over 100.
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I went to Bulleit Bourbon distillery, and guess what, i found that they have a single malt release! This very appealing black bottle, is the first single malt from this american distillery, is bottled at 45%abv, made fully from malted barley. On the nose, a Glenffidich green apple note. Pears, Whip cream. On the palate i get peaches, hay and honey. Aftertaste is all about peaches, hay, honey and Tobacco. Overall i find this one fruity and "cowboish" in a very appealing way. A nice bet from Diageo's Bulleit distillery. My score for this really fine dram is 92 over 100.
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Bowmore 16yo 1992 vintage Wine Casks
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed July 16, 2024 (edited July 23, 2024)I had the amazing experience to be on this year's Feis Ile, and let me tell you about a fantastic perk i found at Bowmore, on their day of the festival = they had an "Old & Rare" bar, where you could try, for a tiny fraction of the price, super rare Bowmores from previous years. One of them was this absolutely surprising and tasty 16yo Wine Cask from 1992, bottled in 2008. It has been matured on Bourbon & Limousin Bordeaux Wine Casks, with a 53.5%abv WOW THE NOSE ON THIS! EXQUISITE RED WINE. (Yes, i am screaming). Chocolate, red wine madness, lemon & Coffee. On the palate i get marvelous red fruits; So enjoyable. Chocolate, Red wine. It is soooo chocolaty that i, as a fat man, approve this whisky. Aftertaste gave me some beautiful prunes, red wine, acid fruits. Everything super acid. Bloody mary. Overall, this one was absolutely spectacular. I had like 4 of them, i even passed on trying other wonderful releases, just because this was too good, i had to have more of it. Pure perfection, one of the best Bowmores i have ever tried. 100 over 100. Top thing. -
Tomintoul 33 year old
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed July 13, 2024 (edited July 17, 2024)Tomintoul is one of those low tier speysiders that are mostly a fruity juice, that has no real body nor excitement, that i usually avoid. Having said that, a couple years ago, i found a miniature of a 33yo expression. I bought it thinking that this one has to be the best that this distillery can offer. The first thing i noticed was that it had a 43%abv strength. The full bottle goes for near 1k, and that made the whole experience more interesting. On the nose, i get classic, very normal Speyside flavors: Pear, cotton candy, pineapple and fruit salad. On the palate, it is very sweet. Cotton candy, Bubblegum, Pear and hay. Aftertaste follows the same rythm. Pear, super fruity, bubblegum, hay. Overall, if you are reading this, and you care for your money, do not expend any crazy amount on this one. There is no difference between this dram to any other 12yo Speyside single malt like a 'fiddich or a Glen Moray. Totally not worth it in my books, my score for this one is a super dissapointing 80 over 100. -
Old St. Andrews Clubhouse Blended Scotch Whisky
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed July 13, 2024 (edited July 17, 2024)Old St. Andrews is Scotland's oldest golf course if i am not mistaken, and they have a very funny, Golf Ball looking miniature, that contains the famous St Andrews blended scotch. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose, i get grain whisky, red apples, slight citrus, wet grass and maize. On the palate, apples, peaches and milk powder formula. Aftertaste is a mixture of tobacco, burnt hay and grain whisky. Overall, a very easy to drink, enjoyable dram, nothing too special, i believe it is intended to be a souvenir more than a proper, complex dram. My score for this one is 72 over 100. -
Dalmore Luminary No. 2 - The Collectible (2024 Edition)
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed July 13, 2024 (edited July 17, 2024)The Dalmore has released a second Luminary edition; and this one is another celebration of architecture masterpieces. This time, it honours V&A Dundee. Allegedly this contains a rare batch of peated Dalmore, and it is bottled at 48.6%abv. On the nose, this is truly fruitu and sweet. Tangerine, Jellybeans. It feels like every sweet from the videogame Candycrush, lol. Lulo fruit, chocolate. After some sips it became super spicy, with white chocolate notes. On the palate, it is a little watery. Vanilla cream. Tangerine, white chocokate. A little dim. Metallic penny coin. Aftertaste was perfect. Full acid potency. Tangerine, Oranges, Citric madness. Chocolate with oranges; Sulphur, Metallic. After a couple of sips, jellybeans, gummybears and other sugary sweets. Overall, i really was amazed with the aftertaste of this one. I found no peat at all, other than some sulphuric notes. The palate is a little watery and dim, but the nose and aftertaste are very good. My score for it is 92 over 100. A good offering. -
Compass Box is famous for making some bespoke expressions for important whisky bars and restaurants of the world. This is the case for "Juveniles", a wonderful looking bottle, that actually has a rattle bell on the bottom. Juveniles is actually a "Bistrot  Vins" from Paris, place that was honoured by this bottle. This is a blended malt made from Clynelish, Balmenach, Glendullan & Strathmill, with a 46% abv. On the nose: Pineapple and meringue. Sawdust, gooseberries, very fresh. Spongy cake. On the palate, it mimics the same notes. Pineapple and beautiful meringue. Sugary notes. Meringue sweets. Acid. Cotton candy. Aftertaste is very sugary. Sugar with milk. Pineapple creamy. Overall, this was a truly enjoyable expression. Soooo easy to drink, very sweet and citric. This one is a dangerous dram, since i feel that i can have a full bottle without much hesitation. My score for it is 92 over 100, which is very surprising for a not too expensive Compass Box.
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