Tastes
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Compass Box Experimental Grain
Blended Grain — Scotland
Reviewed October 9, 2022 (edited November 27, 2022)The holy knowledge of whisky says, there are only 5 types of whisky: Single Malt, Single Grain, Blended Malt, Blended Grain and the popular Blended Whisky. But, have you ever tried or seen a Blended Grain whisky? Well, this was kind of invented by Compass Box when they released their very known Hedonism. And they where the only guys who ever made Blended Grain whiskies. You can honestly believe that there is really no need for blended grain whiskies to exist, since Single Grain is often considered as inferior to single malts. I also have to say that i know about a blended grain that is not from Compass Box, and that is the Ballantine's Vitality. Well, CB has released to the market their newest Blend of grain whiskies, called "Experimental Grain", made from Loch Lomond, Cameronbridge, North British and a parcel of Hedonism. It has a Pale color and has 46%abv. Nice marketing as always, the bottle and the cardboard box are beautiful. On the nose, starts with school glue, watermelon, plastic, rancid vanilla and hairspray. This sent me to my childhood since this whisky smells exactly as the action figure of the moss/grass man from the 80s cartoon, He-Man. After a first sip, it gave me this aroma of a barber shop. Some citric notes and chocolate. Yeast, vanilla and hand sanitizer alcohol. On the palate, vanilla ice cream, rum and raisins and metallic flavors. Dulce de leche and chilli sauce. It is actually very, very good. Aftertaste was my least favorite part. Metallic, oxide like licking a 1 cent coin; Cardamom, iodine. Overall, i have to be honest, this was way better than what i expected. I was surprised on how good the palate is; the nose is fairly complex and the aftertaste is not off-putting in any way. Really a decent whisky, that is not a good deal for your money in any way possible except for collection, it manages to get a score of 85 over 100 in my books. -
Glendronach Single Cask vintage 1995, 20yo, for The German Malt Whisky Community
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed October 6, 2022My favorite scotch distillery of all time has a very beautiful way to keep the fans entertained: they give us tons of single cask offerings, almost always at cask strength, with some nice vintages. You can easily recognize them because they are "the brown Glendronachs". This one is quite something. Bottled at an amazing 53.8%abv, this is a 1995 vintage, 20 years old, exclusive for The German Malt Whisky Community, drawn from a single Pedro Ximenez sherry cask. All the right words here. On the nose, quite a spectacular show. Grapes, a Crunch chocolate tablet, and the almighty aroma note of BLACKBERRY MARMALADE. It has incredible sweet notes of quince, and a cigar that was lit and now has been put off. Liquorice. After some sips it gave me dates; Coffee beans and dehydrated oranges. Blackberry, quince, cocoa. It is amazing. On the palate this is whisky heaven. Velevety sherry; Spice bomb, chocolate and red fruits. Beautiful dram. Aftertaste reaches the peak. Cuban cigars, cinnamon, chocolate. It feels warm. Ginger and macerated fruits. Overall, what can i say, this is perfection. It is no mistery that Glendronach is my all time favorite distillery and this is why. Elegant, powerful, filled with layers of flavors and aromas, this is the proper example of what a top single malt should be. It would be disrespectful if i deduct any points, who am i to criticize this marvelous whisky? My score for it is 100 over 100. -
Long ago, i had the lovely chance to taste the famous Ardbeg Dark Cove Committee Release, which is a popular whisky because some enthuisasts have rated highly. This time i managed to get my hands on the "normal" release, matured in "Dark Sherry Casks" (apparently this is a made up term, i tried to find it but i couldn't) and was bottled at 46.5%abv. This was the special release for Ardbeg's Day 2016. It has a dark caramel color. On the nose, all the lovely horrible aroma notes we peat freaks cherish: a pair of cotton socks, iodine, tennis balls, a shoe box and.... passion fruit?; it smells exactly as a sports shop in a mall. After a couple of sips it gave me hints of chocolate and brownies. Letting it breath for a longer time game a fish market aroma and smoked salmon. Amazing. On the palate it is a mixture of sherry and peat. Plastic notes, earthiness, salt and Red fruot syrup. It has a pleasant pepper bomb. Strawberries are definitively a note here. Aftertaste was the best part. Starts with some burnt hay and cigarrettes, to then turn itself to a bonfire with dangerous fireworks. Gunpowder, and rubber. It is like chewing the head of those "He-Man" action figures from the 1980s. Quite the experience. Overall, this was a memorable dram right from the beggining till the end. The craziness of the peaty notes are well intertwined with the red fruitiness from the sherry casks. A beautiful single malt, my score for it is 93 over 100.
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Bruichladdich Black Art 1994 07.1 Edition 25 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed October 5, 2022Bruichladdich was a distillery that had to grow on me, since i wasn't fully a fan at the beggining of times, and i still think some of their more affordable expressions are often "soapy" with "shampoo" notes. Having said that, this is not the case, since this Black Art is one of their greatest releases. Black Art was an annual release by Bruichladdich, and only Jim McEwan knew the types of casks used, supposedly hand picked in the middle of a full moon light. This one is their 07.1 release, a 25yo whisky. Bottled at 48.4% abv this has a copper color. On the nose, it is outstanding. Bacon, red fruits, maraschino cherries and the almighty "soap" note i get from every "Laddie". Recently baked Brownies and a floral note. Glazed ham and freshly clean towels. Great stuff almost perfect. On the palate it is a red fruits bomb. Frozen hershey's strawberry syrup. Pepper spice and hints of salt. Metallic and red fruits. Strawberries, a beautiful red chilli as well. After some sips, it gave me brownies, chocolate and metallic notes. Incredible. Aftertaste is a wonderful finish for this great dram. Hay, tobacco, salt and sulphur. Earthy and very metallic. Super dry and fairly spicy. Overall, this one was a monster of a dram, i just loved every part of it. I don't even know why i am deducting points here, because this is so complex, with clean well delivered flavors and aromas. Really one of Bruichladdich's best offerings out there, my score for this one is 97 over 100. -
Royal Salute 25 Year The Treasured Blend
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed October 3, 2022 (edited October 4, 2022)Have you ever heard the phrase: "the shoemaker's son always goes barefoot"; well that is my case, since i am Chivas Regal Brand Ambassador for my country, and i have never had this 25yo Royal Salute before, and it has been in the market for quite a while. Happy to finally taste it, this very fancy whisky is also called "the treasure blend" and it honours the Crown Jewels. Bottled at 40%abv, lets see if this one is any good. On the nose: red fruits, orange peel, glazed pork, salt and prunes. After a first sip, the aroma changed into orange caramel, and strawberry candy. On the palate, it starts with cotton candy, red fruits like strawberries. Hay and salt. Very salty actually. The second sip gave me this child liquid remedy called "coricidin". Hershey's red fruit syrup. Chocolate. Very nice. Aftertaste has to have some slight peatiness, that is what i can guess from the notes. Cuban cigar, hay. Excelent, long salty finish. Overall, this is quite elegant. It might be one of the creamiest, smoothest, fruity blends i have ever had. It is way better than the "normal" Chivas 25yo that has existed forever. I really liked it, and it can be served in any fancy event you can have. My score for it is 91 over 100. -
Ardbeg has been all over the place lately. And they surely have suffered a little backlash from some whisky connoisseurs here and there. One of their recent committee releases is this "Fermutation", a single malt that promises a nice backstory but it certainly makes me skeptic of what i am going to taste. Basically the story of this whisky goes like this; there was a broken boiler in 2007; as a result, distilling had to suddenly halt while the washbacks were full of fermenting wash, leaving the wash fermenting for 3 long weeks. (Usually it is between 56-72 hours in Ardbeg). That wash was later distilled and matured for 13 years, and bottled at 49.4%abv. That is how you get Ardbeg Fermutation. But, is it any good? On the nose, amazing terrible stuff. Noticeable notes of cotton socks, tennis balls, swamp and lemon. Plants, seaweed, sown land and rainforest. You get the idea by now. After a first sip, it became super yeasty. It smells like craft beer, bread and some maritime notes. Citric forest fruits. Very interesting. On the palate, starts with plastic, earth, sown land and marshmallow. This is so tasty, but you get the feeling that even if this one is so enjoyable, this can't be good for your body, lol. Aftertaste can be defined as a "Wimbledon Tennis Final": sweat, grass, tennis balls. It has this sharpie marker note. Feels so artificial, like a factory. Mr Clean chemicals. Overall, there is no reason for this thing that i have described to you to be any good... and it is not good... it is INCREDIBLE. Everything i have just described just feels amazing in every sip, it is like a whisky adventure. This is exactly what i am looking for in new single malts: something interesting and new. What a glorious dram this has been; it is 10000 times better than both "Ardcores". My score for this marvelous experience is 100 over 100, and i will find another bottle for my home bar.
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GlenDronach 2007 - Purple Ranges Collection - Officially Bottled for Professional Danish Whisky Retailers
Single Malt — Scotland
Reviewed October 1, 2022 (edited October 2, 2022)Another exclusive Glendronach from the already famous Danish Whisky Retailers, this one i have seen for a long time in social media till i finally managed to get my hands on it. A 2007 vintage "Glendro", with 11 years of maturation, this one has been bottled at 46%abv and matured in Px casks. On the nose, it is very good! Chocolate Raisinets, Dr. Pepper, Grand marnier liquor and blackberries. Coffee, cocoa and hazelnut; some floral and red fruitiness. Milk powder (formula). Pretty much what you expect from a solid Px Cask matured Glendronach. On the palate it starts wonderfully. Strawberries, red fruits, chocolate and floral notes. The sad part is that every sip became thinner, watery and weak. Aftertaste was not the best. Sawdust. Very dry. Pepper spiciness. With every sip it also became dimmer. Overall, this is not a bad whisky at all, but i might be the lowest scoring Glendronach i have ever had. The reason for this is that it became weaker with every sip; it lost flavor and power. My score for it is 85 over 100. -
Tobermory 14yo Marsala Cask Finish
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed September 30, 2022 (edited October 1, 2022)Nowadays m all in in some Island Whiskies that flew under my radar in my first years of this whisky adventure. One of those is Tobermory, who has a sister distillery, Ledaig. Well, i managed to get my hands on a wonderful and very limited 14 year old Tobermory Marsala Cask Finish, which is one of my favorite whisky maturations; bottled at 56.3%abv; one of only 288 ever made. On the nose, it is so fruity and crazy. Starts with watermelon juice. Talcum powder; wet clothed, grapes and liquid paper. Lotion. After a couple of sips, the aroma changed into a milk chocolate; meat and a fruit market. It is so all over the place!. Merthiolate. On the palate, pure perfection. Watermelon, papaya and a pepper bomb. Simply spectacular, creamy milk chocolate. Aftertaste follows the palate, also achieving a perfect score here. Milk chocolate, watermelon, red chilli and some metallic notes. It is like a Ninja Kick made of watermelon, directed to your face. Amazing. Overall, everytime i have a whisky that is so good as this one, i regret having shared it in my tasting events, lol. Wonderful, interesting because of its crazy, not-usual tasting and aroma notes; if you ever see this bottle, you have to buy it, no matter what. An incredible single malt, my score for it is 95 over 100. -
Compass Box is famous for doing bespoke whiskies to certain stores, restaurants and bars. In this amazing trend, they have worked with a brewing company to develop a very affordable blend called Transistor. Bottled at 43%abv, this has been created to be mixed or paired with beer. On the nose, peaches, wet wall paint, bread, and very yeasty. Not remarkable, but not bad at all. On the palate, it gave me a wonderful white Kit kat chocolate; heart of the pineapple and oranges. Again this yeasty note; a spongy cake. There is youthness hiding beautifully in the yeast. Butter. Aftertaste is all about sawdust, a great cuban cigar, salt and pepper. Tropical fruitiness appear along the saltiness and the tobacco. Overall, for a 50 -60 dollar whisky, this is actually very good. Not overly complex or remarkable, this is a good deal for your money. Very enjoyable, i could have this one any day. My score for it is 83 over 100.
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Glenmorangie Port Wood Finish
Single Malt — Highland, Scotland
Reviewed September 29, 2022 (edited September 30, 2022)So, i love these vintage Glenmorangies, from the 80s and 90s, and i had one myself, the Madeira wood finish. I had it for a long time till the day i drank it, because whisky is meant to be tasted and enjoyed, not to rest forever in a shelf. Having said that, i went to friend's house where he took this vintage Port Wood finish one; and i got to say i was excited to try it. The main different between port and madeira, is that, even if they both come from Portugal, they come from different zones (Madeira and Porto) where they get their name. Basically, you can say that both are pretty similar fortified wines, with lots of red fruitiness notes in them. This is a 90s bottle, natural color, bottled at 46%abv. On the nose, this is what you expect. Cherries, Tiramisu dessert, typical orange peel from Glenmorangie. "Tres leches" dessert and a light floral note. It has the aroma of coffee with milk. After a first sip, the aroma changed to a red chilli!; Port wine and maple syrup. Hazelnut. Great aroma. On the palate, it starts spicy, with red chilli. Cherries, salt and an unexpexted pepper bomb. Aftertaste is nice. Sawdust, fruit spice and macerated fruits. Overall, this was a beautiful dram that i enjoyed thoroughly. I still think the madeira was a bit better, but this one was truly easy to drink with nice combination of flavors and aromas. My score for this "oldie" is a solid 89 over 100.
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