Tastes

The Whistler Double Oak is part of the core range from this new irish distillery. It is actually the most entry level of all of their expressions. On the nose, coffee with marshmallows, capuccino, milk & coffee; creamy and thick on the nose. Its like melted white chocolate. You can feel the grain whisky here. Honey & white chocolate. On the palate, it is a liquid mixture of coffee and chocolate. Marshmallows, intense red apples. Aftertaste wasn't too good, a little rough and grainy, with a nice peppery spice. Overall my score for the first expression you should try from The Whistler is a solid 85 over 100, which is an interesting score for a core range expression.

Have you ever seen this incredibly beautiful bottle? This is a Secret South Islay (Ardbeg, Lagavulin or Laphroaig) special Sansibar edition. Sansibar is a german whisky retailer who is famous for their ultra high end releases. A 10yo expression, distilled in 2013, matured in an Oloroso Sherry Hogshead, where the reddish color of the whisky comes from. Bottled at 53.2%abv. On the nose i get a Beautiful perfumed smoke, wonderful red jam; Caramelized oranges. A very crunchy juicy cherry, coffee. So sweet, marvelous. This is a sugary sweet gummy bear, but it also has the aroma of a cigarrette smoke. incredible. Perfect score here. The palate is all about red marmalade, Red fruits and very acid oranges. Aftertaste starts with a beautiful smoke; burnt grass, tobacco. Delicious. Overall, this had potential to be a perfect whisky, and was super enjoyable. I truly discovered the perfect balance between the oloroso sherry profile with the islay smoke in here. My score for this marvelous dram is 97 over 100.

Did you know that the great Woodford Reserve has a whiskey called Double Double oak? Well let me tell you about its notes: On the nose, i get fancy, woody redfruits. Hay straws, strawberry juice, critic peels and Coffee beans. Very fruity and fresh. Lots of chocolate; powdery chocolate. On the palate, i get strawberry jam, strawberry juice, metallic. Spicy pepper. It is really good! Powdery chocolate. Aftertaste is all about a nice bite, a little cereal, chocolate y tobacco. It is like chocolate mixed with burnt grass & cigars. Red fruits. Overall i gave the balance the perfect score, even though if i feel it wasn't perfect (but really good) on the nose, palate and aftertaste. The balance, the overall feeling of it was incredible. My score for this beauty is 94 over 100.

I had a great day, since i got to try a new whiskey today. It was an Old Forester 1924, 10 year old, bottled at 50%abv (100% proof) On the nose, i find it Metallic, coffee beans & red spices. Chocolate. On the palate, i get red fruit jam, toffee. Dry bread crumbs; Mettalic/copperish; Chocolate. Milk chocolate. Aftertaste is all about notes of cigars, Hay and chocolate. Overall this was an incredible dram, super recommended. Full of flavor and enough power to be really enjoyable. My score for it is 92 over 100.

One dram that i truly enjoyed in my last trip to Kentucky, was the Knob Creek 7 year old Rye. Let me describe what it gave me: On the nose, floral and fresh. Grass and a caramel burn. Hay, and something i can only describe as old clothes from the 1500s. On the palate, it is very smooth. Vanilla, sour prunes and peppery spice. Aftertaste has a nice bite and Red fruit spiciness. Overall, this was a very simple, straightforward but super hiper enjoyable dram. I loved it. My score for it is 87 over a 100.

At Jim Beam's beautiful distillery, i got to try a new version of the 7yo called Jim Beam Black, and i found it quite delicious. On the nose, i get: Lemon peel, yeast. Smells exactly like malted barley. Gooseberries, vanilla, cookie dough. After a first sip i got prunes and a classic bourbon aroma. Grassy. On the palate, i found red fruits caramel, Syrupy and metallic. Delicious Spices. Pepper. Sugary with milk. Aftertaste is sweet; spicy and sugary. Syrupy. Overall, a very good solid dram for an everyday sip. My score for it is 87 over 100.

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.

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.

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.