Tastes

This high abv expression of Tullamore D.E.W. is called this way because of the phoenix in Tullamore town's coat of arms, because of a 1785 event, when a hot air balloon crash caused a terrible fire that nearly wiped all the Town. It has been made by blending the most relevant types of irish whiskey: golden grain, malt and pure pot still whiskey. Bottled at 55%abv, golden color. On the nose, Raw rice, Dusty Cardbox; Triple sec liquor and Cork. Not very impressive. On the palate it is a little better. Wheat, Soap, Red fruits, Very grassy with Corn notes. Aftertaste was forgettable. Paper, Raw rice, Maize; it is like licking an envelope. Overall, not my favorite whiskey; i actually never liked Tullamore D.E.W. too much. Even for a Cask Strength dram, this lacks complexity and fun. It is not off-putting, but it is not delicious nor easy drinkable. My score for it is 73 over 100.

The legendary Irish Whiskey, the Midleton very rare, has finally been tasted by this humble whiskey enthusiast. I never had it before because it is expensive, specially for an Irish Whiskey, which i don't usually choose over any Scotch; but i wanted to try this one for ages. Midleton Very Rare is the fanciest whiskey this distillery produces, once a year. This distillery also makes Jameson and Redbreast, Irish super classics. This review is for the 2016 expression. Bottled at 40%abv, golden color. On the nose, quite amazing. Orange caramel, super nice. Pepper. Freshly cut juicy orange. Super citric. After a first sip it gave me chocolate milk, Toffee and fancy Caramel. The palate mantains a great level. Incredible flavor of orange juice; Freshly cutted oranges; Chocolate and Creamy milk. Super nice aftertaste, a little grainy and chocolate. There is this orange cloud everywhere in your throat and palate. Overall, this is a clean, accurate whiskey. It is all about perfect oranges and chocolate. Aftertaste wasn't as good as the Palate and Nose, but still a beautiful dram. My score for it is an 88 over 100. Would i pay 300 euros to have a full bottle? I don't think so.

A nice expression from Jameson, from their "Whiskey Maker's series", which is a collection from 2016. This Whiskey commemorate the master craft of the cooperage, where the most amazing barrels are repaired and prepared for whiskey maturation. Bottled at 43% golden color. On the nose it is pretty nice. Creamy Vanilla, Chocolate , Coffee beans, Yellow apples. It has this Bitter aroma mixed with Marshmallows. Apple pie and Moca coffee. On the palate; very fruity and sweet. Sider and pear juice, Chocolate and Creamy vanilla. Aftertaste was not as good. Sider, a hint of smoke, hay and Burnt grass. Overall, this was a very enjoyable whiskey and definitively on of Jameson's more rounded drams. Aftertaste lost most of the points here, but still it manages to be a nice whiskey. My score for it is an 83 over 100.

I never cared about Glencadam too much, i always thought of it as a second or third line distillery, not able to compete with others that are far better. I even bought this sample just because it wasn't too expensive and only because i try to review as many whiskies as possible. But... this dram taught me a lesson. This whisky was very good and almost got a 4.5 stars score, something that is absolutely surprising for me, due to my previous prejudice of this distillery. As you might have guessed already, this Reserva Andalucía is the Sherried expression of Glencadam. Bottled at 46%abv, tawny color. On the nose very light with some nice interesting notes. Starts woody, with sawdust notes. Gooseberries, lemon, pepper, farm fruits. There is this aroma of plastic from water balloons and a cheap strawberry candy. A wonderful note of cotton candy is also present. After two sips, the aroma changed, giving me a beautiful mixture of lemon, Chocolate and hazelnut. On the palate, it is complex and changes with each sip. Red fruits, grapefruit, very light and dim spiciness. A second sip gave me a cherry flavored cough syrup for kids. The third sip was all about milk chocolate and ginger. Nice. Aftertaste was very straightforward but very pleasant. A very gentle and delicious smokey note, hay and chocolate. Overall this was a very good whisky, i thoroughly enjoyed. Completely surprising, with interesting flavor and aroma notes and a hint of smoke. The only weakness i detect is that it is very light. Really a nice offering, my score for it is 89 over 100.

Years have i waited to finally taste the Redbreast Lustau expression, the only one i have been missing from their core range. This sherried whiskey is very famous and somehow it had slipped from my hands, but now that i have had it i got to tell you: it is very good. Bottled at 46%abv, tawny color, matured in Lustau Sherry oak casks. On the nose, i truly enjoyed this one: Red fruits, tons of them. Floral Strawberries bathed in chocolate; Hazelnut. super fresh apples, but also SUPER FRESH STRAWBERRY HARD CANDY. Lovely stuff. On the palate it is veey appealing. Sherry, Winey, Grapy with hints of Dark chocolate and red apples. Aftertaste is where things fell a little but not too much. Grain whiskey. Caramelized apple, Sherry and Ginger. After a third sip it gave me Hay and chocolate. Overall, i would buy this for an everyday dram. It is not expensive and manges to give you a lot of flavors and aromas, that are easy to enjoy. One of my favorites of the Redbreast core range, and definitively one that i will remember. My score for it is a solid 88 over 100.

You know yourself. You know what you like and dislike. I am not the fondest irish whiskey lover, i prefer scotch 99% of the time. But, if i am going for an Irish Whiskey, chances are that i am getting "a color spot". Red Spot is the 15yo expression of the amazing Yellow and Green spot, and let me tell you something, i love all of them. Bottled at 46%abv, burnished gold color. On the nose, amazingly sweet aroma. A Circus caramelized apple. Apple air freshener. Cotton candy, Sugar and... Potato liquor??. After a first sip i got cherry sweetness and Hershey's Strawberry syrup. Om the palate it is one delicious and enjoyable dram. An incredible cherry syrup note, Cotton candy; Grainy whisky in a very irish and well crafted form, and Mashed potatoes (yeah, that is the first time i got it in a whisky). Afrertasre wasn't that great without being bad at all. Maize, Apple and Sider. Overall, i really enjoyed this whiskey. I loved all about it and i surely thinknthat the aftertaste could be better, but the nose and palate are fantastic. A super enjoyable dram, my score for this one is a solid 87 over a 100, and i truly recommend it.

Macallan. That one fancy distillery that you learn to doubt. I have told you a lot of times that i am not the fondest fan of Macallan; and, that most of the times a Macallan is very good, it almost certainly will be super expensive. It is important also for you to know, that somehow i have the Glendronach 18 curse; which basically is a curse that i have invented for myself, that is all about 18yo whiskies not being my favorite, except for the greatest whisky ever, the Glendro 18yo. Having said all that, Macallan tends to dissapoint me. And i am super skeptic over the triple cask expressions. Well, i found this whisky in a restaurant, i asked for a glass and guess what... it wasn't superb. And for a bottle that is over $300, you expect something superb. (Spoiler alert for a future whisky review: i also had the 15yo triple cask and was fantastic). Bottled at 43%abv, burnished gold color. On the nose, almost perfect. Starts with your typical Macallan aroma: Oak, Toffee, Raisins, Dark cake and Fancy caramel. Floral, Almonds with chocolate. Pepper and then a rare note in a Macallan, pineapple. Actually lots of pineapple after breathing 5 minutes. After a first sip it became a little greasy; pineapple and toffee. The pineapple note was so surprising to me that i gave a 24 over 25 score in the "aroma" criteria. On the palate, even if ot is a little intense, it is simple. Caramel, Oak spice; Very elegant and woody. There is some chocolate under the woody notes. After two sips i got toffee and the pineapple note. Aftertaste is pleasant, but way too normal. Spicy pepper, Ginger; medium long, very pleasant. Slight sulphur. Oak spice. Overall this is not a bad whisky, it is actually very pleasant. But if you think about an 18yo Macallan, that is over $300, you expect something absolutely breathtaking and different. I believe that this type of fancy whiskies sometimes play it safe to impress most unexperienced drinkers who want a nice, expensive whisky to impress friends and guests, without throwing any crazy or non-orthodox tasting and aroma notes that might appeal true whisky enthusiasts. Having said all that, my score for this dram, is a very boring score of 86 over 100.

Sometimes my score system is not entirely fair for some whiskies, because they might feel like more as an experience, but i try to be fair to what i am tasting and nosing, and specially the way all the flavor and notes are delivered. Belle Meade is one bourbon that almost made a 4 star score in my books, and surely it feels like at least a 4 stars bourbon, but after 30 minutes of re-thinking my experience, i believe the points awarded here are fair. Belle meade is an Indiana Bourbon, bottled in Tennessee, at 45.2%abv. Golden color. On the nose, Banana, white wine and pepper; all 3 notes right from the start. Red chilli on the nose. Interesting. Lots of powerful spices, it reminded me of the Turkish spice market.Some cherry syrup is rising after 2 minutes. Farm citric fruits rising, gooseberries. After a first sip, i got Fresh leaves and wet grass. On the palate, it is a classic sour mash bourbon. Old Banana, Caramel, Some acid prunes. It is sour and sweet. Aftertaste was intersting. Everything happens on the sides of your throat and palate. Cotton candy and chilli spice. Sour lollipop. Overall, this is a good offering, but fails to be rounded. I liked it, i would drink it for sure, but i won't have it on my top of mind. My score for it is a well deserved 79 over 100.

I like Irish Whiskey, but if i have to pick, i would go for scotch 99% of the time. Having said that, one of my favorite Irish Whiskies is Redbreast. They belong to the same owners of Jameson, and they really don't represent a direct competition, because Redbreast has this image of "a fancier whiskey". I have tasted most of their core range, and one of the whiskies i was missing was this 12yo Cask Strength, that got me excited, because it is a stronger, pure version of the regular 12yo. Bottled at 55.8%abv, copper color. On the nose, a sweet tooth dream. Milk chocolate, chocolate fudge; Crunch cholate tablet, vanilla cream. Lemon and other citrics. Coffee; The chocolate on this is amazing. Oranges bathed in chocolate. Lots of vanilla and chocolate. On the palate, a lot of "red" flavors. Strawberries, cherries, red wine and chocolate. Nice. Aftertaste follows the same path. Chocolate powder, vanilla cream, grain whisky and a pepper bomb. Overall, i think it is a good whiskey, very well crafted, super sweet and chocolaty, but it is still unable to obtain over-the-average scores in every criteria. That is why my score for it is a very solid 88 over 100.

Matsui haven't impressed me yet. I have had a couple lf their offerings and they have been interesting, but normal. This "Sakura" Cask, which are Cherry casks (not sherry) and somehow this is consider legal in the whisky world. Bottled at 48%abv, white wine color. On the nose it is very floral. Car air freshener, cotton candy, grapes, apple juice, hay, tutti-frutti artificial juice, lots of flower profiles. After a first sip, it gave me milk chocolate. On the palate, it is winey. Grapes, roses, floral notes and rosé wine. Aftertaste has a different tone. Tobacco, hay, recently baked brownies, salty and ginger. Dry. Overall, this is a very sweet and floral whisky, but it lacks personality. It is too "thin", even if it is a 48%abv, it doesn't feel that way at all. Everything feels weak. Nevertheless, the aroma and tasting notes are good ones, good enough to score an 82 over 100 in my book.