Tastes

A super enjoyable and rather new expression from the Speyside King, The Glenlivet, this time a 14yo whisky that has been matured in ex-Cognac Casks. I really didn't expect to be this complex since it is not expensive at all. Bottled at 40%abv, tawny color. On the nose, a very appealing aroma. Starts with a burnt toffee, caramelized apples, coffee, orange marmalade; pepper and milk chocolate. Vanilla and Dulce de leche. The toffee note is simply amazing. On the palate, it is not as complex, but still very nice. Starts spicy and herbal, to then develop orange peel, and bitter chocolate. Aftertaste mantains the good profile. Pepper, hints of smoke, salty and ginger. Long masting burnt hay smokey finish. Overall, this is a very well crafted whisky, and for the price is practically unbeatable. I really liked it, feels like a fancy dram that can be affordable as an everyday whisky. My score for it is an 88 over 100. Sláinte!

A renowned fancy bourbon, Weller 12yo has a very interesting story to tell. It used to be sold in retail stores for abour $20-40 but one day it disappeared from ths shelves, a super hype started and nowadays it is a hard to find whiskey, that goes around $250-350 in auctions and secondary markets. But..m what happened? Well, Weller 12yo has the exact same mashbill as a Van Winkle 12yo Lot B, and it is made by the same company, Buffalo Trace, with the same proof (abv) and it is store in the same warehouse as Pappy. The only difference between the two, is that the "Lot B" is matured in casks which are selected by the Van Winkle Family. After whiskey enthusiasts learn this fact, the demand for Weller 12yo went to the sky. But, are they really the same? Lets see: Bottled at 45%abv. Tawny color. On the nose, very Floral, Cotton candy, spearmint, gooseberries; Red fruits, prunes and Fresh citric notes. After a first sip, it released old oranges, cotton. Lots of tangerine and oranges. On the palate, it is a very enjoyable dram. Wheat, Raw rice. There is some fresh fruitiness; Fruit punch, slight pepper spice. A second sip gave me red fruitiness and mild spiciness as well. Aftertaste wasn't as appealing as the rest of the experience. A dry rice finish, it is like licking a paper. Cereal finish, very short. It gave me gave me a chewable sweet flavor which was nice. Mostly cereal, raw rice dry finish. Overall, in my experience, this was a good whiskey, but nowhere near a Van Winkle Lot B. This makes me think that the family has a special eye for picking great casks. It was actually expected for any distillery to let the best casks go to their best expressions, therefore i never expected Weller to be better than Van Winkle's Lot B. In reality, they are very far from one another, maily because this Weller 12yo has a weak aftertaste in my opinion. I was not impressed, my score for this one is a 76 over 100.

I was in a very nice bar in Houston and there was a man who was introducing this dram to the barman. He gently gave me a sample and here we are to give our thoughts on this Laws Centennial Straight Wheat Whiskey, 5yo bottled in bond. Bottled at 50%abv, tawny color. On the nose, it was incredibly interesting with crazy aroma notes. Starts very woody; merthiolate. Cream for treat burns, crushed almonds, creamy moka. Gets a lot better with time. Hazelnut. The aroma is strange and appealing Waffer and coffee. On the palate it doesn't have much, but it is not bad. Woody and nutty. Red fruits with spices. Aftertaste is a little better, with classic american whiskey flavors. Clove, prunes. Sour short finish. Overall, it felt interesting on the nose with crazy aroma notes, but everything fell on the palate and aftertaste. Nothing is off-putting but it is not going to be someone's favorite dram. My score for it is 69 over 100.

I am proud to announce that i have tasted a glass of the almighty Laphroaig 32yo. I didn't want to read anything about it before, i went into a whisky bar, found it and asked for a neat pour of this baby. And my first reaction when i nosed it was: "this is not Laphroaig". Lol. This bottle is one of the only 5.880 that were ever made for the 200th anniversary of Laphroaig in 2015. That means that the youngest drop of whisky was distilled in 1983, the year i was born. Bottled at 46.6%, tawny color. On the nose... is this a Laphroaig? It was super sweet on the first nosing, then i grabbed the bottle and saw it: matured in First Filled Oloroso Sherry Casks. The experience was about to become even better. Caramelized oranges, Cherry syurp, Green apples with a Cigarrete. Herbal notes rising, grass with caramel. After a first sip it gave me an aroma of a pair of socks and oranges. Its like having toffee caramel in a pond. On the palate, it is an elegant Laphroaig, no doubt about it. The first tasting note is that typical moss from Laphroaig. The sherriness explodes 3 seconds later: Red fruits with Medicinal notes. A second sip gave me orange peel, a mild elegant spiciness. You can hold it in your palate forever. More sips released a maritime feeling. Aftertaste is where it said: "here comes the Laphroaig perfection". Medicinal notes, Plastic, a fresh can of Tennis balls. Super dry and very elegant. There is a fancy spiciness. Detergent, pond. Amazing stuff. I even got cigarrettes and a maritime note. Its a very well rounded peaty finish. Long lasting. Overall, this whisky is a jewel. I don't think it is perfect, but it gets close to my all time favorites. The aftertaste was sublime, and scored all the points, and definitively is something worth trying. The price tag is very high (1.100ish) and since i am not a wealthy man i will always say that no whisky is worth that much, but, it is not a steal of money if you have paid for the whole bottle, since it is very good. My score for it is a solid 95 over 100. Sláinte!

I have finally tasted one of the bottles i have been looking for since my whisky journey started. The very hard to find, Compass Box Tobias & The Angel. This blended malt is described as a work of art, as its label, which is a famous Renaissance also called Tobias & the Angel, which describes a biblical passage, where Raphael the Archangel tells Tobias to grab a fish, which will be useful to him later. This painting comes from Verrocchio’s studio in Florence during the 15th century, and the dog and the fish of that painting where made by no other than Leonardo Da Vinci. It is a special Blended malt made of Caol Ila and Clynelish from undisclosed but "unlikely to source again" ages. Bottled at 47.6%abv. On the nose, it is beautifully fruity. Red fruit punch, Cherry syrup; Beautiful fruitiness. If something like orange spiciness exists, this has it. After a first sip it gave me a wonderful vanilla note with sparkling water. There is some lemon rising. On the palate, very sweet and enjoyable. Red fruits, Salt, Pepper. Oranges and waffer with vanilla. Aftertaste was lovely. Amazing Smoke, Sawdust; very Ashy. Everything perfectly delivered; Vanilla cream. Overall this is an elegant, clean, well crafted whisky. A truly enjoyable dram, which by no means is worth the 700 dollars that it costs per bottle nowadays. It is definitively a collector's item, and a great whisky, which i am happy to have had. My score for it is a solid 91 over 100. Sláinte! (Update: this seems to be a 24yo blended malt. Clynelish is 24yo and the Caol Ila is allegedly older)

A suprisingly good dram, this "Magic Cask" is one of Compass Box newer labels. Limited to 5.538 bottles, this is a blended malt made 92% of whisky that came from the mothballed distillery Imperial; and, 8% from a re-racked 1 year old malt spirit of robust character which was matured for extra 2 years in first fill Oloroso-seasoned butts. One special cask, allegedly the #2, held the blend, and "magic happened" (you got to love Compass Box marketing to actually sell you a 3yo whisky, lol). Bottled at 46%abv, pale straw color. On the nose, incredibly fresh. Super orange, lovely red fruits, some nuttiness rising, very fresh. After the first sip the aroma was all about coffee beans, a freshly cut orange; Vanilla custard mixed with nuts. Snickers bar. The palate is a simply transition between aroma and afterstate. Nutty, Snickers bar and then a salt explosion happem all of a sudden. Aftertaste was Impressive. Cigarretes, nice smokiness; pepper. Sulphuric but balanced; super enjoyable finish. Rewarding. Overall this is a not too complex, but absolutely enjoyable blended malt. It is so good, anyone who tastes it will feel happy, and it is useful for introducing people to the world of whisky. The fruitiness blends amazingly with the peatiness and the nuttiness. My score for it is a solid 90 over 100. You could say it is magic for a 3yo whisky. Sláinte.

Back in the 90s, a 18yo single malt was something fancier than today. Having said that, this Glenlivet labeled as "Pure Single Malt" (a term that is now abolished) is one beautiful expression, super complex and really enjoyable. Bottled at 43%abv, tawny. On the nose, complexity. Caramelized apples, oranges, pears; everything with a dusty feeling. Chocolate, peaches, dates and apple pie. Hazelnut and cinnamon. After a first sip, it revealed sugar syrup, honey, more peaches and oranges. More sips gave orange leaves and cherries. On the palate, this is one amazingly emjoyable dram. Very fruity, red fruits, peaches, salty, pepper. Oily and thick. Peaches are the most recognizable tasting note, along with yellow apples and sider. More sips gave me cocoa and salt. Aftertaste is a salty surprise. Peaches, pepper, salt. After that, there is a pause that lasts 2 seconds to then release a ginger long finish. Aniseed. Overall, this is a much better version of nowadays 18yo, which is also a great whisky. Its complexity helps to make this a memorable dram, one of my favorite Glenlivets from now on, my score for it is a solid 92/100. Slàinte!

I bought a bunch of Tomintoul 5cl miniature bottles, and of course i started my journey with the peaty expression. This speyside whisky is marketed as a dram that has a "peaty tang". Bottled at 40%abv, gold color. On the nose, pretty interesting. Apples, vanilla custard, Stinky peat and Pears. Mud, a cheap citric note; wet grass. Cloth softener. Fruity and peaty. After a first sip it gave me apple pie and mostly pears. It feels herbal, peaty and fruity. On the palate, it is dim, very light. Pear, apples, slight pepper, slight saltiness. It is a very light whisky. Aftertaste is one of the shortest i have ever tasted. A little salty, very watery. Very dim spiciness. Almost no aftertaste. There is some peaty nice flavor after the third sip, but it lasts one second. Overall, this whisky is exactly as drinking a peaty pear juice, it lacks body, it lacks personality, and it is too light. I think the aroma is nice, but the rest is nothing. My score for it is 69 over 100.

A nice Benriach expression, called "Albariza" which is the special soil used for growing sherry grapes in the "Triangle of Jerez" in the south of Spain. This special white soil is perfect for grapes that will be used in fortified wines called "Jerez" which you might know as Sherry, that comes from "xerrez or serri", the arab pronunciation for Jerez. This 22yo expression is also peated, and if you say sherried peatiness to me, you have my attention. Bottled at 46%abv, tawny color. On the nose, pretty messy, lots of notes but disorder reigns. Peaty, orange caramel; stinky. Vanilla powder, Mossy; Burnt hay. A Cheap citric is present. Chocolate, there are some red fruits also present. A second sip gave me dusty sawdust; more Chocolate and Red fruits syrup. It is like a "Crunch" chocolate that has been kept on the freezer that turns solid. On the palate, it was great. Milk chocolate, Red fruits; Pretty delicious. Pepper. It is spicy, not complex but super enjoyablen and easy drinkable. Aftertaste is where the peaty profile kicked in. Sulphuric, peaty, Metallic and Peppery. It has a chocolate ghostly finish. Long spicy aftertaste. It is even salty and earthy. I really liked it. Overall, this was a very enjoyable dram; rounded, sweet, chocolaty and peaty. It is a nice spirit, beautifully matured, but it fails to have a powerful sherry profile, which the "albariza" name would suggest. Still a wonderful offering, my score for it is 92 over 100.

I made a mistake, i did not give a perfect 100 score to this amazing whisky. Amrut is one of my favorite distilleries, their single malts are superb, with lots of flavors and aromas; they are not afraid of high abv and they really have a mastercraft. Having said all that, Amrut Triparva is their first Triple distilled single malt, and it is not only the first triple distilled whisky in India, it might as well be the first one to use this technique in Asia. Actually the word "Triparva" means "Trinity" in hindi. Bottled at 50%abv, solid gold color. On the nose, one of the most fruity and appealing whiskies i have had so far in 2021. Peaches and Tangerine, incredible. Salty. Dim coffee beans, passion fruit. Honey, Lovely tangerine juice; Fresh oranges. Tangerine peel. There is definitively some saltiness; Orange leaf. After the first sip, the aroma revealed... paint?; yes, a recently painted house wall mixed with Orange leaves. Fantastic. On the palate it was great. Caramel, Orange leaf; Salt and pepper, Ginger. Powerful dram, nice. Delicious tangerine. A second sip was much sweeter; super enjoyable. Aftertaste was rewarding, balanced and it kept the tone of everything that happened before. A Dark Chocolate mixed with passion fruit and tangerine; salt, pepper and ginger. Long finish, a little metallic. Amazing. Overall this was an oily, fruity, not too complex but not  simple, amazing dram. The triple distillation help it to have a much lighter spirit, which already had the fruity DNA of Amrut all over. My score system says 96 over 100, but the feeling of it is perfection, i think i should have given it the hundred points, it was a lovely experience. Made my day. Slàinte.