Tastes

This was a dissapointment. A 23yo single malt, with a beautiful bottle, around the $300 mark, that is named "Grand Cru" which means a special blend of wines in the wine industry, and having declared that this was matured in french Cuvée casks (special best casks for champagne) but gives you a flavor that you can find in most 12-15yo speyside whiskies, it is just sad for the customer. I am not saying this was a bad dram, not at all, it is just normal. Forgettable. Bottled at 40%abv, golden color. On the nose: Vanilla powder, yellow apples, caramel powder, pears, chocolate powder, winey. Second sip became just caramel and lemon. On the palate, nothing really. A very normal fresh apple flavor with hints of pepper. Pears. Aftertaste was the best part of it, but absolutely normal. Ginger, Vanilla powder, cinnamon, apples. Second and third sip revealed some mineral notes, maybe salt. And that's it. I believe that this is not only boring and normal, it falls into my perception of some "fancy" whiskies that have standard, safe flavors for those buyers who don't know much about whisky and they have a bigger wallet, and when they have this, they'll enjoy it because it is a smooth apple juice, but for the real critics and enthusiasts it is plain boring. I wouldn't pay more than 40 dollars for a whole bottle, it is not even a better Glenfiddich than the 15, 18, 19 age of discovery ones or the 21, and i think that is undeniable. My score for it is a creepy 77 over 100. Move along, nothing to see here.

I believe that the "Classic Cut" name of the bottle comes from Macallan's Marketing strategy of their six pillars and all that stuff, but it should be about Macallan's really classic flavors and aromas. I have seen this bottle a lot of times and never picked it up, since i am not a Macallan Hardcore fan, but now i know i should have done it, specially because this one is the most "Macallan" Whisky Macallan has ever made. If you want to teach people on what a Macallan can offer, a classic Macallan profile, this is the bottle. It checks all the boxes in the "Macallan profile" form. Bottled at 51.2%abv, thick amber color. On the nose: sawdust and chocolate. Maraschino cherries. Cocoa butter, cookie dough, red fruits and more chocolate. Sherry, good old plain sherry. A little soap. Hazelnut, coffee. Second sip reveals some cheap citrus notes, like air freshener. More cherries. On the palate, it is delicious, full, powerful, full of flavor. Starts pretty sweet like chocolate and dulce de leche. Cocoa butter. Then it becomes very mineral. "Crazy dips" effervescence feeling on the palate; pepper, a strong oak spice bomb. Second sip reveals toffee; cinnamon and apples. Very nice. Aftertaste is a textbook Macallan on the first sip. Sawdust, minerals and sulphur, very oaky/ woody. Second and third sip gives you tobacco leaf and hints of a fancy smoke. Beautiful. Overall, i really liked this one, and i would recommend it. I believe it is worth the 118$ they ask for it. A solid, balanced dram, 92 over 100.

It has won prizes. And it is fair for it to have won them. A truly amazing, refreshing, tropical cask strength whisky from one of my favorite distilleries, here is my review on Arran The Bothy Batch No. 1: This bottle tries to commemorate the times when whisky was matured in smaller casks, back in the 18th and 19th centuries, for logistical reasons, whilst delivering gorgeous vanilla and spice flavours.  Bottled at 55.7%abv, amber color. On the nose, welcome to Dominican Republic. It is as tropical as you can get. Tangerine, oranges, green apple, a dominant pineapple aroma, fruit salad, grapes, champagne cola, malt, bananas, white wine. After the second sip, chocolate bathed bananas and red fruits appear. Lovely. On the palate, a lot of personality, following the same path as the nose: pears, Bananas, oranges, more bananas, the heart of the pineapple and... bananas. Second sip revealed a fancy vanilla, honey and marshmallows. Aftertaste is very nice, not as tropical though. Minerals, Cinnamon, red fruits, cherries and ginger. Overall this one feels like one amazing fruit punch, a very fun one. Incredibly balanced, not a hint of alcohol even for a 55.7%abv. Great dram, 96 over 100. Sláinte!

I have said this at least a dozen times, you know im not a Macallan fan, i have had some excelent, normal and bad ones. Actually i have had the 5 editions, and hated No. 2, liked 1 and 3 and loved No. 4. What im trying to say here is that i believe that i do not fall for Macallan's Marketing Hype as other people do; nor i trash talk it just to be internet cool. I try to be objective about my hobby: reviewing whisky. Having said all that, this one is a very good whisky, that has one of the best aromas i have ever found on a dram. Edition No. 3 was supposed to have the best aroma, since it was selected by a perfume maker. That one doesn't even come close to edition No. 5's Aroma. Lets review this dram: First, this edition is a tribute to Macallan's original whisky color, and they actually with the Pantone Color Institute to get a special shade of purple that represent Macallan. It's on the box. Bottled at 48.5%abv, tawny color. On the nose, best aroma in the whisky world. At least one of my top 5 whisky aromas ever. I did a tasting event and everyone agreed. It is just spectacular. Here are my notes on it: Grapes. Very floral, resembles a japanese whisky. Very winey. Honey hard candy. Sawdust. Incredibly perfumed. Chocolate, toffee, honey, hazelnut, nutella, TEMPERA PAINT, dates, red fruits. Second sip reveals blackberries, full caramel. Third sip, floral and red fruits. It is just crazy. You really don't need to drink it, you can just smell it. The rest of the dram is good, nothing super amazing, but good. Strawberries, blackberries, sugary, dried fruits; molasses. A little bittersweet. Herbal and caramel notes. Abv is high enough to give you a decent, powerful flavor. Aftertaste is where classic Macallan notes appear. Sawdust, oak, sulphur, minerals, salt. A little burn, aniseed, hazelnut and pie crest. A little dry. Overall i can compare this whisky to David Beckham's football career: handsome and perfumed but gets dirty when needed. I really liked it, and i will give you my individual scores for every part of it: Nose: 26 over 25 points. (Yes, i had to reward it one point over the limit since it deserves it). Palate: 22 over 25. Aftertaste: 21 over 25. Balance: 22 over 25. So 91 over 100. That is really a fair score for it. Sláinte!

We have a challenger for this years best whisky trophy. It will not win, but it will certainly be in my top 10 of 2020. A great Whisky, Highland Park the Dolphins is a limited edition to commemorate UK's Royal Navy, submarine division, often known as "The Dolphins". Bottled at 40%abv, this is your typical Highland Park so it is gooooood. On the Nose: perfection. First note you get, that Highland Park classic Heathery Peat. Then, all this: Coffee, Salt, Old Shoes, gum, seaweed, Cod fish, brown sugar, sand, dust, orange toffee, library, burnt honey, sulphur, and beach aromas. Second sip reveals Jalapeno Spice, fresh fields; and the third sip adds Vanilla and Oranges. Amazing stuff. Palate starts a little watery, to turn salty, as if you drank ocean water from a wave. Pepper, peat, soil, earthy. There is some vanilla on the second sip which is also creamy. Aftertaste is magnificent. Sulphur, scorched fields, STONES AND MINERALS. Pepper and salt. Mostly minerals. Some dulce de leche is also there. Rewarding, long, delicious. Overall, this is a great dram. Only 1500 were produced and i managed to get my hands on one. I believe you can still find it and you should search for it. Good stuff, 97 over 100.

It might sound a little rough, but i love the whole concept of Macallan Concept No. 2. It seems that the whisky maker in charge of this new expression, (2019), is also a DJ; and he was trying to compare music making with Whisky Making. The result is this rather new Macallan with a lovely box and bottle. But is the whisky any good? It actually is. Bottled at 40%abv, burnished gold color. On the nose, this is NOT your typical Macallan, since no Milky Way or Snickers can be found on it. Sawdust is like the key aroma note here. Citrus; clove and ginger. Chocolate but not your typical Macallan Chocolate. Leather; almonds; dried fruits and Mint. Mint note is very nice. Actually the whole aroma is great. Second sip reveals more notes: banana, cantaloupe, vanilla, oranges, baked apples. Empty glass smells like toffee and raisins; and a glass that previously had coca cola on it. The palate is kind of strange. It starts very watery, and it makes you think this will be a dud, but one second later tasting notes appear in a systematic way. First a weak Vanilla note, that transforms into lemon flavor surrounded by spices like pepper; then it becomes oaky to finally become chocolate. It is one thing after another. Not all at the same time. Aftertaste has the Macallan DNA. Long finish: full of sawdust, ginger and tobacco. Pleasant. Overall, this is a well balanced dram, nice aroma and flavors, enjoyable and complex enough. It could be better, but it manages to deliver almost a 4.5 stars score. 89 over 100.

I never felt attracted to buy or taste a whisky from the Spey distillery, and i got to be sincere about it. The only reason i got a full bottle of this dram was because i often watch a youtube show called "Scotch 4 Dummies" that features 4 whisky enthusiasts that i respect. In their final episode of 2019, they all agreed that one of the best whiakies they had that year was this Spey Fumare. It caught my attention, and it wasn't easy to find, but i managed to do so. It was actually a wonderful dram, that maybe lacks a little complexity but definitively hit the right notes. Bottled at 46%abv, pale straw color. Peaty and Smokey, "Fumare" in latin means "to smoke". As soon as you uncork it, you get this perfumed peat with pineapple. Pineapple is actually the best note to describe this dram, because that note is all over the place. Grapefruit, pineapple, perfumed peat. Very floral, feels tropical. White wine, coconut, cloth softener, cleaning products, soap... those crazy notes that you can only find in peaty whiskies. You get the idea. Sweet, fruity and spicy on the palate. First 3 seconds of it will develop this sugary syrup; heart of the pineapple (that is how it feels, like eating the heart of the pineapple that cuts your tongue due to its powerful flavor). A second sip revealed raw rice, and wet biscuits. Then... the wonderful aftertaste. Amazing, perfect finish. After it passes through your throat, it comes back with this magical puff of smoke, so pleasant, incredibly well crafted. Fancy smoke, agave, and pepper. Overall this is a beautiful, fancy dram, that opened my eyes to this distillery and i loved it. I don't usually drink peaty speysiders since i have this phrase that says: "if you want peat, you pick Islay, not speyside", but i have been proven wrong on that statement so many times. Amazing whisky, fully recommended. 93 over 100.

Let me start telling you that i am an Ecuadorian. In Ecuador, we have never had a Single Malt, and WE STILL DON'T HAVE ONE, regardless of what this bottle says in the label, since it hasn't even reach 1 year of age, BUT i felt like doing this review because this is the first attempt for Ecuadorians to have their own whisky, their own single malt. The owner of this small distillery, told my friend, who gave me the bottle, (and this is also posted on their instagram account), that they use imported malted barley from Belgium and imported Tennessee American Oak Barrels, fully charred, to mature the spirit. They released this first expression without even reaching one year old, and it was surprisingly good. They don't use additional color or any additional artificial flavor. They are proud of the spring water that comes from Cotopaxi Volcano. Having said all that, let's get to business: Bottled at 40%abv, light gold color. On the nose: pretty nice, although a little straightforward. Uncorking and pouring it to the glass will give you this sweet prune syrup. Pretty clean prune note. Dim alcoholic note, not unpleasant. Sawdust. Those are the two main notes here and they are nice and clean. Malted barley. After first sip, aroma has more dried fruits, like big raisins and prunes. Aroma tends to be a little dim overall, mostly sweet and syrupy. (22 over 25) Palate is much more simple and even for a young spirit, this is very easy drinkable. Winey, Grapy, but mostly Cereal. Mild spiciness, mostly oak spice. Feels that barrels are not old. Easy to drink. Needs more flavor. (17 over 25) Aftertaste is where all the youth of the spirit is really shown. Malted barley, Cereal. Maybe a slight cereal burn. Not off putting. Oaky. Finish is medium long and fresh. Feels young, but not bad. (14 over 25) Balance: 18. Overall this spirit (since it is not whisky due to lack of enough legal maturation time in most parts of the world, even if Ecuador doesn't have legal requisites for calling "whisky" any spirit) feels like a good effort and it is very easy to drink and fairly better than some drams i have had in the past from all over the world. I believe that time will make this a lot better, they have a good starting point. My score for it is 71 over 100.

My last review on Jameson's "Deconstructed Series" is for this "Lively" expression, which actually was the worst of the three. "Round" was amazing, "Bold" was interesting and "Lively" is boring. That is a proper description for them. Bottled at 40%abv. Nose: On the bottle smeels like leafs and plants used in cooking. Like a dim mashed basil, maybe. There is a meaty aroma like bacon or pork. A little butter. Smells like a kitchen when someone is cooking. Herbs and meat. Herbal. Grainy. Barley. Yeasty. Fresh soapy Ginger spice. After 3 sips aroma gets sweeter. Cinamon bubble gum appear. On the palate it is dull. Grainy. Red and yellow apples. Gentle. Maybe a slight saltiness. Aftertaste, unlike the other two expressions, is the worst part. Fruity finish, very dim. No spice, no emotion. Fresh, short, boring aftertaste. Overall i don't think this is a bad dram, it is just not fun. Its too easy drinkable, too boring. I guess you can drink it like forever but you get this feeling that this is not whiskey, that this cannot get you drunk at all. Its like juice. 62 over 100.

My second review on Jameson "Deconstructed Series", this time is for their "Bold" expression. I actually expected this one to be the worst one of the three, since "Round" was so good and "Lively" described itself as "elegant and Floral, with citrusy lightness, like a soft breeze". Well let me tell you a spoiler, that one was the only one i did not like; and, this "Bold" was quite decent. Aroma is normal, goes from very dim to "nice" after a couple of minutes. Fresh fields, Grain whiskey and some Alcohol note is the first you get. Then, there is a cheap citrusness to it, like lemon or lime. Mostly spicy like strong black pepper. Full spicy on the nose. Waiting 5 minutes will release some cotton or sugar note Let it breath, It will release some sweeter notes like Orange cough syrup. Cinnamon and apples. Whole aroma feels dim and unclear; mostly spicy. Bubble gum aroma will appear after two sips. On the palate you find this inmidiate spice bomb, not unpleasant or overpowering. Chilli and cinammon. Doesn't feel grainy at all. Not oily nor thick, just spicy. Aftertaste, as the "Round" expression, is amazing. Nice clean bubble gum finish. It is exactly bubble gum with cinnamon. Aftertaste is proven the best part of this series (i thought that before having the "Lively" one). Actually pretty good. The bubble gum note is exactly the one you find in bubble tape. Medium long. Overall aftertaste makes this spicy dram quite interesting, it is just a normal dram, but that finish pays the bottle. 80 over 100.