Tastes

I finally had the opportunity to try two whiskies from Gordon & MacPhail, an independent brand i have never tried before. Mortlach has a good reputation as a single malt and i was able to try it in this independent expression. On the nose, not the best thing. Very Spicy upfront, then fresh lemon peel in a nice way, brown cake and Apples. On the palate it gets a little better, very elegant oak, Hints of lemon, very well matured and balanced. Spicy ginger very balanced as well. Finish medium with a ginger note, mouth numbing. It is a regular Whisky but incredibly balanced; that is the best feature. Overall i give this dram a solid 88 over 100. Worthy experience.

A Dalmore Doppelganger. It reminded me of that internet meme of the two spidermans pointing at each other. Amazing dram. Delicious and almost a 5.0. Beautiful packaging too. Did i mentiom this is dutch? From the netherlands? A truly interesting single malt. Bottled at 46%. Cant remember the color i had too many by the time i wrote my notes of this. On the nose: it is a Dalmore! Wedding cake. Sherry, raisins, figs. On the palate: It is a Dalmore! Wedding cake, christmas cake, super oaky, candied fruit. Delicious. Finish full of liquorice, very pleasant. Overall i give this dram a 94 over 100 and i truly think it deserves more and i am not been fair here. Go find it.

Everything you heard/read about this one is true. Fantastic dram. Much, much better than the also good Green Spot, it missed only one point in my score system to get a 5.0. Bottled at 46, this is one of the most complex and delicious irish whiskies i have ever had. On the nose: Grain whiskey, Malt, Corn, freshly cut Apples, Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla crust and Dulce de leche. The palate is very rewarding. Sider, Tobacco, Chocolate and Grain whiskey swetness. It is amazing how grain whiskey can feel so off putting sometimes and in other cases so delicious. Aftertaste is long with a pleasant tobacco and ginger sensation. A beautiful dram, specially on the palate, i score it 95 over 100 and definitively recommend it. Slainte!!!

Yes! Another Michter's the official drink of Bobby Axelrod lol. Quite an amazing dram also. Bottled at 45.7% with a beautiful tawny color. On the nose: banana (typical bourbon note), cinnamon, vanilla cream, margarine, caramel, tangerine, then it breathes and changes to brown sugar, chantilly cream, and CHURRO. So complex so great. On the palate: oranges, oaky, ashes, and a powerful but short finish full of chilli and liquorice, very pleasant. Spices come oit of your nose in the aftertaste. Very interesting, a little short. Overall, i give this masterpiece a 94 over 100. Very recommended. It reminded me a lot of Elijah Craig Small batch.

My third Maker's after the standard one and the 46, is this cask strength expression which didn't felt as high abv whisky at all, since i felt no alcohol note at all. Very clean and well crafted, this is an interesting bourbon. Bottled at 55.8%abv, lovely reddish color. On the nose, it has hints of a bourbon, but the notes are more complex and if we where making a blind tasting, you might guess it as an interesting single malt more than a Bourbon. Spicy, Prunes; a Barbecue note so strong; Red fruits, Oregano, Glazed pork and Marmalade. On the palate, it is strange and interesting. A little Spicy; tastes as a Bloody mary, Orange candy. Not strong at all. Aftertaste is where the "bourbonish" profile appear. Prunes, Bananas, Vanilla and Herbal notes. Also Cotton sugar. Overall, this is an interesting rollercoaster of flavors and aromas, but lacks to be tasty and pleasant. My score for it is 83 over 100. Cheers!

This is actually a very good bourbon. 47%abv, a much better expression than the original Maker's Mark. Very mellowed and easy to drink even if it is 47%abv. Beautiful red color. It is called Maker's 46 because the story of this dram goes, allegedly, like this: after making the normal "Maker's Mark", they take some barrels apart and add some diferent french oak stakes to the barrel giving it a flavor enhancement, and they came to that recipe after 46 attempts.... it actually works like a charm. On the nose, typical bourbon notes, very pleasant: Vainilla ice cream, Banana, Cinnamon and Maple syrup. On the palate, caramel, Herbal liquorice, Allspice, Vanilla. Very Mellowed, very easy, lovely really. Clove or allspice aftertaste, medium long. This fine bourbon deserves a 88 over 100 and for the price, i say you should grab a bottle. Cheers!

From the beautiful box to a fairly good whisky, this Macallan Concept No. 1 is one enjoyable dram, nothing to die for but i got to say as a non-macallan fan that i would buy this one again. The box where the bottle comes is like a work of art. A lot of surreal images that have a whisky theme, like art from Salvador Dalí. The whole concept thing is about the art of making whisky. Let's talk about the whisky. Bottled at 40%abv, tawny color On the nose: pretty complex but nothing special. Toffee, Old Orange peel, Wet grass, thick Dulce de leche, Sawdust. I get the citrus that they talk on the box. It has a very noticeable orange profile. Freshly cut orange. The sawdust is powerful. It is not as "macallanish" as other macallans, and what i mean with this is that every Macallan has more than less the same aroma. It has released a lemon profile after five mins. On the palate, the first sip is a little dim, citric like lemon. Herbal, Ginger, Oaky with Some toffee sweetness. Easy drinkable but in debt with the people. Way too simple. Aftertaste is nice. Toffee, Oak spice, Sawdust. Very woody. Long mouth numbing finish. Not your typical Macallan, doesn't feel like it. Overall, i kinda like what they tried here, that was "something different" hahaha. For me, Macallan is way too static in a comfort zone and they are releasing lots of new expressions that are "just ok". This one is no different in that sense, but at least offers a little off the charts for that distillery. 84 over 100. Buyable.

Even if i am getting a little bored about Macallan, i got to recognize them that their whiskies are a solid offer. This Macallan Lumina is one of the new expressions of the "Quest Collection" and i got it for around $100. Bottled at 41.3% abv, burnished gold color. On the nose is your typical Macallan, with the "Milky way" chocolate notes, dulce de leche and a slight herbal note. Yep, exactly as every other Macallan. (And that is not necessarily bad) On the palate, it was a little surprising. Very spicy. Actually nice. Herbal, ginger, clove, chilli, lavender. It is a different offer. I liked it. Aftertaste was long and very rewarding. With ginger spice as the main flavor. Overall i give this fine dram an 87/100, and i think it is a good whisky. Nothing to die for, but easy drinkable and enjoyable.

Macallan has released its "edition no. 4", which is part of a limited series that have been appearing yearly in the market. Edition No. 1 is almost dissapeared. No.2 was not good, no. 3 had a lovely aroma and this no. 4.... It is the best of all. As always i will start by saying that i am not a fond Macallan fan, but this, bought early, is a great and cheap dram. About $90 for it. It was released as a tribute for Macallan's new £140 million distillery. Bottled at 48.4%abv, chesnut color (amazing). The nose is your Macallan typical aroma on steroids. Super sweet, toffee, twix chocolate, butterscotch, reeses, dulce de leche, and that Macallan cut grass/ herbal note. Wonderful. On the palate is also sweet and spicy, with caramel, burnt caramel, milk chocolate, oak and clove notes. Aftertaste is long and balanced, thick. Incredible. Overall this deserves my respects, and i recommend you to buy it NOW when it is still cheap. Amazing dram, 91 over 100. Slainte.

I picked another high profile whisky for the official 300th. Macallan Rare Cask Black is a supposedly "smoky" Macallan and that makes it unique. It seems the smoky macallan comes from old whiskies that were stored a long time ago in that distillery. Spoiler alert: it is not that smoky. Bottled at 48%abv, super dark red, old oak color. Beautiful. On the nose it is a Dalmore. Wedding cake, Brown cake, Cherry, Red fruits, Red wine, Sugary notes, Super sweet cant find the peat yet. Caramelized apple, Maybe some dim english sauce which is common in peaty whiskies, Sherry, Blackberries. It is a dalmore. It doesnt smell like the typical macallan at all. Amazing aroma, absolutely amazing. On the palate it is nice, giving you what it promises on the nose: Almonds, Nutmeg, Liquorice, Oak, Sherry, raisings. Figs. Aftertaste has a very dim peat, very tamed, ginger spice, ashes, but very pleasant. medium-short. Overall this deserves a 93 over 100, for a $500 dollar bottle, i believe you can get a dalmore 12 for 60, or a king alexander iii for $150. Slainte!