Tastes

Whisk(e)y: Wild Turkey Decades – Master’s Keep The crème de la crème. I’ve been itching to sample this for quite some time now. In fact, it’s been a year since my last dram of this. The bottle has some good weight to it. The cork is comprised of a copper engraved top attached to the cork. The front and left side of the bottle has the turkey blown into it. This has wonderful detail and is a great display piece during and after the contents are emptied. When pouring this beauty into your glass it flows like water and seems quite thin for 52% ABV. If you’re new or not aware of why it’s called “Decades”, this is because the contents are different aged barrels ranging from 10 to 17 year bourbons. Alright – let’s get down to brass tax! Nose: Right off the bat you can get a slight sense of corn and cinnamon / brown sugar. One thing I can’t pin point is the faint floral note. Could be mint leaf / grass. There is also a smell of toasted nuts...likely the oak barrel since it is aged with multiple blends of different maturations. Palate: First sip and swirling it around you get pronounced brown sugar. Leather comes into play as well. Very, very, very few drams can perfect this and I dig what the Russell’s did here. Cinnamon follows along with a peppery spice. This definitely does not feel like 52% ABV. I personally find the finish quite short, but enjoyable. The front of the tongue feels the peppery heat and the taste buds get to dance around with the body of Decades. Overall: Is it good? Yes! Is it worth the price? Too much subjectivity – but if you live in an area where you cannot access this and will nurse it – get it! Any Wild Turkey fan will enjoy this, however, if you have never tried any WT products before or haven’t sampled a variety of what they have to offer I wouldn’t recommend buying this. Decades I find is more polished and slightly complex. If you know the different tasting notes this would be something worth trying. If you are one to not care for picking notes out, I would then recommend sticking to Rare Breed or 101. I would restock this one personally. Damn good sauce! #WildTurkeyDecades #OMG #WildTurkey #JimBeam #WhistlePig #ElijahCraig #Blantons #Bookers #EagleRare #WoodfordReserve #BuffaloTrace #Kentucky #Scotch #TheDalmore #Aberlour #TheBalvenie #Glenmorangie #Aultmore12 #HighlandPark #Nikka #Laphroaig #TheMacallan #Whisky #Whiskey #Bourbon #Rye #abvcrew #WhiskyReviews #IdrinkAndiKnowThings #FollowMeOnFacebook

Whisk(e)y: The Dalmore: King Alexander III Nose: The nose on the KA3 is remarkable. It’s a combination of the following six casks it sits in: bourbon, sherry, Marsala, Madeira, port and the eloquent Cabernet sauvignon. To the nose this is a nice dance between the different casks. I can really get the port and cabernet sauvignon along with the bourbon barrels. That spiciness on the nose reminded me of a fine bourbon. A slight hint of walnut. I had to let this sit for 15 minutes and a few swirls in order to find that note. With all off the casks involved I would have expected something a more fierce, but then again, this is a 40% abv and a NAS. Palate: On the back of the tongue you can taste raisin, a subtleness of blueberry (hard to pick out if you don’t nose the hell out of it) and marmalade. Overall: I try to put price aside to when reviewing drams. Keyword, “try”. This one in particular I picked up due to having a shit load of gift cards bringing the price of this under $50. Is it worth the purchase at that? Yes. Is it worth paying full price for? No. This is one of these bottles I would snag if retail pricing was $150 and under. I personally found some of the other expressions in their line up more catered towards me. It’s no disrespect towards their product as this has been barreled and molested 6 fold, yet, it doesn’t really pack a punch. I appreciate a fine dram, and this is one of them, but the other scotches reviewed have different variations of wonderful experiences at a lower cost. Dalmore Ranking: 1.) Dalmore 18 2.) Cigar Malt 3.) Dalmore 12 4.) King Alexander III (too expensive and didn’t live up to the hype) 5.) Dalmore 15 6.) Dalmore Port Wood Reserve

Whisk(e)y: The Dalmore - Cigar Malt Reserve Nose: Out of the current Dalmore fleet on the market, the Cigar Malt has a funky nose to it. One would think it shouldn’t belong in the line up, but since it is so particular and differentiates itself among its brethren, I actually dig it. I get figs and leather on the nose. After a few swirls in the glencairn and nosing again I can sense sherry and raisins. A good combo. Palate: A small release of fruit and subtleness of smoke. The fruit reminds me of mango which is after nosing and swirling for a few moments along with 2-3 small sips. No heat on the tongue which is odd since this is a 44% abv. Then again, if you’re a heavy hitter for abv’s you will find this a walk in the park. Also, with a pinch of vanilla finish on this dram particularly, I find that it makes for a smooth transition of nose to palate based on the mechanics of how this one was built. Overall: I dig this one. After having a few drams on different occasions I am always drawn back to how it differentiates itself without sacrificing quality. A well constructed dram. Very intriguing nose but also provides a pinch of challenge to anyone testing the different drams in their line up. Next review – King Alexander III. Cheers peeps!

Whisk(e)y: The Dalmore - 18 Nose: Vanilla and subtle dark chocolate are at the forefront. Palate: Immediately you can taste walnuts, subtle coffee ...almost with a cream to it. No heat on the tongue or when swallowed whatsoever. The Dalmore 18 is my favourite out of their line up. It has some complexity to it but nothing difficult to nose and tell from an experienced drinker. This is a worthy dram with so much taste. It’s bottled at 43% which makes it quite smooth and approachable from The Dalmore 12. I highly recommend buying a bottle of this. No need to buy a dram at the bar. Great for any collector or someone venturing into the Scotch field. This one lives up to the name and the hype...just not the price tag difference from The Dalmore 12. Yowza! Cheers,

Whisk(e)y: The Dalmore – Port Wood Reserve (46.5%) Nose: Give this dram a swirl and when nosing it you will be able to identify berries. This almost reminds me of raspberries which is subtle but quite refined with the quality. Slight orange zest comes forward as well. Palate: Your first sip will give a bit of heat on the front of the tongue and slowly make its way to the middle. After that there is no strong finish as it is quite smooth When swishing this around and letting it go down the hatch you get a back end taste of walnuts or cashew. Surprisingly there is a dark cherry finish which will dissipate quickly. Very interesting. Overall: This is an interesting whisky. It say’s on The Dalmore website that this concoction sits in American oak casks for an unspecified amount of time and then half of its contents are placed into tawny port barrels. After an undisclosed time in those barrels it is then put back together to make the port wood reserve. I kind of dig this dram to be honest. When I do my reviews I usually have to sit and enjoy the first session of having it. Once I go back on a different day I sometimes may be able to pull more out of the drink that I normally wouldn’t on day one. Price aside, I would rate this 3.5 / 5. It has some complexity but no shock value to rush out and grab a bottle. I would recommend ordering this at the bar to wet your whistle. For collectors this would be one of the bottles I would purchase after some of the others such as the 12, 18 and cigar malt. Cheers,

Whisk(e)y: The Dalmore 15 Nose: A subtleness of blackberry, current and cherry. It spends 12years in ex-bourbon casks and then the final 3 years in amoroso, matusalem and apostles. The final three years definitely gives this more depth and appreciation. Palate: Not as bountiful as the Dalmore 12, but distinguishes itself from being three years senior. It has a slight sense of dried berries which is welcomed on the mid to back palate. Overall: This is a solid scotch. Dalmore always has robust flavours in their products. I would recommend buying the 12 year over this but if you collect you may find it difficult to appreciate between the two unless you give equal time between the two variations to understand each of the different casks it lies in. It’s a great dram worth buying at the bar. You will not be displeased if you have never had dalmore. No burn, smooth as silk, but different from the robust 12 version. Worth purchasing and collecting. Cheers,

Whisk(e)y: Auchentoshan 12 Nose: Strong mandarin / marmalade nose. A slight buttery sense. Palate: The triple distilled makes this whisky very smooth. The nose matches the palate with the mandarin/ marmalade taste. A bit oily and moves thoroughly in the mouth. Overall: I had high expectations with Auchentoshan 12 as I was going to base this entry level dram in their line-up as a precursor for their Triplewood. This dram is okay for the Christmas holiday season when having different assortments of food, however, I would not recommend to buy a shot of this and pass altogether. This is one of the whiskey’s I wish I had not purchased.

Whisk(e)y: Eljiah Craig Barrl Proof – C917 Nose: The rye and 65.5% abv gives the nose a peppery sensation along with a flare of the nostril. When you go deeper there’s a memorable smell of leather and cinnamon sticks. Roasted nuts also shows up when you give a nose side to side. You can tell that the nose on this is more complex than the Elijah Craig Small Batch. Palate: After letting this dram sit for 20 minutes neat, here is my take. The first sip coats your entire mouth. You can definitely feel the layers and complexity on the inner cheek. Very smooth. Heat on the back of the tongue and stays present slightly a minute or so afterwards. Great spice and manageable at 65.5% abv. Keep in mind, this is straight from the barrel and not meant for the kiddies or anyone over the age of 70. Sip number two I could pick up dark brown sugar / molasses. It has more weight to it than your regular whisk(e)y. I’ve read that chocolate is present in this whisky which I would have to agree to a degree. I find it difficult to pick out, but can sense a subtleness of it if my senses are correct. Overall: This is a great whisky. Plain and simple. I feel that any range of connoisseur would like this, yet, collectors and reviewers will appreciate quite a bit. I love high abv’s personally and find that with such a high percentage on the bottle, it still packs a lot of flavour. Elijah Craig scores major points in this category as the rule of thumb is the higher the abv the less flavour. I sip this only on special occasions or in this instance for reviews. It’s not a whisky to be chugged down, but more so a keeper for the holidays or special occasion. Is this worth buying? Hell ya! Stock your shelves with this one. Cheers,

I seem to get stuck at the 4.25 range for the following drams. Balvenie 12 Doublewood, Balvenie 17 Doublewood and now the Dalmore 12. This is a solid dram for the price $99CND. I've purchased this bottle twice based on its quality and surprisingly great highland taste. I've tried whisky's in the past from Scotland, but nothing tickled my fancy. It wasn't until recently a buddy of mine brought this over for me to try. I like many others fell in love with the bottle. The stag bust really speaks about this product. Nonetheless, after having a sip of this neat, i was quite shocked at how easy this was going down. Had i know this I would likely have picked up a bottle sooner. The Dalmore 12 is a fine product. Go out and pick one up. A great novice expression, but a relaxing sipper that doesn't take a lot of thought to find what you're looking for. Dates, raisins, honey and that highland h20 associated with this whisky. All in all, i enjoy this dram. If you're really looking for something in dalmore's lineup, I highly recommend saving up the quid for the 18. Now that's a product in a league of it's own.

After drinking the Balvenie 12 Doublewood I can say that the 17 DW lives up to its reputation. In the 12 you experience a nose of Vanilla, Grapes (which was nice), Nuts and Honey. In the 17 you nose Vanilla for sure. The expert taster say's "orchard fruits" which I find hard to grasp but i sense a slight slight musk smell which this could depict. i also can pick out the honey as you enter the mid to end nose when this becomes present. Tasting this dram I get the honey and chocolate shavings taste. It's subtle, but there. This dram is 43% abv which is a nice improvement from the 12 yo version. Although it's not a big difference, it was a well needed increase to give more variety on the tongue. Pricing of this bottle is too much. I paid rougly $175 CND after conversion from the US due to this being on someone's shelf for a while. To buy this at the LCBO in Ontario, Canada you'll be paying $299 which is too much money. I really enjoy this dram and can say it's top notch, but paying $299 CND i'm pretty confident there are other options out there just as refined but have a lower price tag. Snag it if you're a collector, but anything more that 2 racks is a waste of denero.