Tastes

So to start, I am pairing this with Salted Caramel Fudge, so my notes might be influenced by those flavors. This is a NAS meaning it could be as young as 3 years old, but I would guess around 4-6 years in quarter casks. Color: Straw gold Nose: Malty sweetness, caramel, and sea air, and a touch of orange zest. No real harshness, but not complex. Nosing it a bit more I get a vivid image of fresh saltwater taffy being stretched. Pallet: The youth shows, as the first bit is harsh, mellows a bit with some nice oak notes, and then white pepper spice builds. Finish: Off note of bitter varnish and oak... this is not pleasing at all... a bit of dark chocolate surfaces at the tail end. The nose writes a check that the pallet and finish could not cash... Not sure if it is how long the bottle has been opened, or if my pallet has changed drastically, or if the fudge changed something, but I remember this being better...

Nose: Peach, Golden Raisins, Honey covered Fig, touch of ginger and caramel. Bit of dark chocolate appears after letting it breath for a bit. Pallet: Honey, red grape skin, ginger, oak, soft. The fruit that was present in the nose is very absent on the pallet. Finish: Dark chocolate, oak, honey, medium length, gentle with no burn.

This is batch 52. 60.5% ABV. The bottle is at 1/3 full. Nose: Ethanol burn with chocolate undertones. Rich dark plum and cherry (artificial cherry). Touch of orange. This is strong and up front punch. Pallet: Fruity (Red stone fruits and berries), with spice, oak building in behind, ending with a bit of a metallic taste, very hot. The youth of this spirit shows on the pallet. Finish: Oak, chocolate (cocoa powder), red grape skin Thoughts: When I first tried this bottle it was amazing. It has been open for a while, and has oxidized. It has not improved. It taste young, and a metallic notes are really off putting. There is some good points, but it is starting to lose the red fruit notes.

Nose: Very oak forward. A touch of spice, vanilla, and a bit of ethanol. Taste: Grassy, bit of oak, caramel, vanilla, char smoke builds, and a little spice. Full bodied, and oily mouth feel. Finish: Oak and char with a bit of astringency following. Thoughts: For the price, this is a solid bottle.

Nose: Apple and cinnamon. Slight oak note and distant astringency. Pallet: Apple cider, caramel, oily mouth feel. Finish: Oak, cinnamon, and a slight astringency. Thoughts: This is not a complex dram, but it not bad. This is an easy sipper.

Nose: Honey, peach, caramel, very sweet with a touch of oak and vegetation. A bit of red grape skin, citrus, and coca powder come through after it rest for a few moment. This smells heavenly. Pallet: Sweet fruity ripe plum, honey, honey crisp apple, necturne, slight spice and oak, orange and rind bitterness. I can hold this in my mouth forever and it never reaches a level of spice that makes me want to swallow. Very well balanced, and deep with character. Finish: Dark chocoate, slight oak char. This is not a complex finish, but one that is very enjoyable and lingers for a very long time. Nose round 2: Dark chocolate is now in the foreground. Rich red fruits sitting just below it. Kind of like Brookhaven chocolates. Not sure where Henzel got this bottle for $70, but I would buy every bottle they had. The 16 year goes for that price where I am. With that said, I would go out of my way to find this bottle if mine starts to run low. This is a fantastic bottle that I will be enjoying for many months in my rotation.

I paid double the price this bottle typically goes for, but it was the first and only bottle I have ever seen. Nose: Rich caramel, candy sweet cinnamon, a touch of lime zest, maple syrup, and oak. Pallet: bitter oak, caramel, tobacco, and a touch of honey. Feels a bit thin for a 90 proof. Finish: Dark coca, oak, tobacco, and a mint like cooling that gradually warms up. Medium long finish. I would not buy this again at $80, but would pick it up MSRP and keep it in stock.

A Midwinter Night's Dram Act 5 Scene 8. Joy, gentle friends! joy and fresh nights of whisk(e)y Accompany your hearts! Nose: Rye, spiced apples, and a touch of port play on the nostrils. Sweet and sour blend so well. Soft yet harsh. It is warm and inviting, yet like sitting at a fire if you get too close it begins to burn. Pallet: Sweet port, with a rye spice building in the back, oak, and cinnamon complement the rye. Oily mouth feel. Finish: Sweet juicy fruit quickly dissipates letting oak and rye dry out the mouth beckoning you to take another taste. A bit of maple syrup flavor near the end of the finish. High West Distillery has a winner with this line. I have tried act 4 scene 5 and it is equally as delicious.

I found this bottle at about $40 under MSRP in SC. Nose: Instantly a white wine, and pineapple gummy bears. A bit of oak, and sweet red fruits. Very intense sweetness on the nose. Pallet: Honey, sweet fruit, giving way to bitter oak, ginger, and a bit of pepper Finish: Oak forward, touch of smoke, black pepper and ginger, warming, medium length. This is a sherry cask finish. For most of its life it was in a ex-bourbon barrel. The short time it spends in the Oloroso cask does not impart the deep rich red fruits found in something like a Aberlour, or The MaCallen. This bottle will normally run you about $100, but at the price of $60 it is well worth the money, and at 18 years it is also just a great price at $100. My rating is not based on price.

Tried in a tumbler at a friends house. Nose: menthol and mint jump right up to the nose, rye, and cinnamon, slight nuttyness (walnut). Pallet: creamy mouth feel, sweet maple, tosted sugar, vanilla, oak spice, cherry, tabacco blueberry, finish: drying and makes you want to go back, menthol, caramel, maple, oak, little bit of lingering sweet barries, medium/long finish