Tastes
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Nose: caramel drizzle over vanilla ice cream, green apple, lemon zest, honey Palate: immediate banana and orange, followed by red apple and strawberry marmalade Finish: vanilla, baking spices, clove, honeydew, Value: A+, If you wanted to introduce a friend to Irish whiskey this is what I would choose. It has a very silky nose and a palate that tastes like a basket of light fruits with a finish of subtle sweetness and spice. I think the redbreast and this are even with a matter of preference. If you prefer the notes of cinnamon, cereal grain, and baking spices go for redbreast but if you enjoy light fruit and gentle sweetness this is for you. This is about as good of a value you can get for whiskey clocking in at only $50.53.0 USD per Bottle
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Virginia Distillery Co. Port Cask Finished Virginia-Highland Whisky
Blended Malt — Multiple Countries
Reviewed August 27, 2023Nose: burnt caramel, sour apple, ethanol burn, mild amount of peat, lemon zest, strawberry, chili pepper Palate: caramel, vanilla, hint of dark drapes & fig, burnt toast, black pepper Finish: cinnamon, chili pepper, black pepper, all spice, leather, honey, after a few sips the peat comes on heavier Value: C-, This is definitely young. It drinks with a harsh nose and finish but once you get past the ethanol, a bit of caramel sweetness, lemon, and oaky char comes out. At just under $50 it’s really not on the list to buy. If this was a much more basic and cheap blend I could see it at $35 but for having a “cask finish” there isn’t anything too special here. -
Bowman Brothers Small Batch Bourbon
Bourbon — Virginia, USA
Reviewed January 15, 2023 (edited April 12, 2023)Nose: tobacco, mint, leather, caramel Palate: sweet corn, vanilla, honey drizzled on bread Finish: more sweet corn, honey, mint Value: A, This isn’t the most complex bourbon and is probably the lowest quality I would consider drinking straight. The mouthfeel is a bit thin but it has a pleasant hefty nose of leather and tobacco and the finish is short and quite sweet. It’s not complex at all but with such a low price tag in VA it’s easily worth the money.30.0 USD per Bottle -
Nose: fig, plum, dark cherry, apricot, light peat, just a smidge of black tea, white grapes Palate: slightly viscous honey, dried fruit, cranberries, almonds and pecans Finish: moderate amount of peat, butter toast, burnt caramel, candied ginger, bittersweet dark chocolate Value: A, Easily the highest quality whiskey I’ve tasted and also the priciest. The nose has hints of both light and dark fruit with almost a tiny shred of bitter black tea. The palate is not quite as complex but the mouthfeel is slightly viscous with almost a creamy texture and the finish is the star on this one. This has the perfect amount of peat for someone that loves the flavor but wants it paired with other sweet subtleties. The only downfall for me on this one is the ABV. I really think that for over $300 a bottle in the US, this should come in much closer to barrel proof. This would be so much better around 45%. Will I buy a bottle for a high quality dram every once in awhile? I’m still debating but I’m leaning towards no with the low ABV.330.0 USD per Bottle
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Virginia Distillery Co. Courage & Conviction Sherry Cask
American Single Malt — Virginia, USA
Reviewed October 23, 2022 (edited April 20, 2024)Nose: almond, hazelnut, raisins, plum, green apple, lemon zest, cherry tart Palate: sour apple, vanilla, oversteeped sweet tea, lemon juice, caramel Finish: barrel spice, white pepper, cloves, honey, plum Value: D+, The nose is nice, but with some unpleasant sharpness that I can’t quite describe. The palate is almost sour and not very complex and the finish is medium length with some ethanol burn to it. This costs more than a Macallan 12 and I find that far more enjoyable. I will give it to the distillery though as I visited recently. They are a very new distillery and will likely need to sell their bottles at premium price for the next few years to make enough to start a better business model with finer whiskies available and my hope is that these courage and conviction releases will represent what’s essentially the bottom line with the highest price point due to lack of profit. More hopeful for the future of this distillery as the whisky isn’t terrible, but the price for the quality is.85.0 USD per Bottle -
Nose: honey butter toast, orange, peach, hay Palate: weak black tea, vanilla, pear, clove, apricot, golden raisin, fresh almonds Finish: black pepper, gentle whisp of peat, cinnamon, ginger, lemon peel, dried cranberry, honey Value: B+, beautifully balanced whiskey with a whisp of smoke on the back. This has a wonderful nose that is sweet however in a much softer fruit-forward way than most bourbons or sherried whiskey. The palate is very buttery but not overly viscous and the finish is my favorite part. It starts with gentle black pepper, a whisp of peat, and a nice sprinkle of clove and cinnamon. A touch of citrus transitions this back to the butter honey toast with a craisin influence and the finish is moderately long. If I had to create a whiskey this is similar to what it’d be. As much as I love this I can’t give it an A value because in the US it costs $150 a bottle and to me that’s a bit overpriced. Seems more like a $100 bottle to me.150.0 USD per Bottle
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Nose: honey, caramel, banana, lightly toasted oak, dark chocolate covered apple, clove, cinnamon Palate: sweet tea, melted toffee, salted butter, unripe apple, brown sugar Finish: charred oak, maple syrup, peppercorn, pine, roasted peanuts Value: B, not a huge fan of “Tennessee Whiskey” but this is quite pleasant. A good balance of sweet and wood with some unique notes with the most prominent being a slightly bitter sweet tea on the palate and roasted peanuts on the palate and finish.47.0 USD per Bottle
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Nose: pear, white grape, toffee, toasted grains Palate: honey covered nougat Finish: cloves, black pepper, vanilla, Value: C, This whiskey seems to be the perfect mixer. Drinking a glass neat, it’s the definition of dull, flat and bland. Very little complexity if any at all, the flavors are there but extremely plain and straightforward. Not bad, but not something I plan to sip on.32.0 USD per Bottle
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Ardbeg Uigeadail
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed September 30, 2022 (edited December 12, 2022)Nose: loads of campfire smoke, toasted barley, lemon zest, pound cake, tobacco leaf, touch of coffee grounds and burnt caramel Palate: candied orange, prunes and raisins on the front, sea salt, smoked fish, and cherry tart on the back Finish: salted salmon, lemon and pepper tart, burnt marshmallow, ash covered toffee Value: A- Wow. This is my first heavily peated scotch (most peaty up until now was lagavulin 16) and I must say this is beautiful. I could spend an hour describing the nose and I recommend drinking this with a mouthwash like rinse. The palate really transforms from an unpeated sweet Sherry forward flavor to a peated campfire and medicinal flavor. The finish is not subtle in any way but it comes in phases from a salty charcoal beginning, to a tart and puckering middle and a malty sweet ending. I think when comparing to lagavulin 16, they’re on an even playing field. Slightly lighter mouthfeel with more subtle hints of smoke and a big malt complexity? Choose lagavulin. Smokier, meatier, saltier with hints of sweet along a very thick and pleasantly heavy mouthfeel? Choose Ardbeg. Either way I don’t think you can go wrong. Personally I’m choosing lagavulin because the finish on this is a touch heavy for me but I can respect how good of a scotch this is for those peat lovers. Edit: Added 4 drops of water and the nose has a touch more Sherry influence with some raisin and the finish has a peppermint and licorice subtlety, imo about 3 drops of water is perfect for this.90.0 USD per Bottle -
Nose: grass, apple, cereal malt, flowers Palate: apple juice, pear, biscuits Finish: vanilla, sea salt, grass Value: C-, definitely nothing special here. All the notes of the nose, palate and finish are quite mild and dull. Probably the lowest grade whiskey I would ever sip on. It’s really not worth the bottle when Tullamore Dew is a similar price and far superior.28.0 USD per Bottle
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