Tastes

Milder than the orange label but the rye notes are far more muted, especially on the nose. Those beautiful sweet rye spice notes that smell so good from the orange label have been barreled out of the 10 year.

This expression is a departure from the standard 10 year Bushmills offering. I’m a bit confused, as this 12 year single malt is described by the Distiller app as using “100% unmalted barley.” This has to be a typo as single malt whiskey is made from 100% malted barley, as opposed to unmalted barley. This isn’t Single Pot Still whiskey we’re discussing here. This expression is also a major departure from a classic Irish whiskey. The marsala finish gives the whiskey a bizarre profile which simply doesn’t work. It no longer smells, nor tastes like Irish whiskey anymore. I’m unable to detect any oloroso sherry influence either as the marsala wine casks have completely overpowered the oloroso notes. Do better Bushmills! This expression is unpleasant and bordering on the undrinkable in my opinion. I absolutely do not recommend this 12 year expression when there are so many better Irish whiskey offerings in the same general price range from other distilleries, and some of them for even less money. Don’t waste your time or money on this one! The barely legal 40% abv also leaves much to be desired.

It’s been a while since I last tried Jameson white label and for good reason. There are so many better alternatives in Irish whiskey out there in a similar price range. Rubbing alcohol should never be a prominent note in any whiskey, yet rough vodka is the first note that I get on the nose and palate. These are some very old and tired casks which Middleton distillery is using. Brand recognition is a powerful tool. That’s the only possible reason I can find why anyone would drink this stuff regularly.

Not bad, but I was hoping for a bit more flavor and mouthfeel. However, when I’m looking for an easy sipper in this price range I’ll take McConnell’s all day over this one.

Tastes cheap and drinks hotter than it should at 45%, which is odd for a low rye, mega award-winning bourbon. It blows my mind how this could possibly be an allocated item. I honestly don’t understand why people rave about this stuff with its bizarre saccharine sweetness. It’s being bought as if it’s about to go out of style. It is obviously a “trendy bourbon” at the moment, just like everything else Buffalo Trace Distillery produces, but there are superior burbons in the same price range in my opinion. I have avoided it for years simply because it’s allocated in my state and I didn’t want to pay an extra $12 to purchase it from a package store rather than a state store. I also have a tendency to avoid “trendy whiskies” anyway, but I finally decided to pull the trigger and see what all the hype was about. I was thoroughly disappointed in this bottle. It isn’t terrible but I would never recommend it to anyone unless you can find it for under $30. It’s fine for a very mediocre, bottom shelf daily sipper/mixer as long as you don’t have to pay over SRP. When it comes to bourbons under $40, I’ll take Bulleit, Woodford Reserve or Clyde May’s all day over this stuff.

If you enjoy Johnnie Walker Green Label then you’re in familiar territory with Cragganmore. Johnnie Walker didn’t lie when they stated Cragganmore was their lead malt for Green Label. I would guess Cragganmore makes up a solid 75% or more of that blended malt. Talisker, Linkwood and Caol Ila are hardly even noticeable in JW Green. I honestly don’t understand how so many retailers out there can charge as much as $80 for a bottle of 40% abv Cragganmore 12, while JW Green Label both noses and tastes like Cragg, yet with both a superior 43% abv and a 15 year age statement for only $65. I live in a control state where they have recently discontinued the sale of Cragg 12, and subsequently have heavily discounted it. This was literally the last bottle left in my state’s entire ABC inventory, therefore I felt obligated to purchase it. I will write a proper review of this whisky after I give the bottle time to open up. Mostly, I just wanted to inform the public on how much they’re potentially saving by purchasing a bottle of JW Green instead. I’m sorry, but in my opinion, Cragganmore 12 feels like a complete scam whenever it’s sold at suggested retail price, or worse, at some certain secondary (package store or online) prices. Now I can understand why this single malt sold so poorly here.