Tastes
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Jim Beam Black Label Extra-Aged
Bourbon — Kentucky , USA
Reviewed December 1, 2017 (edited May 12, 2020)So, I grabbed a bottle of this about a week ago based on some above average reviews from people who’s reviews I trust. Basically, I was looking for a reason to replace my standard mixer which is Jim Beam White Label. This used to be called Double Aged and came in at 8 years old. Well, I guess that was too long for the cash grabbers at Beam Suntory so they dropped the Double aged moniker and probably shortened the aging by 2-3 years and renamed it “Extra Aged”. To quote Jurassic Park: “Clever, girl.” As it is, the nose is typical Beam with candied corn, sweet toffee and faint vanilla. The palate follows suit but adds a bit of oak spices while remaining slightly smoother than regular Beam. The finish is a bit more warm than the regular white label and is medium in length- it’s still a bit too sweet. I just wish the extra ABV and aging lead to something more noticeable on the palate. It’s still relatively cheap (I paid $23 here on the shelves in Virginia- and while I think it mixes equally with the standard white label, I think if I’m going to switch up the ingredients in my B&C’s I’d do better by going with the Beam Bonded. The 100 proof really adds a kick to my mixer for the exact same price. I don’t see myself switching brands here- I’ve been a Beam drinker since I was an infant (Mom said a little Beam on my pacifier always soothed the angry beast, lol). 3.5 stars. Happy mixing, my friends. -
Tomatin Cask Strength
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed November 27, 2017 (edited November 26, 2019)Ah, Tomatin. This distillery has quietly crept up my list of favorites based on some serious, high quality drams that won’t break the bank. You can find some tasty drams ranging from the NAS Cu Bocan to the 12 year French Oak to the 14 Year Port Finished to the 18 year sherry cask. Most of these bottles also run in the $45-60 range. I believe the 18 can be had for less than $80. There’s serious value there. This bottling is the single cask, cask strength version of the sherry-finished 12 year old. This particular one was selected by the fine fellows over at Ace Spirits in Minnesota. This is cask number 1833 and is bottle #24 of a scant 210 total. I bought this for the meager sum of $43 online. It’s 53.1% ABV, distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2014. It’s a very pale yellow in the Glencairn and remains clingy and oily even when you get sort of violent with it. The nose is fresh cut oak, vanilla beans with some faint sherry notes that struggle to get past the heat from the high ABV. The palate reminded me of fresh cut, yellow pine from when I worked in a local lumber yard while in my teens. The sawdust always found it’s way home with me and that smell haunts me from time to time, especially when I drink American bourbon. It’s here in spades, as well. There’s a nice wash of sherry sweetness on the tail end and into the finish which save this from being a total power play of oak and heat. The finish is somewhat long, oaky and hot without being too harsh. It’s not complex, but I think it’s pretty enjoyable and better than the regular 12 year old. I hope the other guys in the distillery tour group find this one enjoyable, as my last few contributions have been mostly busts. I enjoyed it and recommend it, especially for the bourbon fans out there. It’s a solid bridge builder in the world of single malt scotches. 3.5-3.75 stars, with a bit of a boost for the price point. Cheers. -
Glen Scotia Double Cask Single Malt
Single Malt — Campbeltown, Scotland
Reviewed November 23, 2017 (edited January 27, 2020)I decided to kick off our 4th round of samples after stuffing my face with turkey all day. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! This NAS whisky from the Campbeltown region of Scotland was provided by my friend Pranay. It comes in at a robust 46% ABV and is a blend of ex- first fill bourbon casks and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. It’s a rich, golden amber in the taster and looks plenty oily when you spin it. The nose was initially heavy on the fresh oak barrel with some green apple mingling with salty, seaside air. After resting for 15-20 minutes the PX sherry cask started to make its presence known. On the tongue, there were sugary toffee notes that were quickly subdued by a strong hit of apple brandy heat and harshness. The youth of the whisky really shows up and turns the dram into a bit of a chore to finish. It isn’t offensive, just strong. The finish is abrasive: heat and spicy oak battle for attention with sweet sherry showing up well after the sip- if you can handle just sitting there waiting for everything to cool down. This whole experience would be fine if you knew what to expect going in. Otherwise it’s a bit shocking. This whisky was originally a non-US release but a quick search on wine searcher found it readily available now across the US for $55-60. That’s asking a bit much for an abrasive, NAS juice IMO. It’s middle of the road for me in just about every aspect. Thanks again Pranay for offering this one up for the group. 3.25 stars. Cheers. -
Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed November 19, 2017 (edited December 8, 2017)I took this bottle with me to visit family in the mountains of West Virginia since I am including it with our upcoming fourth round of samples. My dad has been encouraged to stop drinking by his doctor, so I figured I needed something very promising if I was going to convince him to imbibe with me one last time. The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve is a re-release from Dalmore after lots of cries for them to bring it back. This particular bottling contains undeclared aged malt from 3 different casks: ex-American white oak bourbon, 30 year old Matusalem Oloroso sherry and Cabernet Sauvignon wine. It’s bottled at a weird 44% ABV and is a beautiful orange/amber in the glass. A quick spin produces slippery, but thick legs before settling back down. After giving it 25-30 minutes to breathe it reveals some amazing vanilla, sherry and red raspberry notes that are laced with light smoke. I envisioned what Macallan 18 or Rare Cask would smell like if it had a pronounced smoke layer. It really draws you in and makes your mouth water. The palate was hit or miss, IMO. Heavy notes of vanilla, raisins and berries again that turn insanely hot and drying rather quickly. It totally turns the nose, and amazing finish, on its head and keeps this one from being a near perfect dram for me. Speaking of finish, it’s long with a hot burn (where I’d expect and appreciate it more). There’s peppery notes and ginger spice that slowly fade back to everything I got on the initial nosing. It starts and finishes exactly the same: Mouth watering and luscious. The unbalanced middle keeps this from being one of the greatest whiskies I’ve had to this point. I get the feeling that cigar smokers get and enjoy that burning sensation thats present here on the palate and that’s ultimately what will make or break this one for them. That feeling is lost on me a bit, but it’s still a solid and near-great dram. Prices on this “rare-ish” malt have been steadily climbing. I bought this one almost 2 years ago and paid roughly $110 for it. I see it fetching $160-180 now and I’m not sure it’s worth that price. I’ll be pouring samples of this one in less than a week and maybe when I revisit it it will have calmed a bit, as it was this afternoon I’d have to limit it to a solid 4-4.25 star dram. It could’ve been perfect, I think, so that’s a little disappointing to me. Cheers, my friends. -
Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt (Discontinued)
Blended Malt — Japan
Reviewed November 17, 2017 (edited November 29, 2021)I’m finally easing into the Japanese whisky craze so I decided to try some of the newer, NAS blends. First up is the Taketsuru Pure Malt from Nikka. This NAS whisky replaces the age statement 12 year old, as the Japanese are suffering from the same fate as scotch whisky producers- low inventory. This blend uses malt from 2 distilleries: Yoichi and Miyagikyo. Both are basically 10 year old stock, with the Miyagikyo being the primary malt used here. I’m not sure of the exact percentages. This one comes in at 43% ABV and is a rich, caramel color that doesn’t really make any legs in the tasting glass. Oily. The nose is heavily spiced with traces of new, shoe leather and alcohol astringency. The charred oak could easily be mistaken for smoke here, IMO, even though it’s pretty muted. The palate is pretty uneventful: lots of smooth, sherry sweetness that turns towards heavy pepper and oak barrel shavings by mid sip. The finish is somewhat long, while remaining sweet and reminiscent of malted breakfast syrup. I don’t really get anything that screams Japanese whisky, but then again I’m pretty new to this style. I even added a few drops of water to see if something materialized, but all it did was mute everything else even further, so that’s not recommended. Overall, this one’s mediocre and nothing new or ultimately interesting. It’s still a highly drinkable malt and it’s also on the cheaper side with prices around $55 for a 750ml bottle. I also purchased the 17 year old version of this particular malt and I really hope there’s a lot more to that one. This one is a solid 3, nothing more. Here’s to expanding one’s horizons. Cheers, my friends. -
Ardbeg Kelpie (2017 Committee Release)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed November 15, 2017 (edited March 6, 2019)This is the final extra sample for our third round of scotch samples and I offered this one up because the regular Kelpie was offered by another member of our group. I thought it would make for an interesting side by side comparison- and it did. I reviewed the regular Kelpie a couple weeks back and found it to be an outstanding whisky. This Committee Edition is also spectacular, I just don’t think it warranted a “special-er” special release. The CE comes in closer to cask strength at 51.7% (versus the regular at 46%), is also light, glittery gold in color and forms thicker, quicker legs in the Glencairn. The overall profiles are very similar, as you’d expect, but I don’t think the extra ABV turns it into a better whisky. The nose is heavily smoked with hints of tropical fruits and a masked saltiness. The oak barrel seems a bit more lively, but I think that’s also a result of the higher alcohol level. The ABV burn usually translates to more barrel notes for me. Sometimes it’s a good thing, when it’s needed to mute sweeter drams, but it’s a hindrance in peated malts IMO. I want more smoke, especially on the nose. The palate hits hard. There’s a smoking asphalt flavor that caught me by surprise before releasing into the typical bonfire, charred oak. The citrus and tropical fruit calm it before it transforms mid sip into a delicious, bitter chocolate. It smoothes the rough edges and calms the heat quite well. The finish is long and slowly drying on the tongue. A restrained exhale forces you to deal with the peppery oak and residual smoke. I almost fooled myself into thinking I actually saw smoke exiting my mouth. It’s so present for the entire sample you could easily be fooled into thinking you’re smoking, lol. Overall, I think I preferred the regular Kelpie for reasons I probably can’t even justify haha. Ok, price point is why. The CE was $200 vs the $109 regular. Good enough for me. Both are excellent examples from Ardbeg, worthy of 5 stars, too. Great whiskies. Try one or both because you can’t go wrong either way. Cheers. -
Bunnahabhain Ceòbanach
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed November 11, 2017 (edited June 14, 2021)So, I’m finally finished plowing through our third round of distillery samples in the tour group. This Bunnahabhain was provided by our newest member, Telex. I didn’t have too many expectations here because this NAS is on the cheaper side, but boy-oh-boy was I mistaken. This one was quite possibly one of the most refreshing whisky experiences I’ve had in awhile. The Ceobanach, don’t ask me how to pronounce it, is a pale yellow in the tasting glass and comes in at a slightly elevated 46.3% ABV. My experience with Bunna is quite limited- I’ve only had the 12 year to this point, but that was a nice dram and this one is a winner as well. The nose is a wonderful blast of seafaring notes: seaweed, salt, brine with a nice citrusy overlay. It smells like what I imagine an old sailing vessel would smell like. The peat adds an extra dimension and some smoke comes and goes like the waves of the ocean. While I wouldn’t dare say it’s inviting, it’s just a sensory thing to me. Very interesting and, I gotta say, cool. The palate falls in line with the nose. Salt, seaweed and peat smoke that winds its way towards pepper and oak barrel notes. It’s drying towards the end, but that feels appropriate and welcome IMO. The finish is medium length, smoky and sun-dried peat wrestle again with the lemony citrus zing. Salty and dry leaving your lips feeling like the first night you got sunburn on your face. What can I say, this is more of an “experience” in a glass, than a thirst quenching dram. It hits the spot if you know what to expect going in (and if that’s what you’re feeling at the time). If you take your time with the nosing it will lead you down the path that this whisky wants you to take and for that I give it a bump in score. Flavor profile, mouthfeel, etc- this is a 3-3.5 star juice, but if you follow the path it’s asking it’s a 4-4.25 star experience. I really liked that. Thanks again to Jason for sending this one my way. Bon voyage, my friends. -
Octomore 07.3/169 Islay Barley
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed November 9, 2017 (edited March 13, 2018)Well well well, if it isn’t my favorite peated whisky. Delivered to my doorstep by the grumpiest FedEx man on the planet. Bruichladdich Octomore 7.3 Islay Barley. This one comes in at 169ppm (phenol parts per million). It could, and it should, rock your socks. Thanks to my new brother (from a different mother) Telex for this glorious sample. I absolutely love Octomore. I put that stuff on everything: from breakfast cereal to ice cream sandwiches. There’s nothing in this world that wouldn’t be improved upon by a little spritz of the Octo sauce. This release was no different. In fact, this one goes right near the top for me. All the crazy peat smoke, brine and medicinal notes you expect are there and in full effect. The part that wowed me was the extra sweetness from the wine barrel. It manages to make its presence known through all that crazy peat. And I love it. My love for peated, port barrel finished whisky grows every time I try a new one and this Octomore is the epitome of all that love. It all works so well for me. I don’t want to get into all the crazy tasting notes because, well, this is Octomore. If you’ve tried one you know about what you’re in for. This one just dialed it all up to 11 in my mind. I’d need to have a sample of all of them in front of me before I would ever try to dissect each one. What a glorious day that would be. A gigantic thanks to Jason for ponying up this bottle for our little group to sample. This one took the round for me. 5 triumphant stars! Cheers, my friends. -
Sagamore Spirit Straight Rye
Rye — Indiana (bottled in Maryland), USA
Reviewed November 8, 2017 (edited November 15, 2017)This is an extra, rye whiskey sample sent by the newest member of our tasting team: Telex. Sagamore Spirits is a craft distillery based out of Baltimore, MD and this is sourced whiskey from Indiana that is blended on site, bottled and sold while they wait for the actual distillery to get up and running. It’s not actual Sagamore product, but this is a common practice that new, small distilleries do to start returning investment to their business and the banks. It is somewhat of a testament to their master distiller’s blending skill, though, so there is a bit of authenticity to it- but not a whole lot. The nose on this one is typical rye spiciness with a bit of a strange sweetness that doesn’t exactly remind me of corn whiskey. There’s also a bit of a strange furniture polish smell in play here, as well. The palate is rye pepper, corn and plenty of raw oak. The overall feel is very thin and watery- I guess they are stretching the sourced stuff as far as they can. The finish is short, uneventful and heavy on the oak. Overall, there’s nothing here to go nuts over, but it would be interesting to see what these guys get up to once they start making, aging and blending their own spirits. Here’s to drinking local. Thanks again, Jason. Cheers. -
Glen Moray Elgin Classic Port Cask Finish
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed November 7, 2017 (edited September 30, 2018)So, after working through a heavily oaked, bourbon-esque scotch it was time to move on to the next dram in tonight’s tasting: Glen Moray Port Finished whisky. This sample was provided by Scott from our distillery team. It’s a NAS offering that spent 8 months in tawny port pipes from Spain. It’s a standard 40% in ABV and is an oily, yellow gold in the Glencairn. The nose is straight berries: raspberries, blackberries and even a little blueberry in there. There’s notes of caramel and vanilla chews and the faintest oak cask. The palate releases all of those berries along with some creamy butterscotch. The mouthfeel is rather thin and some harshness eventually sets in revealing the youth of the whisky, but it’s actually welcome and keeps this one from becoming a straight dessert dram. The finish is too short, with little to none of the sweetness hanging out, but the oak barrel comes on and just reminds you that you’re drinking whisky. So, I’d say it’s welcome. This is a tasty little number that could get even better with healthier aged stock or a bump in the ABV, but it’s also fine as it is. Thanks to Scott for sending this one. It played well with the heavy, bourbon influenced Glenfiddich I drank along side it. If I had more of this one I would’ve surely drank until my head punished me tomorrow. 3.75-4 stars because it’s a good value as well. Cheers.
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