Tastes
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I recently found a bottle of this in my local liquor store on sale for $34 and figured I'd give it a go- more for using it as a mixer as I've really been enjoying quite a few bourbon & cokes lately, instead of popping new scotch bottles. This is part of the Beam Suntory groups premium rye whiskey lineup, comes in at the standard 80 proof and features a fancy, old style paper label. So, naturally, I poured myself a normal shot to give it a review neat, while also mixing a B&C as a before dinner aperitif. Shall we let the neat rest a few minutes and see how well it plays along with Coca Cola? First, I didn't really notice any rye spice notes in the highball glass, which surprised me as this is supposed to contain double the amount of rye as your typical Jim Beam bourbon. There was, however, significantly more bite out of the cocktail itself and that was a bit off-putting to me. I guess I shouldn't say it was bad, it just wasn't what I like in my normal B&C's. Onto the neat pour, I got a decent amount of rye, oak and citrus on the nose as well as the first sip. It played out a bit spicier than I expected, even knowing the double rye content, and that left me gasping as the heat overpowered everything else. I'm beginning to appreciate rye whiskey more and more these days, but something about this one was harsh and bitter. The finish was a bit longer than I would've liked, too, and I found myself rinsing it away with said bourbon & Coke. Overall, I doubt I'd buy another bottle of this-even for cocktails and I think I'd rather just move back to regular Beam or my new favorite mixer, Evan Williams Single Barrel. Your mileage may vary, though, and I encourage everyone to find out for yourself whether this one makes your personal grade. Cheers, my friends.
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High West A Midwinter Night's Dram
Rye — (bottled in) Utah, USA
Reviewed January 20, 2017 (edited September 13, 2019)Are you sure That we are awake? It seems to me That yet we sleep, we dream." - Demetrius, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 4, Scene 1 - Wm. Shakespeare I was finally able to get my hands on a new batch of this fantastic, blended rye whiskey from the guys at High West. I initially had a batch 2.1 sample back in April and my bottle is from batch 4.4. I gave batch 2 a 5-star rating and this follow up batch is very close to attaining that perfect score. On the nose, there's a tremendous level of Christmas spices, rye and port wine cherry sweetness. It's another example of a whiskey I could sit around nosing all day and be completely entertained. The palate also blasts you with a good bit of rye spice, vanilla, port wine and pepper from the French oak casks. It's a ridiculously complex dram. It's super delicious and works wonders on a chilly, mid-winter night (hence the name). The finish is long and spicy. It's one of my favorite whiskies of all time and another nod to great blended juice. I paid $90 for this bottle and I think it's money well spent. Seek it out and let it work it's magic on you. Cheers -
Kilkerran 12 Year
Single Malt — Campbeltown, Scotland
Reviewed January 16, 2017 (edited March 29, 2020)It's time to review something from Campeltown's newest, old distillery: Kilkerran 12 year. This is their first, traditionally aged statement whisky since reopening the Glengyle Distillery back in 2004. Most of their releases to this point have been labeled "Work In Progress" and were experimental bottlings finished in bourbon, sherry or port wine casks. It's non-chill filtered and comes in at 92 proof. I'm not sure if this bottle is available stateside yet or what the price point may be. This 2oz sample was generously supplied by Pranay. Thanks again. On the nose, there's the usual island whisky suspects: salt, brine and a tiny bit of peat. There's loads of vanilla, oak and a beautiful marshmallow note. The smell is delightful and very inviting. The first sip reveals a nice citrus bite followed closely by biscuity, dry malt. There's a delicious wash of butterscotch and vanilla mid-sip with a very faint smokiness. The finish is long and a bit hot, oily with a lingering lemony citrus note. It's quite tasty. Like I said, I'm not sure if this is available in the US yet, but if it is and you can pick up a bottle for a reasonable amount ($45-60) I say give it a try. I think I'm gonna keep my eye out for some of the Work In Progress bottles and give a few of them a try. Cheers, my friends -
Jim Beam Single Barrel Bourbon (95 Proof)
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed January 16, 2017 (edited January 14, 2020)There's nothing quite like a little bit of day drinking. I've been putting away a few bourbon and Coke cocktails the last few weeks and I figured I'd seek out an old friend, Jim Beam, and see if it's everything I remember. Actually, I found the single barrel variant of JB so why not mix a cocktail and pour myself a dram to review neat. The Jim Beam Single Barrel program is still the normal 4-7 year old white and black label Beam everyone knows (and loves), this just happens to be hand selected barrels making up less than 1% of the stock that's also Barrel strength. This is bottle number 5251 and is 95 proof. I found this bottle locally and paid $32 for a 750ml. On the nose there's typical sweet vanilla and caramel, heavy corn and charred oak. The palate is more of the same, with a bit of orange peel giving a bit of zest to the profile. The finish is relatively smooth with a nice punch from the proof. It's definitely more vibrant than it's normal bottling, but I'm not sure there's a real reason to choose this over the normal white/black label. Especially at $10-15 above the regular stuff. As a mixer, it's still Jim Beam with a slightly harder bite. Still, I'm not sure it warrants a special bottling and increased price. If you like JB I'd recommend sticking to the regular stuff and spend those extra dollars on something more substantial. Cheers. -
I'm finally down to my last store bought 50ml sample, I had high hopes that this was going to be the best. LeDaig 10 year old is a peated, single malt from Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. It's non-chill filtered and comes in at a lively 92.6 proof. It's light straw in color and produces very oily, long legs in the tasting glass. On the nose, there's lots of peat smoke, pine needles and charred oak barrel. The palate is a wash of spices, pepper and peat. It has a medium to long finish with those same flavors dominating the entire profile. It's a bit harsh and not at all complex, but enjoyable nonetheless. I wouldn't mind keeping a bottle of this on hand for when I want a quick peat fix. Cheers
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Teeling The Revival 15 Year Single Malt (Volume I)
Single Malt — Ireland
Reviewed January 12, 2017 (edited February 19, 2019)It's time to try another Irish whiskey: Teeling Whiskey Co's The Revival. It's 15 years old and spent a considerable amount of time in ex-rum casks. This one comes in at a slightly elevated 92 proof and is straw yellow in the tasting glass. The nose is pretty pungent, lots of vanilla and rum dominate here. There's some soft floral and sweet coconut hidden behind that rum. I had to give it a vigorous swirl and immediately slam my nose in there to really detect it, but it is there. On the palate, you get slammed quickly by oak and spices and hot, hot heat. The heat really attacks the tongue but it doesn't burn the nose like a cask strength. It's just a lengthy, zesty burn. It's quite different than any other Irish whiskey I've ever had. It's an eye opener and very enjoyable. The finish is incredibly long and hot. As your tongue finally begins to cool a bit you're left with a final, spicy blast that I actually had to chase away with a bit of water. Holy hell, now that's what an Irish whiskey should taste like. Beautiful. I'm not sure what an entire bottle costs or how difficult it is to locate one to buy. I'd like to have more, no doubt, but that said I don't think I could drink more than a single dram in one whisky sipping session. It's very powerful stuff. Thanks to Pranay for generously supplying this delicious sample. Cheers. -
Old Pulteney 12 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed January 10, 2017 (edited January 18, 2020)I had a bit of a rough, overnight shift at work outside in the elements dealing with freezing temps and the leftover snow from this past weekend's snow storm. I took a bit of a slip and fall when climbing down out of a fork truck and really strained my back, while slightly twisting my ankle. Needless to say, I need a pain reliever this morning and I can either choose whisky or ibuprofen. Of course, I chose whisky. This is another 50ml sample bottle of Old Pulteney 12 Year. It's 86 proof and a nice, golden yellow in the taster. The nose is very bourbon-esque. I get a tiny floral note but it's mostly oak and toffee/caramel sweetness. On the tongue there's a massive peppery bite and a bit of roasted almonds/nuts. The finish is medium length and the heat from the proof sticks around for a little while. I feel like this is a really good bourbon and with a price point around $40-45 it also costs about the same. Since I love scotch more than bourbon whiskey I think this would be an easier choice for me. Your mileage may vary, but this isn't a bad dram by any means. 3.5-3.75 stars. Cheers. -
Compass Box This Is Not a Luxury Whisky
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed January 7, 2017 (edited January 18, 2020)I've been dying to bust open a nicer bottle in my collection at some point through the holidays, and between work and now some bad weather, I've finally had some spare time (stuck) at home so I grabbed for the bottle that has been intriguing me the most since I bought it: This Is Not A Luxury Whisky from John Glaser and Compass Box. Silly name and packaging aside, let's get into this one properly. It's packaging is a flimsy, cardboard box and the bottle label appears to be hand-written with a cheap, gold marker. There was only a thin strip of gold, foil tape (reminiscent of old, cheap American bourbon) going across the cork. It was easily opened with a quick snip from a pocket knife. (Quick note: that should be considered shameful as there is some really old and expensive juice in the blend and to not air seal the cork is reprehensible.). I get the whole premise here with the cheap looking packaging and actually find it humorous, as intended. It's cask strength at 106.2 proof, is non-chill filtered and has no added color. This bottling was limited to just under 5,000 bottles and I found it online for just shy of $180. A bargain considering newer CBW releases have been asking close to $300 (Circus, 3 Year Deluxe). Enough babbling, on to reviewing what's inside. It's slick and deep amber in color and giving it a spin in the Glencairn causes it to stick like glue to the sides of the glass. Not much leg action at all. Thick and oily. After resting for about 20 minutes the nose is amazing: new leather belt, chocolate, gentle smoke and ripe bananas. I could sit and nose this one all day long. That first sip is heavenly. The initial heat from the high proof just sizzles your tongue to life. As the heat subsides your tongue is left oily with quite a bit more smoke than I expected (30 year old Caol Ila is the only smoky malt used and it makes up around 4% of the blend). There's underlying notes of leather again, figs and wet hay. There's a bit of caramel-covered apple as well. Freaking incredible! The finish is long, bitter and a bit hot but damn if it doesn't feel like it really needs to be. It burns away the oil left behind on the palate and leaves you begging for another hit. As it settles, a faint wisp of smoke rises up and singes the nose to remind you that you're drinking whisky right now. It's a completely amazing experience. I get it, John Glaser. This isn't a luxury whisky because it needs to be drank. Setting this ugly bottle on your bartop should lead to your friends grabbing it, popping the cork, blurting out "I'll just try this one", turning the bottle to the sky and gasping for breath as they instantly become scotch whisky fans. Now, if you'll kindly make more of this while dropping the asking price to around $100 a bottle... Wrapping up this long-winded review, so I can drink some more, I gotta say (without going through my entire scotch review list) that this blended whisky has jumped to the top of my non-peated favorites list. Go online, find the remaining bottles of this non-luxury sauce, and buy one. If I could give it more than 5 stars on this non-luxury whisky app, I would. Cheers, you bottom shelf whisky sippers. Lol -
Glenfarclas 10 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed January 7, 2017 (edited August 5, 2017)Well, I'm stuck inside after Snowpocalypse 2017 here in central Virginia. When I finally got home from work after digging out of 10-11 inches of fresh snow, I was I dire need of an attitude adjustment. Why not open the other half of my Christmas care package from my buddy, P-Mac. This is a young, Scottish single malt from Glenfarclas. It's the entry level 10 Year Old. Let's give it a run, shall we... The 'Farclas 10 is a Speysider that comes in at the standard 80 proof and is a beautiful, shiny gold in the taster. It's been breathing for about 10-15 minutes now and the initial nose is heavy spice cake with an underlying and tempered, but peppery oak. It seems pretty inviting. That first sip is cloyed honey. It really seems over the top and takes a minute before clearing up and washing away with a blast of cinnamon and peppered oak cask. There isn't much complexity, but then again it's a youthful whisky. It finishes kind of harsh (again, age is probably the key factor) and seems very predictable: sweet, then spicy. There's probably several who consider this in their wheelhouse, I'm just not one of them. It might sound unfair, and this is only my second GlenFarclas, but I don't really "get" this whisky (and maybe the distillery as a whole). They get outstanding reviews from a lot of websites and seasoned reviewers, I just can't seem to figure out why it doesn't work for me. Apologies to Paul, I hate to look like an ass and give a gift a poor rating, but I can't really get into this one. Hopefully, it will grow on me a bit as I drink through the bottle. 2.75 stars. Cheers, my friends -
Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed January 6, 2017 (edited January 14, 2018)I've been in a bourbon/scotch & soda type of mood recently, so it's a great time to open an excellent Christmas present from my Online drinking buddy, Paul. He surprised me this holiday season with the ultimate whisk(e)y drinker's care package: a fine single malt scotch (to be reviewed soon) and a highly rated American bourbon: Evan Williams 2006 Vintage Single Barrel. Let's get into this bottle of bourbon and see what's what... First off, I poured a tasting dram and mixed myself a nice high ball with Coca Cola. I'm gonna let the dram breathe so let's evaluate the B&C first. Now, truth be told, I'm a 2/3 whisky to 1/3 cola type of fella. None of this 1.5oz jigger/5-6oz Coke BS. The cola tempers the bourbon, NOT the bourbon flavors the soda. It's a tasty cocktail for sure. I usually enjoy Beam & Coke when I drink like this...well, EW may just take have changed that for me. There's quite a bit more bite with the Evan W and I like it. Now for the neat experience: the nose is predominately corn but with the oak announcing its arrival right quick. There's no burn on the nose at all. Probably because it's a decade old. That's impressive for a bourbon IMO. The tongue is hit hard with raw oak and only tempered by the sweet, candied corn. It's immensely "crushable", especially at just under 87 proof. I could see myself sipping this neat when I'm in the mood for bourbon, while really enjoying it as a mixer. It's the definition of solid. Thanks to my bro Paul. Thanks for thinking of me around the holidays and giving me a present I truly appreciate and really enjoy. I owe you one or two. Cheers, my friend. You rock.
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