Tastes
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I found a 50ml sample of this 12 year old Highland single malt online and was really excited to give it a spin. It's medium gold in color and makes some nice, albeit thin legs in the taster. It's a slightly elevated 86 proof and has an initial nose that fondly reminds me of Macallan. There's a bit of sweetness, not so much sherry or honey, but fruity with a touch of raisins. Then there's the young and fresh cut oak. It's lively on the nose while pushing that sweetness to the back. It's very enticing. That first sip is all fresh cut wood. My first reaction is that this is what Macallan wants from the Fine Oak series, regardless of age & vintage. I'm not sure if anCnoc is multiple cask aged or not, but if it isn't they damn sure got the best from whatever single casks they used here. This thing just pops. I'm so happy with the oak and spice presence that I'm glad there isn't something sneaking in on the back side or the finish to "ruin" it. This thing is so damn vibrant. If my palate was fatigued or just dulled at this moment I feel like this single malt would just grab it and shake it to attention. In fact, I'd love to have a bottle of this to use as a palate cleanser/revitalizer at a full blown tasting just to help keep me focused. The finish is medium length and a very fitting end to a fine single malt. Since this was a 50ml I have no idea what an entire bottle runs, but if it's less than any Macallan Fine Oak (and I suspect it is) then it is worth the price of admission. An excellent pre-dinner aperitif or as a finale to wash away a decadent dessert, you can't go wrong here IMO. Cheers.
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I spotted this bottom shelf, blended scotch at my local liquor store while browsing for something new. I remembered that the U.K. only Ailsa Bay whisky I tried recently was a primary supplier for Grant's Family Reserve, so I figured I'd buy a cheap blend that I felt I was already a bit familiar with. Plus, for $19, worst case scenario is that I had a bottle for when I wanted a scotch & soda. The scotch & soda craving hit me tonight, so what the hell, I might as well pour a dram and give it a review neat, too. It's a standard 80 proof and looks very thin in the Glencairn. It produces no legs when giving it a spin. On the nose there's a very faint oak and a bit of honey sweetness. There isn't much happening on the tongue, either. Weak oak tannins and muted vanilla. There's no kick whatsoever, and it finishes really boring. A tad flash of warmth that washes away quickly. In soda, it really curbs the bitterness of Coke and makes a very sweet cocktail. It'll get ya drunk, but that's about it. I can't recommend it neat or in your cola of choice. Very bland. Look elsewhere, my friends. Cheers.
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Springbank 12 Year Cask Strength
Single Malt — Campbeltown, Scotland
Reviewed January 2, 2017 (edited August 5, 2017)I originally tried this bottle back in June of 2016. I wasn't writing as detailed of reviews earlier this year, but I see this bottle has been reviewed quite a few times here recently. I looked through my notes and realized that I didn't think very highly of this. Maybe I should give it another try. Anyway, here was my review posted on a different whisky website (circa 6/2016): This is a big boy of a single malt. There's just a hint of peat smoke that makes you take notice before the high proof burn kicks in. Relatively smooth with a bourbon-esque finish. Feel the burn. I'm not sure there's enough flavor there to justify the three-digit price tag, but enough of it will certainly get the job done. -
I added a 50ml sample of this Speyburn to my latest online order because I remembered the Bradan Orach bottle I bought back near the beginning of my scotch hobby. The Orach was $19 and I couldn't believe how smooth and relatively flavorful it was. Let's see if the 10 year is as surprising as the BO was... This offering is a light, golden color and almost immediately I get a nice, floral nose with a hint of sweet vanilla. There's almost no oak or heat detected. On the tongue, the spicy oak takes over pretty quickly and dominates the entire sip. It makes the entire experience rather one dimensional but, taking age and price point into account, this is expected and not really unwarranted. It's interesting enough to enjoy neat but I can't help but feel this one would work very well mixed with your sugary soda of choice. I've seen this bottle locally for less than $30 and I would have to recommend it over a lot of blended whiskies near that same price point. It's actually been pretty cool reviewing this one neat and when it comes time to replace a cheap bottle in my bar I'd be foolish to not consider this one for that purpose. Give it a try if you're searching for a well whisky for mixing or for friends you know wouldn't appreciate that $60+ scotch that you'd rather save for yourself. Cheers.
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Smooth Ambler Old Scout Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon
Bourbon — USA
Reviewed December 27, 2016 (edited June 6, 2017)Another great sample from last night's impromptu bourbon tasting. This review isn't just for the normal 10 year Old Scout bourbon, this is a single barrel, barrel strength that was bottled exclusively for the online whiskey retailer, Binny's. The regular 10 year old comes in at an even 100 proof, while this single barrel is just over 117 proof. I did try a small pour of the regular 7 year old to establish a baseline and to see how well the extra 3 years goes towards improving this lower-to-bottom shelf bourbon. I gotta say, the extra 3 years works wonders here. The nose was still heavy corn, but that's where the similarities to the 7 year stopped. The palate was very impressive: there's vanilla, oak, toffee and even a bit of dark berry and cherries. It was substantially sweeter and incredibly smoother, too. The 7 year old was harsh and kind of uninviting. The finish was a bit short, but pleasant. I'm not sure how difficult this bottle is to find, or even the price point, but damn it was unexpectedly a highlight of the evening. I have to keep my eye out for more from these guys. Good stuff and I recommend you guys to do the same. If this stuff is around $30-40 a bottle I would consider it a steal. Cheers. -
Jefferson's Reserve Groth Reserve Cask Finish
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed December 27, 2016 (edited July 14, 2017)This was my contribution to the small bourbon tasting last night. I've had quite a few Jefferson's Reserve bourbons and I've found them all quite enjoyable. I purchased this bottle in an effort to help my "bourbon buddy" complete the current Jefferson's lineup. I thought this would be the most interesting simply because wine finished scotch has become very appealing to me, recently. This bottle comes in at 90.2 proof and contains 6 Year Old juice that was finished for 9 months in French oak casks that previously held Groth Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Right away there was a blast of dark berries and grapes on the nose. It hits you immediately upon popping the cork. The vanilla and oak take up a bit of a muted position and only really get noticed about mid-sip. There's a decent rye presence throughout the entire sip but it doesn't interfere or overpower the wine flavors, and actually helps hide the expected dryness. It has a lengthy finish that's actually pretty enjoyable as all the flavors hang around asking for attention before slowly fading away. I'm glad I bought this bottle, since after the tasting, the rest came back home with me. I think I'm going to really enjoy sipping through this one for awhile. I believe the price point was a bit high ($70), but most Jefferson's are a bit on the pricier so this was expected and wasn't too bad, either. Overall, quite tasty and another nice addition to my rye and bourbon review catalog. Cheers. -
John J Bowman Single Barrel Bourbon
Bourbon — Virginia, USA
Reviewed December 27, 2016 (edited February 13, 2020)I went to a bourbon tasting last night after finally finishing up my long, holiday work week. I tasted several new-to-me bourbons and ryes, and while this was more of a social gathering than an official tasting event I did jot down a few notes while trying to not look like a whiskey snob. I want to give a quick review of several of the ones I tried, but don't expect a thorough examination like I try to do with a lot of my reviews. Anyway, here we go... Bowman Distillery is native to Virginia and I believe they are now owned by Sazerac. Their normal bourbon is relatively popular here and they've gained more notoriety recently because they supply Hardywood Craft Brewery in Richmond with barrels for their infamous gingerbread stout. Bowman has actually started reclaiming the GBS beer barrels and refilling them, after the beer, with fresh bourbon. Thus, making gingerbread bourbon. It has become another monster all in itself around the holidays here in Va. Dammit, this review isn't a review but more of a history lesson. Apologies, but I ain't erasing all that typing. Anyway, on with a speedy critique of this single barrel: there's heavy, sweet corn on the nose along with hot, peppery oak. It also follows that same path on the palate, while being extremely hot and kind of harsh. You can tell this is cask strength for sure and I actually think that makes it slightly worse than the normal 80 proof version. All in all, Bowman is fine for mixing but drinking this neat is a bit of a chore. They could really use some refinement when it comes to blending. Oh yeah, avoid the hype train on the gingerbread version- that train left the station awhile ago and should never come back. Lol. Cheers, friends. -
Highland Park Odin
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed December 25, 2016 (edited September 18, 2022)After spending a long, Christmas Day at work so that my co-workers with small children could spend the holiday at home with them, I'm finally able to unwind and reward myself with a nicer bottle from my collection. Why not open the finale of Highland Park's Valhalla collection: Odin. The Norse God that was known as the "All-Father" to Thor. This Odin is a 16 year old, single malt that spent its entire life in first fill and refilled Sherry casks. It's also cask strength and comes in at an impressive 111.6 proof. As part of its unique packaging it comes with a black, wooden display case in the shape of old, Viking sailing ships. This bottle is also painted solid black with what appears to be painted labels instead of the typical vinyl label. Pretty cool, albeit unnecessary. The nose is very inviting: sweet vanilla and honey, with a slight hint of citrus peel while rounding out with the well balanced peat smoke found in most Highland Park offerings. On the palate, it has a very prominent sweetness that's rushed away by the heavy peppery, cinnamon oak and high ABV. It takes your breath if you aren't expecting it. There's a good bit of complexity in the finish that makes it really fantastic: sherry, vanilla, cinnamon, oak and citrus peel and peat smoke. All those flavors seem to wrangle your tongue simultaneously making it a bit of a chore to analyze this without cooling it off with a bit of water. Overall, though, if you enjoy Highland Park whisky you'll surely be delighted by this rare bottle. It's perfect for sitting down and giving your palate a challenging workout. I believe this bottle ran around or slightly above $300 and it's hard to justify that when you know the HP 18 is less than half that and oh so good. If I take the rarity aspect out of it and judge it on its merits alone it's a 4.25-4.5 star offering. The price and difficulty of locating it drops it a bit for me to a solid 4 star whisky. Happy Holidays and cheers, friends. Bring on 2017! -
I have recently been able to acquire a few more 50ml sample bottles of single malts I have yet to try and review. I've really been in the mood to try new stuff lately, so what better time than now to open these little minis. Up next is the Arran 10 year old. It's from the island region of Scotland, but it isn't an Islay-style peated malt. It's a slightly elevated 92 proof and looks light and airy in the Glencairn. The nose is typical light and floral with lots of vanilla, biscuits and fresh oak. This already seems like a great springtime dram and since today is a very uncharacteristically warm, late December day I'd say it's appropriate. On the palate it's very biscuity. There's a bit of citrusy lemon that livens up everything, including the lengthy finish. I wouldn't say it's complex, but that's understandable given its overall youth. This would be a good pre-dinner scotch when fish or chicken is on the menu. It really wakes up the tongue. Very solid. Overall, an excellent single malt that would kick off a light meal or a great whisky tasting. Quality stuff. Cheers.
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Dalmore 15 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed December 18, 2016 (edited August 5, 2017)Having finished my bottle of Dalmore 12 year old way back in February of 2016 I feel it's long past due to experience the next step in the Dalmore range. I have every bottle in the yearly Dalmore range: from this 15, the 18, cigar malt, King Alex III to the hefty priced 25 year old. I kept telling myself I'd open them all side-by-side one day and just do a Dalmore tasting. I realize now that is crazy, so I'll just start from the bottom and work my way up. Eventually. The 15 year old is their 12 year old ex-bourbon barrel juice thats finished in 3 different sherry casks for the final 3 years, then blended and bottled at the usual 80 proof. I paid around $110 for this 750ml back in March at my local liquor store. A little searching and I see you can find this bottle online now for around $75-85. Dammit. It's a deep, dark copper in the glass and giving it a swirl makes it cling to the sides while not producing many legs at all. A bit oily. The nose is a robust blast of chocolate covered oranges and cherries and sweet, sweet sherry. Most of the oak and vanilla notes are well hidden, which is a bit of a surprise considering it spent 12 years in ex-bourbon casks. Over time, about 10 minutes now, the zesty oak is peeking through... The first sip reveals more of the chocolate and orange flavors that are nicely balanced with the cinnamon and peppery oak. It feels very rich, but not oily at all. It finishes very smooth with a wash of toffee and malt before warming you up with oak spices. It's a very enjoyable dram. There's enough spices to add another dimension of flavor that's not found in other higher end Sherry-finished whiskies like Macallan and Balvenie. I'm truly looking forward to going deeper into Dalmore's core range if they all have promise like this 15 year old. If you prefer your sherry finished whisky with a bit more of a kick then give this one a go. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Cheers and Happy Holidays, my friends.
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