Tastes

Quick hit. Not something I’d seek out, but the nose had this wildly unique anise note despite not having any rye. Reminded me of Italian Christmas cookies from my childhood. The palate doesn’t match the nose. A somewhat lifeless bourbon. Much better wheated expressions out there.

A rare find in the wild, and at MSRP no less! I’ve seen this once or twice over the years, so I made a rare impulse buy, and I’m quite pleased I did. Despite the hype and my distaste for Buffalo Trace’s limited allocation scheme (particularly in Texas), I do find myself liking this! Nose is soft and fruity. Of all the wheaters I’ve tried, this one has a more active nose and palate than Makers or Rebel Yell. There’s a youth to it, but it’s not astringent. This almost feels like a cross between a Speysider and a well-aged Canadian whiskey. The palate is typical BT, soft and inoffensive, bit still tasty. I can see why people chase Weller bottles. I do enjoy this. I’ve had half the bottle just this week, so it clearly doesn’t suck. I don’t love it enough to chase bottles down like you really hardcore bourbon aficionados, bit it is tasty and I’ll enjoy it if I can find it at MSRP. Cheers friends, and happy weekend!

The Mrs. and I ventured out of the house for the first time in a while today for some lunch (tacos. It was tacos) and she said we were celebrating. I assumed that she had good news about her job or something of that ilk, but upon inquiry her reason for celebrating was that we made it another week through this COVID nonsense and that was reason enough to celebrate. I knew I picked the right woman :). Upon returning home, I busted this bottle out, which is normally one of my “special occasion” pours. But times are tough. We live once. Let’s start with what you may be wondering. Yes, this is better than the Belle Meade Sherry Cask. And I loved that whiskey to the last drop. This is deeper, richer, and older. The nose reveals evidence of that old, dusty turkey smell wrapped in the deepest, richest sherry cask smell I remember from older sherry bomb scotches. I just love that old musty leather smell in both old sherry and old bourbon, and this integrates this so well. Taste is fruity, buttery, with undercurrents of rich brown sugar and vanilla, and finishes with a dry, warming feeling similar but more sweet that Glendronach 18. The world’s on fire. Grab a bottle you love and drink up. If you’re saving something for a special occasion, nows the time. Cheers.

Re-review at bottle kill. Talisker has a quality control problem. Every other bottle of whiskey I’ve bought only gets better once it’s open but this is now the third bottle of Talisker I’ve bought in the past two years that goes flat like day old beer. I’ve had bottles of 10, DE, and now this 18, which cost no small sum, loose body, flavor, and mouthfeel the longer they’re open, leaving them a shell of their former selves. If you read my previous Talisker reviews, I’ve heaped lots of praise on the brand. All my reviews were early in the bottle. If anything, let this re-review serve as a warning and perhaps a lesson that over filtering, over processing, colouring, and over marketing your products is not a good long term brand strategy to engender loyalty. I like Talisker. It was my gateway into peated whisky, but I’m done with Diageo and their focus on profit over product. There’s better single malts out there. Cheers friends.

I’ve been making highballs lately (because the average daily temp in central TX has been hovering around 102) and I’ve been alternating the Compass Box Glasgow and Artist blends with a can of club soda and a spritz of lemon. IMHO the Glasgow wins hands down with its peat and sherry notes. Makes for a much more engaging and interesting drink. That goes for the Penicillins I’ve made with both also. Artists blend is wonderful for hot summer sipping, but he Glasgow makes better cocktails.

I've held off writing this review for a couple reasons. I wanted to save something special for my 200th review. When I first tasted this, I had one of those clarifying moments of perfection you get with few spirits. It is one of the most complex spirits I've tried, and to do it justice in a review, I needed to put in the time and really get to know this dram, and that meant several pours and letting it open up; both in the bottle and in the glass. I've had this bottle open for about a month now. I've had 6-7 pours of this and it's down past the neck and the "Wild Turkey" embossment. Does it live up to the hype? Mary, mother of God, yes. Yes it does. Before going any further, know that this won't be for everyone. This isn't 101, Rare Breed, or even a funky adventure of a RR store pick. This is something else entirely. On the nose, yes, there's a lot of cherry. I find the longer the bottle is open, and if you let the dram sit in the glass for about an hour before drinking, the cherry diminishes and allows a panoply of other flavors to emerge. So far, drams have revealed cinnamon, spearmint, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, graham cracker, black tea, cola, Grenadine, baking chocolate, sweet oak, and old leather books ala an old university library. This is far from a one and done bourbon nose. It was only after several hours over many tastings did I manage to parse out those notes. It may be the most complex nose I've come across on any whiskey. This enters on your palate remarkably soft. After 17 years and at 50% ABV I was expecting oak with a side of oak. While there is certainly an oak presence, it's expertly mingled with notes of caramel, vanilla, baking spices, root beer, clove, and less barrel tannins than you'd expect. It's less full-bodied than RR SiB, but instead it has a sweet and sour quality. Some call this "umami", others call it the "Camp Nelson prickle", after the warehouse where it was aged. Either way, it's a note I only get in old whiskies, and it's difficult to describe. It has to be experienced. The finish is very, very long; lasting several minutes. Gentle, warming, slightly numbing, and it fades away slowly, much like a great jam on a classic 70's rock record. At the very faded end there's a whisp of smoky spearmint to tie together this amazing and complex enigma of a bourbon. There is nothing like this I've tried or will likely come across anytime soon. It is bourbon elevated to another level, singularly sublime and beguiling in its composure and construction. It will not please everyone, but if you like Turkey, and you're looking for something "extra", this is the way to go. Many review's I've seen have complained about the $175 MSRP. Consider this though. The BTAC has a few 17+ year offerings each year that go for considerably more money. So do the extra-aged offerings from Heaven Hill, such as the Parker's Heritage series. Michters 20 year is nigh untouchable. I would say $150-$175 is indeed a fair price. Now that I've got this down past the neck, I've tucked it back away in it's delightful packaging for another 6 month slumber to let it oxidize some more. I suspect it will be even more enchanting after a nap. If you find this, buy on sight without hesitation. A rare bourbon, and further evidence that the fellas at Wild Turkey are true masters of their craft. Cheers!