Tastes
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McClelland's Single Malt Highland
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed March 17, 2019 (edited March 24, 2019)Appearance: The color of this highland representative is a light gold, Thin legs stick to the inside of the glass. Nose: The nose is simple but pleasant with notes of flowers, cut hay, light peat, honey, some maltiness, with some spiky sharp notes in there as well. Taste: On the palate the taste is also simple - fruity and sweet with notes of honey, grass and hay, various herbs, and I think a random note of pineapple. Finish: The short to medium finish leaves some heat and a malty honey aftertaste. Thoughts: This young NAS single malt made by Glen Garioch is, in my opinion, a decent bottom shelf single malt. I bought this for a friend to celebrate his newborn son and he loved it! (My friend did too!) There are obviously better options out there, but for sub $30, it’s not half bad. Sláinte!24.0 USD per Bottle -
Appearance: The color of this straight bourbon is a surprising copper. It also has very thin oily legs. Nose: The nose starts you on your journey with salted caramel syrup, followed by corn, a sweet floral bouquet, Graham Crackers, and vanilla. There’s also a mustiness and some moss or decaying leaves. The more time it breathes the sweeter it seems to get. Taste: The first thing I notice is this whiskey has an oily body like a WWE wrestler. Notes on the palate consist of cherry Jolly Rancher, black tea with cream, caramel candy, a light dustiness, and a weird kale note. Finish: There is a short finish, leaving an almost fruity ashy note, like a flavored aromatic pipe tobacco. Thoughts: In my opinion, this bourbon is good. I like it, it’s familiar enough while still unique enough to stand out. It’s better than I thought for a whiskey in this price bracket, though I would love to see what a higher ABV would do to it. I would recommend this if you’re looking for a cheap bourbon while still wanting some quality. Beam, you do this brand justice. Cheers!16.0 USD per Bottle
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The Quiet Man Blended Traditional Irish Whiskey
Blended — Ireland
Reviewed March 9, 2019 (edited March 13, 2019)Appearance: Straw yellow is the color of this Irish whiskey. Thin and very viscous legs hang to the glass interior. Nose: Floral and fruity is the first impression. Notes of honey, wildflowers, various grains, and strawberry tease my senses. Taste: The palate contains notes of orange citrus, watermelon, a maltiness, some cinnamon, brown sugar, and Cherrios cereal. Finish: There is a little heat coming off from the swallow, and a note of red apples stays behind in the medium length finish. Thoughts: I enjoyed this. It was a good representation, in my opinion, of a “traditional Irish whiskey.” Nothing extraordinary, but still really good. I agree with our friend Mr. Allison that a higher ABV would do this whiskey some good, but all in all, I'd recommend it. Sláinte!4.0 USD per Pour -
Appearance: The color for this Irish Whiskey was a light gold, while the legs were thick and strangely both viscous and watery. Nose: The nose journey began bready with yeast notes. After that notes like orange and other citrus fruits, cinnamon, ginger, cherry and a very small bubblegum note all followed in the procession. Taste: The palate began with the familiar “sparkly” grain whiskey taste, and a shortbread cookie note, followed by cherry candy and lemon zest. It was a simple palate, but unoffensive. Finish: The finish started with a sting of heat at first and then mellowed out into an average finish. Thoughts: This Irish Whiskey was nice, pleasant, inoffensive, but boring. As a mixer or for one who is transitioning from clear to brown spirits, specifically whisk(e)y, I could recommend it. For anything else though, It’s cheap but I’d just save my money a little longer. Thanks Paddy! Sláinte!5.0 USD per Pour
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Ezra Brooks 90 Proof Straight Rye
Rye — Indiana, USA
Reviewed March 4, 2019 (edited January 1, 2020)Appearance: The color in this rye whiskey is a beautiful dark caramel color. Thin very viscous legs cling to the glass interior like a mynock clings to a Corellian freighter. Nose: The nose begins with a sweet greeting that quickly fades into more dominant notes of licorice, brown sugar, and Nilla Wafers. After letting it breathe a bit a note of leather, and a smell similar to that of walking through a damp forest enter in as well. By adding a splash of water the complexity dies and a boring sweeter note takes over. Taste: The palate starts with Whoppers chocolate malt ball candy, followed by cereal grains, and a cherry note ending with some heat and spice. There is a rich oily body in the whiskey, but the taste starts off great and to me it then seems to drop and dissipate. Like going down a seemingly exhilarating slide then reaching the bottom way too soon. (I like their creative addition of charcoal filter/mellowing however that may have stripped some of the flavor from the whiskey.) Adding a splash of water, like with the nose, tones down what little variety was present and leaves behind just the familiar rye spiciness. Finish: The finish starts with a hot bite at first, but then it transitions into a pleasant downhill ride into a medium long almost malty finish. Thoughts: From my experience so far, this a really nice rye and whiskey in general. The higher proof does it justice and adding water definitely makes it boring. Though the palate could use a few more fireworks in my opinion, this is a phenomenal whiskey for the price! I do recommend it, and wouldn’t mind buying it again. Luxco, thanks for your quality Ezra Brooks whiskeys! Cheers!20.0 USD per Bottle -
Canadian Hunter Blended Canadian Whisky
Blended — Canada
Reviewed March 1, 2019 (edited July 9, 2021)Appearance: The color of this Canadian blend is a khaki or dark gold. Thin and exceedingly viscous legs cling to the interior of the glass. Nose: The nose starts off nice then shows its true colors, but overall, it’s boring. Notes of honey and floral come first, followed by caramel, nail polish remover, and car exhaust. The nose then drops and it becomes hard to detect anything, which probably isn’t a bad thing at this point. Taste: For lack of a better word, it's very smooth. There’s no bite, (which is something their old advertisements hit on often) there's a note of caramel candy, a herbal note mixed with green grapes, then a bitter note toward the end of the swallow. Overall, not bad. Finish: There is a medium length finish with no burn, followed by a grain spirit aftertaste. Thoughts: I feel this whisky could use a higher proof, and that would make it a bit more interesting, but I know there are better things in the world than this. It’s one of the cheaper Canadian whiskies out there, but I would fork over a few more dollars for something higher quality. It is, for the most part, inoffensive but it’s boring. I won’t buy it again and don’t recommend it. Sorry Canadian Hunter. Cheers!12.0 USD per Bottle -
Kilchoman Loch Gorm (2017 Edition)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed February 18, 2019 (edited January 4, 2020)Appearance: The color was a honey / amber and the legs were thin and very viscous. Nose: The nose started off for me with strong notes of peat, seaweed, and brine. As the whisky breathed though, subtler notes of honey and flowers arose as well. Taste: The palate was delicious and very unique. I started of getting notes of salt, various herbs, and even baked broccoli. But again with a little patience sweeter notes of lemon and cinnamon / snickerdoodle cookies came up after a few minutes. Finish: The finish was long, lingering, and warm. Thoughts: Wow. So I just had this dram as a bonus whisky at a Whisky Ambassador training near me in Denver and I was very impressed. I really liked this Scotch! Would I buy it again? Oh yeah! Would I recommend it! Definitely yes. Kilchoman, keep up the quality work! Sláinte!Finn's Manor -
Appearance: In my glass I noted a golden honey color. Thin and semi-viscous legs coated the interior after a swirl. Nose: On the nose, notes of honey and smoke greeted me first; salty brine came in next with orange zest and a stout or porter-like note after a while. Taste: On the palate, there were notes of caramel, salt, cherries, and honey; a bright sparkly body with the essence of a cheaper red wine would be how it felt to me. Finish: The finish had a slight burn with a “spikey” salty finish. Thoughts: This dram wasn't bad for a blended scotch, I can see why it's popular and basically everywhere. I probably won’t buy it again, but it was a nice simple dram, probably better for mixing than sipping, but still not bad. Thank you Famous Grouse! Sláinte!20.0 USD per Bottle
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Early Times Kentucky Whisky
Blended American Whiskey — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed February 11, 2019 (edited May 12, 2019)Appearance: The color was a caramel syrup amber hue. Thin and very oily legs griped the glass interior for all they were worth. Nose: On the nose, a heavy caramel note hit first, then notes of nail polish remover, oak wood shavings, and peanuts. Taste: The palate started out with a note of cinnamon sugar then a harshness that reminded me of Hot Tamales candy. There were notes of orange rind and cherry in there too. If you were to take too big a gulp, much like myself I’d be willing to wager you’d experience a burn and a bad case of “the willies” Finish: There was a medium lasting finish after those initial shivers then a hard to describe musty yet fresh aftertaste. Thoughts: Overall, this whiskey was not bad. It was a bit harsh, but in a kind of rugged way. I think as a mixer for sure it would be great, but as a sipper I won’t be asking for seconds. Brown-Forman, thanks for this product and its long history. I do hope it continues for a long time in the hands of its fans! Cheers!15.0 USD per Bottle -
Clan MacGregor Blended Scotch Whisky
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed February 4, 2019 (edited April 9, 2019)Appearance: The color was a light honey gold. The dram had medium to thick legs that were extra oily. Nose: The nose was overall floral and had notes of honeysuckle, smoke, grapes, and orange peel. Taste: The palate had a nice round body, with fruity notes of apples, pear, smoke, orange and a bitter note like grapefruit towards the end. Finish: There was medium length finish leaving a fresh aftertaste, though it did go down with a little bite. Thoughts: So I bought this scotch for the superbowl yesterday, not expecting much. But I was actually impressed with the drinkability and value despite being a bottom-shelf blend. It was an honorable dram for $14.00 and I quite enjoyed it and would recommend it. Clan MacGregor, thank you for the enjoyable dram. “Will the MacGregor’s ever be kings again?” “All men with honor are kings. But not all kings have honor.” -Rob Roy. Sláinte!14.0 USD per Bottle
Results 131-140 of 232 Reviews