Tastes
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Highland Park The Light 17 Year
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed March 2, 2022 (edited December 15, 2024)Highland Park 17 the light is matured in second fill American oak and bottled at 52.9%. The nose is very intense! A massive amount of peat and oak hit you right away. You also get sharp spices like nutmeg and clove makes an appearance. I also get a distance honey like sweetness. The nose definitely isn’t my favorite style but its super complex’s and reminiscent of peat forward whiskies. The finish and palate is where this shines. A punch of pears and nectarines hit you on the palate with cedar wood and the finish lasts for days. I’m definitely taking the more tame and sweeter 18 year over this but they aren’t really comparable. This is a well made dram that you break out on the colder nights.300.0 USD per Bottle -
High West High Country American Single Malt (2021 Release)
American Single Malt — Utah, USA
Reviewed February 27, 2022 (edited June 7, 2022)What a find today! Only one bottle on the shelf at TW camelback. It’s taken me forever to get a hold of this. Unlike the previous releases, this particular High Country is finished in Sherry casks and is NOT peated. The nose is literally all cornbread up front. Holy cow! Caramel and a nuttiness is also present but not like an Olo Sherry nuttiness. Maple syrup and a honey like sweetness is also there with oak creeping up in the back. The finish is more of the same awesomeness! I think this is easily worth the price and dessert in a glass. I take this over MWND. 92/100. My only minor gripe would be the Sherry casks didn’t have that much of an impact but maybe they used them briefly or a different type I’m not totally used to.80.0 USD per Bottle -
Kentucky Owl Bourbon (Batch #11)
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed February 20, 2022 (edited June 12, 2022)Beauty in a glass. This was my first Kentucky Owl. The nose was spectacular. Creme brûlée and chocolate mixed together with intermingled spices and corn. The finish lasted for days as well. Super nice dram. 95/100300.0 USD per Bottle -
Weller 12 Year Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed February 20, 2022 (edited February 27, 2022)A bit of a letdown especially for the price. I prefer 107 to this. Weller 12 gave a beautiful nose. Chocolate mixed with vanilla, some spices in there like cinnamon and distant citrus but faint. The palate is where this failed. It was super thin and light. I think this would dramatically improve at higher strength. 85/100350.0 USD per Bottle -
Mars Komagatake Limited Edition 2019
Single Malt — Japan, Japan
Reviewed February 15, 2022 (edited March 29, 2024)Mars Komagatake 2019 limited Edition Price: $130 USD Age 4-6 year non chill filtered 48% Mars has been doing some great stuff under the radar for years. This particular 2019 release is from their Shinshu distillery. That’s the traditional name for Nagano Prefecture. Located in central Honshu—the primary island of Japan—Shinshu flourished in ancient times as a cultural crossroads between Eastern and Western Japan. The other distillery location they have is Tsunuki (like 15 hours apart) and they have an aging cellar in Yakushima which is fairly close to Tsunuki. This is a deliciously sweet masterpiece. Candied Apples, pears, very citrus forward nose. A small level of smoke appears in the distance but a super low PPM level, a meaty maltiness is there from the worm tubs like Craigellachie, clove and nutmeg mixed together along with a honey like sweetness. The oak appears beautifully as well. This is super well aged for only 4-6 years old. The palate is brilliant. A literal burst of sweet citrus on the finish especially oranges. A brilliant dram to say the least. Better than any Japanese dram I’ve had so far. It’s actually one of the better whiskies I’ve had in awhile and it’s REAL Japanese whisky. 97/100. It’s worth the price imo and can battle older whiskies for complexity.130.0 USD per Bottle -
97/100 Ledaig 10: Ex Bourbon maturation 35ppm I haven’t been blown away by a dram like this since a few Edradours. Smoke presents itself immediately but with this incredible sweetness. It’s literally blueberry jam or some kind of jelly amongst the bonfire and cigar notes. Floral vibrance and anise notes make themselves known with peanut butter. The finish is super impressive in the fact that it totally differed from the nose. Strong oak and a very pronounced dryness on the tail end. I literally can’t fault this for how unbelievably complex it is. Don’t add water just enjoy the masterpiece for what it is.72.0 USD per Bottle
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An unapologetic world whisky blended by Japanese whisky master Ichiro Akuto. Ichiro operates the Chichibu distillery in the Saitama Prefecture. This contains stuff from Canada, Scotland, Ireland, USA, and some of Ichiros own whiskies produced in house. 46.5%, uncolored and non chill-filtered! The nose is softly sweet somewhat reminiscent of Craigellachie. There is a level of brightness but the kind I see fading over time. A bridge of vanilla frosting overlaps this misty Japanese style smoke. Banana with a strong malty character is there and cooked biscuits. Oak mingled sweetness on the finish and the grain showing itself on the tail end bringing a slight oiliness. Finish lasts longer than I predicted. Add a few drops of water and this brings more toffee on the finish. It’s super nice. Even at $110 I like this and see it improving over time. I prefer this to Hibiki Harmony even though it’s a different style blend. I like the complexity of this and the fact it’s uncolored and non chill filtered. I don’t think Harmony is worth $100. I think this is. 91/100110.0 USD per Bottle
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Good but nowhere near the 12 year. I paid somewhere around $100 total including tax etc to get this shipped to me. I ain’t paying $200 for a 12 year, sorry Hakushu 12… I’ve tried the 12 year and it’s excellent. One of my favorites for sure but I wouldn’t pay more than $70-80 for a 12 year(Edradour 12 Caledonia being the exception). This distillers reserve has a pretty nose but it’s young. Citrus mist with distant peat instantly hits you. An alcohol note is also very present hinting that the dram is young. Mint and licorice along with a vegetable note. The palate provides the same stuff as the nose with a hint of vanilla and is fast gone. I’d give this somewhere in the mid to low 80 point mark like an 83. Definitely not worth the money I paid but I was craving Hakushu after some period of time. Maybe in about 5-10 years this will be regularly available worldwide at $40-60. At $40-60 max id pick it up. A lot of good stuff coming soon from Japan especially after 2024 when the rules take full affect.100.0 USD per Bottle
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Nose is a semi sweet yet airy brightness with licorice, corn, and cherries mixing in the forefront. But it’s young as an alcohol note does make it’s presence known right away. An earthiness is also there like pine. The palate is semi light and brings a nicer finish then expected. Mocha and milk chocolate bring a pleasant end to a nice dram. Pretty impressed at the finish honestly. It differed from the nose 100% which adds complexity to the whiskey. Nice one from Makers.30.0 USD per Bottle
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Edradour 12 Year Old 2009 Sherry (Cask #116) - Ibisco Decanter
Single Malt — Highland , Scotland
Reviewed December 24, 2021 (edited February 24, 2023)I have cask #168. This is a monster on the nose. An absolute MONSTER. Really dark maple syrups, raisins and the Olo really pushes those roasted nuts beautifully. No noticeable alcohol on the nose, especially with the ABV being so high. The taste is insane, it’s a heavy swish of roasted peanuts with chocolate syrups on top. Too bad the common man doesn’t know about Edradour. I have a hard time finding anything better on this Earth than the stuff they produce. If you put Easter Elchies or Bow Black on the label, you’d be paying an insane amount of coin for this masterpiece. Impeccable dram. 100/100140.0 USD per Bottle
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