Tastes

Was really curious about trying this one…and sadly, I purchased it because I’m a huge fan of the Apollo missions. I’ve never had Auchroisk before, so really had no expectations. This is completely dominated by the PX cask. It’s like licking toast slathered in PX. Personally, I don’t see the point when a spirit is fully dominated by the cask. I feel there needs to be a better sense of balance. This is sticky sweet, heavy handed taken to the max. It’s like having those Cinnabons you find in malls. Overloaded with sweetness to such extent that you can’t taste the cinnamon. Hard pass….for me personally at least.

Yeah baby. Springbank. Probably the only distillery that I’ve always consistently ranked 4+ stars. They can do no wrong. Yeah…they’re pricey, but they put in the effort and worth every penny, in my opinion at least. Unlike those blokes at Ardbeg who put out a special limited edition that’s half as good as their core, but 3x more expensive. Tonight’s pour was sample #4 in an online tasting between @Richard-ModernDrinking , @pkingmartin , @ctbeck11 and me. Well, for me it was sample #3, since my lame ass wasn’t able to keep up. This was courtesy of my buddy @Richard-ModernDrinking . I’m three samples in, past my bedtime…so all I’ll write is “this is damn good…nutty caramel, gritty, funky…classic Springbank.” It’s Springbank. It can do no wrong. It can “shoot someone in the middle of 5th Ave” in NYC, and it’ll still be my favorite distillery. Thanks @Richard-ModernDrinking for the generous pour!

This was sample #2 in our online tasting this evening ( courtesy of @pkingmartin ). An amazing pour —-the real beauty of this lies in the aroma. Peaches, plums…stone fruits galore. I could’ve smelled this all day. Hell…put it in a cologne bottle and call it L’Eau d’Cally. Yeah…maybe not…it’ll smell good in the bottle, but on me…I’d have a sit-down with HR for smelling. drunk all day. This is elegant. Like silk, wrapped up in vanilla and peaches. Look, it’s Diageo and a Special Release,,,,and priced at about $1200-1500…more than my two car payments for a month. So, at that price, I’d have been pissed if it was anything but elegant. Easily, best grain whisky I ever had. Thanks to @pkingmartin for the generous pour!

You ever have a blind sample, guess it’s one thing…but turns out something you so didn’t expect? Like back in grad school. You’re in a relationship with a woman, who’s a straight A student, North Indian -American middle class family…yet somehow has a lot cash to spend on things we normal grad school students simply can’t ? She has no problem forking $300 for a Coach purse and a $2000 Omega watch, when I can barely afford groceries at Meyer’s. Your perception is rich parents. But…you’ve met her parents, seen her home.,,they don’t seem rich. Maybe they live middle class, but are cash rich? Noooooo…turns out she’s a stripper 50 miles away in Indianapolis, making thousands a week. Tax free. Yeah…perception was one thing, reality is something else. That leads us to tonight’s sample… This was one of the 4 samples we tried this evening during an online tasting ( we as in @Richard-ModernDrinking , @ctbeck11 and @pkingmartin ). It was a blind sample I sent over. Of course , for me, it wasn’t blind…that would be simply idiotic. But I was expecting this to be similar to the other Spots…a bit fruity and light. But no, instead, was more like a Highlander. Robust, meaty, full bodied …meaty, almost oily. I added a few drops of water, seems to have helped. It’s good…probably the best of the Spot series. But, there’s really no reason for the outrageous prices, or the slim availability. $100-110 is a fair price…above that, it’s just price gauge.

Another year, none the wiser. I’ve made it a point to have a special dram on my bday. This year, it’s this rare beauty, sent courtesy of @ctbeck11 . Just to note…he was gracious enough to resend the pour after the first one broke in transit. Out of 6-7 samples in the box, the Whiskey God decided to choose the best one for himself (or herself). This is the oldest Irish whiskey I’ve had. And what a treat it is. You have to let it rest out a bit, and add just a drop or two of water. Really opens up to a floral aroma, but not too cloyingly flowery. And the taste is strawberries ( cited as red currants by the Distiller reviewer, but I’ve never had red currants…so, going with strawberries). Strawberries, cream, viscous…it’s fruity, but really keeps it measured and controlled. An amazing pour…pricey though. Thanks @ctbeck11 for the pour!!

“ I’m not a fan of whiskey. I find it too rough. Kind of prefer wine “. I love to hear those words and also happen to see an open bottle of this rare unicorn on the shelf. This is the first 10 yr whiskey by Chichibu, and as you can imagine, it was impossible to buy. And yet, here i am at my wife’s friend’s Diwali party, and I see this on their shelf. Open and half finished already. Apparently the host got this as a gift from a client, who was totally unaware he doesn’t like whiskey or know anything about it. So, this goes for well over $1000 in secondary. I don’t think any whiskey should be bought for that much…after all, it’s just malted barley and water. But…i won’t deny myself a pour, when the bottle is already half done. Nose is peach, some grass. Taste…really crisp like gin, and coconut. Okay, it’s good. But hell no $1000 good. Tasted blind, I’d guess this was a really well made Highland or Speysider whiskey, about 15-18 yr old. For those that collect Chichibu. sure they’ll fork the money. Me, personally, I’m not yet that insane or “Crazy Rich Asian” rich to buy. But my sincere gratitude to the non-whiskey fan who so openly had this bottle sitting next to a bunch of pinots and Cabernets.

First sip…yeah, we’re in Texas. I’m a huge fan of what I consider (personally) as the best craft distillers US has to offer: Balcones and Garrison from Texas, DelBac from Arizona, McKenzie from New York, Westland from Washington State , and St George from California. Each has a distinctive regional character. Texas is the one that big and bold. Balcones and Garrison are easy to find, but Ironroot isn’t, at least not outside Texas. But, thanks to @jonwilkinson7309 , who sent me a generous pour, I got to finally try the other Texan out of the their triumvirate. This is big, brash, and bold. Think Garrison Cowboy, minus a bit of the oak. Starts with a deep mahogany color, and noses off with oak , cedar, and spice. Taste hits you with heft —-plenty more of the oak, backed up with vanilla and cinnamon. If you like ECBP, or Garrison Cowboy, this is right up your alley. One key note: add a chunk of ice or some water. You’ll need it. Personally, I’d rank this ahead of the Cowboy because of the price…$100 vs the $300-400 (which is silly for any bourbon ). Now, keep in mind, this is a one-off Lost Lantern independent bottling. I’m not sure if the regular Ironroots are this bold. But this same bottle bought down the Lost Lantern website when it first came as an offering. If you see it…buy on sight, and consider it as saving $200-300 over the Cowboy. Thanks @jonwilkinson7309 for the pour!

Who in here remembers Action Park? This was that “death ride park” in New Jersey that claimed so many teen injuries due to quality issues in their rides. You took a ride there and considered yourself lucky if you came out without any injuries. I was barely in elementary school, but I remember even us little 2nd and 3rd graders thinking it a right of passage to have an Action Park tattoo ( which is a bruise or injury). Unfortunately, I never got to go, because I was simply too young, but more so because my immigrant parents couldn’t afford the tickets. And had no medical insurance. But, what Action Park taught future theme park entrepreneurs was that make sure you take care of your basic foundational stuff, like quality control, else you’ll be out of business. I think that same mantra can be applied to whiskey distilleries. In times like these, where prices are sky high and demand for barely legal 3 yr olds competes with well established 20yr olds, you might find some slack initially, but long term you may not be able to sustain your market share. And that takes us to this pour—-a rather rare one from the ghosted Willowbank distillery in New Zealand. Willowbank closed its doors ages ago, and sold off its equipment to a rum maker in Fiji. Now what stock remains is only what’s left from old stock. During times like these, a ghosted 18yr old will sell. But I can see why it went out of business. This 18yr old doesn’t punch at its weight class. It’s somewhat disjointed, and can’t make out whether it wants to be a grain or malt, whether it wants the fruity NZ red wine characteristic or the malty one. It’s not light enough to be a fruity cocktail mix, yet not weighty enough as a neat sipper. I think it’s schizophrenia in a bottle. It needs to take care of the foundational issue: what will this be used for? Mixed drinks or neat? Do we the grain or malt to shine? Do we want to highlight the red wine fruits or the bread-y malt? But anyway…enjoy it for what it really is : a ghosted distillery that will no longer come back to life, well aged at 18yr , from a region that simply doesn’t have any whiskey production left. With those parameters, a 375ml for $50 did it’s job in spades.