Tastes

Growing up, my mother seldom bought us cake. Instead, we had “healthy “ dessert, which were canned peaches in syrup. ( in retrospect, that’s worse than the cake). It was the smell of sweet syrup further made sweeter with the peaches. This Maker’s reminded me of those peaches. This has a sweet fruity taste at entry, but then accompanied by a tobacco leaf taste. Now, I’m not a fan of Maker’s. I’ve had their regular product a few times, and was barely able to go beyond a sip or two. In fact, the only times I’ve ever got it was when it was for free in the open bar weddings ( remember those...aaah, the good times pre-COVID-19). It’s fair to say that Maker’s is one of my most hated whiskeys, alongside the JW Red. But this...this I like. It’s not like their regular Maker’s at all. The sweet fruit flavor with a hint of tobacco is quite a departure from what I recall from their base product. It’s an experiment gone well. My score of 3.75 reflects a score from a guy who despises Maker’s....so, if you even remotely appreciate their regular base product, this is a must have on your shelf.

This is a unique Laddie. It’s on the younger side for Scottish, but matured fully in a Rivesaltes wine. Rivesaltes is a sweeter red wine, unlike the robust reds we usually think of when we have red wines. This one is bottled at a healthy 64% ABV. First thing I noticed is the color. Reddish mahogany—-like polished expensive wood. I added a spoon of water in mine, and let it sit out to open it up a bit. Got oak, pecans, and cherry jam. I noticed without water, the oak seemed less. Taste is jammy...German chocolate cake with raspberries. If you like something different in terms of wood exploration, or a jammy type of flavor, this would be right up your alley.

I’m a huge fan of McKenzie, and along with a few other Americans ( specifically Balcones, Stranhan, and DelBac), I consider personally these four as best of what ‘Merica has to offer in terms of craft whiskey. This one was provided by my buddy @jonwilkinson7309. It’s 4yr old single barrel with 65% corn, 13% spelt , 11% wheat and 6% malted barley. It comes at a healthy 52% ABV. Nose is delicate—pastry and buttered bread. Taste is well balanced, you get the cinnamon and vanilla upfront, but then balances it with baked goods. I’m a bigger fan of their rye, but that’s just me being a rye person, second only to single malt. But this managed to hold the line in something simple, straight to the point, and no jagged edges. And sometimes, simple is all that we need. Thanks Jon for the pour!

Like walking into a paint store... I opened up my sample last night, and was hoping it would be as good as the only other Waterford I’ve tried: their Ratheadon. But no...this was a far cry from that one. Acetone-ish aroma. Taste a bit heavy handed on the baked bread, with a dose of wet grass and acetone. I know it’s not their production quality, since these guys are so detailed oriented and passionate about their trade. So I can only chalk this off to either (a) I’m simply not a suited for the barley that grows in this particular single farm, or (b) I bought a bad sample.

Isle of Skye’s newest distillery my ass. I think these blokes went across the island, stole some young malt from Talisker, and popped a label on it as Torabhaig. I was curious of this one, but was skeptical. Namely because it’s a 3yr old and the prices I was seeing in the UK / EU retailers were sky high ($200), which to me is just silly for a 3 yr old untested newbie. The prices in the US were more reasonable at $60-70, but at that price I can buy a true and tested Isle of Skye distiller that’s 7 yrs older. But my buddy @Richard-ModernDrinking graciously sent me a sample. And needless to say...the $60-70 is well priced for this ( don’t pay the silly auction prices of $200+). This is a really good replica of a young Talisker, but less of the brute and more of a refined elegance. It’s young, so you get the astringency on the nose immediately. Let it rest, and you’d be greeted with grassy aromas with hints of brine. Taste is salted meats, grilled lemons...leaving a long lingering citrusy heat. For $60-70, grab this...it’s the cheapest inaugural release I’ve seen hit the market. And it’s damn good. In fact, I immediately bought one. Thanks Richard for the pour!

Who here is old enough to remember that first Batman that came out on the big screen? I think it was 1988 if I’m not mistaken. I was a kid then, but I so was eagerly waiting to go see it. My friends and I would ride our skateboards all day and talk about nothing but saving up to go see Batman. We’d plan a day’s event around it. First go play video games ( specifically StreetFighter ) at the arcade, then go watch Batman, and after the movie, go to the ice cream shop and have root beer floats while talking about Batman. We’d save up weeks so we can afford it. Yes...we blew this image of a perfect day in our heads. Now take that close to perfect day and transpose it on what your ideal whisky would taste like. Chances are it’ll lean towards an old school sherry backed regal Macallan or Balvenie, or an elegant smoky one like an older Lagavulin or Ardbeg. If it wasn’t for real life mortgage, taxes and living expenses, you’d also plan on saving up for it and planning an entire event around it. Maybe opening it up at your wedding day, or birth of a child, or your child’s wedding. This is one of those whiskeys. At the current prices very much north of $1000, it’s not something I’d just go buy during some shopping errand. In fact, I’d never buy it. But I signed up for an online tasting event, where this was part of the show ( the event is tomorrow but I didnt have the patience, so had a few sips). This is a vatting of 5 bourbon casks ( 1966, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975) and 4 sherry casks ( 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975). Components of this are old and austere. These were aged together for a few months before being bottled. Nose is amazing —beeswax and honey. Polished oak. Taste is a step up from the nose: fruity, leather, old books in a library, plums. Amazing. This is just blending excellence. When it came out at $200, it was a steal. Now, I believe it’s over $1200-2000. My sample was less than 3 cl, but thoroughly memorable.

“ damnit, which one of you clogged the toilet?” I just passed by my kids’ bathroom, and it smelled as if they didn’t flush. They both proclaimed their innocence. “ you two then need more fruit in your diet, your bathroom smells like a barnyard”. Both are giving me a puzzled look, while eating a bowl of blueberries. Oh wait. It’s not them. I just realized it might be me. So: it’s been an year since I’ve traveled anywhere. The last trip I took was Iceland. It was 13 days of amazing scenery, and the last day before heading out to the airport was a stop at Elmverk distillery—-the only distillery in Iceland. I tried a few samples there, had a tour...and like, everything else in Iceland, I loved it. Of course, the presence of being there and on vacation going through some of Earth’s most magnificent vistas added to the experience. Granted the distillery is in a suburb of Reykjavik, and not much to look at, but the previous 13 days around Ring Road were still ingrained in my mind. Last night, I opened up my sample vial ( not purchased from the distillery, but from another EU retailer ). These are single cask...so your mileage varies. I was just missing our annual vacation—-and recollected Iceland...so, decided to have a pour of this. I’m staring at the label, thinking of the waterfall’s power and beauty in Godafoss. And the eerie icebergs at Jokulsarlon. The sight of blue whales, one of our planet’s most magnificent creatures, off the coast of Akurekyi. Unfortunately the closest I can come to a vacation is from the experience and memories of having this sample tonight. So, this single malt is unique in the sense that it’s dried with sheep dung, not peat. Sheep outnumber humans in Iceland, so it’s no surprise to see this. At the distillery, I recollected not loving this, but it was decent enough, and unique. I probably added a point or so just from the experience. But this evening...not so much. Maybe my sample was tainted. Maybe it came from a bad barrel. Maybe the one piece of ice I added changed the flavor ( I’m guessing this was it). But the flavor was atrocious. I couldn’t get past the farmyard aroma and wet grass. It really felt as if I’m standing in a pasture, not in a romanticized way, but in a reality check way—-just having stepped in dung, and smelling wet sheep wool. You see, there’s two types of pastures. One type is the Bollywood / Hollywood type. The guy standing in a field of yellow daisies, with his girlfriend or wife in hand. The other type is the one where you constantly look down avoiding sheep and horse shit, your shoes all wet from muddy grass -dung mixture. The first type is for the lucky drinkers that open up a bottle of Brora. The second type is what I’ll be going through this evening. I think the ice I added changed the flavor profile. I recall having a pour of this at the distillery ( even bought a bottle), and it was very different. No ice first of all. It was more earthy and rough in a good way. It was good enough to purchase a bottle. But this sample....this sample wasn’t any where close to that...and possibly ruined by ice. A minute after opening it and adding the ice, the aroma was pungent. Taste was simply too acrid and sharp, but more importantly, just couldn’t get past the aroma. I couldn’t finish it. Instead relegated myself to hot chocolate while watching Netflix. And also relieved I won’t be needing a plunger to unclog toilets.

Every time I have an expensive whisky, I can’t help but think what my grandmother would be saying. She was born and raised for her entire life in a small rural village in North India. No electricity, no running water, no natural gas to provide heat and cooking flame, just one room hut on a family farm. You eat what you grow, sell the excess, and pray the gods of agriculture look favorably on you towards harvest season. There was also a certain ranking of grains based on utility and market value. Wheat took the top spot. So, I can only imagine what she’d say when a family member buys a $250 bottle of whiskey ( although in this case, I admit, it’s a $10 sample vial I purchased). I can imagine something like “ you paid several months of income on a bottle of alcohol?!?! Did you lose your damn mind?! And furthermore, it’s not even made from wheat...but rather barley??! And fermented??! Once you let it ferment, I can’t even feed it to my cows or chicken...it’s then just compost!!! Fuckin’ idiot with shit for brains. “. And then I’d only imagine she’d take the rubber slippers off her feet and beat me till her hands hurt. Yeah, it would go something like that. But this is what I’d tell her: Grandma—-this particular pour is amazing. You get burnt charcoal on the nose, just embers of cooked meats. On the palette, it’s like drinking roast beef stew with a slice of lemon. The flavors just integrate so well, despite only 5 years of youth. This is what the best roasted or charbroiled cuts of meat would taste like, if liquified. She’d then hit me some more, this time replacing the rubber slippers with a wooden dough roller...saying “ shit for brains village idiot...we’re vegetarians, you don’t kill the animal that provides you milk and helps plow the fields...and you made that poor beast into soup!!?? “ Yeah. It would go exactly like that. And it would be so worth that public flogging for a pour of this.