Tastes
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Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Colorado, USA
Reviewed December 5, 2019 (edited June 7, 2021)What better way to kill an hour at the Denver airport than to try a local Colorado craft distillery? With craft Americans, I’ve learned they fall into three categories: 1) tried and tested must haves: the likes of Del Bac Dorado, McKenzie and High West. 2) on the fence, depends on product and batch: High West, Westland, Balcones , Westward, New Southern Distillery, St George 3) try at bar: countless to list This one falls in (3). I’m glad I’ve tried a local CO product, but not worth the asking price of $80-100USD. Nose is mild—almost like sourdough bread. You get more action in the palette—rye being the foremost. Overall, interesting pour—try at a bar to experiment or experience.10.0 USD per PourDenver International Airport -
Little Book Chapter 3: The Road Home
Blended American Whiskey — Kentucky , USA
Reviewed November 26, 2019 (edited December 20, 2019)Holy crap, this will grow some hair on your chest! It’s potent. First, let’s get to the blend: - 9 year Basil Hayden - 9 year Knob Creek - 11 yr Booker’s - 12 yr Baker’s All of these are great middle age, sweet spot bourbons. And by the potency, I’m going to assume cask strength. I have a gut feeling that this blend is probably greater than the individual parts—-but hell, was simply too oak driven and high strength for me personally. The nose is amazing: smoky oak and caramel. But the taste—that’s where I got lost—-too oaky and wood driven for me. I had it neat—-but next time, I’ll try with a honking cube of ice...that’ll tame it down a bit100.0 USD per Bottle -
Balcones FR. OAK Texas Single Malt
American Single Malt — Texas, USA
Reviewed November 24, 2019 (edited October 23, 2021)Fruitcake, Texas style. The French oak comes out clearly in this. French oak is tighter grained and less dense than American oak, so it imparts more subtle flavors and firmer, but silkier texture. It also gives it a bit of chocolate-y roasted quality, making it almost more elegant. Its American counterpart gives a more sweeter flavor, namely vanilla. But French oak is more expensive than American...just harder to work with, but not as difficult as the Japanese oak mizunara. This here clearly takes that French oak to heart. You get the Texas burnt charcoal, but comes out smoother and a bit less brash. At just about 2 years, personally I felt it could’ve benefited with more aging...but that Texas heat would’ve probably overdone the wood interaction anyway. Out of three Balcones I’ve had ( single malt 1, and Brimstone), this was far better. But...personally, my favorite American craft still remains as Del Bac’s Dorado...this maybe in the top 5 American craft, for me at least.80.0 USD per Bottle -
Berkshire Bourbon Smoke and Peat
Bourbon — Massachusetts, USA
Reviewed November 22, 2019 (edited September 8, 2021)Another American craft I can cross off my list, this pour courtesy from @jonwilkinson7309. The Berkshires are an extension of Vermont’s Green Mountains, sort of foothills of the Appalachians which extend all the way from North Carolina up to Maine and Canada. It’s an idyllic area, in western Massachusetts, that’s known for summer cultural activities and food scene. And like the mountain range, I’m guessing this distillery considered this release as an extension of Islay’s peat and smoke. There’s certainly peat and smoke on the nose and palette, but it’s subdued...doesn’t hit you like Lagavulin , Ardbeg and Laphroaig. It’s much more muted. And the peat isn’t like Islay peat...but more like a Highlander trying to peat its whisky. It’s interesting, and I can see this being really good in cocktails, but neat or just with a few drops of water, it’s too muted. Thanks Jon for the pour—-I love trying crafts! -
Johnnie Walker Blender's Batch Sweet Peat
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed November 19, 2019 (edited October 20, 2024)Sweet peat my ass. Bought a pour while on a business trip to Denver. $10 for the pour...that $10 would’ve been better spent elsewhere. Mild nose. Really not getting anything except cereal notes. Almost like Soecial K that my daughter eats every morning. Except the Special K tastes better. Taste is bland...not getting any peat. Not getting much of anything except some cereals.10.0 USD per PourThe Westin Denver Downtown -
Crown Royal Noble Collection 13 Year Blenders' Mash
Canadian — Canada
Reviewed November 16, 2019 (edited July 30, 2022)Wow...two weeks since I’ve had a proper pour ( and no, two wee sips of what was left in the Tobias and Angel bottle doesn’t count). So—I decided to have this week’s pour in the form of this 13 yr Canadian “bourbon”, courtesy sent by my buddy @dubz480. I’m a huge fan of Crown Royal’s first in their Noble series: the Cornerstone, which coincidentally was also awarded “best” by that Panama hat wearing self proclaimed whiskey guru Jimbo Murray. Based on how much I liked that one, I bought their follow up act in the Noble series, Wine Barrel finish, which I wasn’t a fan of, nor did I dislike it...was middle of the road. I never tried their 3rd release ( French oak), having quickly written off Noble collection as a one hit wonder. This one here is their 4th in the series. This is the oldest of the Noble collection, and I think the only one with an age statement. With a mashbill of 60/36/4 corn/rye/barley, why is it not called bourbon? Well...that’s because ‘Mercia has a monopoly on the name “bourbon”. To be called bourbon, you need to have it made in the US of A. Who says the French are the only ones defensive of terroir ? We can play that game too. Anyway—for 13 years, this is pretty restrained..very much like a pissed off Canadian. Minimal sweetness, some oak and cloves. It’s not bad, but I’d have expected more more carrying a lofty title like Noble. But...at $60-70, it’s a damn good VFM. Where else can you get a pretty good 13 yr old for $60? Ask Whistlepig...tell say a 13 yr Canadian is about $200; and Barrell will say it’s about $110. So...all in all, not a bad deal. Thanks dubz for the pour! -
Compass Box Tobias & The Angel
Blended Malt — Scotland
Reviewed November 9, 2019 (edited September 30, 2021)So there’s a lesson to be learned here...I’ll let y’all readers figure out what that is. But the story goes like this: Being that this is such a pretty bottle, with classic artwork as the label, I had it sitting in my home office bookshelf, nestled nicely between Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. Last week, we also had quite a few friends and family over, for celebrating Diwali. Now, I made available plenty of options for my guests—-red wine, white wine, two mid-tier safe single malts ( Balvenie 12 and Macallan Classic 2019) and even alcohol free cocktails using Seedlip. But my wife, who can’t tell the difference between Coors Light and a Macallan Genesis, thought this bottle of Compass Box Tobias would look so pretty sitting right behind the homemade samosas. She was right...looked damn pretty. But...who puts out a $400 bottle in the open as a free for all???!!! Needless to say, before I even realized what happened, someone opened it, and by the time I saw it, there was just a small few sips worth of a pour left. But those few sips were amazing. What you have here are two old single malts (Caol Ila and Clyneish , both I think over 30yrs or close to it). Smooth silky smoke threads through waxy fruit of apples and pears. Just a drop of water opens up a bit more smoke—-making this much more austere. As disheartening as it is...I’m glad I did get to try it. Interestingly—both the Balvenie and Macallan were left untouched and unopened.400.0 USD per Bottle -
What are you to do when you don’t want alcohol, but enjoy cocktails? It’s the same dilemma with Beyond Meat burgers isn’t it? If you want to reduce meat intake for whatever reasons ( vegetarian, climate change, animal cruelty, health, etc), you end up having things like Beyond Meat. You don’t have it to save costs...Beyond Meat is more expensive than a burger patty, just like Seedlip is more expensive than most gins. So—you have Seedlip for directly avoiding alcohol in cocktails, just like you’d have Beyond Meat for directly avoiding meat. And there’s a huge market for that. Let’s get down to brass tax—-how is this Beyond Meat for gin? Here’s the thing: if you like whiskey, you’ll not like gin as much because it lacks the complexity. And if you like gin, you won’t like a non-alcohol version of gin-replacement. It’s like if you like a good burger, Beyond Meat, as good as it is, isn’t the same. Same with this Seedlip Spice. Going in, you automatically reduce your expectations. So for me, as a whiskey connoisseur, I went in with reduced tepid expectations. I had this with a scrub I made with lemongrass, honey, ginger, and making a cocktail of the scrub with soda water, a bit of apple cider vinegar, and the Spice Seedlip. At a recent family and friends gathering, it was a super-hit with folks that have never have had alcohol. They LOVED it. But for the gin and whiskey drinkers, they simply asked “why bother, especially considering the price point ?”. So...my take: this is great if you’re a daily whiskey or gin drinker, and want something to drink that’s not alcohol, for whatever reasons, and if you’re willing to experiment with cocktails. Otherwise, if you’re like me and drink only one pour a week anyway..why bother?25.0 USD per Bottle
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I normally have only one pour of whiskey a week...a mere 6cl / 2 ounces at that. Usually it’s lapschong tea or green tea every evening. But we had some friends and family over recently, of which many in there didn’t drink alcohol. So I got these Seedlips, hoping to make creative cocktails. These are expensive...about $25USD per bottle...so unless you really don’t drink, these are even pricier than gin. This one here is called Grove, because it’s distilled from citrus fruits, only then to have the alcohol removed. I tried mixing this with a lemongrass/ honey / ginger scrub I made, but honestly —-this was just subtlety flavored water. The non-drinking folks ( like my wife, who’s actually medically allergic to alcohol, and has never had a drink in her life, except one where she found out she was allergic ), even thought this was flavored water. Out of the three offerings, this was the worst...most expensive flavored water you’ll buy.
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Ardbeg Twenty Something 23 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed November 5, 2019 (edited May 23, 2021)I’ve made it a point in the last few years to have a special pour on my birthday. As I get older, I’ve really learned to appreciate things that go normally unnoticed: amazing well behaved intelligent children, a caring wife, and brothers and cousins that support you in down times. So—keeping that in mind, I open a pour worthy to celebrate...and this one comes courtesy from my good buddy @leeevolved . Despite close to a quarter century age, you still get that classic Ardbeg DNA. Tar and burnt ashes; freshly poured asphalt on a hot summer day. Taste: this is where the 23 years shine. Smooth and silky—-the brawn is replaced by liquid smoke that’s as delicate as it is powerful. Finish is lingering sweet—where the sherry comes in. At $500, this bottle is above most people’s discretionary income purchase...so I’m that much more thankful to @leeevolved for this birthday pour Thanks Lee!
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