Tastes

This was an interesting find. A Nordic whiskey that taste like American rye probably finished in some sherry cask, but made with Nordic barley, pristine clean water from those glacial fields ( maybe climate change might mean more of that pristine clean Nordic water?😒), and finished in Caribbean rum casks? Haven’t seen a better North South marriage since the Civil War. Not sure of the age, but I’m guessing young ( less than 6-8), but really well integrated with the rum cask. Green grassy notes mixed with a touch of burnt sugar. “Vinterdrom” means winter’s dram...I went in expecting Christmas cake and mulling spices...but, I guess a Caribbean winter can be more like grassy clean notes with rum aromas. Either way...pretty damn good. First IKEA. Then meatballs. Then safety oriented snow loving Volvos. Now...whiskey. Good job in horizontal expansion Sweden.

One of bucket list to-do has always been to visit a Christmas market in Germany or Austria: walk through the market while having mulled wine. One day. Till then, this one here didn’t disappoint. Taste of mulled spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. A bit of water brings out a slight bitterness like orange rinds...I’d leave the water out. It’s young, obviously being Indian. The oldest Indian is merely 12...the angels don’t keep much around beyond 8. But despite its youth, it’s complex enough. For a mere $50, a no brainer buy if you want to try a really good Asian whiskey.

I first had this months ago, at a tasting, where I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe it hid behind all the other samples I had. I walked out of that tasting liking two samples I had: this and a Knob Creek cask strength rye. I liked this enough to buy a bottle. This time around, I was just plain disappointed. I finally opened it tonight to share with a few colleagues. It seems as if the bourbon and rye really just didn’t play well together here. Flavors seem muddled between the two, each fighting for dominance. I’m all up for innovative experimentation, although this rye-bourbon marriage isn’t innovative anymore, it’s been tried and tested by others that have done a much better job in execution ( High West Bourye). But innovative experimentation is only as good as the execution. This is a case where I thought the rye isn’t exerting itself, nor is the bourbon. Ideally, it should’ve been the sweetness of the bourbon up front, followed by the spicy rye on finish. But, this has both arm wrestling throughout. Try at bar, buy a bottle, or skip? I’d say try at bar.

It’s Friday...which means one thing: whiskey or mezcal or bourbon night! Now that I’m back to one pour a week, I so look forward to it. It’s makes you appreciate it much more. During the SDT with my buddies @LeeEvolved @Telex, @Scott_E and @Generously_Paul, it was more like a few pours / week. Now...kombucha or matcha green tea every night, except Friday. Tonight, I just opened up this beauty. A 4 yr bottled-in-bond bourbon, that’s just under $33??!? Seriously? I check my iPhone...nope it’s not 1990. This is really well made. Notes of caramel popcorn, some minty eucalyptus ( has to have a bit of rye in the mash ), and dark fruits like blackberries. If you’re looking for great less than $35 American whiskey or bourbon, you don’t have many choices. Only ones I can think of are Henry McKenna 10 BiB, Jack Daniels Barrel Proof Single Barrel, and now...this.

I had a pour of this, courtesy of a local wine shop’s free tasting event. Out of the JWs I’ve had (black, green, island green, blue), this is probably my worst. Served chilled, over ice, it was flavors of red berry water, a bit sweet and thin. Nose is similar....red fruits, especially berries. It’s not bad considering the price ($30), and it’s clearly driven by an exec sitting in a suit and tie, looking at partnership revenues from HBO and Diageo. But, with that said, I really do feel it’ll end up being a collector’s item. Yes...I bought a bottle, not with the intent of drinking it...it’s piss water with a hint of raspberry...but with the sole purpose of collecting as a die-hard GoT fan. In that sense, I’m sure Diageo’s goal is accomplished....a person like me ( $30 is not breaking the bank, a huge GoT fan, and likes whiskey) is in their core market. If this didn’t have the White Walker GoT branding, would I have bought a bottle, or even tried a pour? HELL NO. I’ll probably end up getting all, but honestly gotta say the only two I’m interested in drinking are Lag and Talisker. Others will just sit there and look pretty, but quite empty in taste.

This is a bottle kill review—-so, I don’t rate these since I usually use my last ounce for experiments. I figured “what goes well with something rich and raisin-y sweet from port maturation?” What about something really smoky, like an Ardbeg or Lag? Well...I don’t have that readily on hand. Ok...so, what about something rich and vanilla? Like a bit of this with an equal amount of Wild Turkey Longbranch? An American-Taiwanese fusion. So, this is a case where the sums of both are less than the individual components. The richness of the Kavalan was diminished by the vanilla. The strong oak and vanilla was diminished by the port. Became one unholy mess. Tasted like NyQuil combined with bread pudding. I know...don’t ask, but I know.

Matthew, Matthew, oh Mr. Mcconaughey...what you doing? You’re dirty pretty, not a classy pretty. I’m expecting a Texas rough, dirty pretty, hard nosed type of whiskey, not something like this which is refined and a bit classy. It’s good, don’t get me wrong. But, it’s too middle of the road with rest of the pack. It’s all vanilla and oak. And smooth. Where’s the mesquite? The Texas scrub? The roughness from an uncut unfiltered barrel proof ? This is a well aged, smooth, wood driven vanilla bomb. I’m picturing John Stamos, not Matthew Mcconaughey.

It’s Friday, and that can mean one thing: my weekly 1 ounce pour while watching Netflix. This one provided graciously by @LeeEvolved. The aroma is really nice, as if you’re at a bonfire remains a few hours after it’s out. It faint smoky and ashy, as opposed to the Peat onslaught from your typical high powered Islay. Tastes: if tasted blind, I’d have thought this was an unpeated Caol Ila. It has that lemony smoky flavor, with just a strong enough wisp of smoke without being too powerful. If you’re not in the mood for a smoke blitz, or if you’re not a fan of peaty whiskey but want to try something a bit different than the sweet sherry ones, this is right up your alley. Personally I think it fits that middle ground of “ I don’t want a sweet dessert dram, but am not in the mood to be kicked in the face with a slab of Peat”. Thanks Lee for this. A solid four stars.

This was sent as a blind tasting challenge by my motor city buddy @Generously_Paul sent 5 samples. I guessed 3 right, and named this one precisely as Yamazaki Distiller ( the sandalwood aroma gave it away). I’m a huge fan of Yamazaki. Their 18 is my top 3-4 single malts. This has that classic Asian temple sandlewood aroma, followed by a nutty hazelnut flavor. Well made, as expected out of Yamazaki

This was sent as a blind tasting challenge by my motor city buddy @Generously_Paul. He sent 5 samples. I guessed 3 right, and named one precisely as Yamazaki Distiller ( the sandalwood aroma gave it away). I’m not a huge fan of Cardhu, but maybe that’s just me, considering the entire county of Spain loves this as their favorite single malt. I forget the notes at this point...was good, but not good enough to buy a bottle. Good enough to have at a hotel bar. Thanks Paul !