Tastes

Thanks to @Dreaming-of-Islay for the pour! I can’t give Ardbeg anything less than 4 stars. Just can’t. In fact, they can mature whisky in barrels that previously held snail snot, and I’m sure we all would be raving about it here. So...I remember having the Committee version of this some time back...this one here is the same, just pulls its punches a wee bit. But, hell...it’s Ardbeg. Even if it pulls its punches, you’re still gonna feel it as if Mike Tyson just gave you an uppercut. Peat and orchard fruits galore here. Green apples, bonfire, clotted cream. It’s Ardbeg...it’s good. Thanks @Dreaming-of-Islay for the sample!

This was an interesting find. It’s a blend of Glenlivet, Glenfarclas, and Inverogrodan, all at least 44 years old, aged in bourbon cask with a final 1 year finishing in first fill sherry. Aromas of Indian mango pickle , with a nice palette of cream, gingerbread, and a touch of that Indian mango pickle again. A big bold, but gentle, dram. Nicely engineered.

I finally opened up my bottle of this that I got over 6 years ago during a business trip to the UK. It’s really not often that one has the chance to taste something this old. We treat it with reverence as we should, I guess...considering the rarity. Back then I paid just under $450. Seems like a bargain for a single malt from Speyside. I guess inflation is hyper-drive when it comes to current whiskey prices. Now, I see this more as $1000 easy. So—I’m going to venture a guess that this is Glenfarclas. Darker sherried color ( it’s NCF and no-color added ), with taste of berries and dark fruits. Palette is short of the nose, but the finish is warm and lingering. Seems light for a 50 yr old...I would never have guessed it’s age...acts younger. It”s good...it really is...but I guess it falls short of my expectations. I was expecting more of an austere elegance, but comes across as a silky youngster.

Oh this is good. If there are two quintessentially American drinks, it’s rye and bourbon. I know my Canadian brethren will point towards Canada for rye...and it’s good, but it’s not as spicy as the American cousin. This one here, courtesy of @The_Rev , is a pure classic. Eucalyptus, mint, fennel. Lingering minty finish, with more fennel. I’d like to say it’s about $70, and worth it. Thanks @The_Rev !

There’s this one cook off in West Virginia called Road Kill Cook Off ( yes...only in our glorious state of WVa can that be considered normal). I’m sure it’s a lot of back country hootin’ fun with our wives/sisters/cousins (can use interchangeably there). I can save you a lot of time by simulating some of the delicacies there by sending over a sample of this abomination. Lord have mercy, bless his heart, but what the hell was the master distiller for Abhainn thinking when he said “yep, she’s ready to be released”. This is a single most nastiest whiskey I ever had. It’s smells like a raccoon that got stuck in your car engine, and then got cooked, and then was left there in the car while it was parked in a hot desert parking lot. It taste just as bad. Actually, I’ll have the cooked car grill raccoon over this bottle of turpentine. Lordy, this is bad. @Scott_E @LeeEvolved @Telex @Generously_Paul ...Girvan is finally unseated. Have a sip, then use the rest to kill Japanese beetles in the garden.

We men are pigs. Just plain pigs. You know, it’s like we have a perfectly good woman at home, who works her butt off with the family and job, and balances it all....but, yet, here we are, minds swaying over to other women (or men), thoughts going awry and wondering the “what if’s”. It’s in our DNA. I’m sure it’s in the Y chromosome. So...it’s the same thing with whiksey, isn’t it? You’d be perfectly happy at home with the stalwarts such as Ardbeg 10, Lag 16, and the Compass Box Great King St duos. Yet, here we are. Here we are getting all sorts of variety and spice into our lives, straying away from the stalwarts. So, that brings me to this beauty. Pears, orchard fruits, more complexity and body than the standard CB Great King St. A bit more depth, a more austere backbone. Not sure what the price is on this, but if it’s the same as the standard, this is the no-brainer. If more than the standard GKS, then it’s all a matter of how much of a fanboy are you of CB. Thanks to my buddy from the other side of NJ @Richard-ModernDrinking for this!

I’m really not that smart of a guy. I wish I was smarter. I wish I took those MCATs. I wish I thought of the next big dot com craze. But...I gotta say, I’m at least two standard deviations smarter than the guy or gal that thought of this odd couple finishing. I tried a shot of this yesterday at a local place, where it was offered next to some celery and salt. When I’m having whiskey, not sure I have the emotional bandwidth to have celery at the same time. Celery is great and whiskey is great, but together....not so sure. LIke texting while having sex. Both are great, just not recommended together. Anyway, same goes for Tabasco and whiskey. I like Tabasco on my scrambled eggs. I like Tabasco on my baked potato. I even like a bit on my pasta. But, not sure it belongs in my whiskey. Nice experiment, just not willing to pay for it. The kicker was that while I’m having this, I’m holding a $90 bottle of the new Lahroaig Cairdeas, and the guy is trying to convince me to buy this instead of the Cairdeas, despite the $55 price difference.

Oh my god, this has got to be one of the most complex whiskies I’ve ever tasted. It was incredibly hard to pin down any one flavor profile, yet strangely, it all seems to work in unison together. First of all, this is incredibly rare...about 1800 bottles in total produced, so I’m that much more thankful to @Richard-ModernDrinking for this sample...thanks Richard. The color is the first thing I noted...it’s like a bourbon, deep mahogany. Nose is a bit strange...a bit woody. But where it really shines is the palette. Now the whirlwind of flavors begin. A cask made of 4 different woods, you’d expect either an unholy mess, or a masterpiece. No middle ground. Fortunately, this is the latter. I’m not sure this is still available, but if it is, it’s a definite buy. Unique, ingenious, and pushing the envelope in creativity.