Tastes

Continuing my little blind series is sample 4 that @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington was very generous to provide. After pouring the sample, I went in for a nosing and found that this is a chocolate and cherry flavored napalm; however, after letting the glass rest for around 15 minutes it significantly calmed down from a fiery napalm blast to allow the aromas to peek through. The nose is huge and rich starting with dark chocolate fudge, cherry brandy and cigar wrappers then sugar daddy candy and roasted pecans followed by caramelized bananas, figs and mandarin orange that transitions to anise, cloves, spearmint and freshly lacquered antique furniture with high ethanol burn. The taste is a syrupy rich mouth coating texture that starts with Hershey’s dark chocolate syrup over cherries jubilee, vanilla gelato and freshly lit cigar then a moderate spice that slowly fades to caramel pecan clusters followed by fried bananas, figs and charred orange peel that transitions to anise, cloves, spearmint, vintage leather and freshly lacquered antique furniture with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with sweet pipe tobacco, cherries jubilee, fried bananas, anise, cloves, spearmint, vintage leather and freshly lacquered antique furniture. This is an intense bourbon with syrupy rich flavors that are dialed up to an 11 where the chocolate and cherry notes dominate but aren’t overpowering those traditional bourbon notes and mild rye spices with well-aged oak. So, what is this intense bourbon………………. Old Forester Single Barrel K8 at 134.4 proof. Sheesh, no wonder this had so much ethanol with that high proof, but it was a real treat to be able to taste a single barrel Old Forester and huge thanks to Lex for sharing.

Continuing my little blind series is sample 3 that @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington was very generous to provide. The nose is rich with bold flavors starting vanilla cream cheese frosting, pancakes cooked in bacon drippings and freshly lit pipe tobacco then dark chocolate covered toasted marshmallow, pecans and honeysuckle followed by caramelized bananas, poached pears and mandarin orange that transitions to anise, spearmint and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium to full mouthfeel starting with sweet with fried banana, vanilla creme brûlée and freshly lit pipe tobacco before a moderate spice that slowly fades to dark chocolate covered candied pecans, toasted marshmallow and honeysuckle followed by sautéed apples, maraschino cherries and charred orange peel that transitions to anise, spearmint and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with caramelized apples, orange zest, sweet pipe tobacco, anise, spearmint, leather and polished mahogany. This is likely a high proof bourbon that the flavors are rich and decadent with those traditional flavors coming through with a creamy sweetness with well-aged oak that provides polished oak and tobacco that runs throughout the experience along with light florals and mild rye spice. So, what is this tasty mystery bourbon……... Down Home 12-year Batch 2. Well, that’s a new brand that I’ve never heard of before, but they seem to know what they are doing and I’ll have to keep an eye out for any of their future releases. Thanks so much for sharing this one Lex as I doubt I ever would have known about this brand otherwise and I look forward to finding out what the next surprise will be.

Continuing my little blind series is sample 2 that @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington was very generous to provide. So, time to open it up, pour it in my glass and ask the question, “What’s in the bottle?” The nose is simply a freight train of ethanol that overpowers the flavors, but is likely killing any COVID particles that could be in the air. After many drops of water, the ethanol has calmed down and the flavors began to open up starting with rich maple syrup candies, dehydrated apricot and buttermilk pancakes then dark chocolate covered pecans, toasted marshmallow and freshly lit sweet pipe tobacco followed by caramelized apples, cherry cough syrup and candied orange peel that transitions to light spearmint, baking spices and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium to full mouthfeel starting with maple syrup candies, dehydrated apricot and buttermilk pancakes before a moderate spice that slowly fades to dark chocolate covered toasted marshmallow, candied pecans and freshly lit sweet pipe tobacco followed by caramelized apples, cherry cough syrup and orange zest that transitions to light spearmint, baking spices and mildly bitter black tea with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with caramelized apples, cherry cough syrup, sweet pipe tobacco, mild black pepper spice, leather and polished mahogany. Another really tasty blind that I’d guess is a high proof bourbon which needed some water to unlock those traditional bourbon flavors that are dialed up to create a bold and rich experience that’s well-balanced, but suffers slightly for a moderate spice and bitterness. So, what is COVID sanitation solution that can transform into an extremely tasty bourbon with some water……. Weller Full Proof “Rainy Day”. Hot damn, Lex is surely getting on Santa’s nice list this year for sharing something as tough to get as this Weller Full Proof. My ABC store claims to stock these from time to time for $50 which would be an immediate buy if I ever get that lucky because the only time I’ve actually seen one in the wild the store was asking for $300 for the bottle. Thanks so much for sharing this one @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington and I look forward to finding out what the next surprise will be.

My next few reviews are going to be blind to be unbiased based on any reviews, labels or age statements and hopefully I can determine what they are and most importantly, if they are delicious or not. A huge thanks to @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for taking the time to set this up for me and now time to crack this first one open to find out what surprise Lex has in store for me. The nose is bold and rich starting with powdered sugar dusted strawberries, toasted pumpernickel bagel and sweet pipe tobacco then honeysuckle and wintergreen followed by cherries jubilee, caramelized pears, and orange blossom that transitions to spearmint, juniper berries, anise and leather with high ethanol burn. The taste is syrupy rich mouthfeel starting with powdered sugar dusted strawberries, toasted pumpernickel bagel and sweet pipe tobacco then honeysuckle and wintergreen followed by cherry pie, caramelized pears, and orange zest that transitions to spearmint, juniper berries, and slightly bitter black tea with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with anise, cherry pie, caramelized pears, sweet pipe tobacco, moderate black pepper spice, spearmint and mildly bitter black tea. Well, this is a fantastic start to this little blind series that is very delicious with bold and rich flavors of red berries, rye, florals and well-aged oak that leans a little more on the bitter and spicy flavors than I prefer, but it’s still an exceptional whiskey. Based off the red berries and rye flavors, I’m thinking this is either a MWND or possibly a Blackened X Willett as those are the only two ryes that I know that have aged in red wine barrels, but Lex could have thrown a surprise at me. Time to find out and pull that label off to find out that it turns out to be…….. Blackened X Willett. Haha, yes. I finally got one of these blinds right and would like to have one of these in my cabinet if I could find it for $150, but for the $200 I see online, I’ll probably pass on it for now.

This is a blend composed of straight rye whiskies from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Alberta aged between 4-18 years that was then bottled at 50%. The nose starts with a rich butterscotch pudding, sautéed apples and moderate spearmint then freshly baked pumpernickel bread with whipped honey butter followed by poached pears, lemongrass and orange blossom that transitions to black pepper, pine needles, light leather and burning hickory wood with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with butterscotch pudding, sautéed apples and moderate spearmint before a moderate spice that slowly fades to freshly baked pumpernickel bread with whipped honey butter and river-stones followed by caramelized pears, sour lemon candy and orange zest that transitions to black pepper, pine needles, leather and burning hickory with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sautéed apples, sour lemon, spearmint, pumpernickel bread, leather and polished mahogany. This is a really tasty rye that has a rich sweetness with a mix of creamy citrus, baked bread, light florals and earthy rye that the flavors are fairly bold, but suffers from a mild sourness along with moderate spice and drinks much hotter than 50%. These appear to be selling for around $80 which I think is a fair price for a quality rye. A huge thanks to @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.

For reference, this sample came from single cask AM100623018A that was bottled at 55.6%. The nose is bold and dense with a syrupy richness that starts with dark chocolate, tart blueberries and antique polished furniture then toasted walnuts and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by musty grapes, caramelized peaches and orange blossom that transitions to anise, cardamom, saffron and vintage leather with high ethanol burn. The taste is a rich and syrupy mouthfeel starting with creamy tropical fruits before a moderate sour spice that slowly fades to fresh lit tobacco and toasted walnuts then dark chocolate covered tart blueberries and antique polished furniture followed by prunes, caramelized peaches and charred orange peel that transitions to anise, cardamom, saffron and mildly bitter black tea with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with creamy tropical fruits, dark chocolate covered raisins, toasted walnuts, anise, cardamom, saffron, dusty leather-bound books and polished antique furniture. Gosh, I’m not sure how Kavalan does it but all the flavors are rich and intense with a nose that pulls you in with dark chocolate, tart fruits and old oak leading before toasted nuts and a light earthy smoke that fades to tart but sweet fruits and unique spices that carries over to the palate with the addition of creamy tropical fruits that has a moderate bitterness that eventually fades to those tart and sweet fruits found on the nose before finishing long with a mix of sweet and tart fruits, chocolate, unique spices and old oak that lingers and reveals notes slowly over the course of minutes after each sip. This is another exceptional release by Kavalan that the flavors are all dialed up to an 11 but for me it falls short of the level that the Moscatel reached due to a higher spice and the fruits having a moderate tartness that I don’t recall finding in the Moscatel. Kavalan’s Solist line is expensive but if you can find a pour or bottle at a justifiable price, I’d highly recommend anyone to try them as there really isn’t anything out there that can match the syrupy dense flavors that these single barrels produce.

I’ve been curious about Chichibu and was able to get a sample of this single cask #5577 Chichibu that was distilled in 2011 and was finished in an ex-Imperial stout cask before being bottled in 2020 at 55.2% exclusively for The Whisky Exchange. The nose starts with roasted cocoa nibs, lychee and sautéed cinnamon apples then honeysuckle and rosemary followed by salted mango, fried bananas, and grilled pineapple that transitions to light spices of ginger, cloves and polished oak with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a rich creamy mouthfeel starting with sweet and creamy orchard fruit before a moderate spice that quickly fades to honeysuckle and rosemary followed by salted mango, fried bananas, and grilled papaya that transitions to candied ginger, cloves and bakers baking chocolate with medium ethanol burn The finish is long with mango, banana, pineapple, honeysuckle, rosemary, baker’s baking chocolate, leather and polished oak. On the nose, the earthy chocolate from the stout cask is upfront with light fruits but quickly fades to allow sweet florals and herbs before a tropical fruit medley with light spices and polished oak that carries over to palate with a rich mouthfeel starting with an intense fruit blast before a moderate spice that fades to a balanced mix of florals, herbs and sweet tropical fruits with bitter chocolate at the end and finishes long with sweet tropical fruits, light florals, herbs, dark chocolate and polished oak that lingers for minutes while slowly revealing additional notes. This was a truly exceptional dram that drank far older than just 9 years with the stout cask providing earthy chocolate that enhanced the decadent dram packed with tropical fruits, florals, herbs and light spices with a near perfect balance that has more spice than I’d prefer. These bottles appear long gone outside of some outrageous secondary prices, but seem worthy of a sample or pour at a fair price. It’s one I’d recommend anyone to try if they get the chance and I’m certainly going to try to find more samples or bottles at a fair price to explore this distillery further.

The nose starts with polished antique furniture, dusty leather-bound books and butterscotch candy then dark chocolate covered peanut clusters followed by sautéed cinnamon apples, cherry cough syrup and orange zest that transitions to light spearmint, cloves and pie crust with low ethanol burn. The taste is a thin to medium mouthfeel starting sweet with creamy citrus before veering into a mild spice that quickly fades to polished antique furniture and dusty leather-bound books then dark chocolate covered peanut clusters followed by sautéed cinnamon apples, cherry cough syrup and orange zest that transitions to black pepper, light spearmint, cloves and pie crust with medium ethanol burn. The finish is short with sautéed cinnamon apples, dark chocolate covered peanuts, light spearmint, dusty leather-bound books and polished antique furniture. On the nose, the oak is dominant with refined well-aged oak notes of dusty leather and antique polished furniture that allows for those traditional bourbon notes of citrus, chocolate and light rye spices peak through which carries over to the palate where the creamy fruits become more dominant with those old oak notes underneath that creates a sweet and dusty balance of traditional creamy bourbon citrus wrapping around old oak with a mild spice before finishing short with light citrus, mild spices and old oak. This is a really tasty bourbon, but the 45.2% ABV seems too low which provides for an easy sipping bourbon, but has unfortunately diminished the depth of flavors which could have been incredible with a richer mouthfeel and bolder flavors if bottled at a higher proof.

The last of my small exploration through some Ledaig offerings, is a sample generously provided by @jonwilkinson7309 of an IB from Munros for K and L that was distilled in 1997 and matured in an ex-bourbon cask for 20 years before being bottled at 52.6%. The nose starts with applewood smoked bacon, caramelized pear tart and vanilla extract then tangy barbecued short ribs and seaside rocky minerality followed by sautéed cinnamon apples, candied lemon peel and grilled peaches that transitions to candied ginger, cloves and moderate campfire ash with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a thin to medium mouthfeel starting with applewood smoked bacon, caramelized pear tarte and charred orange peel before a mild peppery spice that slowly fades to tangy barbecued short ribs, burning hay bales and seaside rocky minerality followed by sautéed cinnamon apples, grilled peaches and lime zest that transitions to candied ginger, cloves and moderate campfire ash with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with charred tangy short ribs, sautéed apples, seaside rocky minerality and burnt hay bales. Overall, this is an above average dram that balances meaty smoke with light notes of slightly sour citrus, seaside rocky minerality, charred hay and a mild sweetness but the flavors are on the thinner side than I expected from the high 52.6% ABV and after 20 years this is lacking those old oak notes that I was hoping for. I decided to side by side it with the Ledaig 10 year and the extra ABV created a slightly bolder flavor profile than the 10, but otherwise they are very similar. I guess my thought of just ramping the ABV up on the 10 to intensify the flavors didn’t pan out after all and I’ve found that my preference leans more towards sherry aged Ledaig.

The nose starts with applewood smoked bacon, stewed plums and dusty leather-bound books then powder sugar dusted dark chocolate torte, toasted hazelnuts, lightly charred hay bales and sea side rocky minerality followed by musty grapes, sautéed apples and charred orange peel that transitions to cloves, candied ginger and polished oak with low ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with sweet and creamy orange before applewood smoked bacon, stewed plums and leather-bound books then a mild spice that quickly fades to cocoa powder dusted prunes, toasted hazelnuts, burning hay bales and sea side rocky minerality followed by musty grapes, sautéed apples and candied lemon peel that transitions to cloves, candied ginger and freshly lit pipe tobacco with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with dark chocolate covered raisins, creamy orchard fruit, lightly charred hay bales, seaside rocky minerality, dusty leather-bound books and freshly lit pipe tobacco. This is a refined Ledaig that the extra years of aging has brought in some dusty leather that wraps around flavors of smoked meats, caramelized fruits, light farmyard funk, seaside minerality and tobacco into a really well-balanced and polished dram that the 46.3% ABV delivers richer flavors than I expected that falls just outside of the bold territory with a long and lingering finish of tobacco smoke, sweet citrus and old leather. I unfortunately missed my opportunity to buy one of these at under $100 but these still seem available for under $130 and I think these are a tremendous value for a smoky and well-aged 18-year-old whisky.