Tastes

This was matured in European and American oak casks for 25 years before being married together and bottled at 48% ABV. The nose starts with a rich floral honey sweetness with light lemon and lime zests in the background along with faint dusty leather-bound books then vanilla creme brûlée and cocoa powder dusted prunes followed by poached pears, orange blossom and grapefruit zest that transitions to ginger, cloves and mildly bitter tea with low ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting floral with a rich honey sweetness with lemon and lime candy that veers into a moderate bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to vanilla gelato and cocoa powder dusted prunes followed by anise spiced baked pears, candied orange peel and grapefruit zest that transitions to ginger, cloves and a mild bitter black tea with low ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with lemon lime candy, powdered ginger, a mild black pepper spice and dusty leather-bound books. Overall, this is a delicious whisky with rich floral honey, light citrus, cocoa powdered prunes and mild spices that brings in some light old oak notes of dusty leather-bound books, but the balance is off with the palate veering towards a moderate peppery spice that overpowers those honeyed sweets before finally fading to allow those sweet fruits in with a mild sourness and ever so slightly over-oaked bitterness that finishes mildly spicy with citrus and old leather. At a price of around $600+, this is an easy pass for me as there are plenty of other options priced for far less that I find better suited for my tastes, but if you're a fan of the traditional Balvenie profile, this would likely be a real treat, but I'd advise trying a sample before committing to a full bottle.

For our quarterly virtual tasting @PBMichiganWolverine very generous to provide a sample of an older Balvenie 10 dating back to 1980 that was bottled in a cognac style bottle. The nose starts floral and creamy with light lemon and lime zests in the background then vanilla seeds and a faint chocolate followed by poached pears, orange blossom and grapefruit zest that transitions to ginger, cloves and mild oak spice with low ethanol burn. The taste is a thin to medium mouthfeel starting floral and creamy with light lemon and lime zests then a moderate bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to vanilla gelato and cacao nibs followed by poached pears, candied orange peel and grapefruit zest that transitions to ginger, cloves and a mild oak spice with low ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with lemon lime candy, powdered ginger, and a mild black pepper spice. The nose on this is very creamy with florals dominating but allowing moderate citrus notes to come through along with mild spices for a beautiful balance which carries over to the taste but has a higher spice than I'd prefer that eventually fades to allow those creamy citrus notes back through and finished mildly pepper with some lemon lime fruits. Thanks @PBMichiganWolverine for providing this for our little group to taste as I doubt I would ever find this today for anything I'd be willing to pay and it was really fun to be able to try an older bottling of Balvenie.

To finish off my Kavalan series, I have this Kavalan Solist Moscatel single cask that was generously provided by @ctbeck11 and has an ABV of 57.10%. The nose is bold and dense with a syrupy richness that starts with prunes, roasted salted pistachios and antique leather bound armchair then cacao nibs and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by white grape juice, orange blossom and nectarines that transitions to anise, cardamom, saffron and black tea leaves with high ethanol burn. The taste is a rich and syrupy mouthfeel starting with creamy tropical fruits and caramelized figs before a mild pepper spice that quickly fades to dusty leather bound books and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by cocoa powder dusted prunes, sautéed peaches in brown sugar and white grapes that transitions to anise, cardamom, saffron, cloves and mildly bitter black tea with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with caramelized figs, fresh lit pipe tobacco, mild black pepper spice, cardamom, anise and dusty leather books that lingers for minutes. This is an exceptional whisky that the flavors are dense and rich with those sherry notes dominating but is balanced with old oak, tropical fruits, citrus and unique spices. The only real fault is that this has a mild bitterness on the taste and finish that detracts from those rich fruity flavors that prevents this from a perfect score. At around $400, this is an expensive purchase, but it is a high quality product with some of the densest and richest flavors that I've ever experienced in a spirit.

The nose is bold and dense with a syrupy richness that starts with caramelized figs, balsamic syrup over diced strawberries and antique leather bound armchair followed by vanilla creme brûlée and a spicy mocha then cherries jubilee, anise spiced baked pears and raspberry jam that transitions to candied ginger, cloves and slightly burnt pie crust with high ethanol burn. The taste is a rich and syrupy mouthfeel starting with blackberry jam and slightly soured tropical fruits that quickly veers towards a high peppery bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to figgy pudding, strawberry syrup and freshly lit pipe tobacco then vanilla cupcake and chocolate covered espresso beans followed by raspberry sorbet, anise spiced baked pears and lemon zest that transitions to cloves, candied ginger and a moderate ashy oak spice with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with moderate ashy oak, black pepper, pipe tobacco, diced strawberries, sour cherries, leather bound books and bitter black tea. Overall, this was a very good whisky with rich and dense flavors of red berries, tropical fruits, citrus and earthy spices, but the balance is off with a high bitter spice that throws off those dense fruity flavors and finishes moderately bitter with those red berries slightly peaking through. At a price of $250+, this is priced far too high for me to be willing to purchase, but I'm extremely grateful that @ContemplativeFox was generous enough to share this with me.

On a recent trip to Louisville, we discovered a few new spots with some dusty old bottles of bourbon that were available to taste. At one of the locations we were having some friendly discussions about bourbon involving the hunting, finding and eventual disappointments in certain overhyped names before the owner was kind enough to bring our attention to this Collectors Choice 21 year that was distilled in 1948 and bottled in 1969 at 47.3% ABV by Dowling Distillers. He simply told us that none of the modern bourbon today could compete with an old dusty like this one which immediately prompted the need of a pour for science. The nose starts with deep and rich aromas of cavernous minerals, old cigars and leather that dominate but fade to the background to allow for sweeter notes of caramel corn, dense dark chocolate torte that has been topped with caramelized figs before those traditional bourbon citrus come through with mandarin orange, cinnamon apple streusel and flambeed black cherries that veers back into deep dusty resinous oak with no ethanol burn. The taste is a rich engine oil viscosity starting with caramelized figs, cavernous minerality, metal shavings and old dusty leather bound books then butterscotch caramel over freshly popped popcorn and Black Forest cake followed by charred mandarin orange, sautéed apples and balsamic strawberries that transitions to freshly lit pipe tobacco, cloves, candied ginger and black tea with light ethanol burn. The finish is long with butterscotch caramel covered popcorn, Black Forest cake, cocoa nibs, dehydrated cherries, pipe tobacco, flinty minerality and dusty old leather bound books that lingers for minutes. The owner wasn't kidding as this simply next level whiskey that is stunningly complex with old oak, minerality, motor oil and citrus fruits that the flavors are bold and perfectly balanced that really showcases how incredible some of these old dusty bourbons can be. Based on the price tag of $2400 a bottle that I could find online, this is unfortunately not a bottle I'll be buying, but I'm very hopeful that I might be lucky enough to get another pour of this on my next trip out to Louisville. If anyone happens to find a bottle or even a pour at a price you can justify, I would highly recommend you go for it as this is one of those truly memorable drinks that is more of an experience that even though the finish eventually fades, the memory of it for me will likely linger on for life.

The nose starts with a moderate sourness with a mix of pomegranate, pineapple and black pepper then dark chocolate covered cherries and toasted walnuts followed by mango, strawberries with balsamic vinegar and anise spiced poached pears that transitions to ginger, cloves and mild ashy oak with no ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with a faint tropical fruit before a moderate bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to brandy soaked cherries, cocoa nibs and walnuts followed by sour strawberries, lemon, and grapefruit pith that transitions to a a chalky powdered ginger, cloves and black pepper with light ethanol burn. The finish is short with high percentage dark chocolate, espresso, toasted walnuts, strawberry jam, black pepper and mild ashy oak. The nose on this started out promising with a mix of sour red fruits, tropical fruits, nuts and mild spices, but the taste is unfortunately thin from that 40% ABV which seems to mute the flavors which are along the bitter and sour side before finishing quickly with bitter ashy notes dominating over the light red fruits that are trying to peek through. Side by side with Kavalan distillery select, the concertmaster is thinner with a higher bitter spice whereas the distillery select comes together with a better balance of flavors with a richer mouthfeel which is surprising considering its intended for mixing and the concertmaster is not. At the price of $90+ around me, this is a hard pass that just doesn't come together well and you can get the distillery select for half the price that IMO edges the concertmaster out. Thanks @ContemplativeFox for the generous sample

The nose starts with a mix of lightly soured tropical fruits, roasted bell peppers, and mild black pepper spice then high percentage dark chocolate and toasted walnuts followed by mandarin orange, sour cherries and pears that transitions to anise, cloves and leather with light ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with a mild bitter spice that quickly fades to a toasted marshmallow, dark chocolate mocha and walnuts followed by dehydrated mango, bananas foster and grilled pineapple rings that transitions to cloves, ginger, anise and a mild black pepper spice with low ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a fruit smoothie of mango, banana, orange and pineapple along with light spices of anise, cloves and a mild black pepper spice. I’m pleasantly surprised that for a whisky marketed to make cocktails out of that this is quite enjoyable neat with a balance of tropical fruits, light vegetable and mild spices. The nose has a mild youthful sourness to it that doesn’t carry over to the taste that is on the thinner side and starts slightly on the bitter side but fades quickly to allow those tropical fruits, nuts and spices to come through before a fantastic creamy tropical fruit and light spiced finale. At a price of $40, this is a rare steal in today’s whisky market that I think most would really enjoy and is a great start to my mini Kavalan series. Thanks @ContemplativeFox for the generous sample.

The nose starts with a mix of canned peaches, freshly cut pineapple and apricots then dark chocolate covered raisins, shredded coconut and vanilla macarons followed by white grapes, poached pears, and figs that transitions to lightly charred sour dough bread with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a slightly sour spice with zests of lemon and lime along with a mild black pepper that fades to baked peaches and pineapple upside down cake then cocoa powder dusted figs followed by nectarines, lychee, and prunes that transitions to candied ginger and lightly charred sour dough bread with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with lemon lime candy, chocolate covered raisins, ginger, black pepper and charred sour dough bread. Overall, this is a delicious whiskey from the folks at Killowen that combines flavors of rum, sherry and single malt with a beautiful balance, but the youthfulness of that 5 year malt is apparent with a moderate sourness that could use some extra aging to polish out. Killowen seems to be rolling out higher age stated rum and raisin releases with the newest at 6 years and I think with time these will be incredible. As of today, the 5 year is a tasty and enjoyable youthful malt that doesn’t really justify its premium price of $70+ for a 375ml bottle.

Thy Whiskey is a family-owned distillery on an organic farm in Denmark that is producing organic Danish single estate whisky and grain spirits. This is a sample from one of their distillery exclusives that combined two casks (#61 and #62) together with an age of 4 years and was bottled at 61.2% ABV. The nose starts with new leather bound books, salted sour tropical fruits and hay then creamy milk chocolate covered espresso beans and light floral notes followed by salted sweet and sour fruits of baked cinnamon apples, cherries jubilee and prunes that transitions to mild spices of anise, ginger, cloves and ashy oak with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel that starts with a very salty sweet and sour mix followed by a spicy mocha then sour apple candy, maraschino cherries and salted baked orange that transitions to anise, cloves and black pepper spice with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with heavily salted mango, blonde espresso, chocolate orange and black pepper. This started very promising with a nose of leather, sour fruits, creamy chocolate and earthy spices, but the palate blindsides you with what could be a Tik Tok challenge of stuffing your cheeks with sour patch kids and licking a salt lick that the high salty flavor eventually fades to the background of coffee, sour fruits and unique spices before reemerging in the finish with a salty sour juice mix, espresso and moderate pepper spice. I was hopeful for this one, but it's just far too salty and sour to be enjoyable. Hopefully with some additional aging those sour notes start to polish out and Thy can find a way to lower those high salt notes.