Tastes

The nose is moderately rich that starts with a light sourness before fading to a mix of figgy pudding, powdered sugar covered sautéed apples and dusty old leather-bound books then a mild pipe tobacco smoke, cocoa powder dusted prunes and toasted walnuts followed by plums, apricots and mango that transitions to light florals, cloves and black tea leaves with light ethanol burn. The taste is a medium to full mouthfeel starting with slightly sour but creamy tropical fruits that quickly veers towards a mild bitter spice that slowly fades to a spicy mocha, pipe tobacco and dusty leather-bound books then dark chocolate covered toasted walnuts and prunes followed by dehydrated mango, papaya and candied lemon peel that transitions to vanilla seeds, cloves, ginger and light ashy oak spice with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with pipe tobacco, figgy pudding, dehydrated mango, toasted walnuts, espresso, cloves and dusty leather-bound books that lingers for minutes. This is a stunning whisky that balances flavors of old dusty oak, light sherry sour dark berries along with tropical fruits and mild pipe tobacco. The nose balances those flavors perfectly with a moderate richness and minimal alcohol bite before the taste that is just shy of a high viscosity that ever so slightly veers towards a mild bitter profile that quickly fades back to those wonderful, complex flavors found on the nose and finishes along the earthy side with light sour sherry and tropical fruits in the background that is almost eternal in length. At the price of $250, it’s an expensive purchase, but one that I would recommend to anyone to try within their spirits journey either as a bar pour or to take the plunge for that special occasion bottle as I highly doubt this would disappoint anyone. Thanks @ctbeck11 for the generous sample as this one was a real treat.

The nose starts with a light sourness before fading to a mix of figs, sugar cookies and pipe tobacco then cocoa powder dusted prunes and toasted walnuts followed by plums, apricots and lychee that transitions to light florals, leather and black tea leaves with light ethanol burn. The taste is a thin to medium mouthfeel starting with creamy orchard fruits before a mild spice that quickly fades to pipe tobacco, cocoa powder dusted prunes and espresso followed by candied ginger, plums, and lychee that transitions to vanilla seeds, toasted walnuts, leather and light ashy oak with light ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a spicy mocha, figs, toasted marshmallow, lychee, cloves and light ashy oak. A tasty dram that is very approachable with minimal alcohol found on the nose with a balanced mix of dark berries, citrus, tobacco, chocolate and light spices that carries over to the palate with an acceptable mouthfeel with a mild spice and coffee before a finish that emphasizes the spicy earth notes with the fruits and sweets in the background. At around $90, these seem fairly priced and would likely be a great choice for anyone looking for a quality sherried scotch. Thanks @ContemplativeFox for the generous sample.

To finish up my High West series, I have three samples of their A Midwinter Nights Dram from three different acts. First up is Act 5 Scene 6 that @Scott_E was very generous to provide. The nose starts with a mix of powdered sugar coated balsamic strawberries, cola and dusty oak then a mild pipe tobacco smoke and chocolate covered cherries followed by star anise spiced baked pears that transitions to dill, spearmint and cloves with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with creamy and lightly sweetened red berries with a mild tangy sourness that quickly veers towards a moderate bitter spice that slowly fades to pipe tobacco, leather and mocha followed by star anise spiced baked pears that transitions to cloves, dill, and light spearmint with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a mild rye and pepper spice, dark chocolate covered cherries, espresso, ginger, dill and charred pine cones. A very delicious rye that the port finish manages to enhance those base rye notes with sweet and sour red berries, but the taste and finish have a higher spice than I prefer. Final score: 3.75 Next up is Act 8 Scene 1 that @ctbeck11 was very generous to provide. The nose starts with a mix of powdered sugar covered brandy soaked cherries, cola and light pipe smoke then dark chocolate covered hazelnuts and freeze dried strawberries followed by cinnamon apple pie and orange zest that transitions to dill, cloves and fresh picked wintergreen leaves with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with brandy soaked cherries that quickly veers towards a moderate bitter spice that slowly fades to pipe tobacco, leather and chocolate covered hazelnuts followed by sour apple and orange zest that transitions to dill, ginger, cloves and charred pine cones with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a moderate rye and pepper spice, brandy soaked cherries, cocoa nibs, ginger, dill and burnt pine cone ash. This one isn't as refined as the Act 5 Scene 6 and has flavors of brandy soaked fruits that brings about more sour and bitter flavors along with higher ashy notes. It's still a very tasty rye with those port flavors, but fails to keep up with the Act 5 Scene 6. Final score: 3.5 Last up is Act 9 Scene 4 that @soonershrink was very generous to provide. The nose starts with soft and lightly sweetened raspberries, Angel food cake and cola then milk chocolate covered raisins, toasted hazelnuts and light floral notes followed by baked pears and maraschino cherries that transitions to dill, spearmint and lightly toasted pumpernickel bread with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with soft and creamy red berries and cola that then veers into a mild bitter spice that fades to a mild pipe tobacco smoke and cherries jubilee followed by chocolate covered toasted marshmallow, baked pears and orange zest that transitions to cloves, ginger, dill, spearmint and lightly toasted pumpernickel bread with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a mild pepper spice, dark chocolate covered cherries, toasted marshmallow, light florals, cloves and charred pumpernickel bread. Side by side with the other acts, this one comes out the victor with a better balance of those sweet red fruits and rye flavors with some light floral notes that I didn't detect in the other acts that still has a bitter spice on the taste and finish, but is much more restrained allowing for more flavors to come through. Final score: 4.0 Conclusion: This was a lot of fun to side by side and rate 3 different batches of MWND and each one was a tasty rye but batch variation is clearly a factor on how they turn out. If I was able to find one of these at $100, I'd likely buy a bottle, but I'd easily pass on any price above that. Overall score for all: 3.75

Next up on my High West series is their American Prairie that was finished in brandy casks and bottled at 51% ABV. The nose starts with a mix of light sour lemon, grape must and pipe tobacco then dark chocolate covered almonds followed by pears, prunes and peach ring candy that transitions to mild earthy notes of leather and dusty oak with light ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with creamy fruits that then veers towards a mild bitter spice that slowly fades to grape juice and pipe tobacco then dark chocolate covered toasted marshmallow followed by baked pears, apples and orange zest that transitions to black pepper, leather and mild bitter black tea with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with dark chocolate, espresso, freeze dried apples, raisins, ginger and a mild bitter oak spice. This is a very enjoyable dram that manages to enhance those typical bourbon flavors with the brandy finish adding some extra complexity, but the balance is slightly off with some mild bitterness on the palate and finish. These appear to cost under $40 which is a fantastic price for a tasty bourbon with some brandy notes that would be a great one to have around for a daily drinker. I'm not sure how @soonershrink manages to find all these great value picks, but a huge thank you for sharing this one with me.

To start off a short High West series is a rye that was finished in an Aquavit cask. I had no clue what Aquavit is, so a quick google revealed that it's a neutral spirit distilled from grain or potato (much like vodka or gin), that is commonly flavored with caraway as its dominant spice, though dill is prevalent as well and is principally produced in Scandinavia. The nose starts with a mix of a mild sour lemon, dill, wintergreen and toasted caraway seeds then chocolate covered toasted marshmallow followed by grapefruit, sour apple and orange zest that transitions to aniseed and charred pine cones with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a moderate sour and bitter spice that slowly fades to toasted almonds and cacao nibs followed by sour apple and tangerine orange that transitions to dill, spearmint, aniseed and charred pine cones with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sour lemon, dark chocolate, toasted marshmallow, dill and burnt caraway seeds. Overall, an interesting and enjoyable dram that has a youthful sourness along with rye, light sweets and some charred forest notes that has an off-putting moderate bitter spice to start on the palate before fading to those notes on the nose and finishes sour and earthy with light sweet notes. Thanks @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.

The nose is velvety and soft that begins with a mix of orange creamsicle, candied fennel seeds and vanilla cupcake then chocolate covered toasted almonds along with light notes of honeysuckle and forest floors followed by canned peaches, dehydrated apricots and candied lemon peel that transitions to spearmint, light rye and a mild black pepper spice with no ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with orange creamsicle that quickly veers towards a moderate peppery rye spice that slowly fades to chocolate covered toasted marshmallow and almonds then honeysuckle, light minerality and forest floors followed by canned peaches, dehydrated apricots and candied lemon peel that transitions to spearmint, cloves and a mild black pepper spice with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with charred pine cones, dark chocolate covered almonds, peaches, spearmint and a moderate black pepper spice. As a huge fan of Canadian whiskey, I was really excited to dive into this one with 11 different whisky components that were blended together. The nose is light and welcoming with soft notes of citrus, rye, nuts, florals and forest earthiness that carries over to the palate but has a slightly higher spice to start than I'd prefer before fading to those soft notes found on the nose before the finish that leans on the earthy rye spice flavors with mild fruits. These appear to cost under $100, but seem to be hard to find now based on a quick internet search. If someone does happen to stumble on a bottle, I'd highly recommend it as it's a fun one to explore. Thanks @Richard-ModernDrinking for the generous sample.

To celebrate my 300th tasting, I decided to finally open my sample of this 40 year old single malt from Fettercairn that was distilled in December 1977 followed by aging in white oak ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in Apostoles sherry casks and finally bottled at 48.9% ABV. The nose starts with a mix of cavernous minerality, dusty leather bound books and creamy tropical fruits then cocoa powder dusted prunes followed by caramelized peaches, dehydrated apricots and orange blossom that transitions to sweet pipe tobacco and antique polished mahogany furniture with medium ethanol burn. The taste is rich oily mouthfeel starting with sweet creamy tropical fruits that quickly fades to old earthy notes of dusty leather bound books and cavernous minerality then toasted walnuts, black tea and cocoa powder dusted prunes followed by caramelized peaches, dehydrated apricots and mandarin orange peel that transitions to sweet pipe tobacco and freshly lacquered antique mahogany furniture with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with high percentage dark chocolate, dehydrated figs, light tropical fruits, cavernous minerality, black tea and dusty old leather bound books that lingers for minutes. The 40 years of age is apparent with rich old polished wood notes running throughout this whisky that never veers towards an overaged bitterness along with creamy tropical fruits, citrus and a mild sour sherry that all work in harmony with exceptional balance before the long and lingering finish that continues to slowly reveal additional flavors minutes after each sip. This is an absolute masterpiece that really shows what a well-aged whisky can become with time, patience and expert blending, but sadly at a price of $3000+, I don't think this will be a bottle I'll be buying any time soon unless I want to wake up to a Godfather-like scene where I see the empty bottle with the severed unicorn head logo with divorce paperwork inside.

This is a blend of three whiskies from undisclosed distilleries: 75% Grain Irish Whiskey, 5% Single Malt Irish Whiskey distilled in Ireland, and 20% Single Malt Irish Whiskey distilled in Northern Ireland. The blend aged 10–12 years in ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry butts, then were finished in a cask that previously held dark Jamaican rum from an undisclosed distillery. This release came in 375ml bottles and at an ABV of 52.5%, but I didn't think it deserved another listing on Distiller. The nose is rich starting with a mix of pineapple, banana cream pie and toasted coconut then chocolate covered raisins and macadamia nuts followed by light floral notes before fruits of sautéed apples, caramelized peaches and tangerine orange that transitions to light ginger and toasted sourdough bread with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a rich and creamy mouthfeel starting with a mix of pineapple, banana cream pie and toasted coconut then a spicy mocha and macadamia nuts followed by light floral notes before fruits of caramelized peaches, lemon zest and tangerine orange that transitions to ginger, cloves and toasted sourdough bread with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with chocolate covered espresso beans, pineapple, caramelized peaches, ginger, cloves and vanilla Bundt cake. For me, this is a stunning blend that has a rich syrupy nose that balances the Irish, rum and sherry flavors into a harmonious mix that allows for each flavor to come through without overpowering the others that carries over to palate with some spicy earthy espresso notes before finishing long with espresso, citrus, sweets and mild spices. The only flaw with this one is that there is a youthful sourness in the background of those bold and rich flavors that ever so slightly distracts from the experience. At $90 for a 375ml, it's pricey but the quality and depth of flavors are something that I think won't disappoint any fan of Irish and rum.

The nose starts with a mix of rich maple syrup, figs and sweet pipe tobacco then chocolate covered espresso beans followed by diced sautéed cinnamon apples, morello cherry jam and orange blossom that transitions to black tea, and charred whole wheat toast with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a mix of maple syrup, figs and flapjacks then sweet pipe tobacco smoke and a spicy mocha followed by diced sautéed cinnamon apples, morello cherry jam and orange blossom that transitions to toasted almonds, polished leather, light sawdust and mildly bitter black tea with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with chocolate covered espresso beans, toasted almonds, charred marshmallow, polished leather, mildly bitter black tea and light sawdust. This is a fantastic one that really pulls you in with a syrupy rich nose with a balance of fruits, coffee, tobacco and a light Texas funk that carries over to the palate with the addition of toasted nuts, leather and slightly tannic oak that finishes long with sweet and earthy notes that veers slightly higher on the tannic side but no where near overwhelming. I'm a big fan of Texas whiskey and this one really delivered with those bold flavors with a near perfect balance. At around $50, I wouldn't recommend buying a bottle, but instead a case as this can easily beat most of the tater bate or stupid celebrity swill at 2 to 3x the price. Thanks @soonershrink for the generous sample.