Tastes

To celebrate the holiday season, I’ve been holding onto this sample from @PBMichiganWolverine for a while and am excited to finally crack it open with the winter weather and finally try out Paul John distillery. The nose starts with an effervescent sherry note with dark chocolate and figs followed by Fuji apples and orange peel before a light smoke and minerality that fades to spices of anise, pine needles, and light oak with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with light sherry sulfur then dark chocolate, roasted nuts and figs followed by sour apples and grapefruit pith before a moderate tannic spice with light smoke that slowly fades to spices of anise, pine needles, and ashy oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with orange peel, green apple, moderate sulfur, anise, pine and ashy oak. The nose starts off with a nice mix of those sherry dark chocolate and figs along with citrus fruits, light smoke and spices that make me feel in the winter mood and that Santa has come with some treats. Sadly, Santa was only pretending to visit and it was a ruse as Krampus was behind him with his birch rod waiting to pounce on the taste and assault my taste buds with sulfur, sour citrus, tannic spice and ashy oak that thankfully the devious duo left with this finishing with pithy sour fruit, sulfur, light spice and ashy oak. Looking at other reviews, this might be one of those polarizing drams that you either love or hate. The only other option is that this is perhaps a well-engineered product to reward the nice and punish the naughty. Alas, I guess I fall into the hate it and naughty crowd on this one.

This 2002 vintage has been aged for 17 years, 14 years spent in a refill oak and then finished for the last three years in Pedro Ximénez casks then bottled at 49.3%. The nose starts with a sour and sweet mix of gooseberry and sherry followed by chocolate covered raisins then pithy fruit of orange and lemon then light sulfur that transitions to spices of ginger, cloves and reclaimed driftwood with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting sweet with chopped apples and mandarin oranges followed by chocolate covered raisins then pithy fruit of grapefruit and lemon that then veers to a medium tannic and drying spice that slowly fades black pepper, ginger root, cloves and soggy drift wood with medium ethanol burn. The finish is short with grapefruit pith, sour apple, dark chocolate, ginger root, burnt yet still smoking cloves, and ashy oak. This is terrible from start to finish with notes of sour, sulfur, pithy fruit melody and water logged oak on the nose that the taste manages to show some promise with some nice fruit flavors before bitter pith fruit and a tannic drying spice invade that finishes drying, sour and tannic. The only thing left to do with this pour is determine how to dispose of it because I’m certainly not finishing this sample and after some thought, I determined the best disposal of this will be a winning prize carnival goldfish style funeral with me saying goodbye to this overpriced sour whiskey as it swirls down the drain.

The nose starts with a sweetness that reminds me of opening a fresh bag of marshmallows then rich caramel followed with chocolate covered candied nuts (leaning towards peanut brittle) then fruits of caramelized banana, cherries jubilee, apple pie filling and orange zest before old leather and polished mahogany finishing with spearmint, light barrel spices of cloves, ginger, red hots candy and a high ethanol burn. The taste starts with a full mouthfeel leading with a big Kentucky hug of rich caramel then comes dark chocolate covered candied nuts leading to fruits of banana pudding, cherry cough syrup, apple streusel, and orange zest that veers towards a medium drying tannic spice before fading to spearmint then barrel spices of ginger, cloves, old leather and ashy oak with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with salted roasted peanut shells, spearmint, ashy oak, old leather, banana pudding, orange zest, apple streusel, and dark chocolate covered toasted marshmallow. This is a big and bold whiskey that brings in a balanced nose of those traditional bourbon flavors of chocolate, nuts, citrus, leather and oak with some earthy spices that carries over to the palate but has an off-putting medium tannic spice mid-palate that throws off the balance before fading to earthy spices and a medium finish with those traditional flavors coming back for one last encore before this whiskey performance ends. Old Carter sources very solid to absolutely outstanding bourbon, but their bourbons often, but not always, tend to lean towards a bitter note on the mid-palate that might work for some, but always throws it off for me. At $200+ dollars and what seems like a cult-like status now, I’d drink the batches and single barrels at a bar to ensure you like it before diving into a full bottle purchase.

As a spirit’s enthusiast, I’m always on the hunt for a good deal or some new bottle that sounds interesting. During my daily browsing, I stumbled on news that Barrell had released a 24-year-old Canadian whiskey that was finished in Armagnac and oloroso casks which immediately kicked in my inner whiskey lion instincts to hunt my new prey. I immediately started hunting for a bottle, but alas, it was elusive as none of my usual online stores had it and seemed likely to be gobbled up by savvy, bottle flipping hyenas that would taunt me with their infuriating secondary prices. Thankfully, I was given a tip to go to Barrell’s website which had a variety of bottles at retail price that you can simply add to cart, double tap that Apple pay button and they will show up to your house a few days later. Now that the hunt is over, it’s time to sit down with my new catch and dive in. The nose is soft and light that starts with powdered sugar before floral and grassy notes of a spring meadow with a morning dew followed by persimmons, mangoes and honey dew then roasted nuts and chocolate covered raisins that fades to spices of ginger, wintergreen, spearmint and forest floors covered in pine needles with light ethanol burn. The taste is a medium-full mouthfeel starting with chamomile tea with lavender petals followed by fruits of persimmons, Bosc pear, and salted mango followed by banana leaves then a stream washing over forest rocks along with chocolate covered almonds that fades to spices of ginger, wintergreen, spearmint, and pine needles with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with chamomile tea, blooming lavender flowers, orange blossom, apple peel, dark chocolate covered macadamia nuts, roasted fennel, wintergreen, spearmint, and forest floors. So, this is a very complex one that brings in a soft and balanced nose of sweets, florals, tropical fruits, light nutty notes and earthy spices that carries over to the palate starting with tea and floral notes then tropical fruits that fades to leafy notes, rocky minerality and chocolate nutty flavors before earthy spices emerge that finishes long with tea, floral, citrus, nutty notes and earthy spices that linger for minutes. Barrell always seems to be releasing high quality products, but this is a complete masterpiece that the finishes are barely recognizable and simply enhances the complexity with additional flavors without overpowering the underlying spirit. There are some similarities here with my Lock Stock and Barrel 18, so a comparison seems warranted. Side by side with Lock Stock and Barrel 18, the Lock Stock seems more youthful and abrasive whereas the Barrell seems lighter with a better balance that brings those unique floral, forests, tropical fruits and chocolate nutty flavors that keeps pulling me back to pour another glass. At $250, this is an expensive treat, but with a 24-year-old age statement with some unique finishes this one seems worthy of a splurge.

The nose is a sherry bomb starting with dark chocolate raisins followed by fruits of apples and oranges then a moderate spice that fades to musty grapes and a charred piece of whole wheat toast with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with dark chocolate raisins followed by fruits of apples and oranges then a high tannic and drying spice that fades to musty grapes, ginger, cloves and a charred piece of whole wheat toast with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with drying spices, dark chocolate covered raisins, toasted marshmallow, and ashy oak. The nose is completely dominated by what seems to be an overactive sherry cask that allows some orchard fruit and toast through that carries over to the palate with a high drying spice mid-palate before fading to musty grapes, barrel spices and toast that finished medium length with a drying spice along with sherry. This one didn’t work for me and comes off as youthful and abrasive that could have used more time in the cask to really calm down that astringency which makes this taste almost like sherry fire water. A huge thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the generous sample.

For a virtual blind challenge, I decided to pull out some of my favorite bottles to see what would come out as the top and lined up Barrell 15(2021), Garrison Brothers Cowboy (2019), Lux Row 12-year Double Barrel, Proof and Wood 25 year and Lock Stock and Barrel 18 year. As we made it through the lineup, laughs were shared, a variety of tasting notes described and then lastly the decisions to rank the pours were tallied resulting in the majority choosing the Proof and Wood 25 year as best of the night. After the fun of the virtual tasting and realizing that this is the only one I have yet to rate, I decided to pour another glass and do a deep dive into this one. The nose starts with rich butterscotch with rye spices of dill and fresh baked pumpernickel bread then floral notes of honeysuckle and orange blossom along with a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt then a mix of cereal and fruit with apple peel, caramelized peaches over vanilla gelato, lemon rind then dark chocolate covered roasted macadamia nuts followed by spearmint and very light oak spices of a whole cinnamon stick, ginger and freshly fallen autumn leaves along a hiking trail with no ethanol burn. The taste starts with a manuka honey taste and rich mouthfeel that coats your mouth starting with floral notes of honeysuckle and orange blossom along with a pinch of Himalayan sea salt then fruit notes of green apple peel, caramelized peaches over vanilla creme brûlée, lemon gum drop candy then comes chocolate syrup and toasted macadamia nuts followed by whipped buttered on top of pumpernickel bread, spearmint, ginger and freshly brewed black tea that slowly fades to antique leather armchair with light ethanol burn. The finish is long with manuka honey, honeysuckle, orange blossom, roasted macadamia nut butter, vanilla madeleine cookie, dark chocolate orange, caramelized peaches, whipped butter on pumpernickel bread, ginger, cloves, spearmint and antique leather armchair that lingers for minutes. This is an incredible whiskey that manages to bring in big, bold and rich flavors of rye, citrus, floral, cereal and old oak balanced perfectly on the nose which carries over to the taste with an incredibly rich mouthfeel with perfect balance of those same flavors before finishing long with rye, citrus, floral and old oak that pulls you back in for another taste. While exploring this one, I realized that there are a lot of similarities here to my Caledonian 40 year which is a single grain scotch, so I decided to put them in a side by side match. Side by side, the Cally is lighter and more restrained whereas the Proof and Wood is big and bold which simply rolls over the Cally making it seem watery and lacking flavor which was not the case in drinking it by itself. A simply stunning whiskey that sadly does not come cheap and is a very limited release of 500 bottles that cost between $350-500. So, if the budget can accommodate and you’re interested in trying some light whiskey, this is a solid bottle to buy.