Tastes

For my 200th review, I decided to go for the 2019 version of Highland Park 30 that was bottled at 45.2%. Instead of going for a full bottle with the high admission price of $1k+, I was able to pick up two one-ounce samples from The Whiskey Exchange for a reasonable price. Before I opened the samples, I fed my orange cat some wet-food to calm his inner Scar which tends to sense fear followed by waiting with baited breath to strike his prey of an unattended whisky glass off the counter similar to watching Mufasa fall off the cliff before dashing off to hide and revel with glee of accomplishing his destructive deed. With him satiated after a cat style Thanksgiving dinner, I opened the samples, poured them in a glass then pushed it behind a barrier and let it breathe for about 30 minutes before returning to it to dive in. The nose is soft and delicate starting with an initial sherry blast with cinnamon raisin cookies followed by ocean brine and light smoke underscoring fruits of grilled peaches, sautéed caramel apples, and fresh figs that transitions to light floral notes and minerality before fading to spices of ginger, cloves, perfectly balanced old oak and leather with light ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with sherry notes of chocolate covered raisins along with cinnamon sugar cookies followed by a background of ocean brine and light smoke underscoring fruits of grilled peaches, sautéed caramel apples, orange zest and figgy pudding before a mild drying spice that fades to ginger, cloves, dusty library books and slightly ashy old oak with light ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with dark chocolate covered raisins, caramel apple fritters, orange zest, ocean brine, ginger, cloves, light peat smoke, leather and slightly ashy oak. This is a beautifully well composed whisky that starts with a light, delicate and balanced nose with a mix of sherry, orchard fruits, salt, smoke and old oak that carries over to the taste where the sherry is front and center before a backdrop of sea and smoke with orchard fruits that veers towards a mild dry spice that fades to ashy old oak and finishes medium length with dark chocolate, sherry, orchard fruits and ashy oak. The balance is near perfect on this one, but my main gripe is that the flavors are so light with a thinner body and a slightly tannic oak spice on the palate and finish. This could have been a perfect whisky with a higher proof on it to ramp those flavors up and give it a better viscosity, but that’s my personal preference of being a proof ***** and loving 50%+ drams best.

I’ve been interested in trying Milk and Honey for a while now, but have kept hearing mixed reviews and with their relatively young age statements, I’ve steered clear. Thankfully @PBMichiganWolverine was kind enough to provide me with a sample of this pomegranate wine finished whisky to try and finally be able to check Israeli off my whisky globe country list. After pouring the sample and going in for a nose it’s strong and closed off with sour fruits and that high proof overpowering the notes, but after a good 15 minutes the high ethanol begins to calm down to reveal those malty fruity flavors. The nose starts with a rich caramel followed by buttermilk pancakes that are topped with whipped cream and fruits of pomegranate seeds, sour cherries and strawberry syrup that transitions to light floral notes then spices of ginger, cloves, leather and polished oak with high ethanol burn. The taste is a rich mouthfeel starting with fresh baked cinnamon rolls that are topped with cream cheese frosting that transitions to fruits of pomegranate seeds, sour cherries, sautéed apples and orange peel that then has a medium drying spice that then fades to dark chocolate, light floral notes then to spices of ginger, cloves, leather and medium tannic oak with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sour cherries, pomegranate juice, dark chocolate, cinnamon churros, orange zest, ginger, cloves, leather and slightly ashy oak. This is a rich high proof whisky that starts with a nose of pastry, balanced mix of sour red fruits showcasing that pomegranate wine cask along with oak barrel spices that carries over to the palate with rich sweet pastry leading before those sour fruits of the pomegranate wine intermix with bourbon citrus that turns into a medium dry spice mid-palate that fades to chocolate, light floral and barrel spices before finishing with a mild sourness, pomegranate, red berries, citrus, dark chocolate, fried pastry notes and slightly tannic oak. If you enjoy pomegranates and whisky, this is a must buy that manages to find a balanced approach to combine those sour red berries in with a rich decadent whisky. These appear to be costing around $100 right now, which might seem like a lot for a 3-year-old whisky, but it’s a very unique spin that works well and I really hope they have some future releases of older stock with the pomegranate finish.

The nose is light and has a youthful astringency that starts with a mild spice that fades to fruits of Granny Smith apple and mandarin oranges that transitions to fresh out of the oven pie crust, light floral notes then barrel spices and mild oak with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a thin-medium mouthfeel starting with a mild spice that fades to fruits of Granny Smith apple and mandarin orange peel that then has a medium drying spice that transitions to unfrosted sugar cookies, ginger, cloves, spearmint and mild ashy oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sautéed apples, orange zest, ginger, cloves, spearmint, and mild ashy oak. A very enjoyable pour that suffers from some youthful astringency and a thinner mouthfeel than I’d prefer that makes those traditional bourbon notes light and tame on the taste with a drying spice along with some ashy oak. For the $60 these costs, it’s not a bad purchase, but I’d rather spend the money on a Russel’s Reserve Single Barrel, Four Roses Single Barrel or OF 1920. A big thanks to @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.

Many years ago, I had ordered a sample of a New Zealand whiskey that was aged for 25 years from a ghosted distillery that would have cost several hundred for a bottle, but thankfully the sample was available for a reasonable rate. My main memory from that experience was tutti-frutti bubble gum flavored rubber mulch, but thankfully @PBMichiganWolverine was kind enough to send me over a sample of an 18 year old to review. Let’s see if that memory is close or if that was just a bad bottle. The nose starts with a floral rubbery note almost as if someone decided to put perfume on their Jeep’s tires followed by tutti-frutti bubble gum, sour cherries, and sautéed apples that transitions to ginger, chestnuts and moderate oak spice with low ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel that starts with that floral rubbery note but more like bitter rubber mulch with perfume that you’re chewing on followed by you spitting that perfume mulch out to replace it with chewing a tutti-frutti bubble gum with the wrapper still on, sour cherries, and grapefruit that transitions to ginger, chestnuts, acetone and moderate oak spice with low ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with rubber mulch, slight red berry flavor and burnt leaf ash. Well, this one was rough and my memory was very close to what this one tasted like. The nose was a warning of what was to come with sour fruit, rubber and light spices, but the taste is bitter with rubber, perfume, tutti-frutti gum and acetone notes that finishes medium length with light fruit in the background of rubber and ash. I’m very grateful that @PBMichiganWolverine shared with me a pour from this ghosted distillery and can see why they shuttered their doors after all.

After pouring the sample that @jonwilkinson7309 was kind enough to provide, I went in for a nose and was overwhelmed by the high alcohol blast like a whiskey geyser just blew through my sinuses overpowering any notes. After several drops of water and about 15 minutes of resting, the whiskey geyser and proceeding to the glass with some caution, I found that the burn had settled down allowing the notes to shine through. The nose starts with a rye blast along with caramel apple that then fades to more of a baked apple pie along with stewed plums, cherries jubilee then candied ginger, nutmeg, and freshly baked pumpernickel bread with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a high rye spice that then fades vanilla ice cream topped slice of baked apple pie along with plum pudding, cherries jubilee before a medium drying spice comes in before transitioning to candied ginger, nutmeg, and freshly baked pumpernickel bread with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with apple cider, plums, cinnamon graham cracker and a drying rye spice. Overall, this is an enjoyable pour with bold flavors of rye and apple, but has some youthfulness and a high spice on the taste and finish that throws off the balance and experience. I’d really like to see what this could be if it was aged for a few more years which could remove those youthful flaws and balance out those spicy notes to be a really incredible rye, but will have to wait to see if New York Distilling or Lost Lantern will do a pick from some older stock later on.

The nose is rich starting with a light smoke and butterscotch that fades to fruits of pear tart, apple pie filling, and maraschino cherries that transitions to smoked brisket then light floral notes, vanilla pudding that transitions to spices of cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, ginger, and glowing embers of mesquite wood with high ethanol burn. The taste is a rich mouthfeel starting with honeycomb and moderate smoke along with Carolina BBQ sauced baby back ribs that fades to McDonalds baked apple pie, orange peel and maraschino cherries followed by a high drying spice that fades to spicy dark chocolate, smoked paprika, ginger, leather and ashy tannic mesquite wood with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with mesquite smoked brisket, honeycomb, spicy dark chocolate, caramel apples, orange peel, canned peaches, leather and drying ashy oak. Lost Lantern seems to go for those big bold flavored single casks and this is no exception that brings a combination of barbecue, citrus and spices on the nose that carries over to the taste with more meaty and smoky flavors than the nose but veers towards a high drying spice mid-palate that then reveals some spicy chocolate notes along with ashy mesquite oak that finishes with some nice barbecue and citrus but again that overabundance of tannic oak remains throws off the finish. A huge thanks to @ctbeck11 for the generous sample for me to taste.

The nose is thick and rich that starts with a blonde roast caramel macchiato followed by grade a dark maple syrup covered flapjacks then fruits of stewed plums, fresh dates, sautéed cinnamon apples, and black cherries that transitions to red hot candy, ginger, nutmeg, worn cowboy boots and cherry wood burning in a fireplace with high ethanol burn. The taste is a viscous oily maple syrup texture that starts with a high oak spice that fades to blonde roast caramel macchiato followed by flapjacks cooked in brown butter then fruits of prunes, cinnamon apple pie, and charred orange peel that transitions a high drying spice that slowly fades to chocolate covered candied pecans, ginger, nutmeg, worn cowboy boots and ashy tannic oak with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with ashy tannic oak, espresso, chocolate covered marshmallow, apple chips, black cherries and candied pecans. Balcones certainly knows how to make a big bold flavorful whiskey that starts with an amazing nose filled with coffee, citrus, bready notes and barrel spices that carries over to the taste but veers towards a high drying spice mid-palate that then reveals some nutty chocolate notes along with ashy bitter oak that finishes with a characteristic Balcones of citrus, espresso, berries, toasted marshmallow but an overabundance of tannic ashy oak remains throwing off the balance. In a side by side with the Barrell 15 year (2021) edition, this held its own which is very impressive to keep up with a $220 whiskey but if tannic oak can easily overpower your palate like me, you might want to look elsewhere. A huge thanks to @ctbeck11 for the generous sample for me to taste.

Here appears to be a newcomer to the whiskey scene that I was swayed into purchasing after a cordial whiskey discussion with a manager at my nearest ABC store and her recommendation along with wanting to provide a little support to a small craft distillery made here in Virginia with an entry price of a $30 for a 375ml. From what I could find, the mashbill is 51% corn, 45% rye, 4% malted barley, aged no more than 5 years since they were founded in 2016 and is bottled at 45%. The bottle comes with a nice leather tag that you can pull on to take the plastic condom off the top with a barrel and story number for you to jot down in a whiskey diary of the bottle and story that coincides with it being consumed. Marketing says that these are bottled in a 375ml so that you can easily drink the full bottle in one setting with friends, so they appear to be going for getting wasted over a bonfire. Well time to crack my bottle open which is bottle no. 30 and story no. 336 and see if this will be tasty enough for me to find my drunken frontiersman or just pour it down a drain. The nose starts with chocolate covered pinwheel cookies followed by charred orange peel and caramel cinnamon apple fritter then high rye spices along with nutmeg, cloves, spearmint and roasted peanuts with the shell on with light ethanol burn. The taste is a thin-medium mouthfeel starting with a caramel covered s’mores sandwich followed by fruits of apple peel and orange zest before a medium spice before finally transitioning to barrel spices of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, light spearmint chewing gum and light oak with a medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with toasted marshmallow, shell on roasted peanuts, graham cracker, milk chocolate, orange zest, apple coffee cake, spearmint, dill, and light oak spice. So this isn’t drink a full bottle, strip down naked, run around in the great outdoors and chase BigFoot level of whiskey but is very enjoyable with some toasted marshmallow flavor along with traditional bourbon flavors and high rye notes that is incredibly easy to drink without any tannic bitterness or youthful astringency that can easily be enjoyed with friends. This profile seems vaguely familiar so a raid to my whiskey cabinets resulted in a side by side with my Nulu toasted bourbon that was aged for 5 years and 2 months and this is basically the same whiskey. I then grabbed what was left of my Smoke Wagon Small Batch and this was almost an exact match. This does not seem like a Virginia distillate, but probably a sourced MGP that has been aged in Virginia. If I’m wrong, then I’m impressed that this Virginia distillate can resemble good young MGP and they deserve some credit for creating something very enjoyable for a young distillery.

The nose is light and subtle that starts with fruits of canned peaches in syrup, apple picking on a cool fall day and golden plums then a light smoke develops showcasing bacon wrapped dates along with bit-o-honey candy that transitions to moderate spices of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, leather and cherry wood with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a thin-medium mouthfeel starting with caramelized brown sugar coated grilled peaches, apple cider cooked with a whole cinnamon stick and cloves, golden raisins then a medium smoke and spice mid-palate that slowly fades to a rubbery note similar to a stroll down the tire section of Walmart along with a mild youthful astringency, spices of ginger, nutmeg, and mild oak bitterness with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with chocolate covered bacon wrapped dates, apple bread pudding, cloves, ginger, light oak and mild astringency. Overall this is a tasty and interesting whiskey that has an incredible nose with a mix of citrus, light smoked meats, rich candy, balanced oak and spice, but the taste is thinner than I expected starting with enjoyable citrus notes before the smoke takes over in a rubbery way along with either astringency or hoppy florals that finishes with some barbecue, citrus and youthful astringency or hoppy florals. A big thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for the generous sample.

In a virtual get together with @PBMichiganWolverine @ctbeck11 and @Richard-ModernDrinking , we had some incredible pours and started off with this Blue Spot 7 year blind followed by Cally 40 year, Lock Stock and Barrel 18 and Springbank 8 year. The nose starts with rich shortbread cookies followed by a mix of berries (raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) and orchard fruit that transitions to a light minerality along with chocolate covered raisins that fades to gingerbread cookies with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a rich mouth coating viscosity that starts with caramel covered shortbread cookies followed by a mix of berry stew(raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) and orchard fruit that transitions to a medium spice that slowly fades to a light minerality along with chocolate covered raisins before gingerbread cookies and light oak with medium-high ethanol burn. The finish is long with caramel apples, orange zest, dehydrated mangoes, chocolate covered raisins, light minerality, and light baking spices. When I first tasted this one, I thought it must have been from an island or coastal Scotch with some of those sherry notes and what I thought of as sea salt minerality, but was surprised to find out it was hard to come by Blue Spot. This is not your typical Irish whiskey and really brings those big bold flavors with a nice mix of berries, orchard fruits, perfectly balanced sherry and a light oak. A huge thank you to @PBMichiganWolverine for sharing this one with our group and even though the pours were great, the conversation was the main delight of the night.