Tastes

A friend of mine recently gave me this 1st release bottle of Floki which is an Icelandic single malt, produced from 100% Icelandic barley and bottled at 47% from a single barrel. The nose has a youthful astringency that starts with a mixture of wet sheep wool and the rug section in Home Depot followed by a prepper’s stash of bunkered 7-year-old Golden raisins in old musty cardboard boxes and white peaches that transitions to animal soiled barnyard hay with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting very sour with nail polish remover along with a mixture of wet sheep’s wool and new carpet followed by a rotting cardboard box holding fruits of apricots and white peaches that transition to a medium spice before fading to ginger, clay and animal soiled barnyard hay with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with dark chocolate covered espresso beans, white peaches, apricots, hay and lanolin. So, this is a strange one that brings in a nose of farm yard funk with linoleum, stale citrus fruits and musty cardboard that carries onto the palate with a medium spice before the best part of the finish that is like drinking a cup of mocha and eating stone fruit while petting a freshly sheared sheep. I’m usually a fan of some weird funky flavors, but the balance on this is off and goes towards an all-out farm forward funk instead of an interesting background note. All of these flavors might be more balanced out now because this was the 1st release that was very young and they have recently released some 3-year-old to the US, but I think I’ll be waiting for some reviews on those before jumping back into this full-on farmyard funky liquid.

On a recent visit to Kentucky with some friends, the three of us started our day enjoying some bourbon at Lux Row distillery while trying to find some peacocks, thanks to the story by @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington followed by dinner at Bardstown Bourbon Company. Upon being seated, we were presented with a whiskey list, but none of Bardstown finished releases were on there and we were warned that many on the list were out of stock. After placing our orders, I was notified my choice was out of stock, followed by another failed order while the other two surprisingly were able to pick correctly on their first attempt. Frustration, on top of my bourbon thirst intensifying while jealously watching my friends enjoying their whiskey, I might have made a rash decision to order the Kentucky Owl Dry State because surely no one orders that and correctly, a glass finally arrived at our table for me. The nose starts with dusty oak that encompasses everything but allows for some light fruits of apple and orange along with a vanilla caramel followed by salted peanut shells to peek through before barrel spices of ginger, black pepper, old cracking leather and what seems like the two slabs of charred dusty oak with a pureed acorn filling sandwich with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with dusty oak that stays in the background along with light fruits of apple peel, light cherry and orange peel followed by a moderate spice before fading to cocoa nibs, old cracking leather and highly tannic dusty oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with notes of light citrus of apples and oranges, some vanilla sweetness all in the background of an old cracking leather armchair, tannic old dusty oak, black tea and cocoa nibs. Overall, this is a very old bourbon that the earthy oaky notes have overpowered all of the traditional bourbon notes and you really have to work to be able to find them underneath all that oak. When the pour came to our table, we all took a sip and the best way to sum this whiskey up was my two friends reaction when I offered another taste, followed by a vocal “Nah, we’re good!” If you’re into an old tannic dusty woody profile with light citrus, this might be for you, but those earthy notes were just too much for me and apparently my friends too. It’s not a terrible whiskey, but probably just slightly above average and definitely not worth that hefty price tag.

I decided to take a night off of my blind tasting challenge to dive into this 30 year old Bunnahabhain that was distilled in December 1988 and bottled in August 2019 that aged in a single ex-bourbon cask which produced a total of 146 bottles that were bottled at a healthy cask strength of 57%. The nose starts with a slight hint of sea salt and light smoke that stays in the background of fruits of mango, papaya, peaches, lemon zest, and cherries followed by roasted macadamia nuts, dark chocolate and a thick caramel hug before transitioning to light minerality, ginger spice, leather and light cereal notes with high ethanol burn. The taste is a viscous mouthfeel starting with a thick caramel frosting on lemon vanilla cupcakes then a light hint of sea salt and light smoke that stays in the background of fruits of mangoes, peaches, nectarines, and cherries followed by a medium spice and light minerality that slowly fades to dark chocolate and barrel spices of ginger, cloves, leather and medium oak with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with light ash, minerality, sea spray, peaches, Meyer lemon, mangoes, papaya, macadamia nuts, dark chocolate, a light ginger spice, leather and medium oak that lingers for minutes. For 30 years in a barrel, this has aged incredibly well with a wonderful complexity and balance of flavors that has a very thick mouthfeel with a mixture of light sea spray and smoke intermixing with tropical and citrus fruits, roasted nuts, dark chocolate, light barrel spices and rich caramel with a long and lingering finish. I’m amazed with this one and decided to put it in a head to head challenge with my favorite Hazelburn 13(2020) and even though it was close, the Bunnahabhain came out the victor due to its richer mouthfeel and a better balance of flavors. Alas, it’ll be a sad day when this bottle is empty, but it appears based off K and L’s website that there are several other Bunnahabhain single casks by independent bottlers to choose from when that day does come for a fraction of the cost of what the normal 25 year would cost.

To change things up, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington sent me a series of samples that have either shapes or some code on them to prevent me from being able to know what they are until after I’ve tasted them. Will I mistake a rye for bourbon or completely miss a finish, who knows, but I’m dying to find out so let’s continue this blind challenge with the vial that has a pentagon on it. The nose starts with rich decadent chocolate turtles with candied pecans followed by fruits of orange zest and apple fritters along with vanilla creme brûlée that transitions to spearmint, cloves, vintage leather and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The taste is a viscous mouthfeel starting with fruits of mandarin oranges, candied cherries and apple fritters along with a light floral element followed by a moderate spice that fades to spearmint, ginger, cloves, vintage leather and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with orange zest, stewed cinnamon caramel apples, chocolate covered candied pecans, vanilla snack pack pudding, ginger, spearmint, cloves, vintage leather and polished mahogany that lingers for minutes. This is basically bourbon perfection in a glass, that starts with big and bold traditional bourbon flavors on the nose followed by a very rich decadent mouthfeel with precision balance of those bourbon notes flowing perfectly until the finale of a long lingering finish that feels like forever with those traditional bourbon notes, vanilla pudding, herbal spices and old polished leather showcasing some very well aged bourbon. Well now that I’m blown away, I’ll need to put this in a cage fight with some of my favorites to see if it can wear that 5-star belt. The competition was fierce with Garrison Brothers Cowboy coming in strong but ultimately suffering a knockout kick to the head due to its overall youthful character really being taken advantage of by this one and Heaven’s Door 10-year Redbreast Finish was simply screaming for mercy after the first punch by this monster that left it feeling a bit thin and needing to go compete in a featherweight class instead of the heavy weights were this one belongs. So sheesh, alright Lex way to blow some of my favorites away, but what on Earth is this, how big of a hole is my bank account going to suffer and can I still buy it? Drumroll please, cue smoke machines and laser show followed by pyrotechnics unveiling the slip that states…….. Kentucky Owl Bourbon Batch 10!!!!

To change things up, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington sent me a series of samples that have either shapes or some code on them to prevent me from being able to know what they are until after I’ve tasted them. Will I mistake a rye for bourbon or completely miss a finish, who knows, but I’m dying to find out so let’s continue this blind challenge with the vial that has an R1 on it. On the first nosing, this is an apricot rye alcohol blast that caused sinus damage and needed a few drops of water in it to calm it down. I then let it sit for 15 minutes to calm that Mike Tyson alcohol punch down while I my sinuses had time to recover and then approached with caution to find that the water tamed this beast to be able to identify some flavors instead of an alcohol uppercut, but found that the new challenge is the hodgepodge of eclectic flavors. I apologize in advance if this is me having some sort of brain aneurysm but I’ll just write these notes down and hope this makes sense when I find out what this is. The nose starts with dehydrated apricots or peaches then possible rum notes of canned pineapple and bananas foster followed by red vines along with an earthy note that transitions to a mix of spearmint, evergreen pine needles, star anise and fresh bandages with high ethanol burn. The taste is a viscous mouthfeel starting a rye blast up front followed with dehydrated apricots then rum notes of canned pineapple and bananas foster followed by a medium rye spice that fades to a mix of spearmint, evergreen pine needles, star anise and fresh bandages with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with apricot, maraschino cherries, Dr. Pepper, almond liqueur, pumpernickel bread, spearmint, and fresh bandages. Ok wow, what a flavor ride that must be a rye that’s been finished in rum casks and bottled at high cask strength. It’s a bit of a wild, unbalanced ride that has a mix of rye, tropical fruits, citrus and red berries that brings in earthy rye notes throughout the taste with a long finish of sweet fruits and rye spices. At first the flavor ride and proof were overwhelming but with time this grew on me to be very enjoyable with those strange combinations of flavors and a long enjoyable finish. If you’re looking for a weird combination of flavors and are a bit of a high proof nut, this might be a great rye for you. So what is this funky weird rye…… Willett 7 year Single Barrel Rye “Lion’s Share” 2019 bottled at 59.5%. Well hot damn, it’s not a finished rye after all and it turns out to be a freaking unicorn bottle on top of that. A huge thank you again to @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for the sample because I don’t think I’ll ever find one of these in the wild for a price I’d be willing to pay.

To change things up, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington sent me a series of samples that have either shapes or some code on them to prevent me from being able to know what they are until after I’ve tasted them. Will I mistake a rye for bourbon or completely miss a finish, who knows, but I’m dying to find out so let’s continue this blind challenge with the vial that has an R2 on it. The nose starts with a malted chocolate candy followed by fruits of charcoal grilled brown sugar coated peaches and sautéed cherries that transitions to an earthy notes of espresso beans and clay before fading to freshly baked pumpernickel bread, dill, cloves, leather and light oak with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with fruits of charcoal grilled brown sugar coated peaches and sautéed cherries that transitions to a dark chocolate mocha and toasted marshmallow with light spice before a bitterness of burnt caraway seeds and clay minerality that slowly fades to reveal dill, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, leather and light oak with medium ethanol burn. Finish is medium length with Cocoa Puffs cereal, toasted marshmallow, espresso, vanilla seeds, cinnamon, leather and light oak. So I believe this is a rye and a bizarre sweet and funky rye that has this mix of chocolate, espresso, fruits, and earthy minerality that isn’t very balanced with a weird bitterness on the mid-palate that faded away before the finish to leave me with a delicious childhood breakfast of Cocoa Puffs that brought me back until the glass was finished. Whatever this was, it was interesting and fun to drink but I don’t think I would want more than a glass of this. So what is this funky rye…… Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Chocolate Malted Rye Bourbon.

To change things up, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington sent me a series of samples that have either shapes or some code on them to prevent me from being able to know what they are until after I’ve tasted them. Will I mistake a rye for bourbon or completely miss a finish, who knows, but I’m dying to find out so let’s continue this blind challenge with the vial that has a star on it. I wonder if this sample is possibly a favorite as it gets that elementary school teacher’s approval of a well done gold star, but time to open the vial and find out if this project is deserving or not. The nose starts with butterscotch cream cheese frosting followed by fruits of figgy pudding, Granny Smith apple peel, and mandarin oranges that transitions to star anise, cardamom, leather and dusty oak with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with creamy vanilla pudding along with cherries jubilee and apple crumble that transitions to dark chocolate black bean brownies along with spices of star anise, dill, saffron, cardamom, leather and dusty oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with cherry flavored red vines, apple crumble, cinnamon red hots, a high percentage dark chocolate, dill, cardamom, saffron, leather and dusty oak that lingers for minutes. Wowza, this definitely deserves that gold star as this is a teacher’s pet project that is damn near perfection!!! There are layers upon layers of flavors that I would find each sip with those classic bourbon notes but with earthy minerality of high percentage dark chocolate and black beans mixed in with exotic spices I never thought to find in bourbon that finishes long and complex. So what on Earth is this masterpiece that got that gold star…… Remus Repeal Reserve III!!! Ok, I am shocked and disappointed in myself for not buying a Remus Repeal now. For the price tag under $100, this is an absolute gem and screaming deal of a whiskey that I now have on my radar for when the next release comes out to make sure to grab one.

To change things up, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington sent me a series of samples that have either shapes or some code on them to prevent me from being able to know what they are until after I’ve tasted them. Will I mistake a rye for bourbon or completely miss a finish, who knows, but I’m dying to find out so let’s kick this blind challenge off with the vial that has 4 dots on it. Perhaps the four dots are a reference towards a brand with a four in it like Four Roses or Four Gate, or it could just be some random code that was made up, but let’s crack this sample open and find out. The nose is rich and decadent that starts with freshly baked cornbread muffins that have honey drizzled on top then fruits of baked cinnamon apples and freshly picked black cherries followed by orange blossoms before a light Mexican spiced mocha that fades to badass high-end leather motorcycle jackets and old polished mahogany with light ethanol burn. The taste is medium mouthfeel that starts with freshly baked cornbread muffins then fruits of baked cinnamon apples and freshly picked black cherries before a medium bitterness mid palate overpowers before fading to cloves and light oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with Mexican spiced mocha, Granny Smith apple, orange zest, black cherries, cloves, leather and polished mahogany. This is definitely an older bourbon that has an incredibly rich nose with big and well-polished traditional bourbon flavors that has a lighter mouthfeel than I expected off the nose, but not thin either that starts with well-polished traditional bourbon flavors then veers toward a strange bitter flavor mid-palate that I can’t seem to place before fading to a very enjoyable finish back to those traditional bourbon flavors with Mexican chocolate spiced mocha. Overall this is a tasty bourbon that has a mild bitterness that throws the balance off for me causing me to lower my score, but I’d happily drink this anytime. So, is this a Four Roses or Four Gate? Drum roll please…. Nope! The slip clearly states that this bourbon is none other than Cream of Kentucky 13 year.

This is a delicious old bourbon that has typical bourbon notes of citrus, chocolate, leather and old dusty oak. It’s a viscous mouthfeel with a nice balance that veers towards a slightly over oaked flavor mid-palate showcasing its age that quickly fades away in the long finish with dusty oak and typical bourbon notes. At a price tag of nearly $2k, it was worth a taste but I’d rather have a Garrison Brothers Cowboy or Lux Row 12 year Double Barrel.

The nose is rich and syrupy starting with grade a dark maple syrup poured on top of buttermilk pancakes then candied pecans along with fruits of sautéed tender cinnamon apples, sour cherries and candied orange peel on top of vanilla ice cream leading to bitter high percentage dark chocolate, leather and old polished mahogany with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a syrupy rich mouthfeel starting with chocolate covered pecan clusters followed by cinnamon apple fritters, maraschino cherries and chalky orange sports drink that then transitions to a mild spice that fades to ginger, cloves, nutmeg, leather and old polished mahogany with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with caramel covered sautéed tender cinnamon apples, toasted coconut, honeycomb, mandarin oranges, dark chocolate, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, leather and old polished mahogany that lingers for minutes. Barrell has really put together a fantastic bourbon here that brings in all those traditional bourbon flavors but ramps them up to create this rich decadent bourbon experience that lingers long after each sip. These are priced at $200+ which I think is justified for the age and easily outclasses a lot of some of these new premium bourbon products coming out today, but for me I’d still take a Garrison Brothers Cowboy over this one.