Tastes

So I was browsing through The Whisky Exchange looking through their sample list and deciding on a few, when I stumbled on what appeared to be a Scottish rye. My mind immediately raced, “There is such a thing as a Scottish rye?”, “What does this taste like?”, “Are they waging a rye war on American rye?” and then looked at the bottle to see what the price was and a mouth dropping aww/horror overcame me when I found a sticker price of 184 dollars!!! No way am I going to take a flier on a Scottish rye for 184 dollars; however, when I came back to the sample it was more justifiable price at 10 dollars, which made the decision easier and so in the cart it went with a few other interesting drams. I looked up more information on this and found that it’s from a farm to bottle distillery in the Scottish Highlands whose distillate is comprised of a mix of Arantes Rye from Drummies field, Odyssey Malted Barley from Blue Bear field and Viscount Wheat from Deil’s Knap field that was matured in charred virgin barrels for five years and bottled at 96 proof. That’s certainly some interesting enough information and I really like the idea of farm to bottle distilleries, but let’s see how this first sabot round of Scottish rye tastes in this possible upcoming rye war. On the first nosing it smells like freshly painted walls with new carpet. After about 10 minutes the chemically plastic aromas start to fade and it opens up to reveal fresh chamomile tea brewing with lemon and orange wedges, then freshly baked pumpernickel bread, hot summer sun soaked hay bales, transitioning to spices of cloves, cinnamon, sage and charred oak chips with a light ethanol burn. The taste is a light to medium mouthfeel starting with light vanilla caramel sweetness then chamomile tea with lemon and orange wedges, pumpernickel bread, slight minerality, hot summer soaked hay bales, before spices take over with cinnamon, nutmeg, and slight toasted oak note with light ethanol burn. The finish is short to medium length with chamomile tea, roasted caraway seeds, stewed caramel covered cinnamon apples, toffee, nutmeg, and espresso. This is not a sweet or overpowering rye, it’s light, easily drinkable and nicely balanced with herbs, tea and oak mingling together. The nose can be a bit off putting at first but gets better with air, but the palate and finish are where this whisky really delivers and brings those interesting flavors. In comparison with Jack Daniels Single Barrel Rye; they are both different with Jack Daniels leaning sweeter, but are both around the same caliber. The main difference is the original retail price for this was an astronomical 184 dollars and now appears even more ridiculously priced at 240 dollars from Cask Cartel compared to the 50 dollars of Jack Daniels Single Barrel. I’m sure the farm to bottle part adds more expenses which will result in a higher price for the product, but I still think it’s nowhere near worth those prices. Perhaps in a few years I will change my mind, declare Scottish ryes the epitome of ryes and pay up for this rye like I do for Octomore bottles. As of today though, if there is going to be a rye war between America and Scotland, the Scots better get their pricing down or quality up as there’s no question that the better rye goes to America with Jack Daniels Single Barrel easily deflecting their sabot off with the American rye armor without even needing to pull out the barrel proof secret weapon. Nice try Scotland, but for now I’ll just be happy with my sample for 10 dollars and stick to the mighty American rye.

I’ve now passed my two week mark for my second vaccine shot and looks like this will be my 100th tasting, so time to open up something special to celebrate. The nose starts with a blast of sherry cask with chocolate covered raisins then the bourbon cask comes in with bourbon soaked cherries leading to tropical fruits of dehydrated mangoes, pineapple, peaches in syrup, shortbread cookies and vanilla gelato transitioning to spices of cinnamon, ginger, leather and old polished oak with light ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with the bourbon and sherry casks mixing together to create a cherry and grape caramel explosion that transitions to tropical fruits of mangos, papaya, pineapple, leading to powdered sugar coated bubble gum and vanilla pound cake finishing with ginger, cloves, the slightest hint of oak and light chili pepper spice. The finish is medium length with chocolate covered raisins, mangoes, pineapple, leather, vanilla gelato, shortbread cookies, ginger, cloves and medium chili pepper spice. This is a very complex old whisky that takes time to open up and slowly unveil all of the layers of flavors coming from the mix of those bourbon and sherry casks. Big thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the generous sample of this for me to be able to try.

This bottle came from Barrel No. 19-01148 that was bottled on 2-14-19 from Rick No. L-17. The nose starts with an upfront blast of caramel mixing with lots of rye spice. After the initial caramel and rye wave, there are aromas of freshly baked pumpernickel bread, roasted peanuts that fades into sweets of banana pudding topped with vanilla wafers then powdered sugar bubble gum that finishes with spices of spearmint, leather and tobacco with a light ethanol burn. The taste starts with a medium-thin mouthfeel with candied peanuts and pumpernickel bread leading to sweets of big league chew bubble gum, banana laffy taffy before spices of spearmint and a slight oak char spice take over with light ethanol burn that finishes short to medium length with banana pudding, pumpernickel bread, roasted peanuts, and light barrel spices. This is along the sweeter side of ryes with a balanced mix of rye spices, nuts, bubble gum, banana and barrel char that works well for me. I tried this next to Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye, which was Jim Murray’s 2020 whiskey of the year, and I thought this was a better balance and not as much of a rye kick in the teeth that the Alberta delivers. At the price of 50 dollars per bottle, this will cost you 20 dollars less than the Alberta and I think the VFM is high on it.

At the start of my whisky journey, I started off by trying a few different blended products and found that I really enjoyed Johnnie Walker Black with some ice because it was cheap, tasted great and made me happy. Later on a knowledgeable friend informed me that I should broaden my horizons and explore the world of single malts. I made a note to try one next chance I had and left with some friends to a sports bar. Lucky for me the sports bar had a few single malts on the menu and I decided to go for Lagavulin 16 because it was the oldest on the list that I could afford. The whisky came out in a nice sized pour in a tumbler and upon the first sip all I could mutter was “This must be nectar of the Gods that is shared with us mere mortals,” which I feel is a fitting review, but I’ll add some tasting notes to it. The nose starts with a rich velvety nose of light peat smoke wrapped around salted dark chocolate, transitioning to fruits of caramelized apples, oranges and musty grapes, before a barbecue treat of beef brisket that finishes with vanilla gelato served on top of a piece of tannic oak with light ethanol bite. The taste starts with a medium mouthfeel starting with salted dark chocolate and ocean brine then light peat smoke enveloping fruits of apples, oranges and musty grapes, then beef brisket with a light ginger and chili pepper spice that finishes medium length with dark chocolate, caramel flan, apples, musty grapes, beef brisket, ocean brine, light chili pepper and light oak tannins. This is just an incredible whisky that everyone should try and appears to be distiller’s most popular spirit with over 10k ratings. There is only one issue with this whisky and that is the cost is more than Ardbeg Oogie or Corry, so even if I walk into the ABC store with the intent to pick one up, I usually leave with an Ardbeg.

On a trip to Louisville, Kentucky, a group of us started our morning off at Copper and Kings with a hearty breakfast of absinth and root beers then made our way to an amazing establishment called Proof on Main. Finding Proof and Main should be easy for anyone, you just need to look for the 30-foot-tall golden replica of Michelangelo’s David outside their front door and know you’ve arrived. Inside is an astonishing whiskey selection, gourmet food, and an incredible art gallery to explore that includes restrooms with two-way mirrored waterfall toilets for those that enjoy peeing into a waterfall while watching people pass by. Upon entering their establishment, we saw a gentleman drinking what can only be described as a bucket list tasting line-up of a George T Stagg, Eagle Rare 17, Thomas H Handy Sazerac, Michter’s Toasted Rye and Very Old Carter 27. As he was concluding the tasting, we enquired what the favorite was and he replied, to our surprise, that the Very Old Carter 27 was the victor. Curiosity was instantly sparked to try this new brand that managed to triumph over some of the most mythical bourbons out there and after some debate and online research a glass was ordered. The whiskey was absolutely stunning and possibly the best American whiskey I’ve ever tasted which sparked a bit of an Old Carter buying binge. Back at home, I managed to discover four different single barrel Old Carter’s at one of my favorite liquor stores and with bourbon fever coursing through my veins decided to buy one of each. So far I’ve reviewed three of them and this will be my fourth and final bottle from that binge buy. On the nose; it’s definitely got that Old Carter richness, with a fried dough sweetness that reminds me of a fresh and still warm cream puff stuffed with vanilla pudding and covered in rich caramel followed with chocolate covered candied pecan nuts then fruits take over with caramelized banana, black cherries, fresh cut granny smith apples and orange zest before transitioning into old leather and polished mahogany finishing with spearmint, light barrel spices of cloves, ginger, cinnamon and a medium ethanol burn. The taste starts with a rich full mouthfeel leading with that fresh, caramel covered, warm cream puff stuffed with vanilla pudding and then comes chocolate covered pecan nuts leading to fruits of caramelized banana, black cherries, granny smith apples, candied orange, spearmint then barrel spices of ginger, cloves, old leather and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with chocolate covered candied pecans, spearmint, polished mahogany, old leather, caramelized bananas, orange zest and granny smith apples that lingers for minutes. This is another wonderful whiskey by the Carter’s with fried dough mingling with flavors of vanilla cream, chocolate, nuts, fruits and a balanced amount of oak and leather with a Booker’s style burn from the 124 proof, but at the end of the day I think I would rather just buy Booker’s and save the money. All of their barrel selections are delicious, but out of the four single barrels, I only thought one justified the premium and was worthy of a 5. None of them could come close to that 27 Very Old Carter experience in Kentucky, but perhaps that’s because of the company and difference in atmosphere.

A friend of mine grabbed this for me when these first came out and were flying off the shelves. It’s been open ever since and so probably about time to give it a review now that it’s around a half bottle left. The nose starts with a vintage Shelby Cobra showing off by burning rubber and doing donuts on fresh tarmac by the ocean. After the car show, you’re treated to some grilled tropical fruit salad (mango, pineapple, papaya), then vanilla cream pudding finishing with ginger, Neosporin and fresh band aids with a mild burn. The taste is a rich oily mouthfeel starting with poached pears, vanilla creme brûlée then burnt tire smoke followed by dark chocolate covered candied ginger and chili pepper then medium oak tannins and a medium ethanol burn that finishes short with ginger, sea salt, chili pepper, still smoking campfire ashes, dark chocolate and sweet vanilla cream. For its age, I was expecting a bit more of a peat bomb but am happy with the outcome on this one. It’s another nice addition to Ardbeg’s core line, but I just can’t help but feel like this will be my only bottle of it as I’d rather pay up for a Corry or Oogie.

When tasting a new spirit, memories tend to help me shape my tasting notes and overall enjoyment. The smell of freshly baked cookies, camping trips with the smell of the pines while roasting marshmallows, a new pair of tires, running shoes or even hospital trips from where I was a bit too adventurous and ended up needing stitches to correct my mistake with the smell of fresh bandages and antiseptics. This Pure Scot is very familiar to my childhood memory of family reunions. I’m not sure how other family reunions go, but for my family it meant a trip to Kansas. Now there’s nothing wrong with Kansas, but there is a lot wrong with a family reunion in Kansas heat in July for a 100 plus gingers gathering together outside. So you’re already hot and miserable, but to add insult to injury you’re told to go spend some time catching up with an Aunt/Uncle that could use some interaction. Sadly you already know this won’t be the comical and charismatic Aunt/Uncle, so this could go either way, they are either 10 pounds of crazy in a 5 pound bag or they are just unbelievably boring. Either way none of the other family members are going to talk to them, so you’re voluntold to have some character building time or better put as being a sacrificial family member to grenade jump and save the rest of the family. Turns out this Pure Scot is not the irrational one that manages to jumble together all conspiracy theories into one overarching grandiose ill-fitting scheme, but the exceedingly mind-numbing one whose conversation usually brings about a coma-like state until the end when you reawake to find hours have past. Pure Scot starts with a nose that is lackluster and deficient of flavor, basically the Aunt/Uncle begins their story of how they went to their dentist with smells of disinfectant in the air to get a checkup. The taste is a continuation of boredom with the Aunt/Uncle going on about the water they drank at the dentist’s office to rinse their mouth and how watery the water was compared to older days of having more tasty water. As the discussion of how different water at the dentist’s office was from their youth to today continues, your wish of an end to this uninspiring and humdrum story seems to be granted as the Aunt/Uncle apparently were also so un-intrigued by their story that they sporadically entered a state of slumber right there with no great water finale to make this dreadfully uninteresting story/dram have even the remotest interesting tidbit. This whisky is just that, an incredibly boring watery story with no flavor or finish but a slight burn. I wouldn’t be surprised that @ContemplativeFox just gave me some watered down bottom shelf vodka in a vial with some yellow dye and labeled it Pure Scot as a joke. Sadly, if this is not a joke, this looks to cost 50 dollars which is as bad as the lousy 50 dollars that was spent on poorly designed family reunion t-shirts everyone got stuck with and now the family can’t afford to go for ice cream at the Woodford Reserve Double Oak creamery due to prioritizing the ugly shirt of this forgettable event.

I just finished my second dose of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine and can sense the world slowly starting to return to normal again. To celebrate, I debated on a few samples, but decided on opening up a full bottle to have a few drinks of something special. This is a 26 year Bowmore that was released as part of the Vintner's trilogy and was matured first in ex-bourbon barrels for 13 years before being transferred to French oak wine barriques for another 13 years before being bottled at 48.7% ABV. The first smell is overwhelming with tannic oak and peat mixing together with dark chocolate covered candied bacon. I handed my wife the glass to take a nose and taste and her first thoughts are “Oh, this smells just like the hamster bedding I would get as a kid.” My initial reaction to that was “What the fuck”, followed by receiving the glass and taking a smell to think “Yep, sure enough, there’s fucking peated hamster bedding in my whisky.” I let the glass sit out for 30 minutes to let it open and the hamster bedding of fresh pressed cedar notes calm down and go into the background more, but are still very much a part of this whisky. Pushing past those heavy cedar notes you are rewarded with a nose that starts with a campfire next to the ocean then balsamic vinegar and strawberry puree reduction glazed over angel food cake leading to candied bacon wrapped in dark chocolate, figgy pudding covered in a rich bourbon caramel, roasted chestnuts then old tannic oak and leather with a mild alcohol burn. The taste is a rich viscous mouthfeel starting with rich bourbon caramel, strawberry jam on charred sour dough bread, ocean brine with light peat, chocolate covered candied bacon, roasted chestnuts, ginger, old tannic oak and leather with medium ethanol burn that finishes long with bourbon caramel, balsamic and strawberry syrup, vanilla cupcake, campfire ashes, ocean brine, tannic oak, leather and dark chocolate covered candied bacon that lingers for minutes. For the age, the peat is still very present and not as light as older peated expressions tend to be. The oak is big on this and those tannins almost overpower the whisky, but the wine influence has added nice strawberry and balsamic flavors that complement it nicely. A great whisky to drink, celebrate the slow return back to normal life and hopefully be able to share with a few friends soon.

This is my third single barrel from Old Carter; the past two have been very good bourbons but nothing incredible to justify the 200 dollar retail premium or astronomical secondary prices for them. So time to find out if this is going to be much of the same as the others or if there is going to be something different about this barrel pick. On the first nose of this one, it’s definitely got that Old Carter richness like the last two, but thicker and sweeter. Coming back for a second smell and the sweetness 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, cinnamon and a medium ethanol burn. The taste starts with a full mouthfeel leading with a big Kentucky hug of rich caramel then comes candied nuts leading to fruits of caramelized banana, hard cherry candy, apple, candied orange that follows with graham cracker pie crust, spearmint then barrel spices of ginger, cloves, old leather and polished mahogany with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with salted roasted peanut shells, spearmint, polished mahogany, old leather, caramelized bananas, orange zest, apple pie filling, and chocolate covered toasted marshmallow that lingers for minutes. This is just an amazing balance of flavors and just shows how different each barrel can be than others. I was sipping this with a glass of Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon next to it, and this is a better balance showing its age that makes the Cowboy seem a bit unbalanced and youthful. This is definitely worth the 200 premium and makes me kind of feel like Goldilocks and the Three Carters at this point, because this single barrel is just right.