Tastes

Day 9. Rye day. There are a few Rye's that I love (in fact the first whisky I liked was a Rye...local distillery, not available anywhere else and expensive as hell), but most of them are not really my cup of tea. On the nose you get a lot of spices, oak, rye, and for some weird reason, basil. Interesting, haven't had that smell anywhere else so far. The initial taste is bitter, sharp, and not very enjoyable. Then you get hit by the one main note: dark bitter chocolate...hot chocolate. That one note is almost worth buying this one. It literally feels like drinking molten 99% cocoa chocolate with a drop of milk. Awesome. No sweetness whatsoever. Unfortunately, it's the only note besides bitter spices. Rather one dimensional, even if that one dimension is nice. There is no real aftertaste to speak of, just a bit of heat and spice that's staying for a couple seconds. All in all, I'm glad I tried this one because it had some interesting notes in the smell and in the taste, but it's not something I'd pour to just enjoy a glass. Also, price/performance ratio doesn't work out.

Day 7. Today we got some of the more hyped up japanese whiskies. Nikka from the barrel, a cute little bottle. On the nose you definatly get a bit of wood workshop. together with the typical barley note and what reminds me of teriyaki chicken. No idea why but that was what came to mind. Asian food in general. Which I kinda want now. The taste is somewhat surprising. Cinnamon, honey, citrus, salty smoke, barley and spices. All rounded up by some nice, but never overpowering heat. For me this is somewhere between a friendly, sweet speyside and a harsh, smoky Islay. Doesn't quite fit in either category, but has strong notes of both. I like it. The aftertaste is somewhat long, bittersweet and salty. A bit on the expensive side considering it's only a 0.5l bottle, but we are already used to that from japanese whiskies. For me, it's worth the price anyway. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I still might have some instant Ramen...somewhere, to satisfy that craving for asian food this gave me. Have a good day.

Day 6. Today we go to Ireland. Teeling is a name you often hear when people talk about good whisky, and for a good reason. On the nose you get hit by honey, dried pineapple, sugar and shortbread. Classic irish notes with some rum influence. Right up my alley. The taste keeps what the smell promises. Honey, sugar, plum notes and that dominant butter biscuit with coconut. That's what I love about irish whiskey, it's always a treat. Might not be the most complex or aggressive whisky for islay lovers, but this is a dram I'd pour for a relaxing afternoon with a good book and some good music. The aftertaste, like a good story, stays with you for quite a while, mostly a combination of honey and spicy barley. Teeling is a name I should look at a bit closer. As for rum finished whisky, I think I actually prefer this over the Balvenie Carribean Cask. Cheers.

Day 5, Bourbon Time. So far, Knob Creek was my top bourbon. Not anymore. This stuff blows is out of the water. On the nose there is cinnamon, oak and dark fruits. Almost like not quite ripe plums, still with a bit of a sour note. The taste is honey with cinnamon and cream, sour berries to balance it out and barrel spices. The aftertaste is sweet honey, cream and pepper. Kinda makes me want to have desert right about now. This is an amazing Bourbon, and I know there is a sample of the single barrel in that calendar as well, will be fun to compare those 2. But tomorrow (yeah, I peeked..) we got something a little bit more...:Irish ;)

Finally, the time has come. Day 1 of the DIY whisky/rum/gin advent calender I ordered from master of malt. Made sure everything was on Distiller so I can write notes (to be honest, that's half the fun of tasting a new whisky, at least for me). We start with the Green Label, a blend that has quite a bit of hype behind it. One could almost say it's the monkey shoulder of Johnnie Walker. On the nose you are greeted with honey, malt and some salty notes. Kinda reminds of those cashew peanut mixes that are covered in honey and salt. Add to that a hint of orange and you're there. The taste continues that way, salty, sweet, barley, malt and the faintest hint of peat smoke with some citrus mixed into it. Aftertaste is more bitter than sweet, bit salty and pleasently warm. It earned it's fame. Very good blended malt, and for about 30 bucks something that should not be missing in any collection.

Yeah, I always was kinda scared of this one because I tried it many years back when I wasn't into whisky, and it made me not touch whisky for almost a decade. But not that I have a few differend Islay's under my belt, I think it's time for the Beg. On the nose, there is peat, there is smoke, not as intense as I anticipated. Also it reminds me of a mix between a hostpital, and a BBQ smoker with some salt wafting in the background. The taste is peaty, smoky and amazing. Honeyed smoked ribs, salty vanilla, grilled apples combined result in a complete BBQ in the glas. I also get some lemony background notes in there, almost like an olive oil dressing. Simply delicious. The aftertaste is slightly sweet and salty smoke and lasts pretty much forever. This is up there with Laphroaig 10. My second favorite Islay so far. That one goes on the top shelf.