Tastes
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Ron Barceló Imperial
Aged Rum — Dominican Republic
Reviewed December 31, 2018 (edited April 7, 2022)Day 24. Done with the advent calendar. A week late and a dollar short, but I made it. Ron Barcelo Imperial is a Rum you see very often in several super markets. I'm usually sceptical of the Rum they sell because it usually is bottom tier, but this one is actually not bad. Has the typical vanilla, brown sugar and bitter coffee/cocoa nose of less sweet rum, and a good one at that. Taste is a bit of oak spices, vanilla toffee, with coffee adding some bitterness to it, and brown sugar and banana putting a touch of sweetness at the back end of the taste. Good stuff. The aftertaste is a bit of bitter cocoa (coffee and cocoa kinda morph into each other in this one) and a touch of oak spices. Not bad, especially for the price. Probably would not add it to my collection, but it's a decent sipping rum for now and then. And with that I'm done for 2018. 9 hours left of this year, and I plan on spending those eating tons of unhealthy food (bacon, carbs, chips) and drinking cider and whisky. So I wish y'all a happy new year, and I'll see you in 2019. Stay awesome you magnificent people. Cheers.37.0 EUR per Bottle -
Day 23. Almost through. On a sidenote, scored a bottle of Laphroaig Triple Wood for about 30 bucks today. Yay. Probably good, because Laphroaig usually is. And this is too. Didn't expect much from Cognac, but this one I like. On the nose there is a very strong fruity note, close to white grapes. A bit of pepper and oak, with some faint sweet vanilla adds some complexity to it. Taste is surprising. This has a 40% ABV...but it burns like 55 or up. I don't get this much up front alcohol burn from cask strength stuff. Not offputting, it adds an interesting layer, I was just surprised. There is some vanilla and oak on the taste, similar to highland scotch, but the fruit is what pushes it over the edge. I get strong strawberries, and that's a new one. Strawberries with pepper, love that combination. The aftertaste is oaky, fruity but not very long. Still nice. This might be the first cognac I actually consider adding to my shelf. Very nice. Just one sample left, but I'm gonna try that one tomorrow. Got a bottle of Green Goblin Cider to try, and today aired the 12th episode of Goblin Slayer, soo...remove gobbo. Cheers.47.0 EUR per Bottle
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Day 22. Damn I'm really late with these. But I'd rather finish my advent calender until the 31st than chug a couple samples until the 24th when I'm just not really up for it. Ledaig 18. The 10 was my first tasting note if I remember correctly, and I loved it back then. Even got a bottle of it for my collection just because it was my first try. The 18 is a bit of a different beast. For some reason, I feel the peat is more pronounced here, but also more rounded if that makes sense. Let's start with the nose. There is a decent peat dose up front, but also a lot of fruityness going on. Pears, apples, berries. Sherry influence maybe? There is also a sweet honey and salt note. I dig it. The taste lacks the fruityness of the smell, but in my opinion bumps up the meat. Pepper, peatyness, salty bbq bacon and some grilled apples that still have some of the charred meat from before sticking to them. All in all, very nice, but a tad bitter for my tastes. Not so bitter that I dislike it, but it's on the end of my tolerance for bitterness. I can deal with sweet and salty much better than with bitter. Aftertaste is charred, salty meat. Just like after a nice BBQ. All in all, a very good entry into the peaty side of things, but for the price I'd still rather grab a bottle of the 10 and a Laphroaig 10. That should be about the same amount of money. So yeah, cheers. The last 2 samples are probably coming on the weekend.85.0 EUR per Bottle
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TINCUP American Whiskey
Other Whiskey — Indiana (bottled in Colorado), USA
Reviewed December 25, 2018 (edited September 10, 2019)Day 21. Tincup. This was one of the whiskies I added just because it's a baseline whisky that I had to try. Now I tried it, and decided that I won't buy a bottle. It's not bad, but a bit bland. Nose is apples, caramel, and some hay. Decent. Taste is rather thin, some caramel, some sugar, some corn(?). Tastes a bit watery to be honest. Aftertaste is non-existant. Down and gone. All in all....I've had better. It's not a bad taste, just way to watered down. Shame, cause the little bit that I get I like. All in all, from the american trio, michter was the best. Somewhat expected. On that note, Merry Christmas everybody.37.0 EUR per Bottle -
Michter's US*1 American Whiskey
Other Whiskey — USA
Reviewed December 24, 2018 (edited December 27, 2018)Day 20. Michter's unblended american. There is much hype behind this brand. And it certainly is justified. The nose is sweet and juicy apricot, vanilla, caramel, some sweet corn and cinnamon, and at the tail end there are some nice apples. The taste is very similar, and that's a good thing. Sweet apples and other orchard fruits up front, some brown sugar and vanilla that gives it kind of a creamy texture in my head, some cinnamon and a certain fruity sweetness that reminds me of dried dates. Perfect for the season. The aftertaste consists mainly of sweet orchard fruits and some spices. Very nice. This is what I want from a bourbon, but it's not a bourbon. What is this witchcraft. Michter's just rose up in my ranking from a "oh probably overhyped" to "yes, more". Good stuff. Now let's see when I can manage to get to the next sample. 4 to go. American, Scotch, Brandy and Rum. In that order.60.0 EUR per Bottle -
Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed December 23, 2018 (edited December 24, 2018)Day 19. The first of the american trio. And the one I was the most exited about. Well...let's just say I hope the other 2 will prove to be better. Eagle Rare 10 has a bit of a reputation for being a very good bourbon. And I have no doubt that if you like this particular profile, it is very good. I just have the same problem with it that I had with the standard Buffalo Trace...I don't like how it tastes. The nose is fantastic. Banana, Vanilla, Cherry, some decent oak spices and cinnamon give it a sweet, fruity smell. Unfortunetly I find nothing of that in the taste. The taste is kind of harsh. Very bitter, with strong tobacco and leather notes, some slight vanilla and cinnamon. Not what I am looking for in a bourbon. The aftertaste is just straight up bitter coffee. Like, overly bitter espresso. Without sugar. I usually like black coffee, but when it comes to espresso, I want it strong, hot and sweet. Like my bourbon. This is only halfway there. So yeah, sort of disappointing. Let's see if Michter's and Tincup can wow me more.36.0 EUR per Bottle -
Day 18. Was sick the last couple of days, and really didn't want to taste anything while having a cold. Those notes would neither be accurate nor fair, also it would probably not be very enjoyable to drink in the first place. So now it's the 23rd and I have 6 samples to go through today. Fun. 3 of those kinda fit into the same category (the next 3...american whisky in various forms), so that's gonna be interesting to compare. Today, Bacardi 8. Bacardi is a very well known name, and to be fair, their bottom shelf stuff is not too bad....when put into enough coke. Wanted to see what their more "higher end" stuff could do (it's kinda like with Jack Daniels...I hate the old Nr 7, but the Gentleman Jack for example ain't that bad). The nose is very baseline rum. Vanilla, sugar, baking spices. But the sweet candy apple is what threw me off. That's a rather unusual note, but I like it. I do burn apple-cinnamon scented candles for a reason here. Also, fits the season. The taste is not as sweet as I was expecting after reading the distiller notes. It has the brown sugar, vanilla and baking spices that a Rum usually has, and some bitterness that might be coffee. Probably from the 8 years in the barrel. Not a bad combination. Aftertaste is 2 things: short and sweet. That's fine. Not the most complex or surprising rum ever, but for the pricepoint very decent. Rating would be lower if this was a 50 bucks botte, but at 32 you might as well give it a shot. And if you don't like it, there is always Bacardi Cola.32.0 EUR per Bottle
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Caol Ila 25 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed December 19, 2018 (edited February 27, 2021)Day 17. Caol Ila 25. This is probably the oldest whisky I have tried so far. I own a bottle of the 12 and tried the 18 in a bar. But by god, I have to get a bottle of the 25. The real kicker is, this is only 10 bucks more than the Kilchoman Port....and the contrast between those two....like a fishing boat vs the Yamato. The nose is very delicate peat, some salt and vanilla, and a very clear, distinct note of chocolate raspberries. I don't think I had that anywhere else before, and I'm in love with it. The taste is also amazing. A very soft yet still present peat layer, some salty vanilla fudge, a touch of honey sweetness, some herbal notes that I'd probably categorize as basil, and some pekan nuts. Very, very delicious. And it keeps changing with every sip. There is a long, slightly bitter, woody aftertaste with some smoke and nuttyness. I think this has just overtaken the Hibiki 17 and the Highland Park 18 as my favorite whisky so far. I'm in heaven. Caol Ila is very underrated in my opinion. The prices for these are just stunningly low, and they are so worth it.160.0 EUR per Bottle -
Kilchoman Port Cask Matured (2018 Edition)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed December 19, 2018 (edited December 20, 2018)Day 16. I'm late with these but I ran out of time, today is the first day of my holiday vacation, so I'm going to catch back up. Kilchoman Port. I kinda expected more from this. The nose is straight up peat and salt. I get zero fruit or anything along those lines. Thankfully the taste makes up for that, somewhat. There is a very nice base layer of peat, smothered in honey, strawberries, cherries, and a dash of salt. Still on the sweeter side of things but with enough peat bitterness to not become one sided. Aftertaste is slightly bitter hones with a bit of fruityness in there. Not too shabby. It's one of the better Port cask whiskies, but the price is what knocks the rating down a bit. This is almost double the price of the Laphroaig Brodir, and that one is superior in my opinion. Might go for a glas at a bar, but I doubt I'd spend that kind of cash on a bottle of it.150.0 EUR per Bottle -
Admiral Rodney Extra Old Rum
Aged Rum — Saint Lucia
Reviewed December 16, 2018 (edited December 20, 2018)Day 15. I'm a bit late, had the relatives in for their holiday visit. Was a good day but since I'm trying to get my uncle into whisky we sampled a few, so I needed to wait until I could try this. It's already sunday morning, but since today the other half of the relatives come...I need this right now. Rum is always a bit hit and miss for me. I tend to be pulled toward the more expensive ones (thinking Diplomatico Ambassador here), but there are some decent ones in lower price categories. This one...it's neither very special nor is it very cheap for what it delivers. Just average in both ways. Nose is classic vanilla, roasted brown sugar and a bit of cinnamon. A very classic rum nose. The taste is more of the same but with some nice additions. Vanilla, brown sugar, coffee and a host of baking spices give it a bit of character, but all in all it's rather simple. Doesn't mean it's bad, just for the pricepoint I expect more. Aftertaste is short, spicy and vanilla. Not enough bang for your buck to justify this one, but it's perfectly fine to sip.50.0 EUR per Bottle
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