Tastes
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Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Batch Proof 118.4
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed June 19, 2022 (edited August 26, 2022)Strangely, I've not been able to find any information whatsoever about this bourbon online; I even had to create it here on Distiller. I'm a big fan of other Woodford Reserve Master's Collection bottlings, so I took a flyer on this. Clear dark mahoghany. Nose shows leather, cigar box, roasted marshmallow, and a healthy dose of spearmint. Big hit of spicy heat (118.4 proof) on the palate, with secondary paraffin and vanilla. Long peppery finish with vanilla on the tail. Good, but not up to other Master's Collection offerings that I've had from Woodford. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.139.0 USD per Bottle -
Milam & Greene The Castle Hill Series Bourbon Batch 2
Bourbon — USA
Reviewed June 19, 2022 (edited August 26, 2022)Clear burnt orange color. Nose of sorghum syrup, brown sugar, faint peaches, vanilla, rosin, oak, and some cool spearmint. Pleasantly woody palate (age statement 13 years), with noticeable heat (55.52% ABV) which leads to spicy cinnamon red hots before finishing with coconut and vanilla. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.139.0 USD per Bottle -
Rabbit Hole Cavehill Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky , USA
Reviewed June 8, 2022 (edited September 17, 2022)I was fortunate enough to attend a Rabbit Hole tasting several weeks ago with the company's founder, Kaveh Zamanian, who started the distillery after a career as a psychoanalyst. I'd seen the distinctive bottles in numerous liquor stores, but had never tried any of them. The tasting with Kaveh changed that, and I'm now a big fan of all their products. The Cavehill has a clear burnt orange color--not quite as dark as the Dareinger, which is aged in sherry casks. Sweet, inviting nose with cinnamon applesauce, oak, vanilla, honey, some well-integrated ethanol, and a cool spearmint. The sweetness continues on the palate, with demerara sugar simple-syrup (without the viscosity), while the 95 proof supplies a satisfying spicy burn, before finishing with vanilla and Cheerios. Extremely drinkable. Hard to believe that the "over three years" aging can produce a bourbon this good. As the distillery's stocks mature, I'm excited to see future releases as well. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass. -
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed June 3, 2022 (edited August 26, 2022)The bourbon gods were smiling upon me one summer day a few years ago: I found two bottles of E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof in plain sight on the shelf at a local, now-closed, liquor store. They were marked $69.99. As nonchalantly as I could, I took them to the counter, and checked out at that price. Deep, clear burnt orange color. Complex nose shows an amalgamation of oiled leather, cedar, pipe tobacco, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon applesauce, oranges, pine rosin, and spearmint along with freshly split oak. Powerful, spicy heat on the palate, adding some milk chocolate before finishing with drying leather and rich, liquified vanilla cake that goes on and on. Drinking much better than the last few times I've had it. Need to do a high-test bakeoff with some BTAC and ECBP. 129.3 proof. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass. -
ARDBEG: Corryvreckan (“Corry”) vs Uigeadail (“Oogie”) I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Ardbeg for some time. On the one hand, they produce some seriously ostentatious, hedonistic, cerebral (and polarizing) scotch. On the other hand—perhaps as a function of its corporate parent, LVMH—it is unabashedly marketing-oriented, frequently releasing young and/or no-age-statement whiskies, which is not only at odds with traditional, age-statemented scotch, but also displays a shameless focus on profit (shorter maturation means quicker inventory turns). And more anecdotally, it was Uigeadail which nearly derailed a fantastic night of whisky a couple years back at Milroy’s in Soho. After consuming several high-end Japanese whiskies and some older, elegant scotches, something inside me thought it would be interesting to shake things up for my whisky neophyte friend with a dram of the high-octane monster truck that Oogie is. It did not go well. Imagine instantly flipping a switch from the pastoral sublimity of Beethoven’s Symphony no. 6 to GNR’s “Welcome to the Jungle”—at full blast. One can love both, in the same way that one can love grilled salmon and chocolate syrup—just not on top of one other. But I digress. “Corry”: this is an NAS (no age statement) whisky, which its straw color attests (and more positively, also reveals no added coloring). The back label declares that Corry “is not for the faint-hearted!”. Enter The Office’s Dwight Schrute: “Fact.” This is not a peat bomb in the Bruichladdich Octomore spectrum: and although Ardbeg doesn’t disclose the phenol PPM, it is not low. Nose shows plenty of smoky peat, Islay iodine and salinity, Japanese nori, asphalt, and a touch of bacon fat. There is a penetrating, mouthcoating entry, adding chocolate to the mix, and with a spicy, white pepper finish. The 57.1% ABV is a nice counterweight to Corry’s full-throttle style. “Oogie”: also NAS, with a slightly deeper color than the Corry, due in part to Oogie’s sherry-cask maturation. As if it were possible, Oogie finds another gear, adding sweetness to the mix. Nose reveals a layer of smoky peat permeating pineapple upside-down cake, with some butterscotch and traditional sherry notes of raisin and hazelnut. Different mouthfeel than the Corry, with a similar peppery kick leading to a drying, leathery finish (despite the modestly lower 54.2% ABV). Mind-blowing scotch: just don’t consume following Hibiki 21 and Glendronach 25 in an attempt to show another flavor dimension to your whisky neophyte friend. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.
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ARDBEG: Corryvreckan (“Corry”) vs Uigeadail (“Oogie”) I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Ardbeg for some time. On the one hand, they produce some seriously ostentatious, hedonistic, cerebral (and polarizing) scotch. On the other hand—perhaps as a function of its corporate parent, LVMH—it is unabashedly marketing-oriented, frequently releasing young and/or no-age-statement whiskies, which is not only at odds with traditional, age-statemented scotch, but also displays a shameless focus on profit (shorter maturation means quicker inventory turns). And more anecdotally, it was Uigeadail which nearly derailed a fantastic night of whisky a couple years back at Milroy’s in Soho. After consuming several high-end Japanese whiskies and some older, elegant scotches, something inside me thought it would be interesting to shake things up for my whisky neophyte friend with a dram of the high-octane monster truck that Oogie is. It did not go well. Imagine instantly flipping a switch from the pastoral sublimity of Beethoven’s Symphony no. 6 to GNR’s “Welcome to the Jungle”—at full blast. One can love both, in the same way that one can love grilled salmon and chocolate syrup—just not on top of one other. But I digress. “Corry”: this is an NAS (no age statement) whisky, which its straw color attests (and more positively, also reveals no added coloring). The back label declares that Corry “is not for the faint-hearted!”. Enter The Office’s Dwight Schrute: “Fact.” This is not a peat bomb in the Bruichladdich Octomore spectrum: and although Ardbeg doesn’t disclose the phenol PPM, it is not low. Nose shows plenty of smoky peat, Islay iodine and salinity, Japanese nori, asphalt, and a touch of bacon fat. There is a penetrating, mouthcoating entry, adding chocolate to the mix, and with a spicy, white pepper finish. The 57.1% ABV is a nice counterweight to Corry’s full-throttle style. “Oogie”: also NAS, with a slightly deeper color than the Corry, due in part to Oogie’s sherry-cask maturation. As if it were possible, Oogie finds another gear, adding sweetness to the mix. Nose reveals a layer of smoky peat permeating pineapple upside-down cake, with some butterscotch and traditional sherry notes of raisin and hazelnut. Different mouthfeel than the Corry, with a similar peppery kick leading to a drying, leathery finish (despite the modestly lower 54.2% ABV). Mind-blowing scotch: just don’t consume following Hibiki 21 and Glendronach 25 in an attempt to show another flavor dimension to your whisky neophyte friend. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.
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Aberlour 18 Year Double Cask Matured
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed June 1, 2022 (edited August 26, 2022)Clear orange mahogany. Nose has dark chocolate, raisin, guava, rosin, black pepper, and a touch of vanilla. Palate is has a tarry, resinous quality. Slight bitterness on the finish, with more rosiny notes: harder, more serious, and a heightened focus in comparison to the Glenfiddich 18 that preceded it. 43% ABV. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass. -
There's always something special about drinking a spirit that has been aged for 18 years: time has no substitutes. In terms of age, if Macallan 18 is an iconic , benchmark sherry-influenced scotch, this is its smaller and adoring but less polished little brother. Clear, deep amber color. Nose of dried apricots, apple skins, orange oil, nutmeg, and faint cool sassafras. Light sherry presence. Gentle spice on the finish, along with milk chocolate and lingering leather and vanilla. Smooth, balanced, restrained, and pleasant to drink. 43% ABV (Distiller incorrectly lists 40%). (Batch #3958) N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.
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Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed May 30, 2022 (edited August 27, 2022)Clear burnt orange color (no added coloring). Sherry-influenced nose (17 years in oak followed by 6-12 months in second-fill sherry casks): caramelized sugar, vanilla extract, golden raisins, and sorghum syrup. Sweetness continues with the palate, showing dark chocolate and amaretto before switching to a white pepper finish, and a lingering mild, spicy burn that is surprising for the 43% ABV. When I learned over a year ago that this whisky was being discontinued, I bought the last two I could find, as I'd always enjoyed it. But a closer inspection reveals less complexity and a certain monochromatic flavor profile, with different shades of "sweet." It's very enjoyable, but simpler than other sherry-influenced whiskies. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass. -
Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed May 29, 2022 (edited August 24, 2022)Burnt orange color, but not nearly as dark as other sherry-finished scotch; likely second-fill rather than first-fill sherry casks. Sherry influenced nose: not a "sherry bomb" per se, but rather a more restrained, harder, and more focused Balvenie-like version, with aromas of dates, dried apricots, pomander ball, vanilla, with a hint of peat underneath. Strong entry, with the 95.6 proof punching above its weight. Viscous, almost oily midpalate reveals some dark chocolate and dried cherries, with white pepper and some tannic oaky bitterness on the back end, where the 95.6 proof kicks in again. Long finish, with noticeable vanilla. The effect is not dissimilar to a tightly wound cabernet that needs several years of cellaring to soften and open up, though that of course won't happen. Each bottling is drawn from a single cask, comprised of fewer than 800 bottles, so variation can exist (note describes bottle #67 from cask 9008). N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.
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