Tastes

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Pleasant. Banana, toasted grains, honey. Sugar cookies with vanilla. A little bit of warm nutmeg and anise - apple pie filling. We're in low proof territory - 43% or below. Oak character isn't jumping out in any big way. Having a hard time pinning down where this is from or age. No new make funk, but there's not a ton of oak, either. Palate: Very friendly. Vanilla, banana, whipped cream. Brown sugar. Slight tannin coming through. Still no new-make funk. Can't tell if I'm getting grain whisky in this - maybe a little? No clue on casks, either. Ex-bourbon and something else? Maybe a little re-char action? This is like a strange combo between Sexton and Jamo Black Barrel. Subtlety and sweetness are the name of the game here, with little pops of flowers and black pepper. Well integrated either way, not really standing out on any particular section of the palate. I do wish is had some more richness and depth. Medium-light mouthfeel. Finish: Slightly metallic sugary vanilla. Nilla wafers and cream. Quickly adds in some dusty corn character and then slowly fades off. Straightforward. Medium length. Other notes: Region was confusing for good reason - apparently this is a Canadian/bourbon blend, which explains a lot, though I can't find any more details than that. No age statement, so no clue there, either. 40% abv (off a bit). If this contains bourbon, then there is some new charred oak in the mix, no clue on what else would be involved here. I really wish I could find more details about this one. It's not my style, but I could see this being an easy recommendation to your Jack or Crown drinker. Incredibly easy to drink and doesn't challenge you or wrestle your attention. No real flaws, mind. And sometimes there's nothing wrong with that. Cheers!

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Am I getting new make funk? Apple cider, honey, and toasted grains (think Cheerios). Lemon zest. Buried vanilla and chocolate. Lavender. Lower proof, say 45%, Highland? Touch of minerality, like a carbonated mineral water. Honeysuckle and orange blossoms. Candy dots - the ones you get on rolls of paper. A little black pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Toffee. Palate: Light, though not delicate. Caramel apples, cheerios, and herbal honey. Chocolate and orange. Vanilla. Guessing this is a single malt since I'm not getting any of that banana character I usually detect. Mint. Tannic, with the bitterness really coming through. No clue on age statement here - guessing around 5 years. We're also not using ex-bourbon here. Can't tell what the casks here are, though. Bright and shiny, the way this sits on the sides of my tongue is not my favorite. Medium light mouthfeel. Finish: Bitter tannins on either side of the tongue. Green apples with a sqeeuze of lemon and a few sprinkles of cinnamon. An almost salty character comes to the fore. We're left with oak and vanilla. Medium length finish, with good oil content. Other notes: Was right about age, that it's a single malt, sort of right on cask (this is sherry butt), region, AND close on age! Woo! I'm learning things! Sadly, this one is a swing and a miss for me. It's interesting inasmuch as it's a relatively young sherry cask. I can't help but wonder if the distillery parted with these because they knew that the direction these were heading in was going to not fit their profile/be good. That's not to say this is entirely flawed, but the character of the new make lends worse and worse character as the taste progresses. The finish is entirely unappealing, though might pair decently with a cigar or pipe, something I think I'll do now. Just, y'know... with something else. As always, cheers!

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Floral, herbal. Lightly sweet, with honey, vanilla, and green apples. Celery and cucumber peeking through. Toasted black peppercorns. Cacao - unsweetend. Highlands? Proof seems moderate, maybe in the neighborhood of 45%? Moderate oak coming through, but with a little leftover new make funk. Going to guess smaller or re-charred casks with a spirit 10 years or less. Pretty sure we're all malt here, no grain whisky in the mix. Palate: Toasted grains, vanilla and honey sweetness. Roasted almonds and toasted black peppercorns. A grab-bag of herbs and a few spices - mint and nutmeg are forward here. Some subtle fennel greens coming through. I think I'm getting some barrel bite here. Very bright and shiny overall, with this predominantly hitting the front and middle-back palate. Medium light mouthfeel, effervescent and prickly on the tongue. Finish: A lovewly swell of mint, key line, vanilla, and a woodsy tinge. Tannins reveal themselves, along with a tinge of smoke. Flowers and vegetation come to the forefront, eventually fading off with a minty, slightly bitter, almost lactic character. Medium-long length. Other notes: I got age and region, as well as grain type. I missed proof and casks. Today's experience is a great example of variability, both in the range of flavors from whisky to whisky, as well as how my own palate shifts from day to day. In skimming some other reviews, this seems to present as a little more oaked than the age statement may suggest. That makes me wonder if there really is some older spirit in the bottle, or if there's a combination of flavors that's giving that impression. Still, not bad. This is an uncomplicated glass. Well integrated, perfectly fine, very approachable. There may not be a lot of complexity to dive into, but sometimes that's perfectly fine. I could recommend this to a newcomer to the whiskey world, though not something I'd seek out for myself. As always, cheers!

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Yum! Iodine, brine, sea spray, and is that peat?! This is either Islay or Island - sticking with the former here. Behind the Islay character there's some toasted grains and honey. Also lovely touches of vanilla, fruits, and oak. Very approachable nose - 46% or so maybe? Maybe some non ex-bourbon cask? Ex-wine? If there's sherry then it's either a small percentage or it was used for finishing. Very mildly floral, citrus oil brightness buried in there, as well. Lack of new make funk and lighter oak makes me want to guess around 10 years. None of that banana character I get so this has to be a single malt. Palate: Brine, honey, oak, fruits. Honeyed toasted cereal grains. Earth and soil. Honeysuckle, orange blossoms, rounded out with some vanilla. Apricots, strawberries - but not in a dense sugary way. Some pepper and nutmeg, though I'm not getting much of a cinnamon vibe. I could probably narrow things down to one of a few distilleries since this doesnt seem to fit the profile of, say, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, or Ardbeg. There's some familiarity to it but I'm not quite sure what it is. This washes over the palate beautifully, especially prominent on the middle/back. This has some solid balance, though not much depth or "bass". Medium light mouthfeel. Finish: Herbs, brine, earth, and some whisps of smoke. Light, sweet oak character sets the stage for vanilla, citrus oils, and light fruits. Slowly things evolve and there's some reasonable tannins presenting. Eventually everything settles down into some ash, oak, and vanilla pleasantly fading away. Medium long length. Other notes: Ahhh yes. Kilchoman Machir Bay. A beautiful example of Islay, and a bottle I had the pleasure of buying a few years ago. I got the proof bang-on, the cask types pretty bang-on (their site says roughly 90% ex-bourbon, 10% oloroso sherry), the region bang-on. This is an NAS bottling so I can't confirm the age. That's a small bummer, but I'm not really a stickler for age statements. While I'd like some transparency about what's in the bottle, it's also pretty common to not get into the nitty-gritty like that. This is an excellent expression and one that I completely forgot about. I really need to pick up another, as well as their Sanaig, and go on another deep dive. Before that, however, I need to clear out a few bottles in the cabinet. If times were different, I'd be holding many "blind tasting events" just to help get rid of the stuff. Until then, I guess Christmas trees aren't the only things getting lit this year. Until next time, cheers!

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Angel food cake with vanilla whipped cream and apricots. Strawberry and blueberry. Bananas. Just a tinge of oak, but not much. Booze-soaked fruitcake with metallic vanilla frosting. Not getting much toasted malt grain character - is this grain whisky? Or just heavy-handed application of it? If we're low oak, this bite is ethanol. 50% abv or so. It's got some Lowland characteristics maybe? Likely ex-bourbon since I'm not picking up on anything unusual that you'd get from a cask. Palate: Bananas, white pepper. Creamy. Vanilla, white sugar. Not a ton of oak still. Maybe 10-12 years old? Sweet orange. Pine. Coconut, mint. Maybe a touch of cocoa. Hits the back of the throat hard, with a ton of character. Very prickly, with a lot of top end. Medium-light mouthfeel. Finish: Start off big, follows with floral character, more vanilla, and bananas. Thread of berries and creme. Slowly fades on the vanilla, berries, and... there's the oak. Not heavy hitting, but definitely present. Medium length. Other notes: My palate is pretty shot today - I wouldn't normally do a review but, well, the advent goes on! That being said, this is 13 years old (close), 48.4% abv (close-ish), Lowland (boom) and single grain (boom). Surprised I got nearly as close as I did. This is definitely something different and a nice detour from what we've seen from this advent so far. Single grains are unique and interesting experiences, and I'm glad I got to have some during this process. Might not be something I'd actively seek out for myself, but I can easily recommend it if you want something a little unique. Cheers!

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Honey, grain, banana, red apples. Strawberries, cherries, and a bit of funky, musty depth, without being new-makey. Guessting around 10 years. Applesauce with stale, pre-ground cinnamon and a sprig of mint. The fruit and type of funk are making me think maybe sherry cask is involved? Cherry cola. ABV might be closer to 50%? Clove-studded oranges. Nutmeg. Probably all malt - the rounded, full character makes me doubt there's any grain. Well integrated. Not totally confident on region but possibly Speyside? Palate: Luxardo maraschino cherries. Oak and vanilla. For as sweet as this is, there's a drying quality. Makes me wonder if there isn't either some much older whiskey involved, or if there isn't some re-char happening - tannic and slightly bitter. Strawberries with balsamic vinegar and black pepper. Super ripe orange. Black pepper, cinnamon, and a little nutmeg. There's some slight vegetation happening - lemongrass and bell peppers? Relatively well balanced, if a little "hot". Prickles all over the tongue. Starting to wonder if we're in sherry cask at higher proof. Medium mouthfeel. Finish: Ethanol, char, vanilla, cherries. Honey and vanilla come in, and there's a good amount of tannin. Things shift and we see black pepper come back, alongsinde nutmeg and citrus oils. Maybe a touch of pine as well. If you let linger for a while, you'd swear you have the aftertaste of blueberries. Moderate length. Other notes: Speyside? Check. ABV? Ehhh... not quite (47.5%). Cask? Mostly - fist fill sherry puncheon. If memory serves, most distilleries aren't getting true used sherry casks but rather casks that have been "seasoned" with sherry. I'd wonder if that's what contributed to the strong oak influence here, especially with the spice and tannin. This was good! Not a sulphurous sugar bomb, though the sherry absolutely is evident, the balance was pretty on spot for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, though - there's a distinct sweetness here, it's just not tooth-achingly sweet. If I ever happened across a bottle in the wild, I might pick it up. Cheers!

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: We're back in standard cask territory again - ex-bourbon? Not super oaked. Definitely malt whisky. There's a slight funk here, but I'm not hating it. I'm getting cheerios with sugar and bananas. Apples and honey. Slightly herbal, with mint and flowers. Lowland? Just a random guess - no credit for this one. Guessing around 10 years for age, though it could it younger. Canned peach syrup. Nutmeg and anise - softer baking spices, as well as a slight white pepper zing. Strawberries now? Palate: Is that smoke? Strawberries, apricots, bananas. Toasted malt. Lightly sweet, with maybe some salt or minerality. Maybe coastal? The flavor profile at play makes me think we either have some charred new oak, some kind of smoke, or something I can't pick up on. Proof seems to be 47% or so. Not a lot of oak character so the heat would be ethanol-based. Bitter chocolate. Persimmon and pear. Hot cinnamon and clover along with a touch of nutmeg. This is bright and shiny and hits your entire tongue - effervescent. Medium light mouthfeel, but oily. Finish: A gentile rush of tropical fruits, coconuts, grains, and ethanol. Banana, honey and cream slowly get revealed, and then a splash of vanilla comes in. This hangs out for a while - medium long length, on account of that oil content I'm guessing. Other notes: Lack of age statement, but the color suggests some relative youth. Definitely not getting any new-make funk here, at least, though it could be in there. ABV is 46%, so I was close on that. Not giving myself the region because it wasn't an informed guess beyond what it didn't remind me of - that was a total stab in the dark mostly based on my own hopes and dreams of getting on in the calendar. As far as casks, this is a combo of ex-bourbon and 1st fill STR - shaved, toasted, and re-charred ex-Portuguese red wine casks. That new charred oak explains a lot, like the smoke I got on the palate. Without the same kinds of age and climate you see with Kentucky bourbons, I'd imagine that layer of char is where you'd get most of the barrel character from the STR. Without more time, the other oak characteristics aren't going to have as much impact. This was a decent one. A fun exploration into the Lowlands and those STR casks are adding some nice character. Not something I'd necessarily buy a bottle of, though I could see the occasional glass at a bar. Cheers!

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: There's some rich funk happening here. Buttery, honeyed, and a touch of super-ripe plums. Raisins, too. Green apples and toasted grains. Just a touch of herbs, mostly thyme and mint. The depth and richness are telling me we're not in standard cask territory. Over-roasted nuts, bordering on burnt. Guessing sherry cask here? Maybe even Amontillado in the mix? Not knowing the distillate, I'm wondering if we're outside of Highlands and somewhere newer to me like Speyside - again, completely out of my depth so I really have no clue. There's a touch of minerality that might be coming from some light sea spray, though with the other character going on here, I'm not sure that's the case. We're in a fairly moderate proof territory. Guessing around 43% maybe? Palate: Fruits. Super ripe fruits. Fig, date, peach, plum. There's that raisin again. Honey and cream. Cask influence is high - that rich funk carries into the palate, but it's not new-makey funk. More like oak funk. Tells me this is higher in age - 15 years? Plenty of tannin, splashes of sweetened vanilla. Black pepper, hot cinnamon. Stewed apples. This drinks hot but clearly has plenty of barrel to add to that sensation. There's some sublte notes of hay, citrus oils, and the faintest hints of pine sap and maple syrups. This hits the mid-front palate pretty heavy. Well balanced, though a touch disjointed. Medium-light mouthfeel. Finish: Oak and dark fruits, vanilla and honey. The vanilla and honey fall back and frozen chocolate-covered bananas are revealed. Barrel char and smoke. We're left with dark fruit syrup, burnt nuts, and tannin. Medium length finish. Other notes: Blended malt - didn't even guess at the style here, but this makes sense. I noted on the palate it's a little "disjointed", almost like the blend didn't have enough time to sit and marry before bottling. Close on ABV again. No clue on age (can't find any information online) but the color and oak influence tells me there's at least some older stuff in here. I've seen some guesses that this is largely Speyside, but I have no way of confirming that myself. This is supposed to represent your typical sherry matured malt whisky. While I can't confirm that particular assertion, I can confirm that the sherry influence here is absolutely evident and reminds me of what I've found on other sherried offerings. I could easily recommend this to somebody looking for something fruity sweet instead of sugary sweet. Not my favorite otherwise, but still an interesting enough, perfectly serviceable glass. The learnings continue. Cheers!

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Highland? Honeyed toasted grains and vanilla. Tart green apple. Subtle baking spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, alongside black pepper, which makes me want to guess re-charred or new charred cask in play. Pine and lemon. Herbaceous, grassy, and some minerality. Some brown sugar and a tinge of maple. Ripe red fruits. Guessing proof is going to be around 48%. Palate: Green apples, bananas and toasted grain with a little vanilla and honey. Am I getting mild new-make funk? Or is this just rocking some solid age and a ton of oak? I can feel it now - I'm going to look at the label when this is done and facepalm my hand clean through my head. Drying, with barrel char and bite. Black pepper, flowers, herbs. Sour cream. Tart cherries. This feels like single malt, I think. Minerality and under-ripe citrus. This hits the palate light on the front, and builds as it goes back. Lots of low-mids then some almost harsh brightness on top. Light mouthfeel. Finish: Flash of banana and vanilla. Some brown sugar, too. Grains come in. All sitting on this plank of charred oak. Floral perfume. Milk chocolate shows up, and then eventually everything falls away and we fade out on vanilla sweetness. Medium length, with some reasonable oil content. Other notes: Was close on proof - off by 2% but I'll take it. Wrong on cask type (ex-bourbon). Wrong on region (Campbeltown). Right about single malt. And the age... This whole calendar has been a huge lesson on the impact of oak and how that changes and morphs over time. The distillates getting swapped actually helps, since it means I can better hone in on what isn't changing between, say, more highly oaked expressions. I couldn't place if this had a bit of new-make funk. From what I can tell, I was tripped up by a combination of a touch of brine and that heavy oak character. 15 years is a long time, so this had plenty of time to interact with the wood and extract some of those deeper, more intense oak characteristics. I'm also seeing that this has a small bit of peat - 15 ppm keeps getting tossed out, though the Glen Scotia website says they do peated and unpeated whiskeys, without saying if the 15 is one or the other. I might believe that number, but I can't find confirmation. I actually like this. Well integrated and cohesive, everything here comes together nicely. I'd potentially buy a bottle of this if I came across it, but I don't feel compelled to seek it out. Still, very enjoyable. Until next time, cheers!

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: This jumps out at you. Musty funk, along with honeyed cereal grains. Guessing we're back in Scotland. I think I'm picking up on oak and maybe some brine, maybe even a little peat? Maybe we're in the islands? Minerality, citrus oils. Almost candied lemon peels. There's macerated ripe fruits, as well, buried in the back. Lack of new make character tells me we've made it past 10 years - maybe up to 15. Depth and types of sweetness tells me we have bourbon and sherry cask in play. Maybe 45% abv? Palate: Friendly. The palate here is throwing me for a loop. I can't tell if this is all malt or blended. Almost catching sherry cask or new charred oak Irish vibes. Bananas, vanilla, cream. Slightly biscuity. Still have citrus oils and that touch of minerality, so I'm staying with my Scotch guess. But this isn't giving me peat on the palate. Black tea. Baking spices, leaning into the cinnamon, nutmeg, clove world, as well as black pepper. Smaller casks would explain the oak character/barrel bite I'm getting. Going to guess 10-15 years, charred new oak cask and/or small casks at play. No sherry cask, though Scotch, as well, but not Islay. This is all mid and back palate. Relatively balanced overall. Medium mouthfeel, with some tannin texture. Finish: Pop of ethanol which then quickly dissapates. We move into this balance of black pepper, toasted grains, honey, and vanilla. Dry oak sits under everything else. Minerality, barrel bitter/tannins, and barrel char/smoke and next to subtle vanilla and white sugar as we fade out. Medium length finish. Other notes: This one was a blast! Got a decent enough read on the age. Off by 1% for ABV. The cask types, however - this is a combo of first-fill ex-bourbon, refilled, AND re-charred. Though I wasn't necessarily correct with the specifics, I was absolutely getting some fresh char, which also presented as a slightly smoky character. Explains why I thought I was getting peat at first. Proud of how close I got, regardless, since blending cask types is a black art and detecting specifics would likely require beyond Paterson levels of schnozz mastery. I like this one. It would be a great intro to Scotch for bourbon drinkers, and would be a nice way to start moving into bourbon for Scotch drinkers. That being said, I don't know that I'd ever actually buy this for myself. It's not flawed, it's just not giving me enough of either camp. Either way, solid sip. Until next time, cheers!