Tastes

Wow!!! If you are whiskey/whisky drinker who appreciates different styles, you MUST try this. I have had wheat whiskey and wheated bourbons before, but they are nothing like this. This is very unique and good. From the first whiff, and even more so in the mouth, this takes me back to my mother's kitchen; when it was filled with the aromas of fresh bread dough proofing near the heat of the stove, then being cut in small balls to form what will be fresh hot dinner rolls slathered in butter. All of that home-comfort is in each taste and swallow of this delightful whiskey. This is really a single MALTED wheat (not barley). That malting of the wheat must be the secret to this unique flavor. This is a soft, very tasty in a unique way, easy drinking whiskey. You may not love it, but you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Cedar Ridge appears to be an up and comer in their few years as a distillery, winning several awards and named Distillery of The Year in 2017. According to their web site the whiskey is available in 17 states, mostly the Midwest, deep south, NE, and west coast by looks of the map they show. Hope you can be lucky.

This malt is good, but not complex. It is super butterscotchy in the mouth and finish. If you are a big fan of that flavor profile, this would be great for you. I prefer a hint of butterscotch, so I am giving it a rather average rating. It is a solid Irish malt, well worth the price, simply not the flavor profile I prefer.

This is a very good single malt Irish whisky. Proof66 claims it to be 10 years of age. Perhaps it use to be. No where on the bottle or their web site do they claim that age currently. That aside, this is very tasty. Neat, there is smooth malt and a slight hint of sherry finish from a few barrels that add a subtle depth and richness to this dram. I found my bottles on sale for $35, that is a very good deal for this Irish malt. If you are forced to to pay $50-55 for this, I think there are better buys. None-the-less, this is very tasty and smooth. I will repurchase when the price is right.

My review is really for Cotswold Single Malt, apologies to all. Cotswold is only in the neighborhood of three years age, I can hardly imagine how good a 10-12 year would be. I wanted to try this even though it wasn't available in my area, so got it from a San Diego source. Reviews were all excellent: "Whisky Bible" 94-95, Distillers.com 87, and TheWhiskeyReviewer "A". The Cotswold distillery is new, having opened in 2014. They are going to great pains to produce a single malt in the traditional way with stone floor maltings, local barley crop, turning the malted barley with wooden shovels and rakes, fermenting for FOUR days rather than the typical two days to allow fruity-floral notes, using a narrower width of the middle distillate, etc. Their efforts are shown in my bottle, which is wonderful. My bottle states that it is 92 proof, 2014 crop of Odyssey barley from the Barrington Park Farm, bottled in 02/2018, and is one of 8600 bottles. I know Macallan uses Odyessy barley, and this dram reminds me very much of a non-sherry finish Macallan. In the glass it is a copper amber with good legs. The nose offers slightly sweet fruity malt, a touch of honey, and is overall very soft. On the tongue it is thick, almost oily. It tastes of malt and honey, a hint of brown sugar, gentle spice, and a ripened fruit--apricot jam? There is warmth on the finish and these flavors linger well. My first dram seemed a little hot without a drop or two of water. However, the next day, and then the next day as well (had to be sure) this was not an issue at all. Not sure if the difference was my mood, etc., or the opening of the bottle. This is really good stuff. They have won 19 golds in the past couple years, and I would say deservedly so. Check out their informative website listed here on Proof66, it is interesting. I think this retails for $60 or so, but is not widely distributed. May the Force be with you and to find a bottle.

I have been stocking up on my favorite Scotch and Irish whiskies before the 25% tariff boost goes in effect in three days. While I have been shopping I found this in 1.75 bottles on clearance for less than half price. Had already been curious about it; after all, it is rated in the first tier at Proof66, and Ralphy gave it an 86 mark---so I pulled the trigger. Their web site says it is a blend of Lowland grain whisky with a combination of Highland and Speyside malts. It is fruity, sweet, and spicy. It has a medium finish and is slightly astringent. I have no idea where it comes from, but I sometimes get a hint of iodine on the finish. There is no smoke in this dram. I found this to be an OK basic blended Scotch. In that category I would prefer Grant's Family Reserve (now Three Woods) or Highland Leader, but I think this is equal to the present day Famous Grouse, and is superior to Cutty Sark, Ballantine's, etc.

This is a very good sherry finished Scotch. It is not my favorite---I don't think the floral-fruity profile of Glenmorangie works as well with a sherry finish as the malted-honey of GlenDronach or Glenfarclas. Nevertheless, this is a fantastic malt. The expected floral and fruity notes of the Glenmo 10 are obviously there, and accented with a lovely sherry finish. This is not my favorite, but it is very good, can be found easily, and, if you shop carefully, it is somewhat affordable

This is a good, delicate peated Islay. If it were not peated, you could be convinced that it was a light floral speysider. The nose and mouth show the light floral nature of the distillate, but it is wrapped and enveloped in a heavy blanket of peat smoke. If you are in to fairly peated, this is a rather sophisticated version for your enjoyment.