Tastes
-
Compass Box creates some wonderful styles of whisky. Some may not be your or my favorite, but each is a masterpiece for what it is. This is a vatted malt consisting of Clynelish, Dailuaine, and Teaninich. This blend is aged in an assortment of standard and hybrid wood casks with varying degrees of toast to give a complex spiciness to the whisky. When first nosing the glass the first impression is of opening a spice box. In the mouth the spiciness is forward (ginger, mace, clove?). If you allow it to linger on the tongue an underlying sweet fruitiness is distinct. All of these are evident on the slow finish. At the very end there is a bit of astringency, I think from the French oak from the Vosges Mts. Overall a very solid blended malt Scotch.
-
Compass Box The Peat Monster
Blended Malt — Scotland
Reviewed June 22, 2020 (edited August 16, 2022)I don't often drink a heavily peated Scotch; but, when I do this is an excellent choice. (If you have tried this in the past and were not terribly impressed, make note John is now using older malts in the blend for more complexity.) This vatted malt is about 2/3 Caol Ila, about 1/3 Laphroaig, and a 1% touch of a Highland malt blend. Nosing gives strong peat and a little sea brine. Nose again and there is a very subtle fruitiness--white grapes? Color in the glass is super pale, like a white wine. In the mouth the peat and brine are forward, but is soon rounded out by the underlying sweet fruitiness. The finish is rather long, the peat going the distance. -
Ezra Brooks 90 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed May 2, 2020 (edited June 22, 2020)How did I not review this already? I will join the chorus, this is absolutely one of the best buys in bourbon. Bottom shelf pricing, but flavor approaching the top tier. It is everything a dependable bourbon should be: the corn sweetness balanced with the rye , some barrel char, a hint of old leather and a little brown sugar. At 90 proof it holds up well in cocktails, and is smooth enough to sip neat. No, not as complex as the true top tier bourbons; but, at 25% of the price, what reasonable person could argue.14.0 USD per Bottle -
Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed April 27, 2020 (edited January 26, 2021)A great bourbon. The price seems to be climbing to nearly $50 in many shops, but if you can find it at the SRP of around $30-35, it is a bargain for a classy complex bourbon. It noses of vanilla, heated brown sugar, oak, and a little dark cherry. These flavors are resplendent on the tongue. There is also heat, perhaps a little more than the typical 10 year old bourbon. On the finish there is cinnamon and all-spice blending with corn sweetness and old leather. Very good, the senior class of Buffalo Trace bourbon.30.0 USD per Bottle -
Saint Brendan's Irish Cream
Dairy/Egg Liqueurs — Ireland
Reviewed April 19, 2020 (edited December 29, 2022)This is a really good Irish Cream! (Of course even an average Irish Cream is delicious. The only bad one was wine based--not whiskey.) All Irish Cream on the surface would appear to be about the same, a blend of cream and Irish whiskey, usually at 17% ABV. However not all cream tastes the same or has the same butterfat content. Breed of cattle, food, and climate all come in to play. (If you have ever milked a cow the day after it ate some wild onion tops, you would know.) Also most Irish creams will vary in the proportions and quality of other ingredients such as chocolate, coffee, vanilla, sugar or corn syrup, caramel coloring, and perhaps something else. Anyway, Saint Brendan's is for me top notch. It is richly flavored and balanced. Not sure when they made the change, but only The Quiet Man blended Irish whiskey is used now for this cream--a plus in my book. Don't know where it comes from, but, in mid palette and finish I pick up toasted coconut flavor like you would get in some chocolates. This is a superior product at a moderate price--what's not to like -
Ryan's Irish Style Cream Liqueur
Other Liqueurs — USA
Reviewed April 19, 2020 (edited December 31, 2020)Ryan's Irish Style Cream is as good as many from Ireland. This is blended here in the USA by Sazerac with imported Irish whiskey. The cream is rich, the whiskey is smooth enough, and I enjoy the balance of the other flavors that are typically blended in Irish Cream. To my taste this has a touch more chocolate than most. This is not my favorite, but it is superb at less than $10 a bottle. I really do prefer this to Bailey's.9.0 USD per Bottle -
Something Special Blended Scotch Whisky
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed April 19, 2020 (edited November 16, 2024)I should have known better. Cool attention grabbing bottle and a name dreamed up by marketing nearly always means barely average at best. This is young and thin and oaky. I would wager there is no more than 10-15% malt in the blend. On the positive side, the flavor is fairly well balanced with slightest hint of peat. I will not repurchase for there are dozens of others available of better quality at this price, and more of the same quality at a lower price. -
El Jimador Reposado Tequila
Tequila Reposado — Tequila Valley, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed April 17, 2020 (edited June 9, 2020)Probably one of the best buys out there, based on my rather limited experience with tequila. The sweet agave flavor is distinct with a hint of wood vanilla pepper spice on the end. It is smooth enough to be sipped, and is excellent in any tequila mixed drink I have tried. I know there are much better and MUCH more expensive tequilas out here, but this is a great everyday bar companion. By the way, I don't "do shots," I want to taste my drink--not throw it down my throat. -
Jura Diurachs' Own 16 Year
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed April 14, 2020 (edited June 22, 2020)My favorite Jura expression so far. (I have not had anything older than this , nor the Seven Wood.) It noses of intense honey-malt and a hint of fruity sherry influence. No peat. It feels thick in the mouth and offers a well rounded depth and balance of malt and fruitiness. The finish is smooth and lingering and less astringent than the 10 yo. This is not listed on the present Jura website, perhaps discontinued?60.0 USD per Bottle
Results 61-70 of 186 Reviews