Tastes
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From Compass Box sample box containing five different 50mL vials from their “core range.” I was able to get this on sale for $30. Hedonism is the most expensive in this package, at ~$140 for a 750mL bottle. Hedonism is a vatted grain whisky, which is super unusual. There is only one “mainstream” one: Haig Club, which I’ve never tried because it is expensive and everyone except David Beckham believes this is garbage. Grain is typically thought of as the cheap filler in blended Scotches, but Compass Box has set out to prove that a properly matured grain can be quite palatable. NOSE: Sweet and pleasant. Meat from old brown coconuts, vanilla, caramel, crème fraiche. Wood varnish is in the background and because I do not have a sweet-tooth, this was the most interesting note. Fruity notes are pears and apples, but these are subtle. This smells a lot like an expensive bourbon. PALATE: Arrival is a big wallop of coconut. As you sip more, it becomes very much like a bourbon. Adding water speeds up this transition. A floral oakiness is in the background. This is very, very sweet. Almost no salt. It needs salt. FINISH: Bourbon, but better. Caveat is I’ve never bothered to spend hundreds of dollars on a bottle of bourbon, and now I have even less reason to, because if I felt that insane, I would just buy a bottle of Hedonism. Coconut and vanilla remains, but there is a pleasant rich caramel liqueur that lingers. Imagine a Bounty chocolate bar filled with alcohol… with some nutmeg and cinnamon. VERDICT: Dessert drink, definitely. I’m just not sold on grain whisky. Old Girvan single grains are even more coconut-y. It’s hard to back a spirit trying to approach a Pina Colada. I’m almost thankful Hedonism is a little more youthful. This is definitely better than the rubbish they fill Johnny Walker bottles with, but I am on the fence about picking up a full bottle. I think I can do better with $140 to spend on an actual bourbon. MARK: 82/100.
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Linkwood 21 Year Distillery Labels (Gordon & MacPhail)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed August 9, 2017 (edited December 2, 2021)This review is for the 25 year old Gordon & MacPhail, which is pretty available in well-stocked whisky bars, and is very reasonably priced, like Linkwood IBs tend to be. I bought two ounces at The Caledonian in Toronto last week for $43 CAN (roughly $34 USD). Linkwood is very versatile for long aging because the distillery character is bland and easy to build on. Linkwood is like Baby from “Dirty Dancing.” She enters casks with naivete and trepidation, yearning for a bold, assertive cask to teach her some spicy moves. The best partner is probably small ex-bourbon casks, preferably rejuvenated. The 25 G&M uses sherry refill, and we aren’t given more information. Probably, this was aged in tired sherry butts, because even after 25 years, something is to be desired, and I only rarely taste anything 25 years or older. NOSE: Take your time for these old whiskies. Initially, there are stale and muddled vanilla/sherry notes. Wait a good 10-15 minutes for this dram to open up. Sweet fruity notes separate from earthy, damp forest undergrowth. Sultanas and wilting roses. Something arcane in the background. Dusty, herbal traditional Chinese medicine like. Nothing blowing the socks off, but contemplative. Hmmm… PALATE: Sweet arrival with an impressive body for 43% ABV. Still, this would have been nicer with more alcohol. Don’t add water. Honey, vanilla, cream. I tend to get an Earl Grey background with all Linkwoods. Thus, London fog (flavors assemble)! The woody flavors towards the end do nothing for me. Like I said, tired sherry butts probably. FINISH: Medium in length. Dry and malty. The sweetness dropped off quickly, and you are left chewing on old water-damaged books. The pages are brown, with a little bit of moss. Could have used some peat. Could have used some sherry. VERDICT: A bottle, if you find one on sale, should be ~$150. At that price point, it’s hard to pass for a 25 year old. Finding the London fog flavor was a great experience and I could keep going back to that at any time of the day. Drink a 25 year old whisky for brunch like a champ! MARK: 87/100. -
Bruichladdich Black Art 1990 04.1 Edition 23 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed August 8, 2017 (edited December 15, 2021)$37.50 CAN (roughly $30 USD) for 1 oz. at The Caledonian in Toronto ~2016. This was a steal, and last I checked they are now out, as are all bottles in my area. The inertia for me to buy a bottle was that the nearest store that I knew of that had this in stock was 45 minutes away. If it was closer, the $430 price tag would be no obstacle. I had a second ounce, and even bought a pour for a good friend, who was relatively new to whisky. He summarized the experience better than I could: “Wow. Fruity. Smooth. Salty. Wow. I didn’t know whisky could be so smooth.” I encouraged him to let the full finish fade before taking the next sip. After 10 minutes, he got tired of waiting and went outside for a smoke. NOSE: Bruichladdich’s whole tagline is that they believe in “terroir”, believe in the people, believe in Islay. Blah blah blah. Jim McEwen believes in France with this bottle. “La Marseillaise” plays in my head immediately when I smell the glass. You get hit with bordeux, cognac, and vermouth. Intense exotic fruitiness comes after, and now the music changes to merengue. Papaya, guava jam, mangoes. Just when you think you’ve gone as far away from Islay as metaphysically possible, the brine brings you back. What all those fancy sweet French cognacs are missing, apparently, is a wee bit of salt. PALATE: Orgasmic. The eyes roll into the back of the head. The toes do curl. You can’t even describe the arrival or the first sip, and you have to taste again. The fruitiness is incredible and powerfully delivered by a thick, viscous, briny liquid. Strawberry jam, raisins, sultanas. This transitions into figs and dates. Then you get some nuttiness with almonds and cashews. Then it becomes sweet again. What a rollercoaster! FINISH: Like a good aged whisky, swallowing is the beginning of the experience. The nose is re-experienced in the aftersmell as vapors rise from the depths of the gullet back into the nose. It’s cognac and sherry, with a decent warmth of alcohol. I dare not add water to temper this beast. Ever so slowly, there is a transition to more familiar territory; after several minutes, the taste dries and saltiness dominates. Perhaps there is a hint, or just a memory, of ash; maybe from peaty gamma radiation from whatever nuclear malting processes Bruichladdich uses to produce Octomore. VERDICT: This is not for a single malt purist, and is the perfect discourse for those just looking for something that tastes amazing, and those looking for something that exemplifies single malt whisky. This is as French as it is Scottish. I don’t mind at all. Jim McEwen has created the end-all be-all of wine-finished whiskies. If you see a bottle, and you don’t hate wine finishes, buy it. I hope the 5.1 is as good. MARK: 96/100. -
$8 for 1 oz at Silver Diner. My first and only experience with Chivas Regal was not a good one. I had it with a shrimp scampi, which it actually made taste worse. What in the world did they actually age for 12 years? The malt tastes 12 days old. Yes I get apples with a little honeysuckle. But I don't get aged whisky. What dominates after the apples is the cheapest of all ingredients: corn. Trash corn syrup makes this taste like it's already a mixed drink. This is the trashiest thing that's been aged 12 years since Lindsay Lohan. I liked Dewars White Label and maybe even JW Red better although I don't have any recent recollections from the latter. To be fare, no score, because the atmosphere was silver diner, and I got it to help me sleep after an 8 hour drive. I just don't see myself giving any Chivas Regal another chance.
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Compass Box The Peat Monster (Classic Brown Label)
Blended Malt — Scotland
Reviewed August 3, 2017 (edited December 2, 2021)This is a blended malt containing 40% Laphroaig, 20% Ledaig, 13% Caol Ila, 26% Ardmore, and 1% Clynelish, Teaninich, and Dailuaine. It is bottled at 46% ABV and is not colored or chill-filtered. The unfortunate name “Peat Monster” will disappoint Islay lovers looking for a peat wallop, and will scare away newcomers looking for an introduction to peat. Peat Monster would have been better named “Peat Puppy.” It is young, it is cute, it is unpredictable, it is energetic, and it is ultimately harmless. NOSE: Ardmore and Ledaig wins over Laphroaig and Caol Ila. Immediately, this is earthy rather than maritime. There is grass, soil, and wood chips from the Ledaig; campfire and fruits from Ardmore. Medicinal notes from Laphroaig are secondary. Some zesty smoke from Caol Ila are barely detectable. The nose is complex and vibrant, but delicate. PALATE: This is a handshake, not an attack. The arrival is as light as the “I-stay-well-hydrated-urine” color. Intensity and complexity builds over a few seconds. A Speyside fruitiness from the Ardmore, with pears, peaches, and melons, wants to assert itself, but is surrounded by layers of different flavors of peat: heathery, smoky, fishy. Citrus and a lovely taste of slightly burnt lard imparted with the flavors of a smoking iron skillet develops with repeat sips. FINISH: I sucked on a few pennies. I used mint flavored floss, and my gum is bleeding. I smoked a cigarette. Copperiness and ashiness. The younger ingredients can’t hide. I suspect the younger stuff in this blend is from Islay. The mainland earthier peat provides tastier, more mature musings: soot-covered dandelions. Peaches dropped into tar. Mmmmm… VERDICT: Delicate. Complex. Balanced. Don’t add water. I have moved on, but this is a great introduction to peaty whiskies. This is a Peat Puppy! Flaming Heart is the “Monster.” MARK: 85/100. -
Tomatin 12 Year Bourbon & Sherry Casks
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed July 31, 2017 (edited August 5, 2017)Economy single malt! Never had Tomatin until this $30 bottle I bought on a rainy day several months ago. Let’s go. NOSE: Granny smith apple after you dropped and bruised it and hesitated for 2 days on whether or not you should eat it. The sourness continues… and I smell grape peels and lemon. Sherry is there, but this is unbalanced sour. PALATE: Indecisive and watery arrival. Yeasty and, at its best, apple pastries. Orange peels after a few seconds. Oloroso is in the background contributing maybe a raisin and a half. FINISH: I can really taste the sherry influence now. There is a lingering raisiny jam aftertaste that is pleasant, if not forgettable. The apple flavor becomes bitter, which is forgivable given the price point. VERDICT: It’s worth it at $30. I won’t be buying a second bottle, but it’s got enough character to be a guilty pleasure when you feel like you’ve done nothing to deserve a dram, but you want one anways. MARK: 76/100. I usually translate this to 3 stars, but because it is an economy whisky, I will add one star. -
This represents everything I hate about scotch, and I regret buying this bottle. OBSERVATION: The stores that sell this for $300+, move this product, and sell out. The stores that are slashing prices still have 10 of these on the shelves. The price that got me to bite is $225. Macallan clearly appeals to those who feel the value of the liquid inside is affected by how much they spent on it. That is to say, the more you spend on this bottle, the better it will taste. Which is ridiculous. Secondly, fancy packaging is not welcomed. The rare cask is an eyesore, both in the information it provides and in the ridiculous 20 pound bottle. “Only 1% of the whiskies made the cut and were chosen for their color and depth of flavor…” STFU marketing prats. There are bad casks in here - it’s obvious. At $50, they aren’t bad casks, at $200+, and when you’re Macallan, these shouldn’t be present. The arrival is quality, but then there are sulphurous notes that aren’t intentional in the Macallan profile. It’s NAS because it probably contains substandard casks that are younger than 12 years. WHAT I LIKED: It’s also obvious that there are good casks in here. This is better than the 12 year, for sure. Is it better than the similarly-priced 18 year? I don’t know about current bottlings because I haven’t tried them, but the arrival for the rare cask is reminiscent of the glory days of Macallan, when 18 year olds were vintaged, and I would sweat about paying $20-30 for a pour out of bottles that today cost over $1000. There is nutmeg, sultanas, and dark chocolate. Followed by red oranges, slightly burnt coffee. The spiciness is just right with hints of cloves and cracked peppercorn. There is a good deal of smokiness for a Macallan, not from peat, but from alligator staves. VERDICT: There is quality present, but it is polluted by cheaper casks, which is almost as distracting as the baroque presentation. Stop inflating the price with visual appeal. Minus $50 for the bottle, minus $50 for the ridiculous marketing blurb… $125 is a reasonable price for this product. Call this buyer’s remorse, but HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN GET INSTEAD: Ardbeg Uigeadail and Aberlour A’bunadh are the twin pillars of value in the peated and sherried NAS world, respectively. You can buy both and still have change. If you want to stay within the Macallan house, you can buy both Edition No. 1 and No. 2. Number 2 happens to be the best Macallan I’ve had this decade, and I think is guaranteed to soar in value after bottles run out, similar to the vintage 18 year olds bottled in 1999-2007. If you want to try how Macallan 18 used to taste 10-15 years ago, get the Glendronach Parliament instead of Rare Cask. If you want to spend $100 more on a sherried whisky that, I’m afraid, is worth the ridiculous price tag: Balvenie TUN 1509 Batch 2. MARK: 86/100. Yes, that’s a high mark, and is based on the quality of the liquid; but like I said, this is overpriced and I hate what it represents, so I’m going to give it 2 stars.
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Octomore 06.1/167 Scottish Barley
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed July 26, 2017 (edited February 19, 2019)6.1 is probably the introductory Octomore. It is the cheapest (I purchased my bottle for $136) and most easily found. Caviar analogy: if Islay whiskies are fish eggs, Octomores are from the sturgeon, and the Octomore x.3 is the Beluga sturgeon; if you only have the funds to splurge on one bottle, you may as well go for the 6.3 or the 7.3, which are in the $200-250 range. Octomore 6.1 is solid, but a mere gateway to an expensive and heavenly range. NOSE: Sweetness, smoke, and brine in perfect balance! It is glued together by a rich buttery oiliness. This is what Corryvreckan wants to be. It literally smells like caviar. Campfire embers and gasoline are in the background. This is a tamed 167 phenols. The numbers are a gimmick, and are probably measured right after malting. It does not reflect the smokiness of the distillate. TASTE: The peat explodes. Bruichladdich believes in terroir, and it shows in their Octomore. Strong heathery, earthy flavors. There is smokiness, but also there is a taste of unsmoked soil. A good youthful profile of fresh barley and lemon zest emerges and lingers into a long finish. A long chestwarming feeling and aftertaste of hydrocarbons make you feel like you can light candles with your breath. WITH WATER: Nose gets sweeter and fruitier. Caviar and grape jam. Palate loses the explosion of peat, but you get more subtlety and iodine on the arrival, with a drying earthy ash taking over after a few seconds. VERDICT: Octomore publicity is based on extreme phenol levels and an “I-dare-you” variety of word-of-mouth. It is actually as sophisticated and luxurious as an Islay whisky gets, with so much more to offer than a proverbial peat-punch to the face. MARK: 94/100. -
Hennessy VS Limited Edition Bottle by JonOne
Cognac — Cognac, France
Reviewed July 20, 2017 (edited July 26, 2018)Confession: Hennessy VS was the first spirit to draw me into the world of slowly sipping on an oversized sexy glass of liquor neat. It was my transition point, where I became pretty refined for a ghetto kid. I have come A LONG way. I still use this for cooking to make steak flambe, and find an excuse for a few sips. I’m both intrigued and appalled that the newest bottle (which contains the same liquid as standard bottles, I’m sure) features art by a Harlem-born artist. I’m pretty sure LVMH gives only one fuck about Harlem, and that’s how to extract money from it. Anyways… NOSE: Vanilla, oak, and alcohol. Young cognac suffers more from being young than young whisky, for sure. I can smell the fucking grape peels… like, I’m going to be acid, and I’m going to bite your tongue. PALATE: This has gotten less and less harsh for me over the years, as I have gotten use to cask strength whiskies. It tastes like white grape juice, with a liquorice and plastic note that I don’t appreciate. Maybe some apricots and peaches, which will come flowing forth with ease if you go full-on ghetto and smoke some obligatory ganja. It is watery and smooth. Reviews that claim the VS is harsh are from virgins to spirits. FINISH: There is a long aftertaste, some pleasant, some not so much. Liquorice, raisin, oranges, syrup, bittermelon. In the end, I do not want this to be the final thing I taste for the night. VERDICT: I pretty much departed the world of Cognac because you cannot find a good one for less than $100. The start of Hennessy’s excellence is the XO. VS holds a special place in my heart because it connects me with my humble beginnings and I still use it as my exclusive cognac for cooking, but let’s be honest, this is barely drinkable, and you do NOT want to order this as your sole desert. MARK: 63/100. -
Tried some ‘Murrican whiskey the other night! This one rescued me from the atrocious Maker’s Mark, but was not as good as Baker’s 7 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon (review pending, because now I might pick up a bottle). Blanton’s original was just inoffensive and bland. Welcoming, and sweet on the nose. Vanilla, caramel – typical of bourbon. Chocolate-covered oranges on the palate. I hate that red liquorice taste in young bourbons! Blech. But very silky smooth to swallow. Not much of a finish. Toffee, caramel, vanilla. In a bar without a quality scotch, okay for $8 I guess, but I’m not interested in getting their fancy grenade-shaped bottles. MARK: 62/100.
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