Tastes

World Series opener. Yankees v Dodgers. I have worked this prior to about half a bottle. Now is the perfect time to sit back and ponder this pour. This is my first Larceny purchase and been quite impressed. This is bottled at 124.2 Abv. N: Upon first nosing, what is presented is full and deep while not overpowered by ethanol, considering the high proof. Butterscotch, candy corns, oak and baking spices (nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, cloves) that are all well balanced. Full visions of autumn. Time exposes the sweeter aromas revealing peanut brittle with trace amounts of floral and Strawberry Quick (for those old enough to remember). P: A medium dense palate where the tongue is immediately anesthetized. Once the numbness quickly diminishes, those baking spices coats the mouth. The aromas are embodied on the palate. Deep amounts of cinnamon, almost Red Hots-like, with added flavors of milk chocolate, cola, and, oddly, soft Bavarian pretzels. W: With a healthy dose of water, the palate thins out and the richness of the flavors are muted, but they do remain. Water just allows this to become the same sipper with minimal tingle. F: A finish that lasts an eternity. Oak-soaked caramel that dries the palate. Peanut brittle and cinnamon take it to an end, if it even has an end. I nice little Kentucky hug keeps the soul smiling. N O: This is a full powered, full flavored bourbon. It does not disappoint. The fact you can grab this for $65 makes this a must have. I have often looked Larceny grabbing the likes of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Barrel or a Bookers. This is in the same league. This is preferable without water, in smaller doses. Water just allows you to take on more of the bourbon without losing much. [$65][94/100][Tasted: 10/25/2024]

A hectic summer prevented me from sitting down and doing tastings, but not from imbibing. I finally found a moment to pull a sample and just chill. I randomly grabbed this sample and thought to give it a go. N: Light and fruity sweetness greets the nose. Ripened pineapples, pears, white grape juice create a fruit basket of aromas. Marshmallows, vanilla wafers and vanilla custard, malty chocolates (Whoppers), Rice Krispy treats provide the sweetness. Sprinkle in a bit of trail dust which adds some earthiness. P: Orchard fruits of pears, peaches and apples, apricots and cranberries touch the palate first. With a light cinnamon and oaky tinge, much of the nose is embodied: Vanilla custard, milk chocolate, marshmallows. F: A wonderful lengthy finish of oak and the three baking spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The tinge encompasses the palate keeping it alive. O: This is a solid Irish Whiskey with much about to take in (and I am sure there are more aromas and flavors that I can sense but can’t pinpoint). The quality casks add depth, variety and a delicate and balanced influence. A solid and seemingly very mature 12 year Irish Whiskey. Thank you @soonershrink for the great sample. [90/100][Tasted: 8/30/24]

Treated to a generous sample, I was looking forward to this tasting. My first Ardnahoe. Not sure of what to expect. Throw on a movie and take it for a ride. N: Sweet peat. Muscular yet approachable. A very inviting nose. A touch of salinity with the phenols always conjures images of a beach bonfire. Butterscotch, orange rinds, lemon drops, black tea and, believe it or not, eucalyptus. A very eclectic aroma mix. P: The body is thin. Thinner than you would expect given the hearty nose. Fruity and spicy. The sherry notes is the first flavor that you encounter. Somewhat akin to Glendronach. The phenols coat the palate. But with it, an apple orchard, leather, cherries, demerura sugar, nougat and milk chocolate ( think 3 Musketeers bar). These flavors don’t all come out at once. Time and patience are rewarded. F: At the end of it all, the palate is left sooty, tarry, vanilla-d. Cigar and caramel remain forever. A nice long finish. W: Water sweetens the dram. I am unsure if it improves the dram or not. It does help open the nose, however. O: @PBMichiganWolverine best describe this: “Think if Ledaig and Balvenie had a child”. Spot on analogy. This has all the right elements and balance to make it a wonderful pour. More impressively, this is only five years young but sips as a very mature whisky. This is worthy of a spot in the cabinet if you find it. Thank you again @PBMichiganWolverine [94/100][Tasted: 6/7/24]

This was a semi-last minute purchase as we were hosting the Kentucky Derby. Mint juleps, of course, were the cocktail of the day. So I grabbed a bottle of the official whiskey sponsor of the derby with this year’s version of Woodford’s 2024 derby bottling. N: warm apple caramel crumb cake, like a Sunday morning cake fresh out of the oven. Suede leather, vanilla oak, adds a soft earthy sweetness. A few minutes in the glass and notes of cream soda take root, a dusting of baking spices add to the pool of aromas. P: The first few sips draw cinnamon apple strudel. The body is thin; alcohol thin (thinner than water). Charred oak, white pepper, caramel, brown sugar, apricots add to the thin body providing a bit of flavor to the palate. F: The finish is thin and medium short. A bit an oaken char, leather and white pepper ride out the dram. O: As a sipper, this is a perfect bourbon as a beginner whiskey. Good aromas with typical sweetened bourbon flavors that are not overly dominating. As a mixer, it holds enough punch to fight the dilution funneling the flavors through. Elijah Craig or Four Roses Small Batch provide stronger flavor with more oak, cinnamon and caramel, which would be a first grab over the Woodford Reserve. As the main ingredient for Mint Juleps, it produces an enjoyable, for the masses, cocktail that none would refuse (and only refuse because of the mint). And for the record, Mystik Dan was a winner by a nose. [$43][84/100][Tasted: 5/10/24]

Friday night, tasting night. Pulled this out of the from the samples that aspire to get through. Broken Barrel is one that I am familiar with, until tonight. N: An immediate nose of musky, leather-bound, antiqued library books. As it opens, white grapes, corn meal, mixed with a generous amounts of vanilla bean extract. Time is rewarded to the nose. The aromas become richer and sweeter with the addition of root beer and a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. P: The high proof anesthetizes the tongue. Dark caramel, butterscotch, white pepper are primarily the flavors. Leather and oak are in support of the primaries. W: With a healthy dose of water sweetens the pour pulling forward more butterscotch and focuses the peppery spiciness. F: An oaken, drying, spicy, finish with wisps of vanilla and cream. O: Admittedly until this pour I haven’t heard of this whiskey. The nose is quite inviting, rich and lures you into wanting to taste. The palate embodies the nose and expands it a bit further. A touch of water only improves the whiskey. Quite enjoyable. Thank you @soonershrink for the sample. [86/100][Tasted: 4/26/14]

To prepare for a house crawl, I created a, mixer that was bourbon based. The question as to what bourbon that would be: it needed to be affordable, hold up to mixing and have decent flavor. This seemed to fit that bill (based upon reviews for good mixing bourbons). However, how does this taste as a stand alone? N: Sugary vanilla pudding aromas. Caramel with baking spices of cinnamon. Oak wood encased initially which weakens in time leaves the sweet custardy aroma. P: Wood, oak and spice fills the palate. Slight sweetness passes through, briefly. Almonds, toasted marshmallow add to the oaken spiciness. White and black pepper comes forward and more dominate towards the finish. F: The tongue tingles as it finishes. And it tingles for some time. White pepper, caramel which rides the woody dryness for a good length. O: This is surprisingly a good budget whiskey. It has a decent aroma with muscular flavor for what it holds. As a sipper, it can hold its own. But where it would work best is as a mixer. The punch holds allows it to stay strong no matter what is thrown in it. [$33/1.75][84/100][Tasted: 3/15/24]

A Friday night finds me free. A moment to formally take some tasting notes. A Midwinter’s Night Dram Act 7 Scene 4. This was opened for about a month and taking this in over time. N: Letting this open for some time and you are rewarded. Immediate flashbacks to late autumn evenings. Baking spices float while in a warm and in a cozy house in a crisp night. Oak, cinnamon and nutmeg mixed with vanilla, dark caramel and brown sugar. A touch of maple syrup and milk chocolate. A mix of cream soda and root beer also is detectable or maybe similar to the combined previous aromas. P: When drawn onto the palate, you are immediately introduced to wood spices and brown sugar sweetness. Ground cinnamon, allspice, ground black pepper with Hints of grape jam and Gala apples. This is delivered in a surprisingly thin body. W: A splash of water (or ice), as I have experienced with AMWND, water improves the flavor. Rounds it out and, in this dram bringing forth the sweetness. It unfortunately takes an already thin body and thins it out some more. F: The finish is woody, bitter. Medium in length. As it fades, the sweeter side makes an appearance and leaves one with a pleasant, warm satisfaction. O: After Act 4, the subsequent releases were what I would qualify as adequate where the predecessors were brilliant. Act 7, the aromas are quite delightful; the palate is a diluted version of the nose and the finish fine, but I was expecting or wanting a bit more length and flavor in the finish. Act 7 is a step is the positive direction towards the excellence of Act 2 and/or Act 3. [$99][90/100][Tasted: 3/8/24]

I have read many positive reviews about Whiskey Del Bac Dorado (standard). This sample from @soonershrink is tonight’s pour. Hoping for a unique, mesquite, smokey experience. C: The color of shiny copper penny. N: At first pour, the nose is neutral. Over time, it begins to open up. Still light, but rubber hose and sweet mesquite. Lemon peel, vanilla cola, light brown sugar. P: It comes on to the palate hot, thick and sweet. A foundation of cola flavor. That foundation supports, tobacco, vanilla bean, dark roast coffee, with hints of orchard fruits. F: Finishes woody and dry. Black pepper, charcoal, waxy lemon peel that leads towards a bitter and long lasting finish. O: Never having tasted Whiskey Del Bac before, I was somewhat intrigued. Now having sampled, I admit I had higher expectations. Not that this was bad. I would classify it as an average whiskey. For me, the mesquite was buried and I had to work for it. I wanted more. Decent but not a show stopper. Thank you again @soonershrink for sharing [85/100][Tasted: 1/9/24]

This Saturday, kinda chillin’. Some found downtime to sample something while watching a Netflix movie. I figured something more on the conservative side (lower Abv) amongst the samples I still need to work through. This comes to me courtesy of @soonershrink. N: Ethanol abound on the nose. The vapors hover extendedly. Not wickedly. Just enough to mask other aromas from pushing through. Give it a fair amount of time to weaken. Vanilla custard primarily breaks through. Bits of black cherry and cola encased in wood. P: It comes on strong though it’s only 48.5%. Velvety in texture. The flavors complement the nose with the cola in the forefront. White pepper keeps the palate tingly. F: Slightly bitter and tannic on the finish. Orange peel, oak, cinnamon Red Hots. The bitterness and oak does linger for a long period of time. Not good nor bad. Sort of just there. O: This is a simplistic, youthful whiskey. To be somewhat critical, it lacks depth, richness, boldness and sophistication. Maybe it’s the casks. Or maybe it did not have enough time to mature. Good enough for occasions where much socialization will occur or as a mixer. Thanks @soonershrink for the sample. [84/100][Tasted: 1/6/24]

When I first exploring whisky and getting into the nuances of aromas, flavors and learning more about regions and the varieties within the regions, I gravitated toward Islay produced scotch. The big three: Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Laphroaig were doing their thing and keeping it simple. NAS versus aged-stated whisky, non-chilled filtering were big debates and who was the best Islay. Variations were essentially limited but quality was high. All three produced exceptional product and prices were reasonable. I gravitated towards Laphroaig. Fast forward to today and the what do I see? Laphroaig by and large is holding steady with their range and producing quality at a reasonable price. Lagavulin has branched out extending their marketing with deals with Nick Offerman, but has largely kept to its standards. Ardbeg has, in my opinion, has gone balls out and anything it makes they label it and sell it, confusing the loyalists with noise. Too many offerings to count and high prices. Does this cheapen their good will/brand (I will leave this for debate but I have my opinion)? Where am I going with all this? This sample of Laphroaig 18 brings me back to that period of time with this sample from a long time back from Spirited Pied-piper @PBMichiganWolverine who benevolently shares and graciously provided me a sample that I will enjoy tonight. N: Unmistakable Laphroaig smokey sweetness immediately in your face. Not muscular or punchy but refined and sophisticated. Wonderful. An aroma that can be nosed all day. Iodine, lemonade, black tea, honey, apricots, shucked oysters, butterscotch, caramel apples, white pepper. The nose incorporates about every good quality of scotch. Visions of September oyster roast on warmed afternoon. P: Softly encroaching on the palate with a light and peppery bite. Irish and Lapsang souchong tea with honey. Smoked brisket with brown sugar bbq sauce provides briny, savory flavors that tends to water the mouth. Salted caramel in wrapped milk/dark chocolate. Almonds and oranges, cinnamon. As it opens, it the brown sugar intensifies, blissfully so. F: A long finish that you are glad that stays around as you want to keep all that goodness as long as possible. Charred oak, brown sugar that devolves to caramel over vanilla custard. Cigar tobacco ultimately remains on the palate indefinitely with the butterscotch sweetness. O: An amazing artistic expression. Perfect strokes of aromas and flavors. A Starry Night, a Madam Monet and Her Son. Why Laphroaig discontinued producing this, I don’t know. But it’s a force. When it was readily available, it was attractively affordable and fitting perfectly in the range of their 10 and 15 year old offerings. The NAS Lore replaced this (which I have not enjoyed yet enjoyed). The balance is spot on with sweetness, dryness, smokiness, and savoriness. The flavors are never ending, vibrant, apparent and work together synergistically, like a team of crew rowers or brush stokes on a painting. Many thanks to my long-time Distiller mate @PBMichiganWolverine for sharing this long, long ago. [98/100][Tasted: 12/8/23]