Tastes

Friday after Thanksgiving. Excited, as a monstrous Beatles fan, I finally am able to watch the much anticipated Get Back series. I have nothing but time, so a perfect time to sample. A subtle, sweet peat. Not the bold, brash Laphroaig. Quite pleasant. Open fire at the beach on an overcast, autumn day. For me, that is the imagery this conjures in my mind. Blend in some artificial grape, dark honey, raisins. Now imagine nosing this will in an old, damp, library. A musty character underlies the more prevalent aromas. Quite satisfying. On the palate is where that Laphroaig ashy-tobacco base which supports the additional flavors. Fruity sweetness. Welch’s Grape jam, raisins, plums, frosted strawberry Pop Tart. Black pepper and brine provide a spicy earthiness to the spirit. All delivered through a thin and creamy texture. The long, ashy, earthy palate remains that seems to never end with a soft jammy sweetness. If you like peaty sweetness, this will satisfy. Very sip-able and does not feel to be at 48 abv. It is comparable, to me, to Kilchoman Sanig, but a touch more sweeter. It’s quite good, but there is something missing to push it to a top tier. Sanig can provide as much enjoyment at about half the cost. Thank you @LeeEvolved for the sample. I finally got around to opening. [90/100][Tasted: 11/26/21]

Perusing through my local, I saw this black topped, gold label Old Overholt. Normally for my rye mixer, I reach for Rittenhouse. So, for a curiosity and mixology experiment, I figured it would be interesting to see what other mixers are like. What Rittenhouse has, that I like, is the BiB which holds its own in the drink. This being at 114, this can only be a win-win experience. At first, a whiff of dill and acetone or magic marker. Soft, considering the high proof. Settling in, the nose sweetens and becomes more caramelized. Toffee, Vanilla, root beer and maraschino cherries. Texturally, creamy and velvety. And then the bite. But the bite is brief. Vanilla, dill, caramel and very little more in the flavor department, but what little variety there is, the flavors hold their own. A short, sweet finish with a touch of wood. A nice, hardy rye that does not seem as potent as delivered. The lack of palate dimension or dynamic provides a stable base as a mixer. Given a choice between Rittenhouse or Old Overholt 114, I would first reach for Rittenhouse just because of the greater comparative profile depth. But, this is a quality stand in. [$30][85/100][Tasted: 11/20/21]

Man, it’s getting cold quick up here in the Northeast real quick. I was in shorts last week. Have a good weekend planned, with family. So, to start my weekend, a nice warming whiskey seems proper. Autumn. That’s the best immediate image that is instantly conjured in my mind when I first breathe it in. Cinnamon, cloves, orange peel, fennel, beer bread with wisps of vanilla and caramel. Spice, heat and sweetness. Light bodied. Ginger, cloves, rye, orange zest as its first presented on the palate. As you become acclimated and adjust to the spicy tingle, a pleasant wave of sweetness adds a pleasant counter. Confectionery sugar, cola, spearmint, vanilla. A touch of water nicely sweetens the dram. A oaken, drying, woody finish leaving the palate minty fresh with a drop of vanilla and black pepper. I would have to best describe this as a sweet rye. The high abv is unnoticeable and sips relatively easy. Neat or diluted, there is no wrong way to enjoy. I was expecting more of a dill, pumpernickel type of rye. A solid, enjoyable flavorful rye whiskey. A unique rye. Thanks @dubz480 for providing me the tasty sample. [88/100][Tasted: 11/5/21]

On this eve of Halloween eve, I find myself on a eerie Northeast evening. Wind is eerily blowing. Storm is brewing. A damp chill in the air. Time for a warming dram. The color pours as a rich mahogany with maroon hues. Immediately, upon initial pour, an aroma of candied pecans jumps out and dominates. You can sense other notes wanting to come through but it cannot penetrate the dominance. Time will remedy that. As it settles and loosens up, those blocked aromas begin to seep through. Milk chocolate, toffee and a vanilla mix provide a robust sweetness. But wait, there’s more!: sawdust, dried hay, leather, burnt marshmallows, cinnamon, maple syrup. A plethora or aromas. I think I could smell the kitchen sink. The initial sip, unlike the sweet nose, is more earthy. Medium-dense, soft and velvety texture. Successive sips are hot but without burn, which is confounding as the pour is at 68% Abv. A leather base where those pecans continue from the nose. Cinnamon, allspice and root beer is all I can detect as the alcohol bite makes it tough to get more. Time for some water. Tree bark, vanilla, peanut brittle, cigar tobacco leaf bring a wonderful earthiness tempered with a touch with of sweetness. Leather, wood and char stay with the palate for quite some time. Candy corn eventually seeps out that hits with a touch of sweetness. Ultimately, the palate remains woody, dry and wanting another sip. I have had good fortune to taste some wonderful bourbon/whisky. Of those, a handful I can still conjure up without tasting. Midwinters Act 2, Cragellachie 51 amongst some others. This one ranks right up there. There’s a uniqueness to this one. Earthy and sweet packed with some muscle. That muscle, though, is all grace and style. Ballet vs kickboxing. This had an abundance of aromas which is rare. Most drams have pop in a few points (caramel or vanilla or leather). This had it all. All perfectly harmonized. The palate is rich, full and dense with flavor the keeps on line with the nose. A top line whiskey. Time and patience is a must to fully take it all in. If there is a downside to this, as others before have mentioned, is the price. Thanks @pkingmartin for this wonderful sample. [97/100][Tasted: 10/29/21]

Selection 14-E-19 On a visit with some friends out of state, my buddy happened to visit the JD Distillery prior to me visiting and grabbed this Tasters series and shared with me. Brown sugar dominated nose with hints nutmeg, cinnamon, gingerbread, vanilla and rye spices. Nutmeg, cinnamon and rye spices drive the palate. Dark chocolate, light-roasted coffee. The high proof tingles and bites. Slight hints of brown sugar and vanilla. Water is a must and definitely enhances the dram. The brown sugar notes pull forward and temper the sharpness. Again baking spices round out the pour with wood spices. A touch of brown sugar and charcoal all fade leaving the palate dry, woody and nutty. The Taster’s Series, so far, has produced some quality sipping whiskey. The blending here with rye creates and adds a balanced spiciness with taking away from the sweeter side. No exotic finishing here. Just old school blending of grains and flavors. [89/100][Tasted: 10/18/21]

On a visit with some friends out of state, my buddy happened to visit the JD Distillery prior to me visiting and grabbed this Tasters series and shared with me. Baking spices of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, allspice (duh). Sweetness of brown sugar, caramel. First draw tingles the palate with a touch of sweetness. Buttery texture. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, milk chocolate, vanilla, honey and black tea. Wood and baking spices, brown sugar and vanilla fade out and the wood tannins leave the palate slightly dry. A nice, spicy JD. The proofing at 50% is spot on. A good sipper on an Autumn evening. I like the experimentation and the “daring “ to try different things. Sometimes things work. Sometimes they don’t. This works. [88/100][Tasted: 10/18/21]

So, my first GOT sample. I recently purchased this at a discounted price to share with my son who is/was a huge GOT fan and learning to appreciate whisky (because of me?). I have been drinking this with some mental notes and tasted recently. Being a Lagavulin, I know what I am in for and have certain expectations. Hints of bacon-wrapped hickory-smoked oysters with a maple syrup glaze. Maritime brininess, cream soda, grilled pears, sweet tea. A nose reminiscent of campfires near the ocean and autumn breakfasts. Like at a B&B with an indoor fire going with a Vermont syrup on the bacon. Though my descriptors may be vivid, the aromas are actually not as dense. They are detectable but time, patience and digging may you find these notes. As expected, the campfire, smokey peaty flavor is the primary flavor. Now, add vanilla icing, lemon zest, toffee, dark chocolate and dark roast coffee, grilled peaches. Chew on it and hold it in and wood spices and cinnamon spices provide the tingle. A woody bitter palate, lemon zest and white pepper keep the palate dry and spicy. Slight cigar ash remains to the end. Short overall finish that you wished found a way to stay. I have been drinking this over a course of two weekends and noticed a few things. The neck pour revealed the youthful side. Spicy, biting, tingly with a predominant peaty, tobacco flavor. However, as the volume decreased and oxidation occurred, it softened somewhat and more of the sweetness was more present. This definitely improved with time in the opened bottle. Comparatively, it’s akin to Talisker 10 with the smoky, peppery sweetness (IMO). I would definitely choose a Talisker, Laphroaig or Ardbeg first before choosing a pour of Lagavulin 9. A good second place pour. At about $10 less then the discounted price, the trifecta is a better purchase at around $49 then the $59 Lagavulin 9 GOT. Worthy of a try. [87/100][$59][Tasted: 9/18/21]

In South Carolina for a long weekend stint. With that, we stopped in the High Wire Distillery. Didn’t do the tour but did do a flight. The Rye, Jimmy Red, Jimmy Red Single Barrel. So the quick hit. N: corn, cinnamon, candy corn, caramel, vanilla, cream soda. P: Cinnamon, cardamom, almonds or walnuts, caramel. F: Cinnamon, wood. Decent bourbon pour. Good nose. Flavorful. A vanilla cream soda with cinnamon sipper. 86/100

Act 5/Scene 6 A Midwinters Night Dram. Top Dog in the High West catalog (or at least one of the top dogs). Act 2 was insanely great. Act 3 quite good. But as the successive Acts that have been released, the distance in experience has diminished. Does Act 5 begin to break this trend? The aromas are light and faint. What comes through jammy, spicy, earthy and sweet. As it opens, the sweetness strengthens. Jelly donuts with granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and vanilla. Fresh pinewood, dampened maple leaves and hay. Cola notes slowly come to strength through time and patience. It arrives surprisingly soft and creamy for a higher proofed whiskey. The baking spices of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon arrive in initially and set the stage. Wood spice provide a tingle to the palate. Grape jam, mashed strawberries with vanilla blend in with the baking spices creating a sweet and spicy blend. We The finish leaves the tongue with a tingle and slowly diminishes to distinguishable flavors. Cola, vanilla with drying oak tannins. Faints of nutmeg and cloves, dill and black licorice. Previous versions of this would conjure up images of November evenings or Thanksgiving holidays. Full of spice, dill, rye, mint and brown sugar. This version is nothing like those previous versions. Though good, it pales to its earlier siblings. The nose is decent and the palate good. Like the previous Acts, a touch of water improves the dram. Act 5 lacks the punch and fullness of the earlier versions. However, all in all, good aromas and flavors, especially the baking spices with the sweetness always makes this a pleasant dram. [$99][88/100][Tasted: 8/28/21]