Tastes
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Compass Box The Story of the Spaniard
Blended Malt — Scotland
Reviewed November 2, 2021 (edited March 6, 2022)N: An atomic sherry bomb - every red fruit you can think of. Strawberry, cherry, blackberry. Sweet red wine. Hints of caramel, vanilla, and something mineral behind that. And that's about as far as it goes. P: Same as the nose: all the red fruits. Leans heavy to the dessert wine. Good wood behind that with decent spice, but always sweet. There's a creamy vanilla, toffee, and caramel that's subtle behind that. Not much for a finish - just more red fruit and a little heat from the wood. This seemingly aims for a narrow goal: the most sherried whisky on the market. It hits that mark, for my experience at least. It falls flat in a few places, it's not terribly complex, but it's still pretty charming and I've had no problem opening this bottle regularly since picking it up. Sometimes a nice, easy drinking, fruity dram just hits the spot. I would probably do this one again, but it seems a bit overpriced. The CB Artist's Blend is fruity, but less so, and is a better deal.64.0 USD per Bottle -
Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (Batch 12)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed November 2, 2021 (edited December 21, 2021)Batch 0012, bottled Feb 2020; 60.1%; 120.2 proof. N: Sugar cookie, vanilla frosting, sweet lemon cake. Cooked vegetables, cherry cola, cinnamon. Tropical notes of mango and a dash of pineapple. Earthy peat smoke with tar and fresh laid asphalt with some mint/menthol mixed in. Super balanced nose that gives you something new every time you dip into it. P: Rich and full vanilla cream, dark red fruit, spicy pepper and cinnamon. Bittersweet oak, which also adds some heat. More cooked vegetables. Sweet comes roaring back mid-palate with a rush of caramel, toffee, and cafe de olla (super sweet, spiced Mexican coffee). Finish brings the peat smoke with used tires, cigar ash, charred wood, burnt vegetables, and (finally) that classic Laphroaig medicine note (which is far more subdued here than in the standard 10 year). The sweet in the finish is straight up monkey bread (sticky brown sugar, cinnamon, biscuit dough). Good bit of oaky, cinnamon candy heat folds on top of that and closes it out. This is plain fantastic. I've shortchanged it, especially on the nose. This is relentless, just keeps coming. And it's delicious from start to finish. The medicine peat that Lap is so known for is milder here than in the standard 10 year - it's kinda perfect here, you get just enough to appreciate, but it's never overwhelming. Took me a while to find this - next time I see it, I buy two of them. Worth having this on hand at all times.95.0 USD per Bottle -
Lagavulin 12 Year (2016 Special Release)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed November 1, 2021 (edited November 2, 2021)N: Sea salt, ash, salted lemons. Vegetables soaking in sea water. Smoked vanilla, bread pudding cooked over charcoal. Fresh cut grass soaking in lemon juice. Earthy peat, also soaked in lemon juice. Light baking spice notes. P: Vanilla bean, toffee, caramel, malted milk balls. Lemon is there, but more subdued. Plenty of salt, like everything has been brined. Green vegetables coated in ash. Hot cayenne spice hits early and sticks through the mid-palate. Finish is less hot, but has plenty of baking spice and is more earthy with pine, dried peat, and dried mud. Salted caramel candy hits just before a final blast cayenne burns out whatever is left. Saw a dusty Lag box on a shelf and found this gem. 2016, 200th anniversary edition. Figured I'll probably never see this again, so I grabbed it. Saved it for a few more months and made it the first bottle opened in our new house back in May. Anyway, who cares, I guess. This was fun to have on the shelf, to share, to just look at, to drink alone. Not sure what value there is in trying to compare this, or assess VFM, or even really critique it much. All I'll say is if you've read this far, you probably love the Lag, and then if you happen to find this bottle, grab it. You won't be disappointed. As to the 12 year, cask strength Lagavulin idea, I'm a fan. This is not the polished, lovely dram that the 16 is, and I'd probably still prefer that, but this is interesting and makes a fine biannual splurge. I can't see any particular release of this ever being terrible, so I'd say pick one up if you see it and can make the spend. I'll certainly be looking for other years.160.0 USD per BottleCircus Liquor -
Heaven's Door Redbreast Master Blenders' Edition
Bourbon — USA
Reviewed October 27, 2021 (edited November 1, 2021)N: Toasted corn, burnt wood, dark red fruit, an orchard in fall (dying leaves and fresh fruit), chalky minerals/vitamins. Bit of an ethanol burn to this one. Caramel, toffee, buttered corn all released on a hard swirl. P: Sweet corn, toasted oak, vanilla, red fruit. Very spicy, and in a way that feels like a mix of a hot bourbon and Irish pot still spices - it's an angry cinnamon candy that's being (barely) restrained by rounder baking spices. Big, thick caramel/brown sugar note develops after a few sips - it's like sucking one of those Werther's candies. Hint of butterscotch there too. Lot's of rye-like grain and herb notes too: some mint, tarragon, anise, and some others. Finish starts with those herbal notes, but quickly returns to that biting heat once the herbs fade. There's a dusting of dark chocolate with some bitterness just before the hot cinnamon candy closes this out. I actually found this one kind of uninspiring. I had hoped for a bit more from the Redbreast casks. The Irish notes are there, but I think they're largely overpowered by the big bourbon barrel spice of the underlying juice. I don't know exactly what I should have been expecting, but I was hoping maybe a bit of that classic RB coconut would get through. I also find this a little tough to assess because I don't know the Heaven's Door line - this is the only one I've tried thus far. Last word: I can't really think of any of the "finished" whiskies I've tried that have justified a huge price increase. I'm not sure what the standard 10 year HD runs, but this feels like one of those bottles that gets a fancy finish, doubles its price, but just can't bear that uptick. Either way, I think this is an okay to good bourbon that costs way too much.95.0 USD per Bottle -
N: Mostly anise, but there are hints of vanilla, caramel, baking spice, cooked vegetables, and wet earth. Might be a dash of sea spray and salt, but I might be imagining that based on the story of how this is made. P: Anise again - I mean, I think that's basically the point. But there's a lot happening behind that: caramel, vanilla, lemon cough drops, baking spice, barrel heat, chalky mineral water, black licorice (more candy-like than the anise). Mouthfeel is soft and creamy. Finish is relatively long with anise (obviously), cream, cinnamon heat, and chili pepper heat. My dad's side of the family came to the U.S. from Norway about a 100 years ago. I got curious one night and wondered, had things gone differently, what would I drink if I grew up in Norway instead of Minnesota? What do my distant relatives over there prefer? The internet tells me this is it: a potato based spirit that's flavored with anise, caraway, and other spices, and then is barrel aged on a slow boat from Norway to Australia and back. Obviously, I had to try that. There's nothing I can fairly compare this to. This is my first aquavit, so can't compare to another. It's not a whiskey, despite being aged like one. It's not a vodka, despite being potato based. It's flavored like a cordial, but it's also 80 proof, the starting point for the harder liquors and more than most cordials. This is really just its own thing. And I like that about it. The profile on the whole strikes me as grown up and well developed. It stands on its own - there's enough going on behind the anise for it to work and be interesting. It's not going to replace my shelf of bourbon, scotch, and Irish whiskey, but it's a nice change of pace that might find a permanent home next to all the others.27.0 USD per Bottle
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N: It's basically a vanilla and lemon white bread tart that's been soaked in gasoline - the peat smoke is raw on this one. Some vegetable and herbal notes build into the peat over time. Good swirl releases a juicy orange citrus. P: More vanilla, lemon, and bread. Less peat smoke, but a super hot pepper spice makes up the difference. Caramel and toffee later lay on top of the vanilla and lemon. Stays hot and spicy deep into the finish - almost to the point of being numbing. Herbal and vegetable peat notes mingle with the heat. Slightly bitter. Some wood notes late in the finish. Relatively light and silky mouthfeel. There's not much doubt that this is a young Lagavulin. I'm on the fence with it - don't love it, don't hate it. The 16 is head-and-shoulders better than this - it's not a close call, in case anyone was wondering - but that's not really surprising. I think at this price point you get a slightly better whisky from Ardbeg, Highland Park, Talisker, or Laphroaig. This just drinks younger than all the rest of those (probably because it usually is younger). This bottle exists to create a lower entry price for the Lagavulin character. It succeeds at that narrow goal, but accomplishes little else. I will likely pass in the future.60.0 USD per Bottle
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New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon Bottled In Bond
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed October 22, 2021 (edited January 7, 2022)N: Dried corn, dried green apple, brown sugar. There's some wheaty and herbal notes. There's also something like a faint wet dog smell, which I actually don't hate - it's subtle enough. Chalky mineral notes. The overall effect is vaguely medicinal. P: Rich sweet corn, caramel, toffee, vanilla. Sweet oak filters in mid-palate. Touch of leather and cigar smoke. Dash of dried red fruit. Finish is sweet - that corn just carries through the whole taste - and also a bit hot with oaky cinnamon and maybe a dash of ginger. Pretty unique BIB that throws a few curveballs into the traditional bourbon profile. Super solid bottle that feels and drinks like good quality. Good VFM. Easy to recommend this.40.0 USD per Bottle -
Glenfiddich 18 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed October 21, 2021 (edited April 11, 2022)N: Red apple and other orchard fruit. Honey. Floral tea with white bread. Herbal garden notes. P: Honey and brown sugar. Floral notes. Light milk chocolate. Little bit of red fruit. Finish is more tea with some mild mint and cinnamon spice folding in slowly over time. Given the age statement and the price point, this is too subtle for me. It comes across a bit wimpy. It is completely inoffensive, which may work for some people, but I walk away feeling like there's nothing in it that pops and justifies the price point. I can't recommend this one.110.0 USD per Bottle -
Jack Daniel's Old No. 7
Tennessee Whiskey — Tennessee, USA
Reviewed October 20, 2021 (edited March 5, 2022)N: Bananas! Ripe apple, wood char, light brown sugar. Ethanol, if you leave your nose in there too long. P: More bananas! But this time cooked in brown sugar. Mineral water. Dash of oak. Finish is short with vanilla, more of that soft mineral water quality, and just a little heat. Every now and then, a little more bananas! Years ago, I hated this with a passion. Thought it tasted like olives - I can't explain that - maybe that little bit of barrel char? I avoided bringing my newfound and drunkenly earned whiskey knowledge to bear on this puppy because, well, I still really dislike olives. But, alas, I've started to run short on cheap, mass produced swill that I haven't tried/reviewed (probably not true), and so the day came for me and JD to be reacquainted. I definitely don't hate this. I find it quite drinkable, if not somewhat of a novelty. It almost strikes me as a banana Laffy Taffy flavored whiskey - the banana is that pronounced for my palate. But I will say that in that banana (and also the mineral water) note I also detect something very reminiscent of the noted Flintstones vitamin note in the George Dickell BIB series. I can only assume the charcoal filtering has something to do with it. Whatever it is, however this happens, I like it and feel like it ties them together as Tennessee whiskies, while elevating this just a hair. For $17 bucks, this ain't bad. I'd do it again.17.0 USD per BottleCVS -
Tomatin 12 Year Bourbon & Sherry Casks
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed October 2, 2021 (edited December 21, 2022)N: Sour, damp wood. Black licorice. Recently spoiled orchard fruit. More ethanol than you'd expect from 86 proof. P: More black licorice and sour fruit (mostly apple). This is not a combination that works for me. Behind that, there's a bit of caramel, toffee, and coffee. Finish is basically more black licorice and sour apple, but with a fairly hot cinnamon candy note. This is not an improvement on the base flavors. It's often really hard to decipher the line between a whisky I subjectively dislike and one that is actually just plain bad. This is definitely not for me, but I'm not sure it's bad - in the sense that it's poorly made/executed and really almost no one should like it. I don't get the impression that this is a miss for what the distiller intended, so I don't necessarily think it's poorly made or executed. But I'm not sure who wants a black licorice/sour apple scotch. It's kind of like taking a mediocre (cheap) scotch and then aging it in mediocre (cheap) bourbon barrels. Maybe that was the plan - not totally unreasonable for a ~$30 12 year old single malt. Whatever happened here, I can't do it again. Good luck to you if decide to try it.33.0 USD per Bottle
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