Tastes

N: Cola, caramel, oak, hint of black licorice, copper penny, aftershave. P: Wood spice, vanilla, caramel, leather, dusty book at the back of the throat, freshly polished mahogany leather chair, cardboard, pencil - graphite and wood, cooked caramel. F: Medium length, chili spice, caramel sweet, dark chocolate, cedar, mint. A lovely bourbon that I wish was more widely available. How many can I say that about? Too many. Not really worth the secondary prices. (Again, say that too often.) It seems I can usually find Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, or sometimes CEHT at reasonable prices - any of the three are relatively interchangeable with a similar core profile. (I'm ignoring Blanton for now.) BT is the workhorse, suitable for just about anything. Eagle leans fruity and delicate; this is woodier, earthier, dark and brooding. It'd be nice to be able to just pop into the liquor store and grab one of each, but BT is generally available for about 20-25 bucks. That's hard to beat. This can't win on VFM, but it's worth a bottle every now and then when you find a good price. _______________________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired - it shouldn't be - please post a comment and I will gladly and usually quickly provide a new one.)

Trying something different for St. Patrick's: side-by-side of 18 and 18 Bow Street Batch One 18 N: Sweet fruit, wood, cherry, bit too much ethanol, maybe some citrus, shaving soap. 18 Bow Street N: Rich vanilla and caramel, orchard fruit, soft oak, touch of tropical fruit, butterscotch candy and/or butterscotch bread pudding. 18 P: Caramel, vanilla, sour cherry, baking spice, butterscotch, round tropical fruit flavors, peaches and cream, honey. Bit thin and watery on the mouthfeel. 18 Bow Street P: Fuller, rounder, richer - tropical fruit, sweet cereal malt, much bigger spice profile, cinnamon, peaches and cream again, some earth, some herbs, touch of pine, bit of cherry cough syrup, blonde coffee notes. 18 F: Smooth, mild, sweet, touch of that shaving soap, vanilla cream, floral notes. 18 Bow Street F: Long with oak, barrel spice, pot still spice, cinnamon, plenty of heat, cherry, lingering sweetness, touch of copper, some tannin bitterness. The lineage of both is apparent - they are both Jameson. That said, would I have pegged that blind - maybe is the best I can say - probably not if not writing tasting notes that I can compare against before deciding. The 80 proof 18 year is (expectedly) thinner and in some ways less appealing, but it also has some more delicate notes that are powered out in the 112 proof Bow Street. Most of the time, the more robust nature of the Bow Street is probably preferable, but there are definitely nights where the lighter proof and profile of the 18 would be better. I have to wonder what a 90 or even 100 proof of this would be like. Pretty damn good, I suspect. Final judgment: since I somehow managed to pay less for the cask strength, it's the obvious winner here. Taking VFM out, it's a closer call, but the Bow Street is richer with a longer finish, more complexity, and a better mouthfeel. Bow Street is the clear winner 9 times out of 10. In comparing to other Irish whiskies of similar age, the sad reality is this is that neither of these is a match for, for example, Red Spot (15 year age statement, I think) or the Redbreast 12 or 15. It not the same thing - this is blended, those are single pot still - but those cost less and taste better. However that happens, it is what it is. As to proof, Blue Spot or Redbreast CS are both better than the Bow Street. Hard to justify the price of the Bow Street. It's interesting, the kind of thing you don't regret buying and trying once, but don't likely return to. ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired - it shouldn't be - please post a comment and I will gladly and usually quickly provide a new one.)

Trying something different for St. Patrick's: side-by-side of 18 and 18 Bow Street Batch One 18 N: Sweet fruit, wood, cherry, bit too much ethanol, maybe some citrus, shaving soap. 18 Bow Street N: Rich vanilla and caramel, orchard fruit, soft oak, touch of tropical fruit, butterscotch candy and/or butterscotch bread pudding. 18 P: Caramel, vanilla, sour cherry, baking spice, butterscotch, round tropical fruit flavors, peaches and cream, honey. Bit thin and watery on the mouthfeel. 18 Bow Street P: Fuller, rounder, richer - tropical fruit, sweet cereal malt, much bigger spice profile, cinnamon, peaches and cream again, some earth, some herbs, touch of pine, bit of cherry cough syrup, blonde coffee notes. 18 F: Smooth, mild, sweet, touch of that shaving soap, vanilla cream, floral notes. 18 Bow Street F: Long with oak, barrel spice, pot still spice, cinnamon, plenty of heat, cherry, lingering sweetness, touch of copper, some tannin bitterness. The lineage of both is apparent - they are both Jameson. That said, would I have pegged that blind - maybe is the best I can say - probably not if not writing tasting notes that I can compare against before deciding. The 80 proof 18 year is (expectedly) thinner and in some ways less appealing, but it also has some more delicate notes that are powered out in the 112 proof Bow Street. Most of the time, the more robust nature of the Bow Street is probably preferable, but there are definitely nights where the lighter proof and profile of the 18 would be better. I have to wonder what a 90 or even 100 proof of this would be like. Pretty damn good, I suspect. Final judgment: since I somehow managed to pay less for the cask strength, it's the obvious winner here. Taking VFM out, it's a closer call, but the Bow Street is richer with a longer finish, more complexity, and a better mouthfeel. Bow Street is the clear winner 9 times out of 10. In comparing to other Irish whiskies of similar age, the sad reality is this is that neither of these is a match for, for example, Red Spot (15 year age statement, I think) or the Redbreast 12 or 15. It not the same thing - this is blended, those are single pot still - but those cost less and taste better. However that happens, it is what it is. As to proof, Blue Spot or Redbreast CS are both better than the Bow Street. Hard to justify the price of the Bow Street. It's interesting, the kind of thing you don't regret buying and trying once, but don't likely return to. ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired - it shouldn't be - please post a comment and I will gladly and usually quickly provide a new one.)

N: Fruity and young Irish grain, rye herbs - particularly dill, some baking spice or - dare I say it - pot still spice, so all the component parts are present; green rye grain dominates over time, earthy, herbal, hard swirls release ripe orchard fruit. P: Green rye, dried herbs, dill, anise, cooked banana, fruit and cream (but bathed in dill and other herbs), touch of heat. F: Dried herbs, dill, dried flowers, pine, oak. Similar to the Irish + Bourbon release, the idea here intrigued me. But, unlike the bourbon blend, a blend of Irish grain, single pot still, and rye brought about much more curiosity than a sincere thought there could be potential here. In the end, I'm somewhat encouraged by the potential, but leave feeling the component parts - and especially the rye - just aren't very good. It all feels like muddled mixed drink fare to me - too strong in some places, too weak in others, no sense of balance that could have conceivably been brought about with the right blend. In other words, this is harsh, young, not particularly good rye with a little Irish thrown in for good measure (and/or good marketing). Wouldn't do this again and can't recommend it - you'd be better off trying to make your own blend if the concept appeals to you. ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired - it shouldn't be - please post a comment and I will gladly and usually quickly provide a new one.)

N: Burning tires, oak tree, carbonated cola with vanilla flavoring, cherry-lemon citrus, and the faintest hint of bourbon barrel. P: Lemon custard, lemon cake, caramel, vanilla, dried flowers, cooked apples, dried earth, smoked flowers, floral-infused chocolate, black licorice with a pronounced bourbon influence when you draw air across it. F: Citrus-bitter, dried herbs, oak, menthol cigarette smoke (thanks for resparking that craving, Kilchoman), cherry-vanilla cola. Really nice, but also not quite punchy enough to find its way to the higher scores. It's just a bit too muddled at times and the bourbon influence feels sometimes more imagined than real. That's really more a disappointed expectations issue than a quality issue, but I think it's still a fair criticism within reason. All in all, it's a good dram, not really Kilchoman's best, but I enjoyed it and look forward to further barrel experimentation from them. ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired - it shouldn't be - please post a comment and I will gladly and usually quickly provide a new one.)

N: Shaving cream, cut stone, baking spice, earth, cinnamon, cooked caramel and vanilla. P: Hot cinnamon, oak, mineral notes, cooked stone fruit, watered down caramel, bitter tannins, earthy. F: Hot cinnamon, oak, cherry cough syrup, oak. I'm hot and cold on this one. Sometimes I think it's lovely and rich, other times - like tonight, unfortunately - I think it lands hot, young, harsh, and ultimately mediocre. I can't say what causes one or the other. I think it's just not a killer whiskey, but occasionally, based on mood, weather, atmosphere, food pairing, etc, IDK, it just punches above its weight. And I would guess that gives some good reason to look forward to future annual releases. This has good moments, and, being an infinity blend that's managed by a professional distiller/blender, I would hope and expect it to get better. ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired - it shouldn't be - please post a comment and I will gladly and usually quickly provide a new one.)

N: An unfortunate and overwhelming paint thinner note leads off, cereal grain, green rye, ethanol, mint/menthol, something bitter or sour smelling, but then the ethanol numbs my nose and nothing... P: Sweet and simple, vanilla, caramel, corn, mild pot still spice layered over anonymous fruit notes, earthy, maybe a dash of anonymous wood. With time, deep in the background some tropical fruits make themselves known, the kind you'd associate with single pot still. F: Menthol, rye, drying, tannic, slightly bitter, caramel, earth, very light heat. I usually like Irish whiskey and I usually like bourbon, so I was curious at the concept here. Also, I still identify as Minnesotan, so had to give this a shot. The idea is good, but the execution is lacking. Keeper's Heart says this a blend of Irish pot still whiskey, Irish grain whiskey, and bourbon. But I haven't seen any ratios or source distilleries, both of which would have immense impacts on final product. Hard to guess at what this really is then, but it feels like it leans heavily to the Irish grain, likely the cheapest of the bunch. (To their credit, they claim even that grain whiskey is at least 4 years old - so it really could be even cheaper.) There are some Irish single pot still notes in there, but far in the background and not enough to impress. Has to be a very small amount in the blend. Beyond that, the cross of bourbon flavors and Irish flavors just feels muddled. Both are there, but not in a way that elevates either. The bourbon parts are surprisingly demure, given that bourbon - and especially cheap bourbon - is usually pretty assertive. Without knowing what the actual parts are, it still seems to fall short of the sum of its parts. Long story short, it's may be a good idea, but a mediocre juice in the bottle. Just take a good bourbon and a good Irish single pot still and pour them together in your glass - likely better than this. ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired - it shouldn't be - please post a comment and I will gladly and usually quickly provide a new one.)

N: Sweet fruit candy, shaving cream, oak, lumber yard, hint of library dust, caramel corn, candy corn, sawdust, hint of barnyard, funky, even a bit yeasty, but big sweet notes balance against that. P: Chocolate orange, lightly charred oak, touch of smoke, caramel, pencil shavings, frothy soap, light roast coffee, some cinnamon, some baking spice. F: Medium hot with cinnamon, Christmas baking spice, oak, caramel, vanilla. This lovely. I enjoyed it. The funk is interesting, although I think more subdued than I imply above. It's well balanced. It's also grotesquely overpriced. But what isn't these days. (Don't answer that.) ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired - it shouldn't be - please post a comment and I will gladly and usually quickly provide a new one.)

N: Vanilla bomb, shaving cream, aftershave, bit too much ethanol, some subtler fruit/floral notes mingled in with the shaving cream. P: Double vanilla bomb, cream, vanilla frosting, touch of oak, cinnamon, almond, maybe peanut shells. Nice, rich, coating mouthfeel. F: Vanilla (but not quite bomb level), butterscotch, some heat, some cinnamon, touch of cooling mint. Really lovely. A little harsh, sadly - just drinks young. And it's really a tad too expensive to drink young. It's maybe a $40 bottle if it wasn't Japanese. It's comparable, slightly better, than some of the Mars Iwai I've had that does price closer to $45 (and does itself sport a Japanese markup). But such is whisky life, and the juice is otherwise pretty good. Give it a spin. ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired - it shouldn't be - please post a comment and I will gladly and usually quickly provide a new one.)