Tastes
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Dalmore 12 Year Sherry Cask Select
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed June 2, 2023 (edited June 23, 2023)I’n usually very skeptical of The Dalmore, which I view as The Macallan’s goofy cousin. But this sherry cask 12 year old was for sale for $65 at my local store which is downright reasonable nowadays for a 12 year shery cask single malt. Reasonable pricing is out of character for Dalmore, home of the $300 NAS. But man, I really enjoyed this! Nose is heroic - soft cherries, ginger, figs and musty books. The palate, helped by the slightly higher ABV, has strong honey, chocolate and red fruit, and the finish is gorgeous lingering spiciness with the tiniest bitter edge to make it interesting. I’ve only ever had the normal 12 which is okay, but I think this is leagues better. A rebuy for me for sure. I’m still not going to go out and blow $175 on the cigar malt or $300 on the King Alexander, but my perception of Dalmore has definitely been changed by this. It’s really quite good.65.0 USD per Bottle -
Buffalo Trace Kosher Rye Recipe Straight Bourbon (2020 Release)
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed October 15, 2022 (edited June 23, 2023)I was able to purchase this for about $43 which certainly colors my review. The hype on this is that it is basically Blanton’s for less money. After working through half a bottle, I think that is basically true. This definitely (to my taste) has more rye than Blantons but everything else is basically the same. A little more spice, a little less fruit, and a very enjoyable and relatively unchallenging dram. It isn’t changing my perceptions of anything, but it’s nice to be able to grab a well made, pleasing product every once in a while. TLDR: It’s Mash Bill #2 with a little more rye tingle for a good price if you can find it.43.0 USD per Bottle -
Arran Port Cask Finish Single Malt
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed August 24, 2022 (edited November 5, 2022)A bit spirity and sharp at first at 50%. A couple of drops of water settle this down and bring forward some light port flavors such as plum and raisin, mixed with Arran's typical biscuity base malt. I like it quite a bit, although it doesn't ascend to the higher levels of other port finished whiskies I've adored over the years like Glendronach Port Wood, Laphroig Brodir or Kavalan Concert Master.58.0 USD per Bottle -
It is difficult to imagine anything being better than this. Tasting notes are really simple - it was a cinnamon-dusted pankcake drenched in maple syrup in a glass, with a beautiful tingly finish that lasted for a minute or two. The liquid was incredibly viscous and mouth coating. Even at 107 proof, my bourbon-novice friends were able to drink this neat with no water. I've seen notes about fruit in here but honestly I couldn't pick out any under all that maple, and that is not a knock. This lived up to the hype, although it helped that I was treated to this drink given the price. Really special and one of the most memorable drams I've ever had.100.0 USD per Pour
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Benromach Cask Strength Vintage 2007 (Batch 1)
Single Malt — Speyside , Scotland
Reviewed April 3, 2022 (edited July 16, 2022)I've very much enjoyed Benromach 10 in the past, so when I saw this Cask Strength version available for $40 at the local bottle shop, it was an instant buy. This is nearly 58% with a lot of sherry cask influence and peat. There is a strong, leathery sherry note on the nose, along with some musty peat. The palate has some sweet orange blossom, the peat recedes a bit and the leathery sherry steps up. Unfortunately the finish is a bit peppery and bitter and I want to wash it away with a sip of water. Overall I think this is less than the sum of its parts, but I've found that water can really help dial this one in. I've had different experiences depending on the amount of water and think that perhaps a balance exists here. But for now, it gets a slightly lower rating. One edited note - the next day, the glass smells exactly like pancake syrup. If there was more of that in this dram I'd be over the moon.40.0 USD per Bottle -
Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered Bourbon
Bourbon — Indiana (bottled in Nevada), USA
Reviewed April 3, 2022 (edited August 11, 2022)I've heard a lot of great things about Smoke Wagon, but I delayed hunting one down for a lot of reasons: (1) It's MGP, which feels a bit like a cheat, but at least they're upfront about it; (2) there is a lot of hype so it is hard to find, and (3) I find the bottle and name a bit goofy. But I saw it pop up at a local shop and figured I'd decide for myself. Man, I'm glad I did. This stuff is really impressive. This is Batch 135c for what that is worth. The nose is really mild for 57%, mostly brown sugar, caramel and baking spice. But the palate - oh, the palate. So much brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, pie crust, and some red fruit - and it's so thick and wonderful. Hardly any heat, with trailing spice and maybe leather? Really happy with this one. I tried to buy another after tasting it with no luck, so I'll just have to wait around for the next one to pop up around retail.73.0 USD per Bottle -
Evan Williams Single Barrel
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed April 3, 2022 (edited September 12, 2022)So I tried this at a bar and enjoyed it - very strong vanilla. Then I heard a rumor from K&L that Evan Williams wasn't going to sell this in California any more. True or not, it worked and a bought a "2014 vintage" Evan Williams Single Barrel. My past experience was with Evan Williams BiB which I rushed out to buy after hearing glowing reviews. It was a chore to get through that bottle, which had a very strong peanut/ethanol thing going on with maybe a bit of honey. But it just didn't do it for me. I was thinking this SiB would be different based on my experience at the bar. Unfortunately, the bottle I have just doesn't do it for me. The nose is decent enough, a little caramel and a little honey. The body is super thin, with a high note of the dreaded peanut/ethanol punching through everything else. Maybe a bit of honey on the finish with some spice. It's not bad, but I don't really look forward to it and only use it as a palate prep for stuff I really want to drink given the relatively weak bottling strength. I'm thinking Evan Williams just isn't for me and I'll continue to use Wild Turkey 101 for my cheap daily.26.0 USD per Bottle -
Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed February 20, 2022 (edited June 4, 2022)I spotted this for $50 at my local Safeway and decided to give it a try because I enjoy Knob Creek 12 so much, and because I had a really outstanding Bookers recently - the Tagalong. $50 for what is arguably an older single barrel Bookers store pick? I mean, it seems too good to be true. Well, it is true! This is fantastic stuff for my palate. I don't get any of the intense Beam peanut. This thing is a cherry bomb through and through and in a blind I'd guess it was a Stagg Jr. Nose is very fruit forward, with shadings of wood spice. Palate is a surge of cherry - Luden's cherry - with spice that may just be from the heat. The finish is more of the same, a lingering cherry with tingling heat that slowly fades. I love cherry notes in bourbon, so this is a dream come true for me. I compared it to a Bookers Tagalong I have that I also think is fantastic. They're very different. The nose on the Tagalong is pretty muted, but leans towards oak and spice notes. Palate on the Bookers is more layered and complex, with the same oak and spice plus a tiny hint of cherry and that alcoholic tingle. Choosing between the two is tough. I love cherry so I think the KB wins out and the nose on the KB is much more assertive. But the Bookers' layers and complexity would possibly elevate it in the eyes of reviewers who aren't cherry fiends like me. No losers here, they're both excellent. Really glad I took a shot at this. For $50, the QPR is spectacular and I understand that these are relatively common. This will not be the last one I get. Note - this is a Safeway Northern California store pick, Warehouse Q, 9 Years and 7 months.50.0 USD per Bottle -
Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2019 RC6
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed December 10, 2021 (edited September 27, 2022)I found a bottle of this hanging out at MSRP at a small local shop. I've tried the entire wood finishing series including 46 cask strength. They're all quite good, so I was really excited to see this in the wild a couple of years after it was released. I can keep this short and sweet since the notes on this are so clear. It is caramel apple with an oak spice finish. Boozy apple on the nose, a burst of apple with sweet caramel trailing on the palate, and burst of oak spice on the finish. Excellent. This is really good, and may even be my favorite of the wood finishing series. I honestly can't say that for sure, though, because here is something I've noticed on this series. The first pour is usually out of this world, but I find that the notes start to dull on these really quickly in the ensuing weeks and months. But for tonight - wow. Really good!63.0 USD per Bottle -
Booker's Bourbon Batch 2021-02 "Tagalong Batch"
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed October 30, 2021 (edited January 19, 2022)Possibly the best high proof bruiser I've tasted. Nose has tons of caramel, wood and spice notes. Palate is similar, but some very welcome cherry starts to emerge. It coats the palate with some heat but no fire and leaves wonderful tingling spice, oak and cherry. Really good!63.0 USD per Bottle
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