Tastes
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Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin
Modern Gin — Ireland
Reviewed February 15, 2021 (edited June 24, 2021)Tasting from a 50ml sample. Alright, so they got me with the buzzword "gunpowder." Honestly, I'd do anything to smell gunpowder again anyway, so maybe that's why we're here. However, this has a good amount of botanicals, good quality citrus fruits, and the aforementioned special tea, which even if it's just buzz, tea is always a good botanical choice. Low juniper scent, and great citrus. It seems to be a blend between bitter oil and fresh juice of the citrus, which is great, so long as it's balanced. The proof is, at first, just a background thought, but after the citrus and additional floral notes fade, the proof becomes harsh and causes an almost instant recoil. The initial taste is slightly spicy, with a body that is both oily and still light. The first notes are floral, and the tea, but nothing special. The bitter citrus now comes through, and builds somewhat slowly to a spicy, peppery finish. This is the first time that the juniper actually makes itself obvious. Okay, so this is definitely doused in bait, with the "gunpowder," fancy bottle, and glass color. Having said that, this is still a moderately good gin, with more focus on the floral side without sacrificing the body, citrus, or juniper notes. This is also one of few gins with a good tea note, but since myself and likely very few others know what gunpowder tea is without the internet, it's more of a guessing game to seeing how true to form it is. -
Tasting from a 50ml bottle. I've seen some ads for this gin several years ago, but I was not interested in creative or unique gins at that time. Now, several years later, it's clear this distillery has done quite well, since I'm able to easily find some of their spin-off/one-off variants locally. I was not even aware they have 2 different proof versions, but given how bordering close the ABV is, I wouldn't imagine a difference can really be detected. The botanical amount here seems appropriate for a modern gin, but I'm very curious about using 2 different stills, and how that will translate during tasting. A very floral scent, with just a hint of herbaceous, but not light, with the juniper and, surprisingly, the proof both tagging along for the initial scent. There is some citrus present, but I get the bitter pith rather than oil or juice. The rose is slightly detectable at a further distance from the glass, but the cucumber seems to only be somewhat detectable just because I was told it was in here. Wow, the initial taste is quite hotter than I would have expected. After getting past that, citrus oil makes a surprise appearance, and in a pretty moderate amount, too. Floral botanicals make up a good portion of the middle palate, but this is still on a very hot body, bordering black pepper and other spices that are usually much more toned down. At this point, I would say this is a pretty boring gin, but with surprisingly good proof and a bit of spiciness left on the gums. However, after letting the finish play out for a couple minutes, I am finally able to get some of the bitter cucumber rind, and some more floral notes in addition to the rose. All-in-all, this is not as unique in taste as it was to describe, but I wouldn't mind having it around just because it could easily cut through overly sour or sweet cocktails and remind you that a good gin exists within it. If you were wanting to get this because of the rose and cucumber addition (which I remember was the part that was hammered home the most on the recent ads), I would pass, because I can only get it during a room temperature neat tasting, and even then it was several minutes later. It definitely wouldn't hold up as unique in a cocktail, but perhaps one of their other, new, playful offerings could give you something a little bit more fun.
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Plymouth Navy Strength Gin
Navy-Strength Gin — England
Reviewed February 9, 2021 (edited February 10, 2021)I love having discovered the concept of navy strength gin, and was very happy to find this at my local store, even if it was the only navy strength gin there. The Distiller board seems to love it, and although I think the amount of botanicals used is shockingly small, maybe simplicity is the key to the enjoyment here. In any case, I'm excited, and hope to enjoy and purchase more navy strength variants as I hiatus from other spirits. I DID know that this was going to be a clear spirit, of course, but the green tinted glass bottle is subtle, and was able to convince my brain that this gin was full of flavor. The nose is a split balance between citrus and floral, specifically some lime leaves, flower petals, lemon and lime rind, and some orange blossom. It may seem like I repeated myself, but it really is a simple back and forth between nostrils, with the juniper lightly holding back, and the ethanol surprisingly not making a big appearance almost at all. The citrus rind is the first flavor I taste, showcasing the oils at first, and then fading into just the rind itself some seconds later. The floral character is also on the taste, but I can't pull out anything specific, because it seems to just sit inside the top of my nose as a smell and not quite transform into a flavor to be tasted. I really only get a mild or mild-medium amount of juniper, and when I taste it more near the finish, I may also be getting a tea leaf flavor, but if so, it's very faint. The burn is quite good through the finish, as to be expected. The flavors are left behind in the gums, but not in an oily manner like some whiskeys, and instead just digging into the gums and coming out slowly, like some jerky chew. The flavor of this one was indeed pretty simple, but that definitely did not lead me to like it any less. Most gins that I seek have many botanicals, or a real heavy focus on a certain flavor profile, like the juniper, citrus, floral, juicy, etc, but having a "boring" gin like this is always a mood that comes along no matter how much flavor you try to hunt out. Because the juniper flavor is not as potent as I would have liked with this, it's both hard to envision a good gin while drinking this, but also easy to allow the other botanicals to take over more within the higher proof. It was certainly enough to show me that navy strength gins are definitely worth pursuing, and I look forward to not only purchasing more variants, but also to try this in classic cocktails, since the reviewing is always done neat. I never quite saw eye to eye with sailors, but this is one tradition I will have to admire about them. -
Alright Babish, you can stop trying so hard to sell me this gin, I've been wanting to try it for a while anyway. Since I'm still very green in my gin education, this seemed like a good product to put hopes into, since everything else that I've had that comes from the Islay region always resonates well with me. Plus, I can't stand London dry gin or any gin that is so boring that the juniper is what is the most exciting feature. 22 seems like an awfully high number of botanicals, so not only do I expect a good flavor punch here, but I also expect a good blend from those masterful distillers in kilts (or so I picture it). Medium juniper, citrus (orange seems to jump out the most), white tea, and some type of fresh, edible green leaf (lettuce, spinach, etc) come to me on the nose. The ethanol is noticeable here, but not enough to burn you out. Honestly, I don't detect anything unusual or unique botanical wise just yet. The juniper flavor is the first detectable taste, which seems obvious, but even before I get the flavor, I get the floral, earthy spice first. While moving it around the mouth, I get an almost oily body, as the flavors seem to reach sections of the mouth several seconds after the actual liquid does. The citrus is lighter here than I got on the scent, but what's new to me is a white and/or green tea flavor near the finish, which moves into a fairly medium spice, reminiscent of white peppercorns. I'm always a fan of higher proof alcohol in general, and although this isn't even considered medium by my standards, there is still a good ethanol character here for a gin. However, that's not my takeaway after my sample; instead, there's a good spicy flavor that is not too spicy, but instead allows the other botanicals to be detected a little bit easier. Is it a gin that reminds me of Islay or is unique to the region/country? Sure, the botanicals may be grown there, but you can easily tell me this is from anywhere in the world without argument; to buy for the location label is not worth the extra money. Is it a gin with good character and overall blend? I wouldn't quite say so for this either, but it definitely isn't boring. It would accent some more creative cocktails or martini additives, but it's not worth buying again.
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Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
Distilled Gin — British Columbia, Canada
Reviewed January 29, 2021 (edited June 18, 2021)Okay, so this is purple. I knew of this product for some time, but I had no interest in ever getting it. My wife, however, wanted to try it, and I bought it once I found it. The color and little changing gimmick is neat, but I can also see how it would be risky when it comes to marketing to "purists," since it's very vibrant and can easily be seen as off-putting. However, I'm going into this open-minded, as the color doesn't bother me, but London dry gin does, as it usually has no character or good botanical flavor. On the brighter side of gin, as far as the scent goes. Mild to medium juniper, some lemon/lime/orange oil, and surprisingly, a good amount of ethanol for such a low proof. Oddly enough, it doesn't have almost any floral notes or quality, where I was led to believe it should excel in it. It's definitely a London dry, no doubt about it. The dry spell hits the mouth and gums almost immediately, with the aforementioned juniper and citrus from the nose being very muted. It is here where the floral notes finally come in, but again, this type of gin simply does not allow for flavorful bodies to come through. The finish is quite bitter, and not much in a good way. This, to me, equates to a craft, American gin that was made with the lights off; all the ingredients are probably here, but the ratios may be off, or perhaps a worker missed pouring certain botanicals into the gin basket. To be honest, I'm not really sure what style this is supposed to be, mostly because I'm still learning with gin, but also since this is a Canadian product, and I don't remember seeing their name on very many recognizable gins. It's not impressive, looks quite scary in a Glencarin, and really banks on the color trick. Not worth it for the price, unless you're trying to impress in some other field besides taste. -
Maker's Mark Private Select Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed December 31, 2020 (edited June 17, 2021)"Chocolate Marmalade" pick by OHLQ. 110.9 proof, bottled SEP2020. Stave profile: 2 Baked American Pure, 2 Seared French Cuvée, and 6 Roasted French Mocha. Not listed on the app, and I don't have a good, unopened bottle photo in order to add it (which I found seems to matter to nobody except myself). The Maker's Mark Private Selection program has to be one of the best ideas in bourbon, period. Not only is there so much customization involved, but it's a great way to bond a little closer with your favorite stores and bars. Plus, having been to the underground "library" and seen just how much has already been made, being able to have another one is exciting no matter the profile. This one means a good amount to me, as it was a Christmas gift from a good friend. I don't like to give bottles to others personally, but any time somebody gives me something so custom (and somehow found in OH, no less), I feel pretty flattered. The smell easily has chocolate on it, more so raw cocoa powder, with some citrus behind it, but not necessarily orange. A ~110 proof whiskey is easily the perfect range to unlock a lot of flavors, and also works well with the nose itself, allowing easy access to the scent without being too overpowering. Caramel, vanilla, and oak are also present, but these are classic notes found in Maker's Mark cask strength anyway. So, I've never had a Private Selection with this many of the Roasted French Mocha, and always wondered if it was really so potent with the delivery of the "mocha" profile. Well, it's definitely true to the name. I didn't know how or if coffee would come into play, but it does, and after the hit from the chocolate; I would equate it to a chocolate covered espresso bean. The finish is hot and long, which is expected from the base cask strength, but what was a taste and feeling of liquid chocolate changes to cocoa powder that coats the gums and stays around for a bit. If there are any other flavors imparted from the other 4 staves, I don't get them well enough to distinguish it from regular cask strength. Notably, the citrus/orange that was expected to be found (from the name) is missing for me. The individual that gifted me this had also purchased a different Private Selection profile (I do not remember the specifics of the profile), and let me try that one as well. As it turns out, I liked his bottle better, and he liked mine better. But he flipped a coin in order to gift me this, so we honored it (I guess we'll just have to visit more often). One of the reasons I liked this profile less than the other one I tried is due to the high sweetness, imparted not only from the wheat in the base spirit, but the added "mocha" flavor from the stave combo. If you told me this was a flavored whiskey, I may believe you, and the only aspect I would question is why and how someone would produce a flavored whiskey at such a high proof. However, there's certainly nothing else in my collection with a flavor like this, and this still easily hits the sweet spot when you need a little high proof burn (or in my case, when you can't stand drinking watered down offerings any longer). -
George Remus Single Barrel Straight Bourbon (2020 Release)
Bourbon — Indiana , USA
Reviewed December 23, 2020 (edited July 25, 2022)Cask what? Damn, it's not that hard. Too bad I don't have a clean photo to make my own (although I can see that clean photos don't mean as much to others). Liquor Barn 2020 barrel pick, barrel #498. Bottled at 121.5 proof. I've passed on this once before, as I usually try not to give any business to whiskeys that remain mysteries (great way to do business). However, with this being a barrel pick and cask strength, it did intrigue me enough to pull the trigger. The nose has plenty of ethanol, but that was expected. It is hard to get any other notes, but since I have to fill in the blanks myself, I'd say it does smell high corn, with rye making up the rest. I do specifically get some butterscotch and vanilla, leading me to the high corn assumption. Of course, the taste starts hot, but it is manageable, as are all cask strength whiskeys. It's bland, but not flavorless; it has good traditional rye bourbon flavors typical of MGP bourbons, but struggles to distinguish itself any further. There's charred oak, caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, yadda yadda, but so far it's just the proof that's different from other MGP nobodies (no hate to MGP, but decent hate for mystery MGP). Yeah, it's a good cask strength offering, but being a barrel pick was the only way it could get away being priced at what it was, and even then it was still too expensive for what I got. It will appease my friends who absolutely cannot drink anything less than 120 proof, but hopefully even they can see that this is just bourbon. Having said that, I believe this is a good standard to judge all bourbon across, as it's simple, traditional, and, most importantly, not watered down. -
Town Branch Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon
Bourbon — USA
Reviewed December 22, 2020 (edited June 24, 2023)Liquor Barn barrel pick, barrel #1260, bottle #83 of 206, barreled 10MAY2014 and bottled 03AUG2020. I don't know why I had the urge to buy this, other than it being a barrel pick, and for unknown reasons, I can't seem to resist that. Town Branch's standard bourbon is quite bad, but I remember their rye whiskey actually being decent. With this one not only being a single barrel, but also aged for just over 6 years, this may be enough to bring more excitable flavors to the party. There is a lot of ethanol on the nose, probably right on the line of it being too overpowering. I get some mild caramel scent, and some dark sugar, but I'm not totally convinced that it's brown sugar, if that makes any sense. The taste starts by coating the gums, more so than expected for this proof. I was very fearful when black cherry was given as a tasting note on the bottle, but now that I'm tasting it, I can confirm that there is a dark berry flavor, but thankfuly it does not overwhelm the palate. The oak flavor also persists, but perhaps only as a toasted oak note instead of charred, as I'm not getting any of the typical vanilla or caramel notes anywhere. The finish is very hot, and really hammers home the main flavor that is stewed berries, almost that of a good Pinot Noir. I very much despise bourbons with fruity notes, which is usually a factor seen from younger offerings. However, this 6 year version is aged just long enough to forgive and forget grainy flavors of young bourbons, as the barrel has done sufficient work on mellowing it out, whereas the proof allows you to taste the flavors offered without any hesitation. If, for whatever strange reason, you're looking for a bourbon with fruity notes, but also one that's not boring, this is it. -
Willett Family Estate Small Batch Rye 4 Year
Rye — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed October 23, 2020 (edited February 17, 2021)Was able to locate this today for a decent price. I've seen it around here and there, inflated to hell, but have been wanting another good rye lately, so it seemed fair. I remember trying this at the distillery (although I don't know if it was the 4 year or otherwise) and it being a good rye representation. For the life of me, I don't understand why it's regarded as such a rarity (other than the fact that people cream over any whiskey that begins with the letter "W"), but maybe I'll get to find out a sliver of why in the next few minutes. I'm loving the color on this one, but disappointed that the cask proof is only 105. (Has cask strength simply been getting nerfed over the years? A shame that that's blindly accepted.) Bright grain spice, good mint and cinnamon, and a bit of something sour as a surprise guest. The scent easily showcases a young spirit, although I've found 4+ year old rye whiskeys to start hitting sweet spots, whereas bourbon takes much longer. This has such a strong malt character, more so than any other rye whiskey I've ever had. In fact, the beginning of the taste is barrel (vanilla, caramel) flavor, but as soon as air is introduced, Scotch levels of malt shine through, along with the expected rye spice and burn. The finish is long in both of the above regards, which is not fun, because the longer the malt lasts, the more out of place it seems. I think I have an idea on why this is rare and highly regarded now. With the label, bottle shape, and malty character, this is a whiskey that is trying to appeal to all markets; something a Scotch lover could easily show off the same as a bourbon or rye goer. For me, this is not a good example of what I think a good rye whiskey is. Distiller thinks this tastes and drinks like a whiskey 3 times the cost; I think the price is too high even for MSRP, and the hype convinces others that a high price means good whiskey, which has never, ever been the case. Rare ≠ good. -
Tasting from a 50ml. While at the store and having noticed they had a lot of different 50ml sizes of whiskeys that I had not heard of or had, I only decided on this one. The problem is, I can't remember why I thought I was going to enjoy this one over any of the other mystery bottles. All I remember is shuddering at the charcoal filtering, but I guess curiosity won me over somehow. Fortunately, the scent here is actually quite a bit enticing, so long as you can get past the extreme napalm that is ethanol vapor. I can smell the nuttiness that Jack Daniel's brings to the party, which I associate with charcoal filtering, since I steer clear of any other brand that uses that same filter medium. However, this is also easily detectable as a bourbon, because the corn seems to rule over the remainder of the nose with a lot of sweetness and sugar. Upon first taste, I struggle with getting anything other than the charcoal filtering nuttiness after a few seconds, likely due to the weak proof. The comparison here to Jack Daniel's was good, and honestly, it's hard for this product is distance itself much further than that. I'm getting a little bit of barrel and young corn sweetness in the middle of everything, but the finish comes quickly, burning any other taste profiles out of the way. As I go back for a few more sips, it's actually the smell that I don't like, leading me to believe this is something different; in fact, I would easily be convinced this is Jack Daniel's but aged in a freshly used bourbon barrel, or a re-charred bourbon barrel, something catchy like that. It's not winning any flashy awards, but I didn't think that's what path I was on here anyway. Honestly, if you're looking for a comparable, yet still different charcoal filtered whiskey, I would actually recommend this. I feel like following all the other painstaking rules to get bourbon on the label (and then filtering it at all, let alone through charcoal) is giving people a false hope of things that could have been. I would say if the strict new barrel rule were dropped (so barrels could be reused and helping to mellow the corn even more) and the proof were increased just slightly to say, 90, then this would actually be a pretty good whiskey without any other standards to worry about.
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