Tastes
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A recommendation from a close friend, who has drank enough in volume and in countries around the world to frighten the Irish. The teal bottle emphasizes the liquid golden color in a stunning way. This sounds like a simplistic tequila with no gimmicks, and the bottle art serves to further respect the Mexican heritage of the delicious agave spirit. Once out of the bottle, the color is closer to a bronze-gold combo, seemingly more crystal clear than usual, and yet showcases great oak character for the short rest. Sea salt and smoke lead the nose, giving me peated scotch parallels. The barrel notes of vanilla and caramel are present, but are more of an afterthought. The body, of course, is very light, but does allow initial flavors of sweetened agave through, with focus on molasses and brown sugar. The sweetness doesn't last, however, because seaweed and the vanilla and caramel barrel notes take over. A more raw agave flavor is presented at the finish, along with a rather impressive burn that's compliments the softer flavors found earlier. This was a great recommendation, but I fear that we may not have selected the most enjoyable age, even though we discussed going with reposado for quite a while. The raw agave and slight vegetal notes make me crave the blanco, where the softer flavors and very interesting smoky notes would definitely lend to a unique añejo. Either way, this will be a welcome addition to my collection, and enjoyed amongst friends.
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Bombay Sapphire East Gin
London Dry Gin — England
Reviewed October 29, 2021 (edited October 30, 2021)You know, as much as I dislike London dry gin, it was very exciting to see additional botanicals that are definitely unique, given how boring those Brits make their gin. It's super disappointing to hear that it was proofed down and not up, for some reason, but if I had to think, I'm hoping this is to let the new botanicals shine through. I have expectations of savory and spicy flavors. A high lemon/lime zest scent, with a bit of milder white pepper, and just a touch of sweet wheat. The nose really does remind me of a American, rye based gin, so this is a good start for a London dry. Initial flavor suffers from the proof, as the body is quite mild, but classic juniper and citrus zest is here. A few seconds later is when things start to get very dry, as expected. The lemongrass may be part that I'm tasting initially, since the citrus notes are milder than what I got on the nose. Opening up with some air does spice things up, but not with a botanical, and instead some raw ethanol (surprising for the proof). In the end, the botanical blend, including the new peppercorns, seem to blend together into a martini perfect gin, but this was not what I was looking for. A mildy potent finish. Overall, this presumably new gin is simply a gimmick with the new botanicals added, and proofing it down didn't really help much. It's absolutely perfect for a dry martini, but it otherwise tastes like regular Bombay Sapphire, and if it costs any more than the original (thankfully it was cheap to begin with), I would ignore it in lieu of the original. -
In a store looking for a budget unaged rum for a party cocktail this weekend, and all my usual brands that I like to peruse are either missing or do not have an unaged version. I've never heard of Don Q, but at least it is imported, and was cheap, as evident from being on the second to bottom shelf. Being next to a 151 proof aged version was also a little impressive, since overproof rums are hard to come by at all, let alone in toxic Ohio. What I did not know until looking it up after getting home is that this is actually aged, with the color removed. At no place on the bottle is this stated, which is such a lost reasoning to me, and I cannot understand why only bottom shelf rums do this (looking at you, Bacardi). I'm hoping this actually does taste more on the awful range than expected, so I can perhaps use it in my cocktail that calls for unaged rum. A nose of lemon, lime, and unripe banana begin things off, with an unequivocal note of high-quality, hospital-level hand sanitizer. Given the trickery here, I would expect to smell oak or barrel notes given the abnormally high age, but if they are there, it's very artificial. In fact, the remaining scent of white pepper and various citrus oils (a focus on grapefruit), are all what I would expect to find on an unaged rum. An initial taste comes up of a bright yet powerful floral flavor. The spirit slightly tickles the gums, and as it does so, a slightly spicy, floral, and citrusy flavor seeps in, very reminiscent of juniper berries and other gin flavors. This is where any fun had ends, however; as soon as the mouth is opened, all alcohol flavor seeps out, and a watery liquid is all that's left behind. As another slap in the face, a distinct finish note I'm getting is that of an unaged, neutral spirit or grain (such as corn or wheat), reminding me of vodka or new make; what is this distillery trying to make? A disappointment is a great word to sum things up here, because this is slightly worse than I expected it to be, but it also isn't a colossal, laughable failure. Instead, we have a spirit that clearly is not sure what it wants to embody or taste like, and I'm left a little more understanding of Don Q being one of the only other distilleries to create a rum they specifically label as "151." Fortunately (in all the wrong ways), I believe I can still salvage this for use in a batched cocktail, since everyone that's partaking in it has never spent more than $25 on any bottle of anything in their lives. Having said that, Don Q Cristal being the perfect candidate to fill such a roll does not a good selling point make.
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Recipe #003 It's been a little bit of time since I had the American whiskey or bourbon, so I'm going into this mostly fresh, but not with great memories. I get conflicting sources saying the minimum age is 3 years and 4 years (incorrect information on the internet, who knew...), so that's not a great start, either. More than anything, it might as well be a cardinal sin if you're not willing to reveal the mashbill of a rye whiskey; by not revealing, I expect a sane use of no less than 95% rye, with the only reason it's not 100% being because you used barely for distilling assistance. The color is so much lighter than the American whiskey or bourbon, so I'm leaning towards the 3 year age statement being correct here. The nose is noticeably spicier than the bourbon, but the same sweet corn scent is still found here in some regard, which is terribly disappointing. Instead of true cinnamon, it's more like a cinnamon roll, with copious amounts of sugar and sweetener added. I can't remember and am too lazy to look it up, but I believe the Clyde May's brand is charcoal filtered; either way, a faint hint of unwelcome charcoal does also exist on the nose. A bright, citrus-forward profile starts off the taste here, with floral notes existing with the mouth closed, and lemon zest coming up when air is introduced. The body is very light, and since 94 proof isn't that low, I'm starting to accept the reality that this is probably a low rye mashbill. To it's credit, a sharp cinnamon spice does hit around the middle of each sip, but instead of penetrating the gums (as expected from either high proof whiskey or a proper rye mashbill), becomes a ball of flavor on the tongue that can be "chewed" on to release additional spice. This is certainly a new experience to me for rye whiskey, and is actually quite enjoyable until a burnt, charcoal finish shows up and really, truly, refuses to leave. The worst part is that a new sip just restarts the cycle back at bright floral and citrus, leaving you with only a fleeting moment in the middle where you can get a proper rye experience. It's not a law and it shouldn't be (because laws on/against alcohol are unpatriotic as fuck), but if distilleries really care about their customers and want to properly expand, they need to release all information, including age statement and, most importantly for a rye whiskey, the mashbill. After all this bashing against this one, I really hope that it is the case where a really low amount of rye is used, because the alternative means that all the ingredients were right, and the distillery got pretty damn close to ruining some perfectly good rye grain.
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Clyde May's Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Alabama, USA
Reviewed October 5, 2021 (edited October 6, 2021)Here I was hoping that, after trying Clyde May's American whiskey with the added apples, that this would be simply that but without the apples. Now I learn that it's aged 1 year less (why) and uses a hell of a lot of corn (bourbon is sweet enough as it is, chill on the extra corn). My hopes weren't originally high for this anyway, but if it's still a sourced MGP product, than at least the grain flavors should have no trouble shining through. Just like the American whiskey, the color is darker than is to be expected for only 5 years (God bless charred barrels). Thankfully, the rye scent leads, with cinnamon and some bananas foster, which I believe is also coming from the heavy corn. Moderate vanilla and less caramel are here from the barrel, ending with a basic corn syrup note. The scent is very similar to the American whiskey, so perhaps it truly is the same mashbill but without the apples. The body is light and watery, and has to be swished and swallowed before any flavor is acquired. Sweet corn and vanilla are present at first, with a more herbal side of rye present, while the spicier notes simultaneously dig into the guns (although only at a very shallow surface level). Barrel spice is present, but again, a little weak, with the grain surprisingly contributing the majority of the sweetness. The finish is slightly spicy, but still watery, and has a moderate charcoal note alongside some raw grain (somehow). This was indeed not a winner. This is a plastic bottle bourbon, a craft brand to rival Heaven Hill's "Quality House." I can tell potential is here, but nobody really wanted to go any further than to get something in a barrel and then into a bottle, and for me, it was easy to tell. Thankfully, this does allow just grains and oak to be the only flavors tasted without the addition of apples like the American whiskey, so this is better for a purist whiskey profile than that, but the lack of effort takes away a lot of character that is truly missed. -
Incorrect info given by Distiller; not NAS, but instead aged for 6 years. Now, I certainly expect weird and uncomfortable to accurately describe Alabama, but a faux bourbon with apples added is certainly up there (moonshiners are an odd people). At least we've got rye here instead of wheat, the spiciness of which should work far better alongside apples than wheat would. Not to mention that 6 years isn't a bad age, either, so I do expect some apple flavor to be very present. The color is fairly dark, more reflecting a whiskey that's been aged several years longer than this, but perhaps this is the work of the added apples. Sweet corn, vanilla from charred oak, and cinnamon, grass, and mint from the rye are all here; standard notes that most "classic" bourbons would have. What I don't smell is anything that resembles apples, or even warm baking or autumn spice that cooked or stewed apples may impart. The first taste is weak, showcasing the very low proof here. Sweet corn is tasted, but more as a grain with the sweetness being lost. The spice from the rye is not tasted, and is only experienced as a slight gum and tongue burn near the finish. There is indeed a flavor of apples; the variety tastes like a neutral, only slightly sweet one (like Fiji), not overly sweet (like honeycrisp) or sour (like Granny Smith). This additive isn't entirely welcome, as it decreases focus on the grain, as well as gives the body an even weaker presence. See above for the finish, however, several minutes after a last sip does bring up notes of fresh apple flesh. It is so easy to tell that this whiskey has such a strong mashbill base, but the added apples really narrows down the target audience; I expect a flavor and body like this to come out of flavored, 40 or 50 proof whiskies. I'm hopeful that Clyde May's actual bourbon is simply this whiskey without the apples, because that may actually have a favorful outcome. Instead, what we have here isn't as fun or as flavorful as a proper flavored whiskey, but also doesn't have enough unique flavor notes to drink by itself, leaving you to find specific, usually distillery-written cocktail recipes to use fruitfully.
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Always very happy to find a new Ardbeg to add to the stack of black boxes building on my scotch shelf section. One of my favorite things about Ardbeg is the short 3-6 word tasting notes right on the front of the box/bottle. I don't normally like having tasting notes up front, but given that the lads at Ardbeg truly have some quality whiskey and care very much for it, it's nice to see what they can narrow down each batch to on their palate. Honestly though, with a cask strength Scotch, I know I'm already going to enjoy it after this particular stressful day. Wow, the color on this is shocking; this could easily be mistaken for a 8+ year American whiskey out of level 4 char barrels. I didn't think the bourbon barrel aging would impart that much, but it has at least for the color tone. Barbecued and smoked meats for certain on the nose, but some of the smoke is swallowed up by a salty seaweed note. There's a bit of sweetness here as well, but it smells more like strictly sweet oak than anything artifical or additive. My initial sip really dug quickly into the gums, so much so that the shock and surprise caused me to miss any initial tasting notes. My second sip imparted raw dark corn syrup, moderate smoke (from a smokehouse that normally smokes meat, but all meat was removed when you happened to visit), sweet oak, and a bit of florality that seems to also circle back to the beginning of the next sip. Of course, the finish is fairly hot and lingers, but isn't sticky, and allows the mind to focus back on the flavors just had without being distracted. Not at all surprisingly, this is a wonderful Ardbeg, and is pretty unique as compared to some of the other batches. The meat smokiness is not as heavy here as Wee Beastie, but definitely more refined and rounded. The saltiness is not as potent as An Oa, allowing more barrel flavor to come through. Really though, being a cask strength just allows the Ardbeg profile to shine through better without being bogged down. All of these classic black box offerings really prove that Ardbeg produces a quality scotch, but knows how to properly play around with it to make it unique and different, and yet still represent, well, a fantastic fucking whiskey.
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Teremana Tequila Blanco
Tequila Blanco — Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed August 29, 2021 (edited November 11, 2021)DTA: 1613 Bottle #: FC464D Although I abhor celebrity "founded" products and distilleries, after picking my choice of blanco during a recent trip, because my wife tagged along, it was only fair that she had her pick, so here we are. I have no opinion or information regarding Dwayne Johnson, so this is just a tequila to me. The nose is strongly vegetal, with a decent punch of salt, and more of an ethanol presence than I would have expected for only 80 proof. The agave present is very young, and smells as though it wasn't entirely cooked through enough. There is just a hint of sweet citrus, and I'm hoping that this is found more prominently on the taste. The first sip definitely kills any hope that this would have an ethanol kick. In fact, this tastes more like 60 proof than 80. Because of this, the body is very watery, with the intense vegetal flavors I thought I'd find broken and misplaced. There is still a sweet salty flavor that seems to be found in most celebrity tequilas (for some reason), but thankfully, the salt is much stronger. The finish is quite dry, which would be more welcome, if there were any iconic notes found before we got here. As expected, a celebrity spirit did not hit the mark. This has the flavors and makings of a cheap, plastic bottle tequila, simply served in a glass bottle with a celebrity's name attached, allowing them to get away with selling it for more than it's worth. It seems to have done it's sole job (to sell) to both my wife and another guy from my unit who recommended it (and also bought a case of it for a wedding), but I'm hoping that they were more interested in the flair than the taste. I guess if you have a bottle, maybe watch wrestling and make a drinking game out of it, because I'm not foreseeing many other great uses from this. -
Holy God this is so much darker than I expected. I imagine I've had plenty of scotches that have been partly aged in French Limousin casks, but considering such a large portion of this offering features it, I'm expecting to be hit by a different flavor entirely. What's more exciting than all of that, though, is just being able to find a cask strength of any Ardbeg, so the flavors I already know from Ardbeg are expected to be much more up front and flavorful here. The color here is much darker than I have seen of traditional Ardbeg 10, so this already tells me that the French Limousin contributes such a large portion of a new flavor and color. Past salted fat and seaweed notes traditional of the peat, I get a large amount of oak on the nose that splits the line between sweet (caramel and vanilla, like that of a bourbon barrel), and fruity (grilled tropical or berry fruits with plenty of char, typical of raw, European oak). The oak lends the first flavor notes, giving a sweetness bomb that is very unexpected and almost unwelcome for what Ardbeg traditionally provides. The sea salt and other ocean flavors stay put initially, but the oak definitely mellows out any of the harder smoked meat notes also typical of the Ardbeg 10 year. The fruity notes that I got on the nose are trying to surface, but never quite get past the proof, which, although is very pleasant for a cask strength, does provide a slight spiciness that rules over most of the finish. In addition to this, the earthy, salty shores also join the finish in flavor. Well, this may be the best scotch I have so far in my collection. The difference here that cask strength and the extensive French Limousin aging makes is not necessarily different, but stacks so well with the traditional flavors of Ardbeg 10. This offering turns out to be much sweeter than I would have expected, which ends up taking away some of the more familiar smokier notes that I appreciate from the base Ardbeg spirit. Still, this particular scotch really does hit all notes typical of smoky Islay, sweet Highland, and grainy Speyside, that is very approachable for a lot of parties regardless of the cask strength.
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This is definitely surprising that I've never properly rated this. In the world of well bourbon, really the only competitors are Jim and Evan. Both standard 80 proof offerings are watery, sweet, and great for mixing, with slightly different flavor nuances between them. For Jim Beam, the "upgraded" version would be the Black edition, whereas ironically, the "white label" is Evan Williams' improved batch. Unless it's been used unknowingly in a cocktail that I've had, it's been years since I've had this bonded, so to revisit it now is somewhat exciting. The age is medium to medium-low for bourbon standards, and the color reflects this somewhat. It's very translucent and closer to mead territory, which I would guess is due to the age and not the proof, since the proof is slightly higher. Knowing this is a moderately high corn mash bill, I'm a bit shocked that the spicy rye is the most noticeable on the nose. The barrel notes (caramel and vanilla) are also present, although lacking somewhat. It's the sweet corn that I actually have to search for, leading me to hope that there is a good focus on the rye and proof here. The initial flavor begins as slightly floral and focused on oak, but the rye quickly starts to seep into the gums. There isn't a lot of rye to begin with, so it doesn't penetrate too far, but the cinnamon and baking spice really paint a picture of quality grains. This is where I would expect the corn to take over and make things sweet, but instead I get a hit of bitterness that most definitely comes from the charcoal filtering (boo). This makes things circle back to the cheek burning rye notes for the finish, while trying not to focus on the dry, tannic central mouth feel of filtered whiskey. As is the most common conclusion with this product, there's a balanced flavor that just so slightly breaks through the ceiling of being a cocktail-only bourbon, but most of what this whiskey is is enjoyable due to the extremely affordable price point. Priced anything above $20 and you'd lose a lot of support, but this is still a great step up from the "black label" without having to shell out 1.5 or 2 times as much like some distilleries demand. The biggest bummer here is the charcoal filtering, but this is pretty easily looked past, again, with a great deal having been scored.
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