Tastes
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First whiff is full of classic Laphroaig bandaid iodine peat, but as soon as I go back for it, my nose has acclimated to it or it's just receded way into the background. Now it's orange, grapefruit with vanilla cream, pear, berry, saltwater damp driftwood, dark chocolate, jalapeño and smoked bacon, charcoal. The peat lingers in the background. The palate is vanilla, dark fruit and ashy peat, tobacco, dark chocolate, slight chili spice, cinnamon. Interestingly, where I wasn’t finding it with the glass full, the empty glass now smells strongly of bandaid again. This is a really enjoyable whisky.
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Bardstown Bourbon Co. Plantation Rum Finish
Bourbon — USA
Reviewed January 9, 2023 (edited April 15, 2023)Thankfully the rum finish is not heavy-handed, at least on the nose. I get a good bit of peanut shells, caramel, vanilla. The coconut and tropical fruit seem to be in the background, and honestly I have to work a bit to find them. The palate begins to show more of the rum. Sweet coconut candy and pineapple. Transitions to more of the bourbon flavors, before showing the rum again on the finish. It stays short of cloying, but the finish is quite sweet. Seems to be a tinge of the mineral Dickel note on the finish. Thank you to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. -
Stellum Bourbon
Bourbon — (bottled in) Kentucky, USA
Reviewed January 7, 2023 (edited January 28, 2023)Restaurant pour last night. The main notes for me seemed to be caramel-milk chocolate and orange peel. Light oaky notes in the background. All in all, I thought it was pretty good and a well-balanced blend. A lot of times with Dickel in the mix, it can overpower the other flavors, but I didn't find that here. At about $45 around here, it seems a good value in this market. Although, I believe I had a store pick that I liked a little more, and was priced the same. -
L'Encantada XO Armagnac Lot Winston
Armagnac — Armagnac, France
Reviewed January 6, 2023 (edited January 28, 2023)First time trying an Armagnac. Haven't been particularly impressed by the Cognac I've tried, but I've heard good things about Armagnac and about this bottler specifically. This bottling is for a local restaurant that consists of three single vintage casks, 1985 Domaine Del Cassou, 1989 Domaine Lasalle, and 2004 Domaine Bellair. The nose starts off with nutmeg, tobacco, old oak furniture, and mulled apple cider. The palate is at first mildly sweet with a hint of citrus fruit, then starts to go to the edge of too much wood, before thankfully turning back again to some nice fruity sweetness. Cinnamon and clove. Maybe grilled pineapple? It goes out with a mix of the fruit and oaky tannins. For a first time trying, I'm quite pleased. The old oak notes are strong, but it's got some fruity balance and decent complexity. I could definitely see exploring this category more, although it's rare to see any Armagnac on a shelf in Oklahoma, so opportunity may be pretty limited. -
Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon (2020)
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed January 1, 2023 (edited August 24, 2023)Four Roses is one of my favorite Kentucky bourbon distillers. The regular Single Barrel hits the sweet spot for me in terms of flavors, proof, and price. I like the higher-rye mash bills that they use. I have an open bottle of the Single Barrel Barrel Strength that I poured next to this one to compare. The sample of the LESB was generously provided by the venerable @PBMichiganWolverine The color of the LESB is quite noticeably darker. On the nose, the LESB actually doesn't distinguish itself from the SB as much as I expected. It's a punchier version of the SB, and perhaps shows more sweetness, balanced with wood and a little rye herbalness. The palate is a different story. Vanilla, buttery caramel, cherry, clove, mint, slightly herbal. Great balance. In comparison, the SBBS I have open (which I think is pretty good) comes across as flat, bitter, and unbalanced. Really pleased to have had the opportunity to try this one. Big thanks, Pranay! -
As someone who grew up in Texas, what I remember of the Alamo is mostly Davey Crockett's coonskin cap and Pee-wee Herman's bicycle. We'll see if there's anything worth remembering about this Alamo. Christmas gift from a friend. Never heard of the brand before. The nose is pleasant, taffy candy, vanilla, roasted corn, apple. The palate is a little thin, but the flavors are good. Vanilla, light caramel corn, slight barrel char, maybe the mildest of subtle fruit. Actually surprised there's nothing really off here. It's more like a Kentucky bourbon profile than what I'd expect out of Texas. I'd even go as far to say it's not far off from Buffalo Trace. So much so, I'm going to go ahead and side-by-side them. Unfortunately, in the process of pouring and sitting down with the two glasses, I've actually lost track of which is which. Neither blows me away as anything worth seeking out, but I generally think of BT as a competent, if unreasonably hard-to-find at times bourbon. And the Alamo appears to hold it's own. There are some differences in flavor, but I can't easily pick apart which is which and which is better. Don't get carried away, it's basic budget-level bourbon, but it's surprisingly decent. And from what I can gather, it appears this can be purchased at or less than BT's SRP. Texas whiskey, you never cease to amaze me -- to have a never-heard-of brand stand toe-to-toe with BT. But will I remember the Alamo? Honestly, as with Buffalo Trace, I don't know that I'll think much about it after I finish this bottle.
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Single cask, ex-bourbon matured, bottled for the state of Oklahoma, nearly 60% ABV. I haven't previously tried any Penderyn. The nose is green apple, cotton candy, banana, pear tart, creamy custard. On the palate, the proof hits hard. I hardly ever find whiskies to be too hot, but this one is. A little water to tame the Welsh dragon. Now pear juice, ginger, honey, banana, tropical fruit, coffee. The finish goes fairly bitter. There are some appealing flavors in here, but it's probably too young and the balance is off. Without water it's much too hot, and with water it finishes with too much bitterness. This was a Christmas gift, so I have no complaints for the price to me, but if I'm spending my own money I'm not a buyer at what appears to be over $100 locally, and this isn't piquing my interest in spending on their other offerings.
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Glenmorangie 18 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed December 28, 2022 (edited March 2, 2024)Tasted side-by-side with a 19-year ex-bourbon aged bottling. The color of the 18 is very slightly darker, but both are quite light in color. The nose on each is fairly indistinguishable from the other. If I had to say, I get the slighest bit more of brighter fruit on the 18. Both carry quite a bit of vanilla, coconut, pineapple, pear. The palate on both is fairly thin and understated. There's a bit more vanilla and spice on the finish of the 19, while the 18 finishes with a little dried fruit. They both seem to have smoothed out the slightly sour note I get from younger Glenmorangies. I would prefer both to be bottled at a higher proof, but both are nicely done and enjoyable whiskies. -
Glenmorangie 19 Year Finest Reserve
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed December 28, 2022 (edited March 2, 2024)Sample generously provided by @PBMichiganWolverine tasted side-by-side with the 18-year release. The color of the 18 is very slightly darker, but both are quite light in color. The nose on each is fairly indistinguishable from the other. If I had to say, I get the slighest bit more of brighter fruit on the 18. Both carry quite a bit of vanilla, coconut, pineapple, pear. The palate on both is fairly thin and understated. There's a bit more vanilla and spice on the finish of the 19, while the 18 finishes with a little dried fruit. They both seem to have smoothed out the slightly sour note I get from younger Glenmorangies. I would prefer both to be bottled at a higher proof, but both are nicely done and enjoyable whiskies. -
Had a little sip last night of the Sovereignty, and found myself liking it more than I had previously. It got me thinking about the most recent ECS release, which I had passed over because of price and fear of too much tannin. Today my curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to pick this one up. Thankfully, there were still a couple bottles left on the shelf. It’s expensive, but 17 years in bourbon barrels in the Caribbean got me. Pineapple cake, vanilla, brown sugar, candied nuts, banana, coconut, key lime, slightly floral, semisweet chocolate, dusty oak warehouse, cherry pipe tobacco, menthol. I was worried this would go too bitter like the Shibboleth; fortunately, it manages to be nicely woody but stay short of overly bitter. The oak is there, but it’s less prominent than I thought it’d be. I’m admittedly somewhat limited in my rum experience, but this takes up the mantle as the best rum I’ve tried to date, which had previously been occupied by FS Nobiliary. Unfortunately my taste of Nobiliary was only a sample, so I won’t be able to do a proper comparison. But, as I’m quite fond of the FS 2009 (and do still have a bottle), I did a little SbS. This was clearly deeper, richer, and more well-rounded with the oak, tropical fruit, and vanilla flavors. This is bold and rich, but it’s also super easy to drink. Truly an incredible rum. It’s in the 4.75-5 range, but going with a 5 for now.
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