Tastes

I've been holding onto this gem for quite some time. Waiting for the right moment to crack the seal. A special family event was the cause. But I had several libations prior, so I decided to wait before reviewing. Today is the day! For one thing, I was flabbergasted on how smooth this was considering the uncut nature of this magical brown water. It allowed me to relish in the complexities within. The aromatics resulted in a delightful mix of cinnamon apples, brown sugar, and vanilla bean. The preliminary sips yielded a blend of allspice, rye, and oak. Later I encountered a drizzle of chocolate, peach, and hints of tobacco and molasses. These 3 persisted onto the lovely long finish with oak/rye emerging at times. I now can see why these are so hard to get one's mitts on. Utterly superb all around from start to finish! I will cherish every pour from this day onward.

I didn't think I'd see one of these in the wild again. It has been years since the last one I've had. So when I saw a couple at my local I snatched one up immediately. The price wasn't too harsh. Maybe $40 over msrp. But well worth it in my humble opinion. The sherry was the first thing I noticed when sniffing my glencairn. Following close behind was the cow hide. This alone sparked my interest. As I began to sip, a medley of flavors ensued. Caramel landing first that melded into said leather and dark fruit. The semi-long finish yielded a touch of earth/corn with a whisper of cocoa as it tapered off. Very smooth with little to no ethanol. At least for me. This was such a treat and am quite happy to see this in distro once again.

Since the bottle is a little out of my price range, I've decided to go all in on a somewhat costly pour from a local spot. The smell was faintly reminiscent to the 12 I love, but had some different nuances that separated it. The sherry/oak for one was evident along with some citrus. The sipping yielded flavors of figs, subtle nuts, and a touch of smoke and oak towards the finish. I expected it to be silky smooth, but it had the slightest hit of a bite along with soft bitterness. Solid overall, but it didn't trounce the 12 as much as I expected it to.

I came across this fancy looking/sounding offering from JW at my local Costco. The price seemed fair enough so I said what the heck! Out of all the colors, I've already had black, DB, and Blue. I'd say this was somewhere in the middle. Maybe somewhat closer to Blue without the bigger price tag. The nose seemed light and uneventful with only a touch of apple and grain. The flavor is where it shined brightly. A plethora of notes consisting of cereal, oak, vanilla, dark fruit, and soft smoke/spice flourished the palate. This in turn persisted to the finish which was joyfully long. The ethanol was quite minimal and dangerously easy to consume. IMO JW did a wonderful job with this blend. I foresee this bottle becoming empty in rapid fashion.

I literally took a chance on this purchase being that I've never heard of this distillery. The background and methods used assisted in ultimately buying it. After several pours, I must say I'm satisfied with my decision. I'm happy to report that the rum barreling they employed was well selected. The nose yielded an interesting mix of banana Foster's, baking spice, and burnt sugar with the slightest hint of earth. The flavor was a complex marriage of grain up front that then gave rise to leather, caramel, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a cane sugar character begotten from the dark rum barrels. This persisted to the nice long finish I experienced. What these guys did here was very unique and different from what I've tried in the past. I will make sure to savor this bottle. I recommend others to give Puncher's Chance a whirl. You won't be disappointed.

Various bottles from Garrison Bros have finally started to spring up at the local shops lately. This one seemed to catch my eye so I decided to pull the trigger. My second pour a week apart and I must say I'm thoroughly impressed. The slightly spicy nose had a lovely bouquet of wood, leather, brown sugar, and chocolate. The wood factor translated nicely into the tasting notes along with an interesting melding between red hot candies, corn, cocoa, and said leather. A touch of ethanol heat at first that transitioned to a comfortable warming later and throughout. The finish was fairly enduring and oily which I enjoyed. I'm definitely a fan of this Texas brown water. Looking forward to what else they have in store. For now, I'll take my time with this fine entry.

Loved the nose on this. At first you get peat then it transitions to both floral and herbal characters. Mossy and earthy. The taste was reminiscent of sitting by a fire pit and soaking in the fumes. Loved that! Very smooth and forgiving booze factor as well.

A decent entry in the japanese whisky category. Came off fairly light with hints of oak and a floral character. Had a touch of fruity like sweetness. Nothing i could really pinpoint. But easy to drink overall.

What better way to celebrate St. Paddy's day than with a proper libation sourced from the country of origin. Not only that, but i am celebrating the victory of scoring a bottle of this in the wild. May I add for MSRP! I now have in my possession all the colored spots green, yellow, red, gold, and now blue! I am stoked to say the least. Let's get on with the review shall we!? The nose was a chameleon of sorts. At first there was a burnt sugar/creme brulee kind of essence. As time progressed, it reverted to pineapple cake and a hint of cedar. This is where it remained. A touch of ethanol as well. The flavor was quite enjoyable and complex. There was a peppery spice factor to it that melded to a light orchard fruit character. The finish was decently long lasting which contained notes of cinnamon and a unique nuttiness. The elevated proof compared to the other spots was a welcomed addition of spunk. It gave you a slight kick to the trousers to alert you of its presence and then smoothed out to a soft warming effect. I'd like to say this may be my favorite of the spots, but it has been a while since I poured the others. I'm anxious/excited to have the capability to do a vertical of these lovely whiskeys. Only then will I be able to formulate a true ratings scale. Cheers and Happy St. Paddy's Day everyone! 🥃