Tastes

Not too terribly complex for being 10 years old, but still a damn good bourbon. I have a feeling that if they upped the proof on this it would shine so much more. Nose: buttered southern style biscuits, with slight hints of cinnamon and brown sugar. All of this is wrapped in a blanket of fresh cut oak and tad drop of either maple or cane sugar (can’t quite decide) Taste: sugary barrel tannins right off the bat. Fades into sweet fruits (cherry, mandarins oranges, and slight melon). The finish is very sweet. I don’t get much more on the finish than just sweet white granulated sugar. The more I drank the glass, the more the finish got bitter. I really feel like if they kicked this proof up to 100 the flavors would come out a lot more. They’re enjoyable but they’re just on the cusp of being great. However, the nuance is still there. Solid bourbon that I’ll definitely be coming back to in the future.

Ardbeg, you continue to impress the hell out of me. Still my top favorite peated Scotch distillery. This expression of their single malts is just as amazing as the rest. However, it is the most different of all I have tasted thus far. Nose: heavy smoke and peat. Black pepper and brine dominate next. A sweet vegetal note is there. Somewhere between seaweed and collard greens. At the end there is a refreshing mint sent that I can’t quite grasp. Not spearmint, but somewhere between peppermint and menthol. Taste: immediate butter scotch malt flavor that is almost immediately overtaken by smoke and strong peat. A strong dose of black pepper dominates the mid pallet followed by what I can only explain as salted prime rib, or corned beef. The finish is strange but nice. I almost get an almond nuttiness, and the taste of salt water spray you get from being at the beach on a windy day. I was a little thrown off by this one. Once I knew it was aged in sherry casks and finished in French oak casks, I expected it to be sweeter and honey dominate. Instead it’s probably the richest/most savory Ardbeg expression I’ve had to date. Very, very well done.

Not much more you can say about this whiskey other than it is a damn good Islay. It shines in particular in the fact that it is only 6 years old. The nuance and complexity off of this is easily what you’d expect off a 10 year +. Nose: peat, smoke, bright floral notes, honey, candied apples and pears. Taste: almost identical to the nose. Bomb of peat and smoke off the start. Fades into dense honey and stewed apples. Lingers for a good while. Very oily.

First bottle of a Japanese whiskey I have ever bought. I thought I had found one that couldn’t be beat before, but this has taken the crown as the most friendly whiskey I have ever had. So rounded off and smooth that it’s hard to believe it’s over 40%. Nose: like inhaling a fresh garden of blooming flowers on a sunny spring day. The floral notes explode out of the glass. Honey and candy notes underlay with a rounded off sweetness that is brought on by the sherry casks. Some fruits are there as well (apples, pears, and green grapes). Taste: Sherry taste fades almost immediately into fruited hard candy. Think jolly ranchers, but with a more natural taste instead of the artificial flavor and sweetening you get from them. The melon flavors dominate (watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew). Fruits fade out into a creamy honey, but the fruits linger and become more muted. Finally for such a light and fruity whiskey, it’s very oily. Flavors stay with you for minutes after you sip. This stuff has been amazing so far. Can’t wait to see what changes as the bottle matures.

Heard a lot about this distillery in the last year or so, and this bottle didn’t disappoint. However not my favorite whiskey I have ever had. The 100% corn may just not be my thing though. Nose: candy corn, vanilla, slight hay mustiness. Taste: lots of butter scotch on the start, fades quickly into a thick caramel flavor. Finishes off in a dusty candy corn and sugary vanilla. A bit thin and not oily at all. Doesn’t linger very long at all. Overall not terrible, but not anywhere close to being great. I hate the taste of candy corn so that may be what’s turning me off. The other flavors on the taste are nice though.

Coming back to this one for a second time (second bottle) Bought this one straight from the distillery in Louisville Kentucky. Sourced whiskey from MGP. We won’t see actual Michters distilled spirits for a couple years. Even though it sourced, the whiskey is still one of my favorites. They choose their mash bill from MGP very carefully. Nose: vanilla and lots of it. Followed closely by cinnamon, caramel, cane sugar, barrel tannins, and cherries. Taste: cinnamon brown sugar, vanilla extract, sweet savory barrel spice fades into a sweet caramel cherry note. Extremely reminiscent of warm cherry cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This is probably the most friendly American whiskey I have ever had. It’s on par with the easiness of a nice Speyside or highland scotch. This will always be one of my go to’s for a nice, easy, flavorful drinker. Michters...I cannot wait to try whiskey you guys have actually distilled and aged yourselves!!

Nose: Medium oak and barrel tannins. It’s rounded off by a flavor I didn’t think was possible in a whiskey. A cherry/cream sent that is oddly reminiscent of a cheery cream slushy from the Sonic fast food restaurant. So strange but it’s pleasant. Back end has some dry nuttiness. Taste: Very spicy off the beginning. Decently high on Rye in the mash bill so not surprising. Spice mellows put into brown sugar and fresh dark cherries and red apples. Finish is long and oily resulting in a minty freshness followed by dark chocolate. All in all, I was impressed. Very good well rounded bourbon with some interesting fragrances. but honestly at $45, I probably won’t be coming back to this one. The pallet doesn’t really take me anywhere I haven’t been before . I’ve found cheaper or matching bourbons I like much more.

Never in my whiskey drinking life have I had such a flash back to another whiskey I have already had and loved. I opened this bottle, poured my first two fingers and took a double take at my collection. I thought I had accidentally poured Angels Envy Finished Rye...... Nose: barrel mustiness, rye spice, vanilla, slight caramel. Taste: vanilla extract, rye spice, buttery (almost like pancake syrup), finishes into a oily sweet corn mustiness. This whiskey blew my mind. The Angles Envy Finished Rye is one of the most unique tasting whiskeys I have ever had. I almost mistook Jefferson’s Ocean for that exact whiskey. The AE has more of a maple syrup taste to it that the JO does not. Other than that they are very very similar. Voyage 17 has more than impressed me. Excellent whiskey.

Nose: peat and smoke dominate. I get a strange almost green bean smell often found in soul food. You know the ones cooked in bacon fat? Delicious, rich and full nose. Taste: very oily with a nicely rounded peatyness and sweet pipe tobacco taste. Leads immediately into a salted caramel creme (almost like those little caramel cream candies with the little white center). After that I don’t get much but that’s not a bad thing. The whiskey is so oily that flavor lasts a good 30-40 seconds after you swallow. WHATCH YOUR BREATH IF YOU’RE TRYING TO TALK UP A LADY OR GENTLEMEN!! Close quarters could be off putting to, let’s be honest, most people out there. All things said I was very impressed by this. The 16 year has always been one of my favorites. But at $100 a pop in my state, I often pass it by. The 9 is a great alternative running around $30 cheaper.

Keep in mind I’m more of a scotch guy, but this one really impressed me. Nose: brown sugar cinnamon, a sinus opening almost menthol/minty refresh feeling on the back of the nose. Not mint but that same refreshing feeling you get from smelling mint. Rounded all off by heavy barrel spice (not rye spice, but barrel tannins) Taste: Nice strong punch of spicy brown sugar. Cinnamon and vanilla dominate the mid pallet. Long lingering finish reminds me of a either a heavy vanilla bean ice cream, or creme brûlée’s. I’ve never been a fan of the original wild turkey, but the barrel strength proof obviously takes those flavors of the mash bill and amps them up to a new level. For the price of $47 this is definitely one I’ll come back to after I finish this bottle. Excellent.