Tastes
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Washington Island, Wisconsin, June of 2012. My first camping trip with my then-girlfriend of about six months, now my wife. We stayed in a little cabin in a campground on the island; we spent the days exploring the secluded beaches and abandoned lighthouse, and passed the evening around a campfire...it's still awfully chilly in the evening when you're in the northern reaches of the Great Lakes Midwest. It was a wonderful time, and a perfect deep breath before she started her third year of medical school and I started my several month stint of "funemployment" before being called to serve my first parish post-seminary. To get to this paradise on Lake Michigan, we had to take a ferry from the northern tip of the Door Peninsula to the island across the Porte des Morts - Death's Door. While the distillery itself is in Middleton, a Madison suburb, the raw ingredients come back to the mainland across that treacherous little strait. Washington Island wheat for the mash, and three botanicals - juniper, coriander, fennel. That's it here. It is as simple as a gin comes - no plants that send you scrambling for your old Herbology textbooks from your time at Hogwarts, no exotic spices from distant lands, no surprising ingredients. Much like how the best Italian food is a simple combination of a few good quality ingredients at their prime, though, this is a gin more than the sum of its few parts. The spirit itself is almost creamy - that same soft, luscious quality found in a wheated bourbon or wheaty single grain whiskey is present here, with all of the rough edges smoothed away like the rocks on Schoolhouse Beach back on the island. The juniper lends a freshness, but it's the fennel that's the star of the show - not too licorice-esque, nor too Italian sausage-y, but in spicy harmony with the juniper. I suppose you could mix this in a cocktail, but honestly, it's nice enough on its own, and I'd hate to lose the distinct personality of the gin. Worth seeking out...just like Washington Island.32.0 USD per Bottle
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Gin, as much as whiskey, has personality, and no gin is quite like another. They may rhyme occasionally, but there's always something unique to be found, at least in the good ones. Take this, for example - a gin that dares to be so juniper-forward that its name is literally "juniper" in Spanish...and yet is restrained and balanced. The juniper is there, all right, but its sharp, piney edges (needles?) are softened by just the right touch of citrus. The spirit, too, is clearly of excellent make - there's a roundness and delicacy that not a lot of unaged spirits bottled at nearly 50% ABV can claim. It makes a quality g&t (and, I suspect, martini), but it's good enough on its own. At this price point, it would make a fine house gin for someone who likes classic gin flavors, but in more of a jazz timbre than a punk rock one.30.0 USD per Bottle
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My dad was a Jimmy Buffet fan...not a total parrothead, but at least a casual enthusiast. He started me off with the kid appropriate ditties, like "Cheeseburger in Paradise," and eventually we worked up to some more...mature material by the time I was in middle school. I may have been the only 13 year old at the local fundamentalist Christian school to know what a snuff queen was. At any rate, I say all this because rum makes me think of Jimmy Buffet, and this particular bottle makes me think that if were to run into a chum with a bottle of rum...if it were this one, I'd probably stay up drinking all night. This is an enjoyable, accessible rum that is an absolute bargain, to boot ($25!). The nose is oaky, with plenty of spice and vanilla (and a hint of coconut), and with that a molasses-y quality and a hint of fig jam. The palate is warm and lightly sweet; the notes present on the nose all show up on the palate, in a light, beachy kind of way. This, a beach, a hammock in the shade? I could dig that. The finish is too short for my liking, and there's a certain hint of immaturity to the spirit, but on balance, you more than get what you pay for here. I've been on the fence about where to rank this, 3 or 4 stars; come on sliding scale update! For now, 3 stars, but this is a high 3 stars bordering on 4.25.0 USD per Bottle
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While I’ve previously left a tasting note for this most excellent rum before...well, it bears doing so again. I discovered this lovely Panamanian rum on my honeymoon; I brought home two bottles, and I’ve enjoyed the contents over the course of my even more delightful marriage. If you are a whiskey drinker and want a rum to show you why fine, aged rum is worth your attention, but also want something different enough from whiskey to expand your palate’s horizons...look no further. The nose is the Caribbean condensed: sugarcane, banana, pineapple, a bit of vanilla and coconut, a light hint of spice. The palate explodes with caramelized banana, grilled pineapple, piloncillo/panela, lime juice, baking spice, and a pleasant woodiness...and it lingers, like the warmth of good memories. So, so good, and at $40-ish a bottle in the US, there is no reason not to try this.40.0 USD per Bottle
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Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum
Navy Rum — Multiple Countries
Reviewed July 27, 2018 (edited November 2, 2022)In this, my 300th (!!!) tasting note/review/taste/whatever we're calling them these days, I must make a confession: I never wanted to be a pastor growing up. No, I wanted to be a pirate. I still do; the hardest part of the demise of my old iPad last year was losing the ability to play Sid Meier's Pirates! whenever I needed an escape from reality. So, I just got it for Mac instead...not quite the same (fencing on a touchscreen is super cool), but still, I'll take the Spanish Main however it comes to me. Perhaps, then, it's fitting, that I begin my fourth century of spirit notes with an exceptionally pirate-y libation. Plantation OFTD (Old Fashioned Traditional Dark) Overproof is most certainly all of those things. Plantation? It rings true to the house style of Plantation rums - no added sugar, blended (in France) from fine rums produced all across the Caribbean, excellent quality. Old Fashioned? Yep, as far as I can tell this eschews novelty for tried-and-true stylings. Traditional Dark? Oh yeah. This is all about that funky, thick molasses-and-minerality mixed with coffee, dried fruit, ripe banana and pineapple thing that dark rum (especially Jamaican) bring to the table. And Overproof? Sweet Jesus. At 69% ABV, I could run my car on this stuff...but that would be a waste. Even at such an eye-popping proof, there is a smoothness here that reveals the quality of the spirits selected here and an attentiveness to their aging. Granted, "smooth" at 138 proof will still stand up and slap the tar out of you, but there's a lot more going on here than simply boozy heat. I still wouldn't drink this neat (though, at a more modest 50-55%, you could and would find a complex, compelling dram), but as the base for a spirit-forward rum cocktail like a Planter's Punch, this is DYNAMITE. Fresh lime juice, a little brown sugar, some Angostura and orange bitters, ice, and plenty of this good rum with just a little pineapple-orange-banana juice? Hard to beat if you're feeling tropical. Cheers, fellow spirit lovers and boozehounds! It's a pleasure to share the journey with you.25.0 USD per Bottle -
I'm a history nerd (even majored in it - my specialities are 19th and early 20th century US, Latin America, and colonial and postcolonial Africa), so the opportunity to taste a piece of history like the 1940 Haig King George V is right up my alley. The whiskey is, fortunately, quite enjoyable beyond its historical appeal. The nose is sweet and malty, honeyed cereal and fruit with a nice whiff of smoke kicking about. The palate lines up with the nose; sweet, a little fruity, and just enough smoke to remind you that this is scotch. It's hard not to enjoy on its own merits, but given its age, this becomes a special dram indeed - thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for sharing!
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Opihr Spices of the Orient London Dry Gin
London Dry Gin — England
Reviewed July 15, 2018 (edited January 20, 2021)If there’s one good thing to be said about the gin renaissance (ginaissance?) that’s going on these days it’s that all of the old rules about what gin “has” to taste like are out the window. Legally, juniper has to be present among the botanicals, but presence is no longer the same as dominance. Take this lovely offering, for example - while there’s just enough piney juniper in the background to remind you that this is gin, the predominant flavor profile is warm and spicy - cumin comes to the forefront, along with black pepper, clove, and a South Asian market’s worth of other spices. It’s a bit much to drink neat, but the cocktail possibilities are endless. My current go-to is a spin on the Sazerac - wash a glass with raki (just to give it a hint of aniseed flavor), muddle some cardamom bitters, a little sugar, and a dash of water, then add Opihr, 3-4 ice cubes, and a lightly bruised sprig of spearmint. It’s Istanbul in a glass. -
The Winter Queen (Adelphi)
Blended Malt — Multiple Countries
Reviewed July 13, 2018 (edited July 15, 2018)I’m one of those oddballs whose favorite season is winter...I mean, I didn’t end up moving from Texas to the Upper Midwest by accident, ya know. This dram, generously shared with me by @PBMichiganWolverine, is a fitting homage to the beauties of the invernal world. Spicy, with notes of creme brûlée and cocoa, this winter queen is complex, but as welcoming as a toasty fire on a cold day...and just like those embers in the hearth, the finish is long and warming. There’s not much negative to say, other than that I wish it were readily available in small town Wisconsin. -
Stranahan's Diamond Peak (old recipe)
American Single Malt — Colorado, USA
Reviewed July 11, 2018 (edited December 20, 2020)Stranahan's hasn't let me down yet. I love their entry-level whiskey, as well as the single barrel incarnation of it that I tried; this, their ostensible step up from the flagship, is every bit as good, if not slightly better. The mint and dark chocolate notes that seem to be hallmarks of the house style come across even more boldly here, especially the mint. There's a deep, dark fruitiness, too - not quite into dried fig territory yet, but definitely raisiny. The finish is lovely, ever so slightly hot, with the minty freshness taking a long ride into a mountain sunset. Excellent whiskey, well worth the $60 I paid for the bottle.60.0 USD per Bottle -
I had a pronounced sense of deja vu whilst enjoying the sample provided to me by @PBMichiganWolverine . There was an unshakeable familiarity, but why? The waxy, apply, rum-raisin nose made me wonder about Clynelish, but that wasn't it. The honey-forward, tree fruit studded palate seemed even more familiar than the nose. A glance in the direction of my collection made it all click - Oban. This tastes like a less sea-inflected, less well integrated younger sibling of Oban Distiller's Edition. The opportunity to enjoy something from a silent distillery is always worthwhile; it's a bit of a shame that the whisky itself comes across as less a revelation so much as a reminder of a frankly better working distillery. Just the same, this is a pleasant, easy-to-like drop of whisky...but not worthy anything close to the collector pricing it apparently goes for.
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