Tastes
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Ailsa Bay Single Malt Whisky
Single Malt — Lowlands, Scotland
Reviewed June 28, 2018 (edited October 21, 2024)Late spring into summer has been...busy, to say the least. Now that the garden is thriving and my kiddo’s back in daycare 1-2 days a week, I finally have the mental energy to start approaching some new drams. This one, generously shared with me by @PBMichiganWolverine, is an intriguing one. “Peated” and “Lowland” - not descriptors that typically go together, and yet Ailsa Bay manages to dovetail two seemingly disparate styles. Quintessential Lowland traits - lightness, dryness, tree fruit notes - aren’t overwhelmed by the ashy peat, citrus, and salinity that would not be out of place on Islay. While clearly young, this whisky still manages to walk the tightrope. I’m eager to see what more time in the barrel can do here, but this isn’t a bad first release at all. -
Ever wonder what Wild Turkey would taste like if the Russell family were from Tennessee instead of Kentucky? Here’s your huckleberry, if so, because the filtration through mesquite and oak charcoal here lends a certain Daniels-and-Dickel quality here - that light, sweet, summery quality. And, really, that’s what this is at its core as a bourbon - it’s a bourbon made for a porch swing on a late July evening. The Wild Turkey house style is present - sweet corn, baking spices, a pleasantly dry woodiness, cherry cola - but lighter. That’s not to say it’s not flavorful; far from it, but it is lighter in body and lacks the crackling, hot vibrancy of most other Wild Turkey bottlings. I found this for a bit under $40; not a bad price. I wouldn’t reach for this in January when the Wisconsin winter is howling around my house, but now that the days are long and the garden is nearly prepped for planting? I’ll take it.
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Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Whiskey
Tennessee Whiskey — Tennessee, USA
Reviewed April 10, 2018 (edited August 13, 2018)While I usually prefer my Tennessee whisky from the other side of the holler, so to speak...this gives even my beloved Dickel Barrel Select a heck of a run for its money. The nose screams Tennessee - buttered sweet corn, cherry cola, maple candy, some baking spice and black pepper. The palate is sweet, smooth, and lightly spicy with maple syrup, creamed corn, cola, and cinnamon candy. I may not love Jack Daniels Black, but this is definite proof that they know a thing or two about good corn squeezins down in Lynchburg. Thanks, @PBMichiganWolverine, for sharing! -
This otherwise fine gin has the misfortune of coming in a sampling pack with the Botanivore and Terroir gins from the same distillery. If these three gins were the Corleone brothers, this one would sadly be Fredo. Maybe it’s just misunderstood, or suffers by comparison, but the pleasantly dill and spice notes that come through from the rye distillate just aren’t enough to give this one as defined a personality. Plus, there’s a bit of an alcoholic harshness here that’s not present with its other gin siblings in the pack. I don’t dislike it, but I’m not going to be rushing out to buy a full size bottle, either.
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St. George Terroir Gin
Modern Gin — California, USA
Reviewed April 5, 2018 (edited December 28, 2019)Now THIS is a gin that’s made me reconsider what gin can be! I have never tasted a spirit like this before - bold sage and bay leaf flavors come to the forefront, given a certain sparkle and freshness by the juniper and fir. It’s intensely savory and earthy, like a well-made breakfast sausage...but bright and fresh. It nails what it sets out to do - taste like a California mountain forest. I cannot wait to try this in a Red Snapper (aka a Bloody Mary with gin instead of vodka), or about any other way you care to serve it up. Really something special here! -
St. George Botanivore Gin
Modern Gin — California, USA
Reviewed April 5, 2018 (edited September 17, 2020)I’ll get the awkward part out of the way first - this is not a 97-point gin for me, though I quite enjoy. 92, 93...sure, legit. It’s got everything you expect in a fine gin - a complex, yet clear, collection of botanicals paired with a high quality base spirit that doesn’t need a mixer, but is fully capable of playing well with any number of things in a cocktail. What’s missing for me is the “wow” factor, which for me and gin usually comes in how it conveys a sense of place, or an otherwise unique point of view. This...is just really enjoyable, well-crafted gin. Is that so bad? No. Is it a Gin of Gins that has caused me to reconsider what gin can be? Sadly, no...but it’s bright, spicy, herbal self is still lovely enough to warrant a place on the bar here at home. -
Wollersheim Garden Gate Gin
Modern Gin — Wisconsin, USA
Reviewed April 4, 2018 (edited June 2, 2018)The nose of this gin, made here in Wisconsin at one of the state’s best known wineries and distilleries, is quite sweet...almost surprisingly so. There’s a delicate floral quality milling about, with a hint of herbs and blackberries. The palate is light, clean, and slightly sweet...but instead of taking me to a Wisconsin garden, I find myself sitting in Istanbul, drinking raki in the waterfront tea garden at Seraglio Point. There is a definite licorice-y anise note, with a bit of spring flowers, basil, and pepper. A very enjoyable gin, and perhaps one best served fairly simply over ice with a splash of soda - tonic or vermouth might drown out the more delicate nature of the spirit. -
I’m grateful to Distiller to be one of the beta testers for the Review Requests feature, especially since it’s given me the opportunity to add this, one of my favorite gins! Door County, Wisconsin juts out into Lake Michigan; it’s a beautiful place, full of rocky shorelines, fruit orchards, and evergreen forests. This gin captures the freshness of all of those pines and spruces - bright, bracing, cool, refreshing, with a spicy and herbal finish. A perfect match for tonic, and it makes a fine martini, too. If you’re ever here in the Badger State, get a bottle!
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This is almost a 4 Star whiskey for me; my principal beef is the short finish. Like, really short. That aside, it’s a good, easy drinking dram - lots of chocolate notes from the stout barrels, which mixes nicely with the vanilla and spice that defines the base whiskey. For under $30, it’s a good deal!
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Glenfiddich Project XX
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed April 2, 2018 (edited July 23, 2021)This review is based on Batch 2. If you handed this to me blindfolded, I’d have thought it was an Irish blended whiskey heavy on the pot still and malt content. Big, upfront tree fruit, vanilla, baking spice, and something slightly bitter and vegetal. There’s a certain jaggedness to the finish, suggesting to me that perhaps some of the spirit here could have used a bit more time in the barrel. It left me wondering what this could be if given more time to develop. Enjoyable, and certainly more interesting than the standard GF 12, but incomplete. Thanks for sharing, @PBMichiganWolverine!
Results 71-80 of 363 Reviews