Tastes

This one time, at Distiller Summer Camp...well, you don't need to know everything that happened, but this excellent dram was involved. We practically bathed in it; afterwards, we unwound in the Turkish baths (actually imported from Topkapi Palace in Istanbul and reconstructed), and then received our nightly rubdown with a special cream made from cask strength Port Ellen bottlings and unicorn tears. Heavenly.

This is some excellent bourbon, especially once it has a little time to breathe. Initially, it presents as your average bourbon - buttery spoonbread, apple, spices, a little wood, a little leather on the nose. The palate, too, opened with green apple, baking spice, a hint of buttered skillet cornbread, and leather. Over time, the fruit dialed itself back and the spices cane more forward - with the usual cinnamon and nutmeg were clove, black pepper, and white pepper. There was a little bit of bite, but nothing too harsh. A damn fine bourbon; many thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for sharing!

One of my realities as a pastor is that much of what I do resides in the realm of the mystical. So does this dram, as it frankly transcends the boundaries of what whisky most often is. How can something simultaneously be so full of darkness and brightness, earthiness and airiness? The nose is a smoky, gritty seaside quay...and also home to fruit and flower vendors, with a chocolatier and a coffee roaster down the way. The palate somehow manages a tightrope act of being simultaneously smoky, salty, fruity, dry, and bitter without ever feeling confused or jumbled. Every note of flavor has its place; nothing is too loud or out of balance. Hands down one of the most memorable whiskies I’ve had the pleasure to taste; my deepest thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for sharing this one with me! I can only hope that the rest of Holy Week goes down as smoothly as Springbank.

I’ll be direct - this is hella good. Tullamore has been doing some exciting cask finishes; their most recent, the rum cask finish, is quite enjoyable...but not on this level. The combination of the base whiskey’s smooth, honeyed, fruity, and lightly spicy character with the slightly tart, round cider works perfectly. I hardly even noticed that the ABV is only 40%; there’s a satisfying richness present, with hardly any spirit bite. For $40/liter, this is a great find and probably the best whiskey I’ve had from Tullamore.

The best part of Distiller is the community of fellow whisky enthusiasts; in the spirit of gratitude for that online fellowship, and with deep gratitude for the generosity of @PBMichiganWolverine for sharing a wee nip of this outstanding bottle, I raise a toast. To all of you who follow, comment, discuss, debate, and joke around with me on here - slainte and cent'anni, friends! Beyond the warm sentiments, the whisky itself here is a delight. The Islay elements are quite forward - loads of peat, soot, and brine, with a savory quality reminiscent of olives and smoked brisket - but there's a playful spice and sweetness running through the whole of the dram, as well. Instead of simply the brooding heft of the typical whisky of this level of peatiness, there's a spritely vivacity. To steal and modify a description from my favorite wine writer, Karen MacNeil, it's like a medieval war hammer...that's been coated in whipped cream. Really a masterful blend, and a must-have for any serious whisky lover.

Getting back on the review-writing horse after a very busy January. Between the usual holiday craziness as a pastor, my daughter's first birthday, my wife's birthday, my mom's birthday, and my siblings-in-law coming to visit...well that's why we have whiskey, now isn't it? I was surprised to see this brand spankin' new bottling (at least new to the US...it debuted in the fall in Ireland) already on the shelves in Madison. As a dram, it is an interesting corollary to Teeling Small Batch, which is also finished in rum barrels...and it showcases a bit of the difference between their house styles. Whereas Teeling comes across as lighter and more floral, with summery stone fruit, citrus, and a nice overlay of rummy brown sugar, Tullamore has a richer quality - butterscotch pudding, mashed ripe banana, bruleed pineapple. The rum influence certainly reveals itself, but differently. I wish there were a bit more complexity to the dram, plus the finish is a bit short and there's some young spirit jaggedness that the rum influence can't quite mask, but on the whole, this is an enjoyable Irish blend that's well suited for a casual dram in a comfy chair while watching The Good Place (your preferred tv pairing may vary).

The second of the three Whiskey Makers Series bottlings to be released stateside, this one could only be a bit of a letdown after the sheer beauty of its predecessor, The Cooper's Croze. While that one was nearly a five star whiskey for me, this is a solid four. Now, that's hardly a bad thing - 4/5 ain't bad. But...it lacks the dynamism and "wow!" factor of Cooper's Croze. Gone is the playful, exuberant interplay between the various wood influences; now, the blender is the focus, and this blender is a bit more keen on making...well, a blended Irish whiskey. It's most certainly a *good* Irish blend, with a high percentage of pure pot still lending a rich, spicy fruitiness to the dram, but it loses some of the distinctiveness of its predecessor bottling in the series. If you were to set up a blind tasting with this and a few other pot still heavy blends, I don't know that I would be able to pick this out immediately. It is a worthy dram on its own, rich and fruity with a lovely touch of spice and vanilla, but for the price, I'd hope for a little more sparkle.

Time for a re-review, though not a changed rating. The first time I tried this lovely dram, it was Game 3 of the 2016 World Series. The game sucked (it was a 1-0 loss for the Cubs, who stranded a ridiculous number of runners), but at least the whiskey was solid. That being said, a crowded North Side bar during the first World Series game ever played at Wrigley Field was not the best space for taking in the nuances of a single malt. Now, in my comfy chair, with no crowds or games to distract, I can bask in the flavorful glory of Stranahan's. It's worth noting that I am actually drinking a single cask offering rather than the standard bottling; it doesn't seem like there's a huge difference, if my memory serves, and both are bottled at the same ABV. The nose has a freshness to it, a bit minty, and (cheesy though it may sound) quite reminiscent of the Rockies in winter - snow and evergreens. There's a distinctly warm caramel note, and a pleasant graininess. The palate is really a delight, at turns revealing chocolate, peppermint (since I can evidently compare every whiskey to a confectionary product, this is York Peppermint Patties in liquid form), but also red raspberry jam, pine wood, and a drying spice finish with a tingly hint of sandalwood incense. The finish is a bit short, but that just lends a certain more-ish quality to the dram...can't have those lovely flavors go away, can we? At $50-ish, this is a great bottle.