Tastes

This was tasted as a blind sample. Ben Nevis 6 2020 Single Cask Nation First-Fill Amontillado Butt 1278 / 67.6% ABV Distilled on 2013/12 & bottled on 2020/09 Nose - (w/o water) Apple cider, sweet savory "umami" funk, light stone fruits, sweet nuts (w/ water) More vibrant/clean but otherwise the same Taste - (w/o water) Quite hot, light saline, apple cider, white pepper fruity heat, golden raisin sweet (w/ water) Reduced heat, apples, golden raisins, hints of dried papaya, fruity white pepper heat Finish - (w/o water) Heat lingers, white pepper tingle/heat, fruity apple, brined sour green granny smith apples (w/ water) Lingering heat, nice golden raisin sweet, apple cider, light salt Score - 81/100 Final Thoughts - Oh the mystery sample, each note is taken with a bit of trepidation and mystery as you don't know if you're going to be way off or spot on the nose. That being said, the nose on this one hid the heat extremely well. The initial nose without water was fairly pleasant, had hints of this fruity "funk" that I was debating if it came from the spirit itself or maybe from a funky sherry cask. Once it hit the palate without water, the high proof made itself VERY known. The "funk" I got on the nose pretty much disappeared, but was replaced by what I sometimes get from a re-used oloroso or maybe even an amontillado/manzanilla cask as those impart a more sweet nutty vibe to me. Finish was still a bit hot with & without water, but was overall pleasant. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Taste - (w/o water) Intense dark apple cider, hints of richly barrel aged apple-cherry cider, dark simple, dark chocolate, cinnamon, heat increases w/ subsequent sips, raisiny/nutty sherry (w/ water) Reduced heat, more vibrant/bright, heat appears much later, dark apple cider, hint of orange zest, raisiny cinnamon red hots Finish - (w/o water) Lingering heat, bitter dark chocolate, hints of dark syrupy but not overly sweet raisins (w/ water) Pretty much the same Score - 82/100 Final Thoughts - I have very mixed feelings about this one as the initial nose without water was very unique & had hints of cherry candies but this didn't really translate to the palate where it was more of the traditional dark raisiny sherry vibe mixed with unsweetened cocoa that really cut back the sweetness. A bit of water brought out some orange notes, but it seemed like it was dehydrated orange slices dipped in unsweetened dark chocolate. This wasn't bad, but it seemed like it was a very confused Scotch. It nosed like it wanted to be a desserty Scotch, but hit the palate like a candy maker that forgot to add sugar to their chocolate. It definitely had the nose and mouthfeel of an older Scotch, but just felt a bit off. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Old Perth CS Sherry Cask LE No2 / 58.2% ABV Nose - (w/o water) Grape gummies, dark grape juice, cranberry juice, cloves, toffee, fruity/acidic brewed coffee (w/ water) Much more muted, gentle fruit, watered down apple juice, light white wine vinegar vibe w/o the acidic bite Taste - (w/o water) Dark chocolate, light bitter dark grape skin fruity bitter, dark dried stone fruit "funk", cloves, fruity heat/tingle, wet sherry soaked oak (w/ water) apple/pear cider, gentle tingle, orange zest, light metallic grape gummies, candied ginger Finish - (w/o water) Lingering fruity tingle, light metallic fruit sweetness, light fruity bitter grape vines (w/ water) Gentle fruity heat, grape gummies, apple cider Score - 73/100 Final Thoughts - This one was a bit all over the place. The nose right off the bat reminded me a bit of grape gummy candies and just had this dark grape juice "funk" to it. This surprisingly didn't translate to the palate at all where I got the more traditional heavily sherried vibe from the dram, but it wasn't syrupy sweet, but instead it was a balanced dark fruit muted sweet with a hint of taming bitterness. There was this odd metallic vibe that I got on the palate through the finish that was present with or without water. I think this dram has a much better nose without water, but hits the palate much better with a bit of water. This wasn't a bad dram by any means, but it definitely was a bit all over the place. I think this might need some air time to mellow out or this might be delegated to cocktail duty. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Rich raisins, caramel, honey, spiced cake, lemon & orange zest, baked & fresh green apples Taste - Spicy raisins, candied ginger spice/heat, flamed orange zest, well oiled leather, spiced cake, vanilla, light bitter dark chocolate Finish - Lingering dark chocolate bitterness, hint of leather dryness, raisin sweet Score - 90/100 Final Thoughts - I really enjoyed this dram. This had a very nice balance between a sherried malt without being too cloyingly sweet and a nice bit of spice to tie everything together. The one downfall I'd have to say is that there's a light bitter aspect that lasts a bit too long that borders on cigarette/cigar ash on the tail end of the palate, but that eventually goes away. This is very well put together and is quite nice. I'd say it has more of an evening dram vibe to it though. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Yes NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Ripe honeycrisp apples, caramel, raisins, golden raisins, dried apple rings, orange zest Taste - Fairy thin, gentle spiced dark apple juice, raisins, caramel, honey, hint of chocolate, light apple skin/core fruity bitter Finish - Gentle spice, lingering dark apple juice, hint of raisins, lightly fruity bitter remains Score - 80/100 Final Thoughts - This was a pleasant surprise. It's a good example of a well done sherried Scotch. It's not perfect, but very good overall. Something I wouldn't mind sipping on when I just want to sip on something & I feel as if it would mix into a highball quite well as well as hold up in a lower proof old fashioned quite well too. Lightly fruity bitterness is a tiny bit distracting, but not enough to distract from the overall enjoyment of this. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Probably not Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe? NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Caramel, vanilla, milk chocolate, toasted chocolate barley, grassy, freshly dumped oak barrels, young fresh cut oak Taste - Caramel, spicy chocolate, toasted cinnamon stick bitterness, grassy, toasted chocolate barley, vanilla Finish - Lingering sweet, bit thin, hint of grassy splenda-like sweet, chocolate/cocoa powder sweet & dryness Score - 73/100 Final Thoughts - This was a bit disappointing in that I think that the toasted barrel finish was unique and added this sort of nice chocolaty flavor, but I have a feeling the overall age of the bourbon was a bit young & kinda shows. Either that or they didn't toast the barrels long enough & what I'm getting is this young oak vibe. The nose is fairly pleasant, although there's this weird grassy vibe from start to finish. This strangely reminds me like a worse Woodford Reserve Double Oaked or their Chocolate Malted Rye, but more grassy. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose - Vanilla, caramel, lightly charred cinnamon, oak, light hint of red maraschino cherries Taste - Vanilla, caramel, light milk chocolate, hint of cinnamon spice/heat, lightly floral, dark cherries, lightly tannic/drying oak Finish - Lingering fruity/floral caramel, gentle cinnamon heat, lightly tannic oak Score - 79/100 Final Thoughts - This is a fairly typical/standard bourbon profile with maybe a hint more floral notes & a tiny hint of cherry notes as well. Good balance throughout but the lightly tannic oak on the palate that continues through the finish is a tiny bit distracting. I guess me & Four Roses have never really fully meshed and although I find it generally palatable, I guess it just doesn't hit that sweet spot for me in a bourbon. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Probably Not Another NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Batch AB2798 Casks 6,7,8,9,10,18 & 120 Nose - Ripe apples, ripe Asian pear, dark honey, dark raisins, golden raisin sweet, hint of orange zest, cocoa powder Taste - Bit thin initially, candied ginger spice, rich ripe apples, fruity dark honey, dark golden raisins, sweet fruity spicy oak, lightly waxy mouthfeel, candied orange zest Finish - Lingering ripe honeyed apples, caramel, dark fruity honey, dark golden raisins Score - 95/100 Final Thoughts - This was quite an "exceptional" whisky to be honest. I was extremely wary at first due to the lower proof of 43%, but this definitely packed flavor way above the proof. Extremely well balanced nose from start to finish with a great balance of sweet honey/caramel, fruit, & dark dried raisins. This continued to the palate where on the first initial sip it seemed a bit thin, but then as your mouth warms it up, it coats your mouth with this lightly waxy sweet fruity spice that just lingers. The finish is quite long lasting & reminds me of eating fruit leather that's mostly ripe honeycrisp apples, but has a few ripe red & green grapes mixed in. This is great from start to finish with a great balance & throughout has that "vibe" that lets you know there is some older aged Scotch in this blend. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Yes NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

2018 Release Nose - Caramel, cherry vanilla coke, milk chocolate, hint of leather Taste - Caramel, cinnamon sugar toast, cherry vanilla coke syrup, hint of leather/oaky bitterness, cocoa nibs Finish - Lingering oak, leather, cocoa nibs, light cherry, vanilla caramel Score - 90/100 Final Thoughts - This is a good, very well balanced and put together bourbon for sure. Nothing too terribly off putting from start to finish. Nice cherry vanilla coke vibe from this which I really like, but wish was more present because it's a bit on the subtle side. I haven't had too many other vintages of Pappy 15 before, but this seemed to be a bit on the oaky/bitter/tannic side. I typically don't mind this as I'm a fan of Elijah Craig, but this was a tiny bit distracting from the subtle sweet cherry vanilla caramel of this one. This is an excellent bourbon for sure, but I'm not sure I'd pay more than what I did for it. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - At MSRP yes NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Old Elk 6 year - 58.3% ABV Total Wine WA Select Taste - (w/o water) Bit hot, tannic, leather, caramel, tiny bit of bitter oak, charred cinnamon (w/ water) Reduced initial heat, returns later, more bitter somehow?, caramel, vanilla, heat comes back at the end Finish - (w/o water) Lingering heat, oaky bitterness, lightly grassy, slightly burnt bread bitterness (w/ water) Less heat/tingle, caramel, lingering heat, oaky bitterness Score - 72/100 Final Thoughts - The nose on this was surprisingly subtle for the proof, but once it hit the tongue, the full proof came out as this felt hot. What's a bit strange is that there's this subtle bitterness that's there, that ends up being kind of distracting. There are the typical notes of vanilla, caramel, & cinnamon, but they aren't as front and center as I'd like. The oaky bitterness in this one takes over quite a bit & although it's drinkable neat, I think I'd much prefer this in an old fashioned or a manhattan to help mask the bitterness. The flavors & punch are there for sure, but not sure I like it enough to regularly sip it neat outside of cocktails. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.