Reviews

A couple years back, the folks at Bruiccladdich it was time to make the Classic Laddie an older brother. That’s usually not how that works, but alas, here we are with what Bruiccladdich dubs their flagship bottling—an unpeated 18 year old. I recently reviewed the Classic Laddie, which I thought was excellent. I’m looking forward to this one. Nose: Vanilla, toffee, and custard. Macadamia. Honey and sugar cookie. Dried apricot. Lemon citrus. Crisp Macintosh apple. Honeydew. Menthol. Ginger. Oak. Palate: Heavy on the dried apricot. Some peppermint as well. Caramel, vanilla, and toffee. Almond and macadamia. A hoppy, IPA note. Sugar cookie. Pineapple. Chocolate biscotti. Gala apple, raisin, and plum. Finish: Toffee, vanilla, and caramel. Pineapple. Plum and raisin. More of the peppermint. Some rosemary sneaks in right before the rest of the spice kicks in. White pepper, cinnamon, and oak. Long finish. This quite effective as a refined older sibling to the Classic Laddie. It’s fruit forward in a way that is distinctly unpeated Islay. It reminds me of a lot of the Caol Ila special releases to be specific, only with the heat turned way down. There are some citrus and tropical notes that help to set this apart though. It adds a nice touch. The nose is good. The palate and finish are great. The straight jacket they fitted this bottle in is an odd choice, but otherwise this is a great addition to the core range. $170 is steep no matter how you slice it, but the 18 year age statement and the 50% ABV are very respectable. Is it worth the price tag? I’ll say yes—barely. 4.5/5. Well done Bruiccladdich.

This is long overdue. The red-headed stepchild of Tennessee whiskey. That’s really not a fair label to slap on Cascade Hollow, and I don’t mean it as a pejorative. It’s just that for every one person who knows the name George Dickel, one hundred can name Jack Daniel’s. That may actually be severely lowballing it—but it’s neither here nor there. Time to assess GD on its own merits. Nose: Caramel, toffee, and oak. Mocha. Oak. Peanut brittle and maybe even peanut butter. Clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Caramelized apple. Cocoa. Pipe smoke. Raisin and dried apricot. Cotton candy. Palate: Caramel, cocoa, toffee, peanut butter. Vanilla and brown sugar. Caramelized apple. Flinstones vitamins. Syrupy sweet note. Cotton candy. Raisin and dried apricot. Orange citrus. Finish: Caramel, milk chocolate, and brown sugar. Toffee and vanilla. Clove, nutmeg, and black pepper. Orange citrus. Sawdust. Pipe smoke. Moderate length. I very pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this. This is an incredibly strong entry level whisky. It’s definitely one of the stronger Tennessee whiskies out there and easily the best entry level—it’s not particularly close. It’s mineral-ly with plenty of the confectionary dark, sweet notes, which gives this a very full and rounded profile. At $33, this is an absolute steal. Compare this to Jack Daniel’s entry level, or even Gentleman Jack. This has an age statement, a higher proof, and offers more complexity than both of those two combined. It’s a no-brainer, and definitely something I would turn the JD faithful onto—if they can get past the name. 3.75 boosted to 4.25 for VFM. Awesome stuff.

Here’s another one that’s long overdue. This is one of Bruichladdich’s two flagship bottlings. This is the unpeated option, and the more popular of the two. It’s a notch below the Laphroaigs, Ardbegs, Lagavulins of the world in terms of notoriety, but it truly is one of the classics. Looking forward to this one. Nose: Big time custard, toffee, malt, butterscotch, honey, and vanilla. Almond and walnut. Orange and lemon citrus. Sugar cookie. Pear. Palate: Apple, pear, apricot, and golden raisin. Plum. White grape. Black pepper, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Vanilla, caramel, honey, toffee, and butterscotch. Finish: Apple, pear, apricot, and golden raisin. Orange citrus. Black pepper. Almond and walnut. Cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Moderate length. Solid pour. Of all the unpeated Islay malts, this reads the closest to a Speyside as anything I’ve had before. It has a very fruit forward and floral profile. It’s very well done, and punches nicely at 50% ABV without the drawbacks of a true cask strength, where the cinnamon heat burns out the finer details of the flavor profile. At $56, this is easily worth the price of admission. Far and away. The price has remained very stable over the years, and unlike a lot of Scotches, it’s been relatively inflation proof. That alone wouldn’t make it a tremendous value though. It would have to deliver in terms of quality, and it does this flawlessly. 4.0 kicked up to 4.5 with consideration to VFM. Awesome.

My final entry in the original WhistlePig core range. The 10 and 12 are solid. I’ve heard it said that WhistlePig is overrated—I disagree. It’s just common and popular, but that’s no knock on the distillery itself. Let’s see if we can get 3/3 with them. Bottle No. 193293. Nose: Heaps of brown sugar and maple sweetness. Maple pecan. Toasted almond. Vanilla frosting. Dried apricot. Pistachio. Orange peel. Sawdust. Black pepper. Spicy oak. White pepper, clove, and nutmeg. Palate: Caramel, vanilla, and brown sugar. Almond and walnut. Toffee. Gala apple. Maple pecan. Orange peel. Cocoa. Black pepper. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Heavy, heavy oak. Finish: Vanilla, toffee, and caramel. Almond and walnut. Gala apple and dried apricot. Clove and nutmeg. Cinnamon. Moderate-long finish. Solid whiskey for sure. Sweet and confectionary—it’s a nice profile. It’s reminiscent of a bourbon in some ways. The nose was the highlight, but it’s really strong in every facet. Now. Is it $250 strong? No, quite frankly. I can respect a 15 year age statement from a North American distillery, and I do grade on a curve. But it still falls a little short of hitting its mark with regard to value. I’m going with a 4.25 knocked down to 4/5 with consideration to VFM.

My final entry in the Laphroaig core lineup is the expression that comes with the training wheels. The Select. The bare bones offering. Not a ton to say here other than this is the budget option. Let’s check it out. Nose: Heavy hazelnut. Campfire smoke and bandaid. Ash and rubber. Some salted caramel. Wintergreen. Milk chocolate. Apple cider. Black pepper and cinnamon. Palate: A little ballpark soft pretzel and hookah. Sea salt and brine. Caramel, vanilla, and toffee. Milk chocolate. More apple cider. Spearmint. Finish: Hazelnut. Vanilla and caramel. Heavy on the salted caramel and saltwater taffy. Bandaid and iodine. Cinnamon and black pepper. Spearmint. Sea salt. Very standard Laphroaig profile. Just a bit watered down. I like this. But I can also see how this would be designed for use in smoky cocktails. Because the 10 is their entry level, flagship offering, and it does everything better than this. At $48, it’s not a bad value. I think this should be capped at $40, but I guess this isn’t out of line with inflation. You can absolutely skip this one and go right to the 10 year, but this is by no means a bad whisky. 2.75/5.

Entry #3 for me in the Tale series. Winter was pretty solid, Forest was a bit of a miss. High vanillin cask is a new element. This one features that and bourbon. Very interested in seeing how this plays out. Nose: A bit orange citrus pop right out of the gate. Followed by vanilla, butterscotch, and toffee. Orange cream soda. Floral notes and fruit, apple, pear, and apricot specifically. Some green grape and golden raisin. Coconut and macadamia. Almond and walnut. Nonparelis and chocolate biscotti. Sugar cookie and vanilla frosting. Palate: Plush. A hit of date and fig. Golden raisin. Apple, pear, and apricot. There’s some chocolate and ice cream cake—and I promise that’s not informed by the packaging. Graham cracker and vanilla frosting. Sugar cookie. Orange citrus. Honey sweetness and big time toffee. Caramel and brown sugar. Finish: A heavy hit of mocha right out of the gate. Almond and walnut. Apple, pear, and apricot. Toffee and vanilla. Cinnamon clove, and nutmeg. Moderate length. This is definitely the winner of the bunch. The first entry in the Tale series that really has me excited for the next one. The Vanillin cask is a very interesting touch here and added an incredibly rich and deep profile. This was absolutely worth the price of admission. Even at $100–which is quite a bit of an NAS. I’m looking to get another and I would highly recommend getting one of if you can still find it. It’s high quality and it offers a touch that you really won’t find anywhere else. 4.25/5.

I clocked my review of the Rendezvous Rye a few months back, so it’s great to get this one in while that’s still relatively fresh in my mind. Batch: 21D06. Pre-rebrand. Nose: Black licorice. Dill. Gala apple. Black pepper, clove, allspice, and nutmeg. Vanilla and toffee. Cotton candy. Spearmint. Palate: Cinnamon Apple Jack’s. Peach tea. Cotton candy. Honey, toffee, and vanilla. Rye spice. Black pepper, clove, and nutmeg. A touch of orange citrus. Cocoa. Finish: Gala apple. Cinnamon Apple Jack’s. Vanilla, toffee, and honey. Cocoa. Rye spice, cinnamon, black pepper, clove, and nutmeg. Moderate to short in length. This is a perfectly enjoyable sipper. The profile is pleasant and balanced and there isn’t one negative note to be detected here. However, this is missing the power and the flair that the Rendezvous Rye offers. The notes don’t jump out of the glass and you’ve got to work hard to adequately describe this. It’s surprisingly meek for a 46% ABV whiskey. Still, at $35, this quite easily hits its mark in terms of VFM. That’s about as cheap as I can find a true sipper these days, and although I’m not blown out of the water by this one, I can still appreciate a great deal for a fine whiskey—which contributes to the overall score here. 3.5/5.

This is an interesting blend of a rye and bourbon. I generally like what I’ve tried from WW so I’m looking forward to a more unique expression from these guys. Let’s check it out. Nose: Black pepper. Baked apple. Brown sugar. Toasted almond. Pistachio. Ginger snaps. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Cream soda. Wintergreen. Newspaper. Sugar cookie and vanilla frosting. Palate: Caramel and brown sugar. Ginger snaps. Pistachio. Apple. Vanilla. Dried apricot and raisin. The red grape I get from every WW. Newspaper. Hazelnut and pecan. Finish: Cranberry, raisin, and dried apricot. Red grape. Newspaper. Cinnamon red hots hit in waves. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and plenty of oak. Toasted almond and macadamia. Long finish. This is a fun experiment from a distillery primarily known for its wheated bourbon. This is a unique profile, but the Wyoming Whiskey character definitely shines through. It’s not a ground-breaking whiskey, but it’s unique, and it’s quality. At $52, this is a solid value. Sitting at a strong 50%, and delivering a unique blend of standard rye notes, with heavy nut and dried fruit influence, this is a worthy effort from WW. I’ll buy one more if I can still find it. 4/5.

One of my all-time favorite whisky lines. This one is aged in refill casks and PX/Olorosso casks. It’s essentially a younger version of the Distiller’s Edition on steroids—with a couple added elements. Nose: Sea salt and brine. Coastal peat notes. Seaweed and iodine. Tennis ball. Black pepper. Lemon citrus. Pencil shavings. Vanilla wafer. Floral. Some grapefruit. A bit of soapiness. Palate: Vanilla custard. Sea salt and brine. Saltwater taffy. Salted caramel. Campfire smoke and ash. Big-time oyster. Toasted almond. Cinnamon. Rich milk chocolate. Sugar cookie. Graham cracker. Plum and red grape. Bandaid. Finish: Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. Some hay. Hazelnut. Bandaid. Baking soda. Clove, nutmeg, and white pepper. Sea salt. Black pepper and oak. Cola. This is another awesome addition in a long line of Lag 12s. Not my favorite, but objectively a great whisky. It’s a fruity affair compared to its predecessors, but that’s to be excepted to with the cask selection. At $160, these are starting to get expensive, but it’s worth it. It offers a great profile that packs a hell of a punch. Well done, Lag. 4.5/5.

If memory serves me right, this was the second sipper rye I ever purchased. It’s been too long since I’ve had one of these—my last bottle before this predates my review-writing days. It’s a foundational whiskey in my journey and one that got me into the rye genre—it’s about time I get around to a formal review. Nose: Vanilla and pistachio. Rye spice. Brown sugar. Toasted almond. Plenty of clove, nutmeg and black pepper. Leather. A touch of lemon citrus. Cotton candy and bubblegum. Irish soda bread. Palate: More of rather vanilla and pistachio. Dill. Black licorice. Big time Cinnamon Apple Jack’s note. Irish soda bread. Caramel. Cacao, pecan, almond, walnut. More of the black pepper and lemon citrus. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Gala Apple, vanilla, and caramel. Black pepper and some cocoa. Cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Pistachio. Dill. Plenty of oak. Lemon citrus. Irish soda bread. Moderate length. This is as good as I remember. It’s a great introductory rye but can keep an experienced sipper entertained. It’s a fairly standard rye profile, beautifully executed. Personally, this edges out the bourbon for my favorite entry-level Michter’s expression—which is an excellent core range. As far as value goes, this hits the mark. At $48, this is well worth the price of admission. It’s a very modest increase from a paid almost a decade ago, almost $1/yr exactly, which is very meaningful when you’re talking value. I’ve got this at a 3.75 boosted to 4/5 with consideration to VFM. Great stuff.