Tastes

Ah Jameson. My staple drink in college. This is probably the drink that got my foot into the door as a whiskey drinker. Once upon a time, I considered this a classy bottle. Nose: Toffee, vanilla, and some green, grassy notes. Celery. Shortbread cookie. Caramel. Grapefruit and orange citrus. Cinnamon. Alcohol heat and metallic grain notes are a very minor deterrent. Soapy and floral. Malt and custard. Apple and pear. Palate: Grapefruit and orange citrus. Vanilla, malt, toffee, milk chocolate and caramel. Shortbread cookie. Celery. The metallic grain is quite prominent here. Apple, pear, raisin, and plum. Finish: Apple, pear, and apricot. Vanilla, toffee, malt, and the grassy, green celery notes. Shortbread cookie and some light baking spice. Short finish. This may not be top shelf stuff, but the combination of nostalgia goggles and a surprisingly solid product earned this a 3.5/5. This is a great gateway whiskey—for Irish, as well as whiskey at large. Glad to see my college favorite holds up.

Over the past few years, I’ve reviewed Redbreast 12-21, including a couple cask strength 12s. So it’s about time got into this Lustau. Hoping it carries the Redbreast spirit I have come to love over the years. This has the old-style packaging, circa 2018, for the record. Nose: Prominent shortbread cookie. Apple pie, plum, raisin, fig, date, and white grape. Orange citrus. Walnut. Caramel, vanilla, and toffee. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Very nice. Palate: Shorted cookie and brown sugar. Caramelized apple. Walnut and toasted almond. Apricot. Orange citrus. Plum, raisin, fig, and date. Caramel, vanilla, and toffee. Custard. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Plum, fig, date, and raisin. Apple, pear, orange and apricot. Walnut. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and oak. I think this delivers. Olorosso sherry gives this an enjoyable profile. It doesn’t beat any of the other Redbreast variants, but that is no knock on this one considering my scores for the rest of the line. $55 for a single pot still of this caliber is more than worth the price. My love for Redbreast continues. Well done. 4/5.

I was happy to find out that Wyoming Whiskey is a distillery rather than just another brand with sourced juice. While many states outside of the obvious few have many distilleries that source, I can say that I have truly tasted Wyoming whiskey. The Double Cask was fantastic; up now is the flagship bottling. Bottled November 25, 2019. Batch 67. Nose: Red grape and wintergreen. Cranberry and raisin. Black cherry. Newspaper. Cornbread. Caramel. Maple pecan. Granny Smith apple. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. A touch of tobacco smoke, maybe even slight hookah. Very unique—also very nice. Palate: Red grape, cranberry, raisin, black cherry, and wintergreen. Mint chocolate and pistachio. Newspaper. Granny Smith apple again, now with some Gala. Dried apricot and sun-dried tomato. A little bit of cornbread and a lot of banana bread. Walnut. Some cinnamon, black pepper, clove,nutmeg, and oak. Interesting again—and solid to boot. Finish: Wintergreen, black cherry, red grape, cranberry, and raisin remain prominent through the finish. Dried apricot, caramel, walnut, and pistachio kick in after that. Cinnamon, baking spices, and light oak round a moderate finish that leans to the short side. This is a great whiskey. It’s getting the same rating as the Double Cask. I give the latter a slight edge, but this is $15 cheaper ($40) which was taken into account. What I find interesting is that, while the wine cask notes were definitely more prominent in the DC, this and that shared a very similar profile. I attributed a lot of the Double Cask’s unique notes to the sherry cask finish; apparently I was wrong. The key is in the grain. This is a wheated bourbon from Wyoming. That’s an unlikely combination, and yet, it’s made it’s way out to the East Coast—and is easy to find at that. That shouldn’t be a surprise, because this is a winning recipe. Well done, Wyoming Whiskey. Once may be a fluke, twice is promising, hopefully whatever comes third makes me an outright fan. 4.5/5.

I’m a big fan of the Jura Prophecy and the Superstition. The only problem with that is that they aren’t in circulation anymore, meaning that while I have a positive opinion of the distillery, I have nothing to say for its current state. I’ve been warned by some of the members here on this forum, but as always I will do my best to be impartial. Nose: Honey and toffee. Grilled pineapple. Dried apricot and cranberry. Honeydew and white grape. Nougat, milk chocolate, and caramel. An interesting blend of coastal, salty smoke and earthy, rubbery peat. Sun-dried tomato. Croissant. Orange citrus. Blackberry. Old newspaper and hearty oak. Strange mix of a notes but not without merit. Palate: More of the toffee and honey. The pineapple, white grape, orange citrus and dried apricot and cranberry persist. Blackberry and now raspberry. Sun-dried tomato as well. Caramel and nougat. Maple syrup. Croissant. As I’m writing this I realize it’s pretty much identical to the nose. I detected some plum, which led me to discover that this was finish in Grand Cru red wine casks after 18 years in ex-bourbon. That’s a first. The peat and smoke are light, and it’s more of the earth and rubber than the coastal notes from the nose. Finish: Drying finish. Raspberry. Bitter dark chocolate. Cocoa. Caramel, toffee, and coffee. Menthol. Sun-dried tomato. Prickly cinnamon and black pepper. Oak. Moderate length. Without a doubt, one of the strangest whiskies I have ever had. It’s definitely a good one, and I’m glad I grabbed it. I’ve been reviewing quite a few whiskies lately, and I can say without reservation that this put a hitch in my giddy-up. It’s as unique a whisky as I’ve had. An eclectic bowl of fruit with some other sweet notes and a backdrop of the peated profile that would normally be put forward in comparable whiskies. It’s a complete mess at times, but it stokes the imagination while remaining a pleasant sipper. And while I grapple with how to score the content of the bottle, I must also consider the price. And at $130, this is a steep price for such an experimental whisky. It’s funky, unique, but falls a tad short of what I’d expect of an 18-year old malt of this price. Yet, it’s a respectable effort from Jura, yet again. 3.5/5.

Redemption Barrel Selections is one of many whisky labels that sources from MGP—the proverbial man behind the curtain for roughly one-third of Bourbon and many ryes as well. This happens to be from Batch 030. I don’t know the mash bill for the High Rye, but this one also features a pretty high rye percentage—76% corn, 21% rye, and 4% barley. Let’s check it out. Nose: Dusty corn and woody notes. Vanilla and cocoa. Orange peel. Some rye spice and black licorice. Orange candy. Clove, nutmeg, black pepper, and oak. Palate: Orange peel and vanilla. Rye spice, dill, and cocoa. Caramel. Apricot. Sawdust. Something like pencil shavings. Clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Light tofu of oak. Finish: Cocoa, clove, nutmeg, and black pepper. Moderate length. It’s a generic, young bourbon. It’s been years since I had it, but I think preferred the high-rye to this. Despite this having a good amount of rye in the mash, the obvious youth combined with the prominent dusty corn leaves something to be desired. It’s certainly not a bad bourbon. It only ran me $26, which puts this squarely into the entry level class. And in that range, I’d say it’s average—probably a tad below in fact. I am looking forward to trying the aged-stated cask strength Redemption releases though. There is clearly some potential here. A little more time in the barrel and a higher ABV would do this wonders. As for this, 2.75 seems right.

I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to get around to this one. It’s one of the staples of Japanese whisky, and is one of those bottles you’d see if any movie with a generic whisky bar lineup. It’s certainly got the reputation; what’s left to see if the quality can match it. Nose: D’Anjou pear and Granny Smith apple. pear. Golden raisin and apricot. Toffee, vanilla, caramel, and honey. Cocoa. Toasted almond. All touch of clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Blackberry, golden raisin, apricot, apple. Toasted almond, honey, caramel, and vanilla. Light and delicate milk chocolate with some orange/clementine. Honeydew. The dried cranberries you find in trail mix. A little cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Dried apricot and cocoa. More of the D’Anjou pear with some apple. Orange and clementine. Toasted almond and cocoa. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate length. This is a damn fine whisky. Does it live up to its reputation? Yes and no. Yamazaki 12 is one of the most well-known whiskies on the planet. It’s one of those bottles that has an arbitrary retail value, due in no small part to that stellar reputation. I only paid $110 for this, but I regularly see it for $150-$200. At the former price, this is a fine value. The latter ranges from highly-overpriced to highway robbery. With all that in mind, I’m going to give price less weight than I normally do. It’s solid from start to finish. The hype is above and beyond, but if I hadn’t heard of this one before, I would’ve found this to be a highly unique and satisfying experience. I prefer not to let the opinions of the masses influence my experience with a whisky, for better or worse. 4/5, for a damn good effort by Suntory.

Diageo really let me down when they decided to make the 2019 edition of their 12-year cask strength release a European exclusive. I’m somewhat of a completionist, and I’ve had and loved each release from 2016-2019. Which brings me to this 2020 release. My streak has been snapped at 3. So now this 2020 vintage serves as the first installment in what is hopefully a much longer run with this line. Nose: Sea salt, seaweed, and brine. Campfire smoke and ash. Moss and peat. Band-aid. Grapefruit and lemon. Almond and chestnut. Custard and nougat sweetness. Blueberry as well. Cinnamon heat. Red pepper and black bean chili. Oak. It’s all over the place, as one would expect of any great Islay nose. Palate: Sea salt, seaweed, brine, and campfire smoke. Band-aid. Grapefruit and lemon. Red pepper and sun-dried tomato. Black bean and red pepper chili. Glazed ham and ribeye steak. Chestnut and almond. Peanut butter. Blueberry. Milk chocolate with some vanilla cake. Custard and nougat as well. White pepper and oak. Delicious. Finish: Sea salt, seaweed, and brine. Campfire smoke. Band-aid. Cilantro. Grapefruit. Chestnut and almond. Black bean, red pepper chili. Black pepper, cinnamon, and oak. Long as they make a finish—as one would expect of a 56.4% whisky. New streak, same story. 2020 delivers in full—from start to finish. I’m happy to see that the flashy packaging hasn’t distracted from the quality of the product. And while I can’t say I’ve had them all—which is fine, because they made this stuff before 2016–I can say without reservation that this expression can carry the mantle of one of, if not the greatest annual release in all of whisky. 5/5.

I am a huge fan WhistlePig 10. I find it worth wondering what will happen to that offering as WhistlePig transitions to expressions that feature their own distillate. The 10 is sourced from Canada, while this is a blend of 17% 10 year old Canadian rye, 31% 6 year old Canadian rye, and 52% is their own 3-year old. I’m viewing this as a sneak preview into the future of WhistlePig. Nose: Heavy rye spice and baking soda. Clove and nutmeg. Caramel and vanilla. Pistachio. Gala apple, apple cider, and black pepper. Oak rounds it all out. Spice definitely leads the way, but there are also some subtle sweet notes. Palate: Gala apple and black pepper. Rye spice, clove, and nutmeg. Caramel, brown sugar, and vanilla Pistachio and almond. Orange peel, as well as the citrus, and cocoa. Finish: Baking soda, rye spice, cinnamon, black pepper, clove, and nutmeg. Caramel, cocoa, orange peel, and cocoa. Pistachio, almond, and oak. Somewhere between moderate and long finish. After trying this, I have faith in the WhistlePig distillate. I prefer the 10, but this is damn good in its own right. Considering that this stacks up despite being substantially younger than its 10 year counterpart, there is a lot of upside here. Nose is great, palate is just a hair behind but still solid, and the finish provides a strong conclusion to this experience. $76 is a hefty price to pay for this—at least on paper. However, it delivers, and then some. More importantly, this gives me reason to be optimistic about WhistlePig’s potential as a grain-to-glass distillery. 4/5.

My main experience with Dewars has been the White Label, which I find to be pretty rough. I think Johnnie Black is a decent drink, so when I was gifted this, I was looking forward to trying the Dewars equivalent, regardless of my impression of the White Label. Nose: Orange peel/citrus and vanilla. Lime, papaya, grapefruit, and honeydew add some more tropical notes. Toffee. Apple tart and nougat. Apricot and pear. Soapy note—and not in a bad way. Light white pepper and cinnamon spice, though it’s very subtle. Palate: More of the lime, orange, and honeydew. Some lemon now. Caramel and vanilla. Cranberry. A note akin to one of those party mix butterscotch and some orange candy. Coca, black and white pepper, and cinnamon. The grain is prominent, but well-balanced by the fruit notes. Finish: Grapefruit lime, Sun-dried tomato. Cocoa, clove, nutmeg, red pepper, and cinnamon. Short to moderate finish, as you’d expect of a 40% whisky. I’m pleasantly surprised with this one. The jump from Johnnie Red to Johnnie Black is pretty substantial, so I guess it’s not a shock that the same can be said of Dewars White Label and The Ancestor. Great nose, good palate, decent finish. At $25, VFM is obviously going to give a significant boost to already enjoyable whisky. 3.75/5. This erases my previous opinion of Dewars. I will definitely be checking out the higher age statement offerings in the future.

Beam has done some fun things with the Knob Creek line in the past couple of years. There was bumping the flagship KC back up to a 9-year, as well as adding a 12 and a 15 (not sure if the latter is permanent.) There were also a ton of 9-15 year SB barrel proof offerings. And then there is one, which could easily go unnoticed. I grabbed one before it was gone, so let’s see what the Quarter Oak has to offer. Nose: Classic Beam peanut brittle. Caramel, cocoa, and brown sugar. More woody and nutty notes. Orange citrus and a floral note. Tobacco smoke. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and heavy oak. More peanut brittle/peanut butter. Caramel, cocoa, and vanilla. Toffee and a very light banana note.Orange citrus. Wood spice, sawdust, and almond. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Talk about a palate that matches the nose. Finish: Orange citrus. Cocoa, tobacco, and brown sugar. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Long finish. It may have been overlooked in the Knob Creek continuum, but it is not without its merits. It holds its weight on the line, and despite not being tremendously complex, it does a great job of embodying the spirit of one my favorite lines of whiskey. 4/5. This is a damn good value at $44. Another great representative of the Knob Creek line and Beam distillery at large. Glad I grabbed this one.