Tastes

My first Powers bottle was the John Lane 12, which is absolutely stellar. After that, it made sense to backtrack to the entry level product. This bottle is one of the older-style tall bottles as opposed to the squat one featured in the picture here. Nose: Honey, and lots of it. Mango and lemon citrus. Honeydew, malt, and vanilla. Nutty (walnut and salted almond) and syrupy notes, more in the vein of Nikka/Kavalan products than other Irish whiskies. Apple, pear, and apricot. A bit of ethanol, but otherwise it's very good. Palate: Honey and vanilla in the front. Mango, papaya, lemon, orange, apple, pear, and apricot make this one taste like a bowl of fruit. Very floral. More salted almond and walnut, now with some cashew. A touch of milk chocolate. Malty and grassy. A bit metallic, but not enough to detract from the quality of the flavor. Solid. Finish: Nutty. Salted almond and walnut. Malt, vanilla, graham cracker, and honey. Vanilla frosting surfaces after a brief pause. Moderate length finish. This one checks a lot boxes. First off, I have to say that it's one of the top entry level Irish whiskies; it's even better when you consider it's $15-$20 cheaper than most of the better ones in this category. It's got a respectable proof (most entry level Irish whiskies do not.) And it wears it well, right through the finish. Finally, it's got a very unique profile. At times, it's captures the characteristics of some of the finest Eastern whiskies. Other times, it's a quintessential European dram. Overall, it's Irish Gold. Especially as an entry level whiskey.

The latest venture of the mastermind behind Orin Swift Dave Phinney. As you’d expect, this sourced bourbon is wine cask-aged. I’m curious to see how a wine savant can apply his knowledge to improve bourbon. I’ve had some pretty good ones in this genre before; let’s see how the product of a true wine craftsmen stacks up. Nose: Dusty corn, newspaper, and saw dust (I’m finding this a lot in wine cask-aged bourbons.) Lots of of spice. Cinnamon, thyme, clove, nutmeg, and allspice. Brown sugar, caramel, and red grape. Apricot and pecan pie. A puff of cigar smoke. Mahogany/oak. So far so good. Palate: Red grape, pecan pie, apple, and apricot. More dusty corn and some walnut and almond. Traditional bourbon caramel and vanilla notes. Dried caramel and Twizzler. Cola and jam. Good balance between spirit and cask. Finish: Newspaper and grape. Cranberry and plum. Chestnut and almond. Clove, nutmeg, sawdust, and oak. Cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Dusty corn note on the way down. Moderate length finish. Surprisingly long at 44% ABV. A lot to like here. The quality of the casks makes up for the youth of the spirit. I would love to try an older rendition with the same casks (I think this a 4-year.) Solid from start to finish. This may benefit from a slight kick in ABV. It’s tough to call, since the delicacy of the wine cask influence may be diminished by simply turning up the proof without a second thought. I actually think it performs well at this proof, but I wouldn’t mind getting seeing some higher proof offerings down the road. If you’re a traditional bourbon drinker looking to shake things up, I would recommend this. If you’re a Scotch/Irish drinker looking to for an introduction to American whiskey, this wouldn’t be a bad place to start. If you like Legent, I’d highly recommend this. It doesn’t quite stack up to Jefferson’s Groth Cask or Wyoming Double Cask, but it’s still a pretty damn good bourbon. 4/5.

On the heels of a good experience with the HP Full Volume, I'm going back to the well for another. The Twisted Tattoo is 16 years old and 46.7% ABV. At $100, the specs are quite similar to the Full Volume. Mix in some Spanish Rioja cask influence with the bourbon casks and that's what we're working with here. Let's get into it. Nose: Creamy vanilla custard and red fruit leap out of the glass. Cranberry, raisin, red grape, and apple. There's some honeydew. Caramel, butterscotch, cinnamon, and baking spice. Plenty of oak. Walnut and macadamia. Not a lot of peat or brine, but there is a hit of sulfur. It's all good stuff, but the sulfur is a little too prominent. Slight deduction for that, but it's still decent. Edit: This really opened up over time--I've given it about a year since the review. The sulfur notes have been suppressed and the fruit notes now flourish. Palate: There's still a bit of sulfur, but it's drowned out by a much welcome presence of peat smoke and brine. Sea salt. More of the honeydew, cranberry, and golden raisin. Lime and red grape. Heavy malt flavor with caramel, fudge, vanilla, coffee, butterscotch, and honey. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and white pepper. Some heavy oak. This is a great translation of the nose; all of the core notes are here, and the peat smoke and briny notes rectify the overly sulfuric nose. Finish: Moderate length, leaning toward short. Honeydew and red fruit. Raisin, cranberry, and grape are prominent at the beginning. Sulfur with some smoke and sea salt. Cinnamon and black bean red pepper chili. It's a spicy one, and reflects a respectable proof. A touch of dark chocolate to balance things out at the end. Finally, more of the nutty and oaky notes. Good stuff. This is a good whisky. The first I ever recall having that's been aged in Rioja casks. Yet, this captures the classic HP spirit. It makes for a nice combination. It's got its flaws, especially on the nose, but it drinks well and checks many of my boxes. This one clocks in right in the range of the HP 15 and the HP Full Volume 17. I give a slight edge to those two, but this is just a hair behind them. And that considers age, price, and proof. If you're a Highland Park fanatic, this is an easy buy. Otherwise, I'd consider this an experimental purchase. HP seems to be making a concerted effort to shed its reputation as a producer of over-priced NAS malts that exploit an adopted Viking heritage. Over the past year, I've reviewed the 12 year CS Riptide, the 17 year Full Volume, and now this. I'm happy to see the distillery adjust to (admittedly deserved) criticism. The Twisted Tattoo is worth its salt, and to that I say a job well done.

I tried this at a liquor show a while back and remembered enjoying it. Hence the purchase. HP gets a lot of flack for pumping out expensive NAS releases like its nothing. Nice to see them but out a well-matured malt at a reasonable price. Let's get into it. Nose: Light peat and sulfur. Smoky and spicy, with some cinnamon and black pepper. Some vanilla and honey round it out a bit. Lime, lemon, and orange add a layer of citrus. Emphasis on the lime. A little grilled pineapple in there as well. Malty and grassy. Surprisingly soft for the proof (47.2% ABV.) Good nose, not great. Palate: Much more vibrant than the nose suggested. A wave of brine and sea salt compliments a nice hit of peat smoke. Apple and pear play nicely with the lime, lemon, and orange. Orchard and citrus fruits make for a great combination here. Cinnamon and black pepper translate. The bourbon cask adds vanilla and caramel. Malty with a bit of custard. It's oaky, as one would expect of a 17 (maybe 18?) year-old malt. Solid palate. Finish: Peat smoke, brine, sea salt, cinnamon, and black pepper. Classic HP black bean red pepper chili. The lemon and lime carry over in a big way, especially the latter. Caramel and vanilla as well. All adding up to a moderate, bordering on long finish. Nice conclusion. Kudos to Highland Park for this one. I know it didn't get great reviews, but I think this is a great value. The nose is nothing to write home about, but the palate and finish pick up the slack. 100% bourbon aged Highland Park? Worthwhile experiment because the product is solid overall. Respectable proof. 17+ years old. Sub-$100 (I grabbed it for $90.) This one checks a lot of boxes. And it doesn't hurt that the juice tastes pretty damn good. I seem to be in the minority with my opinion here so I'd read around before you buy. But I say job well done here. And if you're a Highland Park fan, I say this is a must buy. It's interesting to see what they can do without sherry casks. The result is one of my favorite HP releases to date.

Back when I first got into whisky, this was my gold standard for single malt Scotch. It was the first 18-year old I'd ever had, and it was under $100 back then. The latter is no longer the case, but the jury is still out on whether the juice holds up against everything I've tried since. Let's find out. Quick note: This bottle comes in the packaging that was up until a couple years ago. It's still 43% ABV though, unlike some of the even older ones. Nose: Standard Speyside recipe, in a good way. Vibrant fruit and floral notes. Apple, apricot, pear, peach, and plum. There's also plenty of vanilla, toffee, and malt. Some honey sweetness contrasted by baking spice. Some caramel, cocoa, and a beautiful oak note. Cherry, graham cracker, and jelly develop after bout a half an hour. Reminds me of an autumn evening. Solid start. Palate: The caramel, honey, malt, vanilla, and toffee notes shift to the shift of the palate. Apricot and ginger. Red and green apple. Pear, peach, and plum. A little blood orange and grapefruit citrus as well. Caramel, fudge, cocoa, and another nice hit of oak. Honeydew develops after about a half an hour. Great stuff. Finish: Vanilla, caramel, graham cracker, and oak. Cinnamon, ginger, clove, and nutmeg. Medium length. Surprisingly respectable at 43% ABV. Once upon a time, Glenlivet was my one of favorite distilleries. There may have been a time when it was favorite. Recently, I've been pretty harsh with the 12 and the 15. As far as the core lineup goes, this one is the only one that holds up from back then. This and the Nadurra line are the backbone of the Glenlivet Distillery. This absolutely holds up, as surprised as I am to say it. Well worth the cost of entry. Up from $90 to $104, it's still the cheapest 18 year old single malt that's readily available in my neck of the woods. And it's better than a lot of the more expensive 18-year old options. With this, Glenlivet saves face. The 12 and the 15 are just barely enjoyable whiskies. This one holds its own. In fact, it's a damn good dram. I give it my recommendation. This is proof enough that Glenlivet, or any whisky, should not be bottled below $3% ABV. This may not be my gold standard, but it's still a hell of a whisky. Cheers.

This should be interesting. This is acacia oak-aged spirit; it's uniqueness was part of the appeal. Nose: Dry and woody. I little on the faint side. Not surprising considering the 42.4% ABV. What I do get is pleasant. Some pumpkin pie, vanilla, and caramel. Some cinnamon, ginger, and baking spices provide a little kick. There’s some apricot and floral notes as well. Sandalwood. Overall, enjoyable, but a bit uneventful. Palate: Packs a surprisingly powerful spice. Most of that comes in the form of cinnamon, ginger, baking spice, and even pumpkin spice. I’m not sure this makes sense, but I’ll throw it out there. The mouthfeel and profile are reminiscent of pumpkin pie. There’s cucumber, apricot, and some orange peel bitterness. It’s dried apricot, as you’d find in trail mix. There are still some floral notes. Just a touch caramel. Definitely more vibrant in the nose. It’s a bit disorganized, but it manages to distinguish itself from other whiskies I’ve had, generally in a good way. Finish: The mid-palate was mild and sweet. The finish brings back the spice from the front end of the palate in a big way. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, and more of that pumpkin spice hit hard. Again, it’s surprising considering the proof. Once that dissipates, I’m left with fresh apricot and finally, cucumber. It all makes for a medium-length finish. This is incredibly difficult to score. There is very little basis for comparison, even amongst Japanese whisky. The closest profile I can think of is the Kaiyo Mizunaro Oak (the standard release.) Though, it’s safe to say I prefer that to this Ohishi release. It’s good whisky. Just not sure that this Acacia wood experiment demands a $70 price tag. As of right now, I’d say it does not. But I think this bottle is due for additional tastings. It is incredibly unique, so I’ll have to give it another crack. 3 stars flat for now.

My first Taiwanese whiskey. I came in expecting it to be similar to Japanese whiskey, and while there are similarities, this one offers some distinct features. It's important to note that this is bottled at 43% and not the 40% the website suggests. Nose: Sweet. Vanilla, honey, toffee. Some unripe banana and mango. A bit of pineapple. Some of the syrupy and brown sugar notes I've gotten from the Nikka Coffee Malt, and even moreso in the Coffee Grain. Sandalwood and some macadamia nut, rounded out with some green, grassy, and woody notes. Promising start. Palate: Banana ripe off the bat, and this time it's ripe. This is accompanied by coconut, pineapple, and mango. It's a tropical fruit bowl. Chewy caramel and maybe just a hint of fudge. Some almond and macadamia. Toffee, vanilla, and honey. Carries many of the qualities from the nose, but is a tad riper, adds some darker sweet notes, and a bit of cinnamon and baking spice. Oak to boot. Solid. Finish: Getting another hit of pineapple, mango, and coconut, and then it's all cinnamon, baking spice, and oak. A nice warming sensation carries this one to a medium-length finish. Not quite up to par with the nose or palate, but still enjoyable. I suspect the 3% ABV bump plays a significant role here. Verdict? Taiwanese makes a good first impression. I know that Kavalan isn't the only native distillery, but to say it produces more than half of Taiwan's unique offerings would be an understatement. Undoubtedly, my next Taiwanese whiskey will be a Kavalan product, and considering that this seems to be their base offering, I'm excited to see what else the distillery has to offer. 4 stars flat for this one. The nose draws some significant similarities to Nikka's Coffee offerings, but the palate really sets this one apart and gives me a baseline for an exciting new genre of whiskey. Looking forward to my next Kavalan offering.

It's been a while since I've written any reviews. For my first one (of hopefully many) in 3+ months, I'm going with this Lot 40. I didn't grab it for any particular reason other than that it looked promising and that I was hoping it would improve my perception of Canadian whisky (not counting WhistlePig.) Nose: Initially too weak to nose, but it opens up nicely over time. Typical American notes of black pepper, rye bread, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, and dill. After tasting the palate, I'll add ginger snap cookies. Palate: Notably more vibrant than the nose. Bready notes: sourdough and rye. Some tangy citrus and dill. Some caramel, vanilla, and nutty flavors. Cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. I cheated (I'm out of practice) and found ginger snap cookies online. And now I can't disassociate that from this whisky (even getting it on the nose now.) I'd say it's the dominant note here. Green, grassy notes to round it out. Good stuff. Finish: Some Gala apple and apple cider. And then it's all spice. Black pepper heavy, with some cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Moderate length. My 4-star rating surprises me. I've tried this a few times prior to this review, and I hadn't thought much of it. I guess oxidation played its part well here. It seemed rather plain in the previous tastings, but now I've come to realize that the "ginger snap whiskey" is quite good. First Canadian whiskey to crack the four-star threshold (and three-star for that matter) besides Whistlepig 10, but that's an issue for a different review. As far as this goes, I'm finding to be a fun whisky for a great value. Hiram Walker has put Canada on the map with this Lot 40. After this, I've got faith that I'll find more jewels from up north.

This is my first of any of the Barrell whiskies; I find it pretty ironic that my first experience with a Barrell product is an Irish whiskey. There probably aren't too many that can say that. Thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine, I have the opportunity to try something from one of the elite blenders in the world of whiskey. Nose: Peppermint note right off the bat. Also getting some shortbread cookie and red fruit. Cranberry, strawberry. There's definitely some sweetness. but also some spicy and dusty notes. Allspice, clove, and nutmeg. I find the alcohol is well-masked at 65%. Oddly, it reminds of the early batches of High West Campfire on the nose. Interesting start. Palate: More of the same. The peppermint note is the most obvious. I also get some of the shortbread cookie, as well as strawberry and cranberry. It's biting into a Hawaiian Gusher. Plenty of vanilla. There's oak, nutmeg, and clove spice. Finish: Very long. Spicy as hell and packs a big hit of ethanol. It's a scorcher. Some of the peppermint carries over, and then it's all spice. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and oak. It teeters on the edge of overly-spiced, but I find it enjoyable at the same time. This is a fine whiskey. My one criticism is that it trades complexity for raw power. I don't mind the latter, but I'd appreciate a bit more depth here. It's definitely one of the more interesting Irish whiskies I've tried. And I think this could be really well-executed with a bit more time in the casks. Still, I enjoyed it for what it was. Can't wait to get my hands on another Barrell product--probably a bourbon this time around. Thanks @PBMichiganWolverine!

Within the last year, Jim Beam pumped out a number of Single Barrel, 120 Knob Creek releases. They decided to up some of these from their standard 9 year SB, with bottlings ranging from 12-15. I'm excited to try one. See @PBMichiganWolverine's review of this one for all the vital stats. He was kind enough to share a pour from his bottle. I'll mention that this is 15 years, which makes this the oldest bourbon I've tried to date. Nose: Hits as heavy as any Booker's I've had, despite having a slightly lower ABV. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and oak. It's a spice bomb. There's some fresh-baked apple pie and brown sugar. Caramel, vanilla, and more oak. A healthy dose of sawdust as well. Great nose. Palate: Caramel, vanilla, cocoa, and maple sweetness. More of the spice notes: clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, black pepper. And heaps of oak. Finish: All of the above. Oak, assorted baking spices, and a carryover of the sweet notes from the palate. Man, I'd really like to get my hands on a full bottle of this stuff. There are still some of these older single barrel KCs floating around out there. I'll try my luck with one. If you like the standard 9-year KC SB, or Booker's in general, then you will enjoy this one. It's an absolute beast of a whiskey, so if you can't handle the heat then stay clear of this one. Thanks for the pour @PBMichiganWolverine, I highly recommend this one.