Tastes

A few years ago, I picked up the Ardbeg 10, which came with a sample of the Ugi and the Corry. I was just getting into peat, and loved the 10, but I simply was not ready for the other two. Though, I remember preferring the Corry of the two. Fast forward to just a few months ago, and I found myself writing a 5 star review for the Ugi. So now, it's time to tackle the Corry, and see just how far I've come in my whisky journey. Nose: Big puffs of peat and campfire smoke. Iodine, sea salt, seaweed, and brine roll in as secondary Islay notes (these move toward the front with time.) Dark sweet notes. Dark chocolate, blueberries, blackberries, raisin, black cherry. Citrus notes of lemon, grapefruit, and orange. More sweetness: honey, vanilla, graham cracker. Meaty notes of steak, bacon, with some red pepper, black pepper, and black bean chili. Worth noting there is an initial sulfur note that dissipates rather quickly. This just keeps developing with time in the glass. Just an absurd amount of quality aromas here. Palate: The seaweed, brine, sea salt, and iodine take the forefront, while the campfire smoke waits until the mid-palate to reemerge. Sulfur is once again detectable, but is gone after a few minutes. Big-time lemon, lime, and grapefruit citrus. Loads of back pepper. Major custard as well. Mint and dark chocolate. Jammy sweetness. Vanilla, caramel, and toffee. Some apple, pear, and apricot. Blueberry and blackberry translate from the nose. Enter honeydew and cantalope. Black currant. Almond, chestnut, and walnut. A bit more steak and chili. So much to report here. All positive. Finish: Long as they come. Apple, pear, black cherry, vanilla, caramel, honey. A major hit of smoke and iodine. All types of chocolate. A bit of smoke, now faded as if I'm picking up early morning traces of a bonfire from the night prior. Sea salt and seaweed. The salinity on the finish transports me back to childhood memories of the beach. Sprinting down into the water one final time so that the ocean could wash off the last specs of sand before I hopped in Mom's car for the ride home. Powerful finish that conjures up some amazing memories. This one is truly special. I don't have a favorite whisky. And I probably will never formally declare one single winner. There are too many standouts. But I'll say this: you won't get me to admit there's not a whisky that's better than this one. It's reaches absolute elite status in my mind. A true gold standard. So. Is it better than Ugi? Better than the Lap Lore? How does it stack up to the Lap Cairdeas line? Would I say the same things if I did a side-by-side with any of the Lag 12 releases? These are all questions that I hope to answer in the coming months; when I've got the time to grab a pair of Glencairns and orchestrate some dream match-ups. But in regard to the Ardbeg Corryvreckan, I'll say this: Drinking this, in a perfectly objective vacuum, it simply does not get any better than this. 5/5.

After finishing up my reviews for the Knappogue Castle Wine Cask series, I feel like now is a good time to tackle this one. I'm a big fan of the basic Green Spot. The additional time spent in what I'm led to believe are high-quality Zinfandel wine casks should add some interesting dimensions. Nose: Big butterscotch and shortbread cookie, reminiscent of the orignal GS. Strawberry, raspberry, red apple, pear, and apricot. Banana and coconut and orange citrus. Cranberry, grape, raisin. Vanilla, toffee, honey, and cream. Toasted marshamllow. Fruity, sweet, but light aroma. Big oak as well. The briefest whiff of metallic grain. White chocolate as the description on the tube suggests. Barely noticeable and does nothing to detract. Good way to start. Palate: Another fruit bowl. Red apple, pear, apricot, grape and plum, strawberry, raspberry, cranberry, and raisin. Orange, banana, and coconut. Caramel, toffee, honey, butterscotch, and shortbread cookie. More toasted marshmallow. Some more jammy sweetness. Cereal and malt. Oaky once again. Very, very closely reflects the nose. Finish: Cranberry, raspberry, raisin red fruit notes carry over. Dry red fruit, signifying the powerful wine cask influence. The oak is present as well, not to mention a cinnamon tingle and some nutmeg and clove. The bump from 40% to 46% greatly bolsters what makes for a moderate-length finish. A fine Irish whiskey. Yet another example of why Irish whiskey is criminally devalued in the current whiskey culture, which heavily favors Scotch and bourbon. You'd be a fool to overlook the category when you can find bottles like this. This one can contend with any of the KC wine cask releases in terms of what's in the glass. Considering that this one costs an extra 50% and bears no age statement, it's an inferior value. Quality drop nonetheless. You can still find these, and I'd highly recommend it as a great representative of what the Emerald Isle is capable of producing.

Limited release from Beam. I'm a big fan of the standard 7-year expression of Baker's (the recently discontinued small batch version.) I originally saw this for $80, which seemed like a bargain considering this is the oldest (and most expensive) bourbon I've ever owned and I've paid more for younger bottles. I didn't buy on sight, and by the time I realized just how limited it was, it was already gone. When I finally found it again, it was $150. Oh well. I won't let that dampen my expectations for this one. Nose: Lots of brown notes: brown sugar, caramel, cocoa, chocolate, big oak. Classic Beam peanut brittle. Apple, orange, raisin, toffee, vanilla. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice. Plenty of barrel char. Sawdust. Tobacco smoke. It's a fairly standard bourbon nose. Extremely subtle for 107; not a trace of ethanol. Solid, clean, crisp nose. Palate: Apple, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla. More peanut brittle, now accompanied by walnut. More barrel char, as well as oak, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and allspice. Plenty of spice here. Black pepper and black licorice. Carrot cake. Fudge. A touch more of the orange citrus. Once again, it's nothing out of the ordinary for a bourbon--at least in terms of notes. But it's so clean and refined. That alone sets this apart. A much calmer and more measured version of it's younger brother. Finish: A big hit of orange citrus out of the gate. Apple, vanilla, and toffee sweetness. Caramel and cocoa. Leather. Closely reflects the rest of the experience. Barrel char, oak, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon add a hefty dose of spice and heat. This is the only portion of the whiskey that is reminiscent of the 7 year. The notes are similar throughout, but the bombastic brashness and heat on this long finish conjure up memories of the original small batch release. Great finish. So what do I think of the oldest bourbon I've ever owned, or even tasted (I've had plenty aged-stated at 12 so this isn't much of a jump)? Clean, refined, and measured. I used all of those words above, and I feel that they are the best words I could use to describe what sets this one apart from the pack. The notes themselves are standard; the presentation, however, is truly unique. The only bourbon that bourbon that I recall having a greater combination of crispness and maturity is the Weller 12. So is it worth $80. Yes, without a shadow of a doubt. Is it worth $150? Well, that's a hard call. I'm glad I bought it, at any rate. So I'll confirm that it's worthy of it's price tag. It's a departure from a lot of the characteristics I look for in a bourbon, save that beastly 53.5% finish. However, age does wonders for this one, and delivers an experience I haven't had since I killed my Weller 12 over a year ago. Next, I've got to pick up the new Baker's 7 year SB. I hope that this 13 year version becomes a periodic release. One might could view the change as Jim Beam ousting Baker's from the core lineup. Conversely, one could say that the distillery is breathing new life into its most underappreciated line. This expression is a fantastic representative of JB's 107 proof stalwart. If you can still find a bottle, I highly recommend it. Edit: Just under three years later and I’ve got to bump this up from 4.75/5. The bottle got better with time and air. I can’t believe I said this was a departure from what I normally look for in a bourbon. Even then, I was not suggesting that the profile was anything short of great—just different. But now I’m thinking that this bottle was one of few that informed my palate going forward. Top shelf bar none.

First the 2017 and then the 2018. Two titanic whiskies that stand out as all-time favorites. Because there were some noticeable (though fairly subtle) differences between the two, I pulled the trigger on this 2016 200th Anniversary edition. So let's see if Lag pulled a hat trick with the 12y.o. Nose: Where to start. On one hand we've got peat, campfire smoke, iodine, sea salt, seaweed, ocean spray/brine. Then there's lemon/grapefruit/lime citrus. Cilantro. Black pepper. Apple, pear, vanilla, and cream. Roasted pineapple. Mint. Plenty of heat, but no ethanol. It's peppery and offers some baking spice. A touch of unripe banana? A bit of oak. I really could go on all night. I'll keep it moving, but first say that this is as good a nose as I could ask for. Palate: In your face peat and campfire smoke. Iodine, and all the sea salt, seaweed, and brine notes from the nose. Salted caramel, vanilla, milk chocolate, mint chocolate, raspberry jam. Lemon and grapefruit citrus. Banana bread and malt. Apple and toffee. Loads of black pepper. Some chili on the mid-palate. Healthy dose of oak and baking spice. As was the case with it's successors, there are a variety of flavors that seemingly shouldn't coexist. And yet they do, and beautifully at that. Finish: Beast of a finish. Red pepper black bean chili. Smoked brisket. Appetizer and entree. Salted caramel and milk chocolate for dessert. Vanilla, grapefruit, lemon, and lime before you hit the road. Black pepper, sea salt. Cinnamon and baking spice. Oak spice. All of this amounts to a mile-long finish. 57.7% ABV in all its glory. Hat trick completed. If there are any left at the store I got this, I'll buy 'em up. If you've read my reviews of the 2017 and or 2018, you'll know my stance on Lag 12. Synopsis: Perfection at work. Perfectly embodies Islay spirit and Lagavulin character. How on Earth could a 12-y.o. annual release regularly double the price of its 16 y.o. older brother? Have a glass of this. You'll get it. 5/5. I say that with ease. I give 2016-18 straight A's. 2019 next? Can't find it. I'm incredibly disappointed that I haven't seen a single one. Diageo re-imagined the pristine solid green packaging with some frilly and modern-looking artwork. I'd notice it at a glimpse, yet I haven't seen a single 2019 in the wild--and we're well into 2020. I'll buy on sight. For now, the saga concludes here. And all I've got to say about this one is that it is every bit worthy of representing one the finest distilleries in the world on its 200th birthday. Right down to the last molecule.

I'm a little late to the party with this line, but better late than never. My first experience with the Blood Oath line with this Pact No. 5. Let's see if it's worth the hype and paycheck with the rum variant in this lineup. Nose: Standard bourbon notes of caramel, vanilla, cocoa, brown sugar. Orange citrus, as well as pecan, almond, and almond. A touch of molasses and sugar cane, though the rum influence is not too strong. Warm apple pie and apricot.Rounded out with oak, nutmeg, and clove. Palate: Brown sugar, cocoa, caramel, and vanilla translate. So does the almond and walnut. Grilled pineapple note. Still some molasses as well. Sawdust and woody notes. Meanwhile the nutmeg and clove is kicked up a couple notches, with a powerful black pepper note. Some dill in there. Dry and spicy oak. Finish: Some caramel, vanilla, and some mint/milk chocolate up front. Then it's all cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, clove, and oak spice. Moderate/long length. Let's break down the score. The nose is above average. The notes I get on the palate closely reflect the nose. However, the presentation of said notes feels disjointed and uninspiring on the tongue. The finish makes up for this a bit with a nice spicy kick, though, like the nose, I can only say it's above average. The rum casks add very little to help set this one apart. It's a good whiskey--no doubt about that. But I paid $100 flat for this. So it'd be hard to recommend it at this price. Especially when you can get a superior rum cask-aged bourbon in Jefferson's RC for $30 less. Conversely, there's the Old Ezra 7 BP, which I was able to find for less than half what this cost. It's an infinitely better value, and just a flat-out better bourbon. The above two paragraphs were written a couple years ago at this point. With every subsequent tasting, I’ve enjoyed this one more. Especially on the palate. As a result, I’m sitting here with my last glass revising my score, and adding a few notes to boot. Considering how rare this is in May 2022, and how much better this has gotten with time to oxidize, I’ve decided boost this from a 3.25 to a 4.25. The latter is how I’d score this in a vacuum where I had never scored it a 3.25 the first time. It’s a much more cohesive drink at this point, and delivers a very interesting, the notes of which I’ve sprinkled into my tasting section as a part of my revision. Since the bottle is now gone as of two minutes ago, 4.25 will be the final mark for what I deem a fantastic comeback performance.

Another offering out of NY. Like Widow Jane, I'm fairly certain that this one is sourced from MGP. It's a high-rye bourbon aged in Chardonnay Casks rinsed with brandy, all for a very reasonable price. Batch 32. Nose: Very dry and oaky. Leather, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and allspice. Plum, grape, raisin, and black cherry. Some cocoa, butterscotch, almond, orange and grapefruit citrus, brown sugar, and caramel. It's oak forward with some spice and background sweetness. In fact, the it's far less sweet than a standard bourbon. Interesting. Palate: Once again, oak is front and center. Plenty of spice: black pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice. Apple, caramel, cocoa, brown sugar, and vanilla. Almond, macadamia, and chestnut. Black licorice. Oak, spice, and nuttiness. Sweetness is detectable but tempered. Finish: No surprises here. Medium length. Oak and all the same spices (black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice). A bit of plum, raisin, black cherry presents itself briefly before the spice tingle dissipates. This is a solid value at $30 flat. The unique cask-finish choice pays off, especially on the nose. The palate could be better; it's structurally similar to the nose but devoid of all the really unique and notes I picked out in the aroma. The finish delivers a fine conclusion to this dram. I'm keeping my eye on this one. I'd like to see what they can do with their own distillate. I can see myself buying this from time to time. Solid entry-level bourbon. As long as you don't expect any more from it, it's well worth the money.

Entry 3/3 of Knappogue Castle's Cask Finish Series. The first two were absolutely fantastic, so I've got high hopes for this one. Let's get into it. Nose: Mixture of green and red apple (more green) and pear. White and red grape. Banana, coconut, pineapple, and some raisin. Shortbread cookie, toffee, vanilla, malt, and custard. Stella D’oro Italian Biscuit. Very floral with powerful oak. Super clean, no hint of ABV. Just clean and delicious fruity, floral, and sweet notes. Palate: Plenty more of the apple notes (both colors). There's also plum, apricot, and pear. Raisin and cranberry. Banana and orange citrus. White and red grape. Key lime pie. More shortbread, malt, and toffee, and vanilla, now with some caramel. Once again, powerful oak. Reflects a lot of what I liked about the nose, but trades some floral notes for citrus. Superb. Finish: Moderate-long. Oak hits heavy here. Some spice from the ABV finally presents itself. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Red fruit notes carry over, tucked away in the background. More key lime pie. Red apple, cranberry, plum, and raisin. It's drier but still a bit sweet. Fantastic series. All 5/5 in my book. These three whiskies are the pinnacle of the Irish whiskey category. Take this one for example. Solid base distillate (rumored to be sourced from Bushmills or Cooley?) Carefully aged in some of the finest casks. I'm not a big wine guy, but I'd love to try Marchesi di Barolo just to get a better understanding of the cask influence exerted here. Genius idea by KC. The Jefferson's of Irish whiskey, except the execution is significantly better. My favorite Irish whiskey brand. Would love to see what they can do with their own distillate. Either way, absolute winner right here. 1200 bottles produced. Buy on sight.

I've long been a fan of the Maker's line. So when they decided to put out their first limited-edition release, naturally, I was interested. Even more so considering it's actually a reasonably-priced, a rarity for LER bourbon. It's a stave experiment, true to Maker's spirit. Let's see what if MM can make a splash with its foray into one-off bottlings. Nose: Huge cinnamon, oak, and leather right off the bat. Clove, nutmeg, and allspice. Quite spicy. Some caramel and milk chocolate. Toffee, red apple, cherry, banana, and a jammy/syrupy sweet note. Raisin and cranberry. Vanilla, brown sugar, and graham cracker. Coffee notes. Massive spice upfront, and with layers of heavy sweetness behind. Palate: Big spice up front once again. Cinnamon, oak, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. Cherry, cranberry, raisin, fig, date, raspberry, and red apple. Caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, carrot cake. More of that jammy/syrupy note. Unripe banana, which I'm not loving. Dusty. Maintains some of the dessert sweetness from the nose, but not quite as much. Red fruit is turned up from 8 to 10, and the spice is still present. Finish: Red hot. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Caramel, vanilla, coffee. Milk chocolate, brown sugar, and graham cracker. At cask strength, it's no surprise that this is a mighty long finish. Solid effort. Good balance of dessert sweetness and spice and heat. Worthwhile purchase at $57. Is it really breaking ground? No. Would much prefer the Private Select, or even the 46 as a value. There are a few notes that seem off-putting with this one, but for the most part, it does work well together. This one has grown on me. Initially, I wasn't a fan, but I've got to say, there are some pretty unique note combinations at work here. Overall, I like what I'm getting. Definitely not the best Maker's Mark by any means, but if you're curious and are able to spot of these rare bottlings, you'd do well for yourself to grab one of these. 4/5.

Batch No. 1, bottles 8/10/2017. If you aren’t familiar with this one, it’s a unique blend of American whiskey. 2 and 3 year old ryes and 4,5, and 11 year old bourbons. Some of this distillate comes from their own California-based Graton Distillery, while the rest is sourced. Interesting concept, let’s see how it works in practice. Nose: Bourbon-rye hybrid is very apparent. Caramel, vanilla, cocoa signify bourbon. Dill, pistachio, and black licorice representing the rye. Some apple, orange, toffee, cherry, and leather. Spicy oak, nutmeg, clove, and allspice round out a fine nose. Palate: Rye becomes more dominant, at least initially. Very “bready.” Vanilla, dill, and black pepper. A cross between dark chocolate, mint chocolate, and those raspberry-flavored Valentine’s chocolates. Coca and caramel to boot. Here on the mid-palate, the bourbon notes begin to take over. Allspice, clove, nutmeg, oak spice kick in at the tail end. Well-constructed palate. Finish: Getting my favorite rye notes: mint chocolate and pistachio. Plenty of vanilla, clove and nutmeg. And above all: Oak. Worthy of the name Redwood Empire. Long finish. Very impressive for 45% ABV. This is a great whiskey. A testament to the potential of blended American whiskey, which is a largely overlooked category. I’m excited to see what a few years of maturity would do for the Graton-portion of this blend. Online reviews for this one described it as marginal. I’ve got to disagree. I bought it on a recommendation, and I’m glad that I did. This was memorable for a number of reasons. High variation between N, P, and F. Remarkable hybrid between ryes and bourbons, which yields compelling note combinations. And just a damn good value, especially considering this is the first batch. Highly recommended, and looking forward to future releases.

This is the brainchild of two childhood friends from Basking Ridge, NJ. Same county I grew up in. Though, it’s sourced from MGP, and I’m not sure where these guys are operating. It’s a four-grain, bottles at 40% ABV. Nose: Dusty corn and vanilla leap out of the glass. Plenty of oak, cocoa, brown sugar, butterscotch, and caramel. Some apple, orange, and pecan pie. Clove, nutmeg, and a sliver of ginger. Artificial cherry note. A bit sweet, but overall pretty good. Palate: Vanilla, caramel, Apple Jack cereal. I also get a bit of rye-esque-dill. Whole grain grain bread. Very light, and lacking in complexity. Not offensive in any way, but 40% ABV is not the answer here. Finish: Cocoa, chocolate sweetness quickly changes to clove, nutmeg, cinnamon spicy. Plenty of oak. Somewhere between short and moderate length. Didn’t enjoy this as much as I’d hoped. It’s MGP-sourced by local entrepreneurs. Four-grain is interesting. But 40% ABV is a major weak point. A solid nose, disappointing palate, average finish. Doesn’t offer anything I haven’t had before. Definitely potential here. If it could drink like it noses, I’d be a fan. I’ll give them a shot in the future. I know there’s a second batch, as well as a cask strength line. Not sure how they vary from this, but I’d be open to seeing how this whiskey progresses. Until the next one.