Tastes

I have no idea what Laphroaig’s current core range. Whatever it is, I’m thinking this probably isn’t a part of it any more. It was for years, but I’m seeing less and less frequently. It’s somehow eluded me despite my years of Laphroaig fandom. I’ve had and loved the Cairdeas Triple Wood Cask Strength from 2019–let’s see if the standard TW is/was worth the squeeze. Nose: There are the standard coastal peat notes. Iodine and bandaid. Sea salt, seaweed, and brine. Tennis ball. But this one is simultaneously sweeter than other Laphroaig expressions. A mix of green and red apple, vanilla, butterscotch, and honey. Rich dark chocolate, caramel, fudge, molasses, and brown sugar represent the bourbon cask. Raisin, date, and fig for the Sherry. And a puff of campfire smoke and the black bean, red pepper chili that I’m accustomed to finding in a Laphroaig expression, but it’s in the background here. Oak and wood round out a delightful nose. Palate: Initial burst of chestnut and peanut butter/peanut brittle. Peat, brine, seaweed, sea salt, iodine, bandaid, and tennis ball. Nice reflection of the nose. Granny Smith apple carries a touch of sour-sweetness from the nose. Butterscotch, vanilla, caramel, milk and dark chocolate, molasses. Vanilla custard. Cranberry, raisin, plum, and dried apricot. Cocoa and tobacco smoke accompany the campfire smoke and black bean, red pepper chili on the from the nose—these notes give this a slightly more smoky flare than the nose had. Finish: Caramel, butterscotch, milk chocolate, and honey. More of the peanut butter. Campfire, hookah, and tobacco smoke. Ballpark pretzel. Black bean, red pepper chili. Black pepper, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Long finish. This is a fantastic whisky. I will be hunting for what remains of the Triple Wood, since it seems that Laphroaig has given up on this one. As an appreciator of the art, I think that is a terrible idea. This is a great experiment and an amalgamation of quality grain, powerful peat, and sensational tremendous cask selection. I know I’m late to the party with this one. But it is a damn fine whisky. If it means salvaging what’s left in the stores around me, then it is what it is. But I’d love to this formula represented in Laphroaig’s core range once again. Regardless, this is a winner. 4.5/5.

After 300+ reviews, it isn’t every day I get to check a new box. And while I’ve already tackled 2 other Kaiyo expressions, this has the unique honor of being my first cask strength Japanese whiskey. The other two were solid. Let’s see what their uncut juice has to offer. Nose: Creamy custard and sandalwood. Vanilla and honey. Nectarine. Cucumber and agave. Pumpkin spice. Walnut. Banana bread. Ginger snap. One of the better noses I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Palate: Caramel and vanilla. Gala apple. Ginger snap. Agave. Honey. Sandalwood. Custard. Orange citrus. Butterscotch. Honeydew. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and an oak note. Finish: Sandalwood, agave, and Gala apple. Dried apricot and brown sugar. Ginger snap. Orange/orange peel. Clove, nutmeg, black pepper, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and oak. Long finish. I’ve always liked Kaiyo. They’ve done a great job of selecting their whiskies. But this blows everything they’ve ever attempted out of the water. In fact, I will confidently say this the best Japanese whiskey I’ve ever had. At $90, this is a fantastic value. Kaiyo is easily the most accessible Japanese whiskey brand. That statement accounts for availability and affordability. Couple that with unparalleled quality and a stalwart 53% ABV and you’ve got yourself a top shelf whiskey.

This is Jefferson’s replacement to the Groth Cask Reserve. I love that one. It’s one of the better bourbons I’ve had and one of the great bourbon-wine cask marriages of all-time. Let’s see how this stacks up. This is from Batch A-450. Bottle Number 43. Nose: Red grape, newspaper, and cola. Gala apple. Date, fig, raisin, and cranberry. Watermelon Jolly Rancher. Nougat. Wintergreen. Cocoa, black tea, and black pepper. Toasted oak. Palate: Red grape, newspaper, and cranberry. Dried apricot. Honeydew. Wintergreen. Date, fig, and raisin. Vanilla, caramel, milk chocolate, and nougat. Almond and walnut. Finish: Cola, cranberry, raisin, fig, and date. Red grape. Wintergreen. Gala apple, dried apricot, and newspaper. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Medium length. This is a solid bourbon. Jefferson’s clearly has a great ability to select compatible wine casks for their spirits. On sale for $53 (down from $65), this is a solid value to boot. A lot to like here. Now, to answer the obvious question. How does this fair against the Groth Cask Reserve? While this is a damn fine whiskey in its own right, it doesn’t quite reach the level of the Groth, the Pritchard Hill is worthy of praise for what it does. It’s an interesting bottling for sure. It shares a lot of the better qualities and notes of the Groth cask. Given the option, I’d go for the latter, but as a replacement, this does a damn fine job. 4.25/5.

I'm a big fan of Maker's 46. Maker's Mark Cask Strength offered a massive improvement to the base MM. If that's the case with this one, I'm in for a massive treat. I do love the opportunity to try a solid watered-down product in its uncut form. It's a rare opportunity. Without further ado, let's see what CS does for a great base product. Nose: Vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar. Graham cracker and burnt marshmallow. Toasted almond. Cinnamon. Sun-dried tomato. Orange citrus. Raisin. Sawdust. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Vanilla, marshmallow, caramel, brown sugar, milk chocolate, and a hint of fudge. Graham cracker and milk chocolate. Raisin and maple. Apple and cherry. Orange citrus. Cocoa, tobacco smoke, and black pepper. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Raisin and cola. Sawdust. Cocoa, black pepper, black tea, and tobacco smoke. Graham cracker and toasted almond. Clove, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and oak. Long as they make them. Damn good bourbon. Nose was surprisingly tame. The palate redeemed it in a big way, and the finish caps this is off in powerful fashion. My main critique here would be that the French Oak finish and the wheated mash bill seems to lend itself to be appreciated in its softer incarnate. This is a rare example where I actually prefer the watered-down version to the uncut rendition. This hits the mark for VFM. At $63, it's not a great deal more than the standard 46. It delivers in terms of quality. I'm very glad to have grabbed this one. It's an interesting pour, and it makes me excited to crack a fresh bottle of the standard 46. Well done, MM. 4/5.

I've had a couple batches of the Redbreast 12 CS. I loved both. It seems like the components are relatively similar between those and this Small Batch, although this is presumably younger as an NAS release. I paid more for this than those, so it better have been worth it. Batch B1/19. Bottle No. 4484. Nose: Lemon cookie and shortbread cookie. Orange and lemon citrus. Walnut and chestnut. Vanilla, butterscotch, and caramel. Graham cracker and vanilla frosting. Apple, pear, raisin, cherry, and apricot. Substantial heat, as expected at 58.7%. Cinnamon, flour, and oak. Palate: Orange cream soda. Apple, raisin, plum, pear, apricot, and orange. Vanilla and caramel. Milk chocolate and toffee. Graham cracker. Cola. Shortbread cookie and a hint of the lemon cookie from the nose. Black pepper and cocoa. Almond and cashew. Cinnamon and oak hit with a hot and heavy punch. Finish: Apple, raisin, date, and fig. Dried apricot and dried cranberry. Custard, caramel, and vanilla. Toffee and shortbread cookie. Walnut, almond and a huge cashew note. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. The length is exactly what you'd expect of a 58.7% whiskey. Long as they make 'em. Another phenomenal whiskey from the Redbreast line. Besides that, I've yet to try a cask strength Irish whiskey I didn't love. It seems there's some to be said for a cask strength shortbread cookie. Yet, this isn't just shortbread cookie like your run of the mill Irish. In true Redbreast fashion, this runs the gambit of fruits and sweets. It's unique to its 12-year old counterpart, reflecting the Bourbon cask moreso than the sherry. Yet, the quality is there. Ultimately, I give a very slight edge in quality to the 12-year CS. Considering that was cheaper than this Small Batch, VFM creates further disparity between Redbreat's two CS offerings. With that being said, I'm comparing this bottling to one of my all-time favorites. The reality is that the Redbreast Small Batch Cask Strength is a standout expression, earning a 4.5/5 in my book.

I started my Blood Oath journey at Pact 5. That one was solid, and Pact 6 was even better. Here's to hoping this one continues that upward trend. My only other experience with Sauternes cask-aging is Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or (and its replacement.) That will likely be little help in helping me assess this one, but I enjoyed that for what it's worth. Onward to Pact 7. Nose: Vanilla, toffee, brown sugar, and caramel. Ginger snaps and Nerds candy. Granny Smith Apple and white grape. Vanilla frosting and marshmallow. There's a couple different flavored Jelly Beans in there. Cinnamon, but not really spicy. More like a Cinnabon in that regard. Some plum is also detectable, representing the Sauternes cask. It's confectionary sweet, and very enjoyable. Palate: Toasted almond and walnut. Caramel and vanilla. Cocoa, black pepper, black tea, and tobacco smoke. The Granny Smith apple is again present, and now, there's a green apple Jolly Rancher quality to it. Milk chocolate. Raisin, fig, and date. Golden Teddy Grahams. A touch of sawdust. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. This has a lot of the confectionary sweetness of the nose but with some spicier and more bitter notes. Just as good in its own way. Finish: Black tea, black pepper, tobacco smoke, and cocoa. Ginger snap. Walnut and toasted almond. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate-to-long finish, leaning toward the latter. This exceeded my expectations based on my previous experiences with Blood Oath. And Sauternes-aged whiskies for that matter. Absolutely amazing. This beats everything aforementioned by a mile. It's one of my favorite bourbons. The notes were weird. When I review my tasting notes, it reads like a third grader's meal-plan. And yet, it hits every mark as an adult beverage. This is a fun whiskey. It breaks the mold in a lot of ways, and simultaneously delivers at every level. The dichotomy between the nose and the palate was incredibly interesting. And the finish served as a nice intermediary between the two and a solid cap to the experience. At $120, this hurts the wallet. yet, despite the extra $20 this ran me over Batches 5/6, this still bested both of them by a decent bit in the VFM department. This one is bullet proof from every angle. My only concern is that it set the bar too high for Batch 8. As for this one, it earned top-shelf marks. 5/5.

I’m a fan of Jefferson’s. They do some interesting bottlings. They could possibly be overrated—I try to ignore the hype and not let that cloud my enjoyment of a brand. If it’s good, I like it. I’ve really enjoyed some of their experimental expressions. They flagship bottle is a decent entry point into the lineup. Yet, I somehow missed this one—the second tier offering. Without further ado, here’s my review of one of Jefferson’s cornerstone pieces. Nose: Caramel, vanilla, and brown sugar. Toffee and butterscotch. Vanilla frosting. Raisin. Cola and Gala apple. Cocoa. Sawdust, dusty corn, black pepper, oak, clove, and nutmeg. Palate: Gala apple, vanilla, and toffee. Caramel and brown sugar. Butterscotch. Cocoa. Blacl tea and tobacco. Raisin. A touch of leather. Sawdust. More of the dusty corn. Oak. Finish: Vanilla, caramel, toffee, and brown sugar. Black tea and peppercorn. Cocoa, tobacco, and cinnamon. Sawdust and dusty corn. Black pepper and oak. Clove and nutmeg. Medium-length finish. This is not a bad whiskey by any means. It’s pleasant and clearly of a quality bottling. It’d be a great bourbon to use to get a new drinker into the genre. But it also fails to stoke the imagination of a more experienced drinker—and that’s my main critique here. At $48 (on sale from down $54) I’d say this is worth the price of entry, albeit barely. I fluctuated from a score of 3.0 and 3.75. And tasted this back-to-back days and have settled on a score of 3.5. Because the price of bourbon (and whiskey as a whole) has increased rather drastically in the past couple years, I’m not going to be too harsh on this one for VFM. It’s a solid spirit, but could definitely benefit from a couple more years in the cask to earn it’s “Very Old moniker. It would easily be a 4 star dram, but it’s solid as it is now.

The 2019 and 2020 Maker’s Mark limited edition releases were solid; especially the latter. Here’s to hoping that MM could maintain that upward trajectory with this 55.15% beast. Let’s check out the 2021 incarnate. Nose: Cherry, vanilla, brown sugar, and caramel. Toffee and some coffee bean. Mocha and maple.Graham cracker, vanilla frosting, and toffee. Cinnamon red hots and some ethanol. Ginger spice. Oak. Palate: Caramel and vanilla. Cherry and milk chocolate. Mocha and maple. Toffee and coffee bean. Dried apricot. Blackberry. Leather. Banana. Ripe and unripe. Graham cracker. Gala apple, cranberry, and raisin. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Cherry, dried apricot, gala apple, cranberry, and raisin. Caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, graham cracker, toffee, and banana. Cinnamon (the spice and red hots), black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Long as they ‘em. It’s a winner. It takes the profile of the 2019 and melds it with the quality and power of the 2020. Overall, it’s on par with the latter in terms of score. Slight edge to the 2020. Speaking of which, this clocks in at 4.5/5. At $70, this is well worth the price of entry. Well done, MM.

This is an interesting whiskey on paper. It’s a four-grain, led by oat, followed by malted barely, rye, and wheat. It’s the first I’ve had with that specific combination. It’s also my first Illinois distillery, coming out of Chicago. Let’s check it out. Barrel # 7G6X6K Nose: Heavy brown sugar. Oat and almond. An astringent sweet nail polish note. Banana-walnut muffin balances that out. Rum cake as well. Cocoa and oak. Palate: Again, very heavy on the brown sugar. Oat and almond also carry over from the nose. The almond is toasted. Walnut as well. Caramel and vanilla. Fudge and milk chocolate. Sawdust and timber. Some more of that nail polish. The rye is more prominent here—rye spice and black pepper now accompany the oak. Finish: Brown sugar. Nail polish. Cola. Banana bread. Almond, walnut, and oat. Black pepper, rye, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Medium length finish. This is a strange whiskey, but a good one. The mash bill is definitely reflected in the flavor profile. Oat is an interesting lead role, and I think this one pulls it off. At $45, I think I got my money’s worth out of this one. I will return to it. I had a bottle a couple years back that was terrible. Massive upgrade with this one. I will certainly revisit this in the future, but a 3/5 rating is where I have this for now. Solid.

Knob Creek 9 is solid. Knob Creek 12 was even better. So the 15 has to be amazing, right? It’s a Single Barrel, it’s Jim Beam, and it’s the oldest bourbon I’ve reviewed. Let’s see what it’s all about. This is from Batch: KC001, which I guess makes it from 2020. Nose: Peanut brittle and peanut butter. Cherry and brown sugar. Vanilla, caramel, and toffee. Cocoa and tobacco smoke. Pistachio, walnut, and almond accompany the peanut. Sawdust and lumber. Black pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and a heavy, heavy oak note. Palate: Peanut brittle, peanut brittle, cocoa, and brown sugar. Vanilla and caramel. Gala apple, dried apricot, golden raisin, and leather. A hint of cherry and cola. Almond. Heavy bitter oak. Black pepper, clove, and nutmeg add some heavy spice. Finish: Peanut brittle and peanut butter. Caramel and vanilla. Dried apricot, cocoa, and tobacco smoke. Black pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Long finish, as expected of a 100 proof beast. As expected, it’s an awesome whiskey. A few years in the barrel works wonders for the KC formula, although that applies slightly more to the 12 than this 15 year. Not saying much about this one considering that I think the former is as good a whiskey you can find. Extremely well-balanced bourbon. It only has two weaknesses. It is fairly bitter, which can be attributed to the 15 years it spent in the barrel. And compared to the 12, VFM. At $95, this almost double the cost for a comparable (maybe slightly inferior) bourbon. It may not beat the 12, the Single Barrel 15 is fantastic nonetheless. It is absolutely delicious and potent in all the right ways. 4.75/5.