Tastes

After tasting the incredibly delicious and sweet Green Spot whiskey, my perception of what Irish Whiskey is and can be; changed. I thought Irish whiskies were unremarkable, rather boring blends that didn't capture any imagination. Don't get me wrong, there are some very good Irish Whiskies ( Redbreast, for example ) but I thought if you've tasted one, you've tasted them all. Boy was I wrong. And after tasting Green Spot, this set me off to find all of the "spot" whiskies I could find locally. Imagine my surprise to see this gem, sitting in the glass cabinet at my local favorite money pit of a liquor store. I just had to have it. What a delicious nose indeed. First off, you notice the presence of higher proof immediately ( vs Green Spot ). A bit of ethanol tickles your nose but doesn't overtake the other smells rather, they are enhanced. Juicy and sweet apples mix with sugary caramel and baking spices. There's a wee kiss of citrus right about 3/4 through the nose. Oh boy, I am so excited to try this taste. The palate starts rather sweet and tart, candied apples but just for a moment. A burst of caramel, vanilla and baking spice coats your tongue with a surprisingly thick mouthfeel. The feeling ( not the flavor ) is reminiscent of Blanton's Single Barrel. A bit thick and oily but not syrupy. As you get into mid taste, apple comes back on full song with some raisins and dates. The sweetness ends just for a moment as it blends to the finish. Tannic oak sweeps you off your feet and this is the dominant trait of the finish but you will notice a little sugary creme brulee shadow hanging behind the tannins. At this point, open your mouth and breathe through it a little - the sweetness hits you quickly and fades away, like a ghost sighting. My God. This is by far and away one of the best Irish Whiskies I've ever tried. In fact - if you are lucky enough to have a bottle and you've got a friend who judges Irish whiskies on swill like Jameson and Proper 12, feed them some of this stuff. Open their eyes and help them achieve enlightenment. It is that. damn. good.

I've been wanting to try a Stagg Jr. for a while now. Although batch 18 has dropped the Jr. designation, I rushed at the chance to pick up this bottle for a decent price once I learned that the Stagg Jr. product has been discontinued. I had to snatch up what could be my last chance to own a bottle of Stagg (Jr.?). Man, this stuff is 131 proof? I basically went into this review expecting damn near rubbing alcohol levels of heat. The nose is surprisingly gentle and well rounded for this fire breathing proof. Sweet, dark cherries swim in a sea of caramel and dark cocoa powder. Yes, upon a deeper sniff, you will catch the ethanol heat from the proof but you also grab a hint of spicy sweet cinnamon. Wow! What an incredible hit of cinnamon on the palate. Yet somehow... not unpleasant. Its sweet and spicy like red hots candy. That cherry from the nose peeks its head out as the spice rounds off. But that spice is definitely there throughout both the taste and finish. Rolling into the finish, tannic oak takes over the show. There still remains a faint hint of cherries but really, the finish is dominated by cinnamon and spice. Are all Stagg Jr bottlings this hot? What is your favorite? Not sure if starting off with the 18th bottling is giving this bourbon a fair shake but I will say that this is incredibly drinkable for 131 proof bourbon. Pretty much the opposite of Booker's which in my opinion is just way too ethanol hot to be likeable.

The nose on Lustau is incredibly fruit forward. Red orchard fruits, figs, prunes, orange peel and cloves all make for a bright and acidic smell. The palate is extremely vibrant and full, after tasting 12 immediately before Lustau; it can be a bit jarring. Milk chocolate and honey make a brief appearance before the taste explodes with heaps of baking spice, bitter tannins and dried plums. The finish tastes bittersweet and powdery; think dark cocoa powder. Spices continue to be a theme to the end, this time taking on a distinct cinnamon and clove quality. Yikes. This one wasn't my favorite. The other Redbreast selections seem tame compared to this taste bud destroyer. But if tannic spice is your jam this might be right up your alley. It is not mine, though.

Redbreast 12 seems to be a staple in most home bars and my aim was to find out why. Orange and ginger sing on the nose. This whisky smells like its going to be viscous and oily. Just the tiniest kiss of coconut and melons finish off this interesting and complex nose. Honey opens the taste to dried raspberries and apricots. An oily nuttiness kicks in mid palate, bringing with it some walnuts and recalling that sweet honey on the other side of the fruits. The finish adds baking spice and sweet cream but also a slightly tannic tail at the very end of the finish. So far, my favorite of the Redbreast selections for sure.

My buddies tell me I ought to try more Irish Whiskies. So what better than a 3 bottle sampler of what is, apparently, one of the best Irish Whiskies around? Of course I had to start with the most expensive of the three, and so begins my evening of Redbreast... The nose is quite strong, don't go in too heavy with the smell. Immediately you're hit with citrus zest, honey and some lemongrass. Its vegetal and bright all at once. The taste is a little bit of everything. Initially you get some baking spice layered with citrus fruit. Mid taste takes on a very interesting butterscotch and caramel vibe while the spice and citrus lingers. The finish is much more dry: bringing in some grapefruit pith while keeping the baking spice on board. If you close your mouth and breathe through your nose you get a bit of mint. Not the cooling sensation of mint but rather, the taste of the herb itself. This is an interesting one. Spicier than I imagined it would be. I wish that Butterscotch and Caramel really made it presence more known throughout the taste.

As I was pouring a dram of Juveniles, I kept hearing an odd dinging noise. At first I thought someone was walking their dog outside but then realized it was coming from the bottom of the bottle. In the bottle is a built in recess with a little jingle bell in there. How fun! Now on to the whisky: Immediately I am getting bright notes on the nose. Honey, green apples and pears dominate, bringing sweet and tart to the party. The tail of the finish turns drier, with a bit of tannic oak and grass. On the taste, the wine cask is immediately noticeable but not in the form of tart red fruits. No, this is a bright and acidic mix of green apples and pears. If you swirl the whisky in your mouth, you will make out sweet vanilla and honey on the inside of your lips. The tail end of the taste brings in some tannic charred oak. The finish pushes the whisky fully into the "dry" category, again bringing tannic charred oak with black pepper and tongue tingling baking spices. Remember those apples and pears from the front of the taste? If you wait right until the tail end of the finish, you can catch a glimpse of them as this whisky makes its exit. Although not my favorite, if nothing else; Compass Box is never boring, especially their limited selections. If you can still find a bottle of Juveniles, give it a try!

Let the Compass Box train roll! I'm quickly becoming a full fledged Compass Box fanboy and recently had the chance to pick up Experimental Grain and Juveniles for a great price. The nose is so gentle on this whisky that it is almost undetectable. Honey and toffee set the nose into motion with a wave of creamy sweetness. Deeper in, some apples and pears mix it up and at the end just the tiniest wisp of peat smoke. If this whisky tastes anything like it smells, its going to be stunning. This tastes unlike any whisky I have ever tried. Sweet and tart apple takes center stage but then mixes with milk chocolate. There's an odd, earthy grassy mix to the flavor that I've never detected in any other whisky. The taste ends with the faintest kiss of peat smoke. Through the puff of peat smoke, the finish turns spicy which is not what I was expecting. It is moderately long and drier than the taste but not brimming with complexity. This is the first whisky I ever had a taste of and was left scratching my head as to what I actually thought about it. I'm now on my 5th taste and I still can't decide if I like it. It fits into a rare category of Whiskies that taste unlike any whisky that came before it, breathing rarified air with the likes of Compass Box Hedonism and Green Spot to name a couple. This whisky is light, whimsical and sweet. You know something? I think I DO like it, just not quite as much as Hedonism. But I can very much tell that this would be an extremely polarizing whisky.

Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series selections have long been some of my favorites. Yes there were some misses ( 2020's SE4 PR5 for example ) but even the misses in this series were still pretty damn good. And so we come to the final installment of Maker's Mark Wood Finishing series: 2023's BEP. I am so sad to see this line go by the way side. Every year I get so excited as spring starts to blossom to summer and the days get warmer. The anticipation of getting my hands on that year's Wood Finishing Series always creates excitement for me around April / May. The nose of BEP is significantly less hot than previous entries, as expected of the slightly lower proof. It smells like its going to be delicious with all of the right, classic smells. Caramel, vanilla and chocolate all make an appearance with just a hint of tannic charred oak. BEP is almost syrupy on the tongue and singing with vanilla, toffee and brown sugar. That oak on the nose makes its return with just a gentle kiss of baking spices. The finish feels its proof, warming on the way down. Makes me think that this would be an excellent dram for the winter. The sweetness fades away in favor of that tannic oak, cloves and baking spices. The finish lingers and along with it, a bit of tongue tingle right in the center of your tongue. This is up there with the best in this series. My sweet tooth tends to lean toward RC6 and FAE01 as the two best in the Wood Finishing Lineup but man, this isn't far behind. Go get a bottle and bid farewell to the Wood Finishing Series with one of the very best.

A good friend and business partner swears by this stuff. Every time I see him he keeps asking if I've tried it. Finally, while out of town on business, I caved in and bought a small miniature taster from their local Total Wine. The nose on this one smells like sweetened corn syrup mixed with bubble gum and green apple lollipops. Insanely over sweetened and smells like it was made in a lab somewhere. The front of the taste mirrors that super sweet corn syrup that was on the nose. Candy corn mixes with tongue prickling astringency... tastes like someone tried to flavor bad moonshine with a bunch of everything sugary and artificial. The sweetened corn syrup theme carries to the finish but this time goes way too far in the direction of artificial fruit. Gummy apple rings come to mind. Out of left field comes a perfume-like floral quality in the finish. Man... this one is rough. Not really sure what I expected. I mean, I did finish my pour. It isn't the most disgusting thing I ever tried but if you really only have $25 to spend on a bottle of hooch maybe just go with Maker's Mark.

I tried my first Blood Oath bourbon while out with business partners at a nice steak house this past week. Granted, it was served neat in a whiskey glass... for something in this league I would have preferred a Glencairn. Spicy cinnamon and vanilla make their appearance very known on the nose, with a slightly fruity edge. But not so much tart red fruit... more like sweet and soft peaches and pears. The taste follows the nose with tongue prickling cinnamon and a hint of canned peaches with quite a "full" mouthfeel. The finish on this one is loud. Spice and bitterness pull the taste off the sweet train. You get hits of dark cocoa powder that flourish into rye spice at the very end. This was a halfway decent bourbon but, perhaps because I'm scoring it against the hype and prices that Blood Oath bourbons command, I actually wasn't all that impressed. I haven't ruled out Blood Oath though, perhaps I just started with the wrong one?