Tastes

The Balvenie 21 year single barrel is a symphony in what a single cask whiskey can be. The complexities of this whiskey hide behind a soft veil that blurs the definition of each unique characteristic. One could be fooled into thinking the whiskey is a bit one dimensional. By far and away the most pleasing aspect of this whiskey is the nose - its filled with floral sweetness swirled together with vanilla. So utterly sweet and plesant. The whiskey tastes a bit spicy at first, then melts away into a sea of caramel and honey. The finish is long, drawn out and concentrates on sweetness over complexity. Would have loved to have a soft whisp of peat smoke to finish the taste, but that was never to be. Is it worth the premium price? If you are a fan of the sweet tasting notes of oak, then yes. But if you're looking for a whiskey that will take you down a long journey of complex flavors, twisting and turning with each passing moment of the taste, then this might not be the whiskey to fit the bill.

First thing that comes to mind when drinking Oban is fruit. An overwhelming amount of fruit. Typically, I lean more toward oak cask or bourbons but this isn't horrible. Oban 14 is sweet and tart and I can see this being a great higher end whiskey for those that aren't hooked on typical bourbon or oak cask type flavor profiles. This whiskey is fruity, sweet and ends with a kiss of peat smoke. To me its simply an agreeable and pleasant whiskey but at this price point, it does rub elbows with some of the best of the best. Is it worth it?

Jesus Christ this whiskey smells awful. I don't know what others pick up but it smells like sharpies and rubbing alcohol to me. By far and away the worst smelling swill I've ever caught a whiff of. Luckily, the taste isn't nearly as offensive as the smell. There's not very much depth of character and this whiskey tastes dirt cheap. But usually dirt cheap can lean either too heavily into no taste at all ( watered down ) or too heavily into disgusting alcohol burn. This doesn't possess either of those qualities. It's got a light taste that is decidedly blended of cheaper malts. There is a heavy corn presence but an odd sourness toward the end of the taste. It has a very strange tongue numbing sensation going down and the after taste reminds me of the same sour qualities you may get after taking a swig of warm coke. Is it worst thing in this price category? No, not even close. But to say there are much better choices in the $30-$40 / bottle range is the understatement of the year. You could do worse, but there are so many better choices.

I know its difficult to find but really, Weller 12 year is the one to go for. I sometimes see Weller Special Reserve pop up here and there but after tasting it, I can honestly say that this is hardly as good as Weller gets. On its own, Weller Special reserve is a bit sweet and a bit herbaceous. It tastes like it has Rye in it but I'm told that it doesn't. Odd. It's spicy but not in an alcohol heat sense. This is a much different picture from its mellow, easy drinking and pleasant sibling, Weller 12 Year.

It tastes exactly how you think it'll taste. It's Maker's Mark ( Standard Maker's ) but with punched up potency. The higher proof introduces some spicy notes absent from standard Maker's. It's still sweet but with a background of heat. Otherwise, its exactly what it advertises. But here's the thing: Maker's makes some amazing cask strength and higher proof bourbons. If you're willing to shell out, get one of their special edition bourbons. 2021's Wood Finishing FAE-01 is a stunning symphony of Maker's sweetness, fruit and just enough alcohol heat to remind you it isn't standard Makers. You won't regret spending the extra dough.

Just get Michter's American Whiskey. Is this bourbon offensive? No, not at all. But I'd hardly call it good. Michter's Bourbon is mediocre on its best day, but likely to appeal to Rye lovers. It's spicy and herbaceous, leading me to believe there's plenty of rye in the mash bill. It tastes young and burns with a bit of astringency going down. If you're going to spend the $40 or so to pick up this bottle, I'd probably recommend Four Roses Small Batch or Woodford Double Oaked before this. Of course, if Rye is your cup of tea, this could be right up your alley.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label is good. But I feel like the very thing that elevates Johnnie Walker whiskey is its own downfall. Johnnie Walker whiskey is very popular and I'll admit that black label and up are pretty drinkable for a blended scotch. Of course, Blue Label is tops for their line. So any time I mention to someone new that I am very into whiskey and bourbon, 99% of the time I'll get hit with the question " Have you tried Blue Label?" And therein lies its downfall. To the people that I meet, all too often they speak so highly of Blue Label that you'd swear it was like drinking the tears of God himself. So of course, when I tried a pour as part of a flight, I was expecting a life changing experience. I was expecting the most perfect whiskey ever to dance across my tongue. I did not get that. And while Johnnie Walker Blue is good, it isn't mind blowing. In fact, I can think of several single malts and bourbons I'd rather buy with the money or less. But what Johnnie Walker Blue Label is, is a very agreeable, smooth and drinkable blended scotch. Its delicate, almost undetectable on the tongue. It gives you wisps of that familiar Johnnie Walker taste and disappears into a curl of light peat smoke. You know what Blue Label is? It's the perfect high dollar whiskey for people who aren't die hard whiskey fanatics. It's great for those who aren't searching for the last word in a complex, mind blowing single malt. It's simple, smooth, sweet and agreeable. But is it enough to justify the premium price?

A very interesting bottle from Korea, the land of Soju. My assumptions were that Koreans haven't quite developed a taste for fine single malt whiskies due to the utter lack of Korean Whiskey presence stateside. While this is somewhat true, a friend who recently visited Korea has told me that more and more Koreans have started to get into and enjoy fine whiskey. Golden Blue "The Summit" is one of Korea's distilleries' shot at making a super premium blended scotch. The whiskey does taste its proof, which is substantially lower than what we're used to in western whiskies. Its bottled at 36.5% ABV. The nose and taste remind me of a much more mellow and sweeter Buchannan's Deluxe, with the strange mustiness removed. It's mellow and fruity, tasting of dark pitted fruits like cherries and prunes. It's a tad one dimensional but it isn't actually bad at all. A great easy drinker to enjoy on a warm summer's night. The bottle does come with a very strange slow pour top but luckily doesn't use the infuriating ball type spout found on Buchannan's. If this is what we can expect from Korea's whiskey scene, I expect to see more easy drinking blended scotches that are likely to go heads up with the likes of Johnnie Walker Black Label.

My God. Does bourbon get much better than Blanton's? Maybe for some but right now and for a while now, this has been by far and away my favorite bourbon. A sweet and luxurious nose envelop you with vanilla, caramel and a tiny bit of pipe tobacco. Its warm and inviting, just waiting to be sipped. The front of the taste hits you with a faint bit of saltiness washed over by an ocean of sweet. Reminds me a bit of peanut brittle. The taste opens up to a bit of citrus underlying chocolate and toffee. That sweetness melts onto your tongue, creating a long lasting, oily finish as it fades off your tongue with some creamy butterscotch and just a hint of leather throughout. Bourbon's typically aren't as complex, satisfying and long lasting as Blanton's and that is precisely why its top 10 for me and a rare 5 of 5.

I struggle with Van Winkle 12 year. I know its a very special and pricey bottle of Bourbon, and difficult to find these days. I hear so many good things about Van Winkle of all vintages. But after trying this as part of a very expensive whiskey flight, I just can't seem to wrap my head around this Bourbon. Don't get me wrong: Van Winkle 12 year is great. But nothing about this Bourbon stood out as unique or different. It was a very straightforward bourbon. Not overly sweet, a little spicy and goes down smooth. But around Southern California, you'd have to shell out over $1,000 for a bottle and I just can't imagine paying that much for a bottle of this stuff. On its own merits, Van Winkle 12 year tastes like distilled essence of good Bourbon. It fits well with an experienced and discerning Bourbon drinker's palate, but first timers would struggle to find the difference between this and much less expensive Bourbons. In the end, worth a pour if you happen to see this on a whiskey menu at a restaurant but not really worth the incredible price this commands to purchase a bottle.