Tastes

This is the first Rye bottle, that I've ever bought, and I really dig this one. Sorry if I seem uneducated with my "notes", but the nose is obviously port forward, and there is an old, wet lawn mowing shoe funk to it...which really makes this stand apart from EVERYTHING else I've ever tried. Scotch lovers always search for this musty, damp note, when done well, and I sincerely believe it's in this glass. The taste is soooo port-y, still whiskey, but the port brings a voluptuousness that complements a slightly sour / dill-like flavor experienced in the second half of the tasting. This is super cool. Its hard to evaluate the finish because I keep wanting to experience the taste, but it is drying; like chewable grape Asprin. There is a not-so-subtle vanilla icing sweetness underlying the entire experience and "carried throughout its memory." - best Shakespeare-like, imitation. I'm very happy I took the plunge, and am nervous I may have harder choices at the liquor store in my future, now that the rye shelf will be seriously evaluated. 5.0 - go out and buy all of the stock you can find. 4.0 - must buy at least one bottle before you die. 3.0 - solid, must try at a bar, or mooch from a friend. 2.0 - didn't like it, you may. 1.0 - you may have the palate of my dog, and he licks his own ass.

Store Pick: 63.4%, 3 years old. Blue corn sucks as tortilla chip, but I believe we've found a decent use. The nose is my favorite part: Right from the start there is a clear butterscotch note with some "nail polish" heat in the background. Just a tid-bit of water helps tame the acetone BTW. There is a "funky, old t-shirt from Goodwill" note in the way background, behind the sweet butterscotch, lending the right amount of complexity and playfulness. On to the taste: Nice and melon sweet upfront , and in the middle, but toward the finish it veers into a spicy bitterness; like a walnut with store-bought-cayenne sprinkled on top. There is also a floral note death gripping on the roof of my mouth for about 2 minutes. The finish also has the most unique "cappuccino experience" which pops this up to a must buy whiskey. The juxtaposition of all the flavors seems rough; though appreciated ;) I'm glad I get to try Balcones, after my love affairs with scotch and cask strength bourbons initially dominated my "thoughts on malts." The perspective makes me really appreciate the creativeness in these pours. I'm a big fan. The price for me was also a nice boost; value is important to the score! I love that 'Merica is broadening the flavor horizons outside of bourbon... However, I just like this whiskey. 5.0 - go out and buy all of the stock you can find. 4.0 - must buy at least one bottle before you die. 3.0 - solid, must try at a bar, or mooch from a friend. 2.0 - didn't like it, you may. 1.0 - you may have the palate of my dog, and he licks his own ass.

The score is based upon my overall feeling toward Irish Whiskey; this being the best I've tried, and ultimately my subjective view, when compared primarily with bourbon and scotch. This nose is of apple, chocolate and shortbread cookie- To dumb it down: Fig Newton. The taste is boiled down to a "boozy fruit cocktail" - the one that includes pears, peaches and semi-tasteless maraschino cherries. On the taste I believe there are baking spices, but I'm of the opinion this is mostly the ABV "talking." The finish has vanilla entering the mix, which is a nice dichotomy with the chocolate nose. Like the original 12, this doesn't "blow my hair back" but is reliable and not something to be ashamed of when making recommendations, or exposing virtues of malted spirits. Wish I could get this for $10 less, but that's more a nit-pick and not a condemnation. 5.0 - go out and buy all of the stock you can find. 4.0 - must buy at least one bottle before you die. 3.0 - solid, must try at a bar, or mooch from a friend. 2.0 - didn't like it, you may. 1.0 - you may have the palate of my dog, and he licks his own ass.

Ardbeg is the spawn of my whiskey obsession, and full-disclosure I didn’t much care for the first bottle of Uigeadail I tried in 2019, when I was newer to whiskey, but still an Ardbeg 10 lover. This is the second bottle of this expression that I've owned, and am shocked at how much it has improved in my opinion and on my taste. I'm glad that this is a "core-range" dram and readily available for the foreseeable future. The nose is wonderful: condensed-milk chocolate sweetness with matchsticks. Immediately fruity sweetness in the palate that unfolds into a mix of sooty smoke, with a lingering finish of more farm-house, vegetal smokiness. The odd-ball, more unique note = heavily charred Ball Park Franks. The texture is also something to marvel, with its unctuous, oily, viscous presentation. The 54.2% ABV also takes water extremely well, not losing any of the charm, while settling down the sulfuric matchstick note. All and all, no need to covet and buy up all the bottles, but a higher recommendation couldn't be made for a non-exclusive bottle. 5.0 - go out and buy all of the stock you can find. 4.0 - must buy at least one bottle before you die. 3.0 - solid, must try at a bar, or mooch from a friend. 2.0 - didn't like it, you may. 1.0 - you may have the palate of my dog, and he licks his own ass.

I like this one. This is a sophisticated (more clean) Springbank "funk" nose, with fresh cream and slightly unripe bananas sitting on a haystack - swimming around the old olfactory. The 51% ABV is the probably maxing out the potential of this dram; punching heavily toward a "on fire" finish...A nice drop of water transforms this into a scotch with more of a mass market appeal; a mango-ey, sweetness unfolds and hides some of the more herbal qualities found in the bottle's natural state. I'm glad the rum cask doesn't overtake this scotch, and only adds a slight tropical element into a very malt forward expression with good oils for tastebud grip. Ultimately, something understatedly unique (even within the unique Springbank world), which will be fun to unwrap as the bottle goes down. The knock is the price and a more hollow intensity on the tastes compared with the nose and finish. But once again, very cool. 5.0 - go out and buy all of the stock you can find. 4.0 - must buy at least one bottle before you die. 3.0 - solid, must try at a bar, or mooch from a friend. 2.0 - didn't like it, you may. 1.0 - you may have the palate of my dog, and he licks his own ass.

Cask 4196, Bottle 235 47.8 ABV Right off the bat (in the palate) there's a buttery popcorn note weaved throughout,...which may be the only distinguishing characteristic of this particular sherry forward scotch. If you told your friend this is good scotch; the silky entrance which cascades into the swell of carbonated-like, bitter, astringency; is weird enough to help prove you correct. It is erudite in price and experience, but is too expensive for the later. Don’t test me, but I have a “feeling” that for $50 less, you can achieve 90-95% of the quality. The single barrel nature of a bottle isn’t something I generally pine for, but the trade off for ABV, exclusivity and price all elevate this past the mass market. For whatever my opinion is worth: this is a father-in-law gift (impressive, with little else pushing it past the price tag) and not something I'm looking to replenish once gone. I'm happy its good. 5.0 - go out and buy all of the stock you can find. 4.0 - must buy at least one bottle before you die. 3.0 - solid, must try at a bar, or mooch from a friend. 2.0 - didn't like it, you may. 1.0 - you may have the palate of my dog, and he licks his own ass.

The reason I put this at a 3.75, based upon my ranking, is because I believe this is the most approachable peated whiskey I've tasted. It’s not half-assed peaty like some coastal highland or phenol forward Campbeltown scotches, it’s straightforward at 40ppm (not as much as Ardbeg, Lagavulin or Laphroig). Light lemon cake batter and toasted peanuts... with a whiff of earthy, peppery barbeque. After a couple glasses a rich velvety texture becomes apparent. This isn't overly ashy, briny or smoky, its real slick, in part due to the 50 ABV, which gives it good grip on the taste buds... Price is a bit high, for a friendly young whisky, but at least its 50% ABV, and if you want to convince a non-smoky scotch lover on the miracles of Islay peated malt, this will give you a strong case. 5.0 - go out and buy all of the stock you can find. 4.0 - must buy at least one bottle before you die. 3.0 - solid, must try at a bar, or mooch from a friend. 2.0 - didn't like it, you may. 1.0 - you may have the palate of my dog, and he licks his own ass.

This is very good. Excellent. Let’s beat to the chase and call it what it is: cask strength Ardbeg 10. The distillery stumbled upon: “If you triple the amount of phenols in a peated whiskey, you may make up for half the aging process”...this is not science, but a working theory that I dare some of my other favorite scotch brands to try. The money is worth it, due to the scarcity of the bottle and more importantly the flavor! The knock: difficult to have more than one dram. 5.0 - go out and buy all of the stock you can find. 4.0 - must buy at least one bottle before you die. 3.0 - solid, must try at a bar, or mooch from a friend. 2.0 - didn't like it, you may. 1.0 - you may have the palate of my dog, and he licks his own ass.

Blah blah blah...excellent value for the money; yada yada yada, wonderful expression of bourbon. Nose = cinnamon toast crunch, but at the risk of sounding jaded, I was hoping for a little bit more on this one. This comes up to the edge of too much oak presence. It tastes as if another year in the barrel would cross the line. But its still very good, especially with a touch of water which will extend the bottle lifespan for me. B520 is the winner this year. Coming back to this a few months later with 1/2 the bottle full and it sitting for 3 months, allowed for this to get much better. I can't really remember B520, so I wont score it over that one, but this is now a MUST BUY... moral of the story buy ECBP whenever (at this price), wherever (be safe), however (bitcoin or fiat) 5.0 - go out and buy all of the stock you can find. 4.0 - must buy at least one bottle before you die. 3.0 - solid, must try at a bar, or mooch from a friend. 2.0 - didn't like it, you may. 1.0 - you may have the palate of my dog, and he licks his own ass.

This is a straight down the middle bourbon with simple flavors cranked up to 11 and no surprises. If your a fan of whiskey, the nose is promising, showing strong oak / age / possible complexity notes, however its just a tease. Its more caramel than cherry, but there is some dark red fruit way in the background. Medium finish, but bitter, and inviting for another sip. Not worth the $60 IMO, but its close. 5.0 - go out and buy all of the stock you can find. 4.0 - must buy at least one bottle before you die. 3.0 - solid, must try at a bar, or mooch from a friend. 2.0 - didn't like it, you may. 1.0 - you may have the palate of my dog, and he licks his own ass.