Reviews

Very woody nose with a hint of something more interesting than caramel candy. The unique char situation is very noticeable. It opens up into something not quite citrus but almost sherry-like? Fascinating. Slow measured entry deposits intense flavor. Beautiful. The wood grain is dusted in top of classy olive oil and dark honey in the background, with just a *hint* of something like a fruit. It's hot in all the right ways, wood spicy in all the right ways, but never ventures too far. This is a beautiful whiskey, my first Penelope, and I see what all the fuss is about. I got this last 1/3 of a bottle for free at work, but it's worth more than any bourbon in recent memory.

Fuck it. I have so many things lined up, but customers keep having opinions about this stuff and I need to bite the Bulleit, get a shot discounted into oblivion and see what all the hate is about. I don't dislike Fireball, FYI, I just don't drink sugar. Alright... The nose is sour apple Jolly Rancher. Maybe some watermelon Jolly Rancher. Cinnamon red hot. Christmas candle at Bath and Body Works...I was expecting Yankee Candle, so it's already a surprise! The palate is a lot more cohesive than expected as well. It's not just "apple cinnamon! Boom!" but it's also not *not* that. This isn't a complex product, just clears the bar for liquid candy that isn't medicinal. It's hotter than expected too at only 33 heckin percent ("Blazin'" is in the name to be fair) It does a great job at hitting you with fire and leaving it to immolate your tongue and throat to replace whatever it lacks in "treacle" notes. Still sweet as hell. If I was high, it might very well get a better score and more interesting tasting notes, but regrettably I am not.

I've been out of the loop for more than a few years. Had some life experiences, quit physics to become a model, and started working in my favorite liquor store as a day job. What better opportunity to celebrate the blessings of Freya than with an employee discounted bottle of my personal house whisky that I haven't touched in as long as I've been in hiatus. A decade ago it was the second bottle I ever purchased (after Glenmorangie) and it's duality, themes, and ability to multiclass resonated with me. I was surprised to see how they dropped all the bells and whistles in its marketing, and finally let it speak for itself with its own personality; something it already has it spades. The nose opens with an orange juice oatmeal breakfast on an Autumn day. On the palate, a kiss of peat greets you then takes you by the hand down a corridor you’d expect to be a little sweeter. It is, but then the golden honey skin melts away to expose the ancient volcanic ash creating the flickers of smoke on the surface. It lies dormant, with a floral protector. The finish rhymes with the start: Any residual sweetness is surrounded by grit. This is much darker HP than I remember from 9 years ago. Through repeated sips the Highland honey builds and emerges through the cocoon. Upon finishing, everything is back to perfect balance and you learn a lot in the process. It's a heroic journey full of romance and death in a glass. The bottle and labeling might have become simpler, but HP remains viking fanfiction through and through.

A sweet breakfast character on the nose, with buttered toast and marmalade jam. A decidedly fruity perfume rises off the cereal undertone. Smooth as silk from beginning to middle, the sweetness picks up into honey pastry territory, with tang powder to balance it. The slightest peppery kick pushes the rest of the otherwise gentle dram across the finish. A beautiful whiskey. (I missed the obligatory St. Patrick's Day Irish whiskey review... -_-)

I couldn't get a great sense of the nose, as I was drinking this straight from a jigger whilst moving, but essentially ethanol, cedar, cherry, and a hint of BBQ sauce. Candied peanuts and a little chili powder on the palate, some more wood, and the tiniest hint of smoke. There is also some note in there which pairs extremely well with black pepper. This is my go-to cheap whiskey to pair with potato soup.

Sorry I've been so quiet for *checks watch* 6.5 months 😬 It has been a crazy time, resulting in a decision to finally move back to Memphis. I will try to rectify this with a review of the very first thing I tried after setting up the new bar; and it's from Nashville, no less! (followed slowly by a massive backlog) The nose starts faint, but gets more pungent as it opens up: corn flakes and cherry, then mineral with a slight citrusy note. More of those sharper notes carry forward onto the palate. It really is more sour than sweet, and barely reads as a bourbon to me at first. The classic flavors are still in there, but it really forces you to peel back the layers. Lemon oil gives way to a rewarding cinnamon bark complement if you can find it, and a decent finish that only gets sweeter. As far as complexity goes, this is an outstanding complement to all the "honeyed vanillas" that you probably have in your bar... This appears to be a somewhat technical bourbon that succeeds at being "interesting", perhaps a result of not chill filtering (who knows?), and that in itself is worth a decent score. With that said, I was expecting this to be a lot more enjoyable though, even going so far as to make it a "house bourbon" candidate, but something about the sour notes just don't hit right for me... Oh well. Now I'm back to *real* liquor stores that aren't controlled by the state, so I don't even care! 😉