Reviews

Cask No. 85901128 Bottle No. 062 of 630 Distilled in 10/2008 Bottled in 01/2023 Open 8 months Nose - Heavy malt, sweet cereal grain, red apple, fresh wine grapes, light caramel, light oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Malt, mineral water, slightly astringent grain, green apple, white wine grapes, and butterscotch. Finish long with slightly bitter oak and malt, chalk, unripe grapes, dry caramel, and medium ethanol. This is radically different than Murray McDavid finishes. Despite being 14 yeas old, the sherry influence is light. Either this spent most of its time in ex-bourbon, or they used ex-sherry casks that have been previously used multiple times. It is a good whiskey, but I think a little more sherry influence would've improved the palate. After recently buying a Murray McDavid Glentauchers 17Y cask strength from ex-bourbon only, I appreciate the pure malt and bourbon flavors more than the touch of sherry in this bottle.

Sourced from Glenburgie Distillery Cask No. 1930212 Distilled in 2008; Bottled in 2023 Aged in ex-Oloroso sherry butt for 11 years Finished in ex-Sauternes wine barrique for 4 years Age - 15 years 56.9% abv; 113.8 proof Open 8 months Nose - Mixed berries and plum, rose petals, brown sugar, maple, cinnamon, nutmeg, heavy oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Heavy malt, stewed dark fruits, coffee cake, melted rose, maple syrup, and baking spices. Finish is long with sweet oak, syrupy thick malt, overripe plums, honeycomb, and medium ethanol. This is my least favorite Murray McDavid Benchmark so far. It is too thick and sweet. I've had syrupy Scotch finished in Tawny port or PX casks, but this is on another level. It is so dark, it looks like iced tea. I think it works as a dessert drink, but you'd be hard-pressed to pour a second glass.

Cask No. 129 Total bottles - 691 Distilled on 01-29-2014 Matured in 2nd fill sherry butt Bottled on 06-20-2024 66.5% abv; 133.0 proof Open 2 months Nose - Strawberry, red apple, sweet malt, powdered sugar, fresh pastry, medium oak, and strong ethanol. Palate - Saltwater taffy, strawberries and cream, honey, caramel apple, white chocolate, and pound cake. Finish is long with light and sweet oak, cereal grain, red fruit-flavored gum, and medium ethanol. This started off searing hot. It tasted a little too young and grainy, but after a week the heat wore off and it became the best version of itself. It bursts with bright red fruits, sweet cereal (think Crispix or Multi-Grain Cheerios), and creamy desserts. I purchased it and others at a Signatory and Gordon & MacPhail tasting event so I could split it with my brother. Looking back, I wish I got another bottle. It is a great sherried Scotch for the price.

Batch 2A Open 6 months Nose - Stewed berries, maple syrup, s'mores, crushed mint, rich oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Maple syrup, cinnamon bun, star anise, pine needle, black pepper, and rooibos tea. Finish is long with rich herbal and peppermint tea, slightly bitter oak, caramel, cinnamon, and medium ethanol. Another solid offering from Sagamore. They know how to do MGP rye, and it is always a really good price point for the age and proof.

Open 5 weeks Nose - Cocoa powder, cinnamon, cherry, cardamon, black pepper, medium oak, and strong ethanol. Palate - Black cherry, black pepper, slightly bitter oak, cinnamon, green apple, apricot, vanilla bean, and salted peanuts. Finish is medium-long with bitter oak, cherry pit, baking spices, apricot rind, and medium ethanol. I wasn't a fan of this at first, but it opened up nicely. I am rarely disappointed by Barrell products. They are one of the best blender's out there for the money. And it's great to see them consistently for $70-80 when they were steadfastly at $90 for a while.

Sourced from Ben Nevis Distillery Cask No. 1684 Distilled in 2012; Bottled in 2023 Aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for 6 years Finished in ex-Premier-Cru Pauillac cask for 5 years Age - 11 years 57.2% abv; 114.4 proof Open 7 months Nose - Honey, honeysuckle, fresh flower bouquet, strawberry, cereal, green apple, light oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Apple pie, Honey Nut Cheerios, caramel, saltwater taffy, peanuts, and a hint of baking spices. Finish is long with some sharp, youthful malt notes, honeysuckle, fresh strawberry, white sugar, and light ethanol. Fantastic whiskey. I've never heard of this wine cask, but apparently it is a coveted Bordeaux appellation that is not commonly used for Scotch. It should be. The cask imparts some of the best notes from ex-bourbon and ex-sherry cask finishes, combining classic honey and apple notes with red fruits. I love sherry finished Scotch, but sometimes heavy red fruits can obscure everything else. I've tried a few Ben Nevis offerings from multiple bottlers, and I am always impressed. They make good stuff.

Batch No. 013 Cigar Blend finished in Armagnac, port, cognac, and sherry casks Bottled in 09-2025 Age - 8 years 59.1% abv; 118.2 proof Open 5 months Nose - Mixed berries, cherry pie, light chalk, honey roasted peanuts, grape bubble gum, light oak, and strong ethanol. Palate - Heavy red wine, sweet oak, bread pudding, light gingerbread, white grape, light vanilla, cereal grain, and pine sap. Finish is long with peanut brittle, berry compote, cherry and grape cough syrup, burnt toast, and medium ethanol. Cigar blends can be anything. I've seen them as simple as toasted or double barreled bourbon and rye to finished in multiple fortified wine and spirits cask such as this. It's not bad, but there is a lot going on. On the bright side it is probably one of the cheapest cigar blends on the market. Copper & Cask is a solid NDP that puts out good blends and single barrels, but I wouldn't call this one of their better offerings.

OHLQ pick Cask No. 29598 Age - 14 years 56.4% abv; 112.8 proof Original price $124.99; Sale price $74.99 Open 7 months Nose - Heavy red fruits, plums, dates, sweet barley, honey, and medium ethanol. Palate - Sherry syrup, red fruit compote, Honey Nut Cheerios, cocoa, toffee, and a hint of grain. Finish is long with sweet barley, plum, strawberry, white grape, white pepper, pine needle, and building grain and ethanol on the back end. This is by far the best Irish whiskey pick I bought from OHLQ. It is pure sherry decadence, with barely a hint of Irish grain. For the clearance price it was an absolute steal. Looking back I wish I bought the other two Teeling picks instead of experimenting with the younger Bua and The Whistler picks. This is so much better, and now I'm always on the lookout for Teeling picks if they're reasonably priced.

Total Wine & More pick Barrel No. 25-0511 Warehouse TY-M; Floor 4 Distilled - 01-18-2017 Dumped - 06-18-2025 Bottled - 07-14-2025 Age - 8 years, 5 months Open 1 month Nose - Caramel, honey, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, pleasant oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Coffee cake, powdered sugar, white pepper, Reese's, and vanilla bean. Finish is long with a surprising level of viscosity and oak, white pepper, peanut brittle, marshmallow fluff, and light ethanol. This has almost the exact same origin as the previous pick I bought in New Hanover County, but 6 weeks older and picked by Total Wine. Must have been a popular round of barrel picks from TY-M. I am not complaining. This is a rock solid Russell's pick.

Allview Liquors/Drug City/Meander Matt pick Barrel No. ELE-009 Mashbill - 78% corn / 13% rye / 9% malted barley Distilled on 09-14-2014; Bottled on 01-2026 Age - 11 years, 4 months 63.48% abv; 126.96 proof Open 1 month Nose - Caramel popcorn, cherry bubble gum, honey roasted peanuts, creme brulee, gentle oak, and medium ethanol Palate - Rich pralines, vanilla bean, white pepper, cardamon, candied walnuts, and hints of mineral water and chalk. Finish is long with delightful sweet oak, heavy cherry bubble gum, pine sap, peanut shells, and medium ethanol. I wasn't sure what to make of this at first, but it was interesting and I kept going back to it over other things on my shelf. Originally my score would've been around 3.5, but it has really grown on me. I thought this was a cross between Booker's and a sourced Barton, and it turns out it was sourced from Jim Beam. If this weren't $100 I would rate it higher. Either way, I've been really impressed with Rare Character since I bought my first bottle last year. They know what they're doing with blending and single barrels.