Tastes
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Fukano Sherry Cask Limited Edition
Other Whiskey — Kumamoto, Japan
Reviewed August 21, 2020 (edited August 22, 2020)Sticky sweet plums, sweetened raisins, sultanas, buttery, blackberries, leather, creme brulee, and faint stewed vegetables on the nose leave little doubt of the sweet digestif character of this dram. In the palate, there's a full, creamy mouthfeel dominated by dark fruits, dark candi syrup, light roast coffee, butterscotch, and more leather. Here is where the whiskey shines and shows its uniqueness. The rice is not so pronounced in the flavor, but the transformation in the viscosity is dramatic. This is a thick, creamy whiskey! It's almost a syrup, coating and full-bodied. There's a drying sensation on the finish, which marries with baking spice and more dark fruit to leave a long, flavorful finish that allows just the right amount of warming to round this whisky out. -
Laphroaig Càirdeas 2017 Cask Strength Quarter Cask Edition
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed August 19, 2020 (edited August 26, 2022)Laphroaig Cairdeas 2017 Cask Strength Quarter Cask may be the first Cairdeas line that actually disappoints. The regular Quarter Cask Laphroaig was actually my entry point into peated scotches and, as such, has been a perennial favorite, an old friend. I've had the dram numerous times and, naturally, had high expectations for the cask strength variation. Nose is meringue with soft vanilla, restrained peat, heather, Bisquick, and tapioca. Overall, it isn't all that eventful. The palate steps up: moderate brine, campfire smoke, seaweed, citrus cleaner, and a fading hospital rubber on the finish which sticks to the smoke and brine. There is a bit of ash and it is, indeed, quite smooth. However, the flavor complexity just isn't there. Nor does the finish linger for days like the regular Quarter Cask. Addition of water doesn't open it up much either. It somehow, strangely, has less pizzazz than the bottling that has been cut! -
Castarède Armagnac Réserve de la Famille
Armagnac — Bas-Armagnac, France
Reviewed July 27, 2020 (edited July 28, 2020)Nose contains plum, vanilla, buttered toast, and nougat. In the palate, there's leather, mid range caramels, nutmeg, oak, and mandarines. The finish is where it gets quite interesting. Rancio comes forward, gently, with a faint musty and cooked fruit note. There's overcooked biscuits, shoe polish, and a slight creamy note not unlike whey. It's impeccably smooth with a medium finish and lingering bit of jam on the roof of the mouth. -
Easily the most underwhelming Laphroaig I have ever had. The nose is thin with a bit of lemon pepper, leafy greens, vanilla, green chiles, and slight brine. It's Laphroaig, but an ashamed stepchild version of Laphroaig. The palate is even more underwhelming: a touch of campfire, some ginger, pear, and not much else. It's smooth on the finish...that's it's one redeeming quality. There's a bit of briny campfire smoke, but overall it's quite thin. Not offensive in any respect but completely forgettable. Other than the uniqueness of the label (with it being a traveler's exclusive), there is no reason to ever buy this bottle.
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Glenglassaugh Port Wood Finish
Single Malt — Highland, Scotland
Reviewed May 24, 2020 (edited October 11, 2020)Herbal wood and berries on the nose meet with cereal and Indian gum to give a rich, yet soft air that beckons the partaker in with promises of a complex tale of fruit married with Highland whisky. In the palate, allspice, cayenne, vanilla cream, grapefruit, citrus zest and dance gracefully before a lingering honey, raspberry jam, dry oak, and a lingering pepper warm subside. There's much here to contemplate: full yet not overpowering, rich yet subtle, and gentle. It's a whisky of grace and poise which, in an almost supernatural manner, seems almost the perfect dram for a rainy spring day. -
Bunnahabhain 13 Year Marsala Finish
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed May 19, 2020 (edited March 20, 2021)The mixture of exotic honey notes in this whiskey is impressive: honeyed biscuits on the nose, buckwheat honey in the palate, drying honeycomb on the finish. It's think, full flavored, and a delight for someone looking for an earthy, herbal dram. The nose has compliments of buttery pine nuts, almonds, vanilla, and hay. In the palate, there's rich body which is full and chewy laden with notes of biscuits, loads of dried apricots, walnuts, and more vanilla. The finish has a nice, prickly spice character to it, a bit of dry wine, and stewed vegetables. Still, hovering over it all, is that honey--made all the more impressive given the viscous and full flavor of this whiskey. -
Sequestered brine, seaweed, and faint tar notes join ginger cookies, sardines, and fresh lemon zest in a distinctly Ardbeg nose. The ocean is more evident here than in other releases: kippers, salmon, saltines, and a bit of kale are in the palate, although not without honeycomb, faint vanilla, and grassy herbs. The finish comes in with a big campfire smoke, white pepper, and a whiff of mocha. The finish is medium, without the viscous resiny character of other Ardbegs. Semisweet and a step down from the peat punch most Ardbeg enthusiasts would expect (although still a peat lover's dram), it's definitely a great sipper. However, it also represents Ardbeg playing it safe. Might it have had at least one muscle to flex?
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GlenDronach Tawny Port Finish 15 Year
Single Malt — Highland, Scotland
Reviewed May 18, 2020 (edited May 19, 2020)Nose contains ample preserve and fruitcake notes joined by a medley of stone fruits, sweet red wine, and blood orange. The palate contains more of the same, joined by ginger candy, raisins, slight fruity pepper, trail mix, and a mix of sweet and unsweetened jams. Strawberries and pastry sweets including cereal come in on the finish. Sweet--a definite digestif--with much to contemplate for port finish fans. Still, if you are looking for more than the fruit contribution, there isn't much else from the spirit to compliment. -
The nose has ample cane sugar, heavy caramel, blood oranges, ancient leather, shoe box, pralines, bran muffins, and raisin bread. The latter is the clear contribution of the cognac finishing: unsweetened, baked brown raisins. In the palate, more cane sugar, a bit of agave, cola, herbal wood, and burnt caramels. The finish rounds out with a mild fruit contribution, particularly dates, signifying once more its cognac contribution. Compared to its brother, Zacapa 23, this is no where near as saccharine, although it is sweet, and is impeccably smooth. For all the confectionary notes, it does not become syrupy. Nor, like Zacapa 23, does it become dominated by chocolate and vanilla notes. Instead, this is a harmonious marriage of a premium cane sugar rum and a well-aged cognac cask.
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Tobermory 15 Year
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed January 13, 2020 (edited December 8, 2022)One of my secret gem distilleries (and one I have great hopes for now that it's out of its two-year closure for renovations), Tobermory is among my favorite non-peat bomb, non-sherry bomb single malts. It's easy to tell why: the nose is rife with complex notes of ripe strawberries, plums, rum raisins, sultanas, buttery toffee, marmalade, ginger candy, and loads of prunes. The sherry casking is obvious, but it doesn't overpower many of the essential Tobermory characteristics such as its delightful gingerbread cookie, tropical fruit, and white pepper notes. In the palate, there's dried grass, cooked nuts, tropical fruit, toffee, and a mild brine character. It's chewy and rich with a full mouthfeel. In the finish there's a white pepper heat with a very subdued pepper spice that marries with lingering notes of fruitcake, coconut cream, earthy honey, and sherry. It's savory, dries sharply, and lingers for days.
Results 11-20 of 196 Reviews