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Greenore Single Grain 8 Year
Distiller Score 88
The nose is fairly fragrant with sweet corn, but also includes freshly sliced green apples, coconut, and gentle wood spices. The vanilla picks up a bit more on the palate which starts off silky, but finishes on the oily side. There is a nice tangy quality to the dram that has you salivating for another sip.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel
Distiller Score 93
Not a lot of oak on the nose on this whisky, instead, the bouquet shows butterscotch, flambéed bananas foster, freshly-baked cinnamon rolls, and maple syrup covered flapjacks. The palate starts sweet, think divinity, with walnut and a touch of oak before going into a very soft grain-forward profile. Ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg notes follow behind. The finish is smooth and lingering, with warm gingerbread, black pepper, oak, spearmint and a bit more cooked banana. There is a bit of heat from the alcohol, but it is balanced and provides a good counterpoint to the sweetness of this whisky.
Reviewed by Distiller Staff
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Dewar's Scratched Cask
Distiller Score 93
The aromas from this Scotch are compelling and varied with cereal grains, milk chocolate, pear crisp, and orange peel coming to the forefront. Sea salt caramels, vanilla, and Fuji apple follow suit. The mouthfeel is mild and smooth, with more of the same qualities on the nose as on the palate with cinnamon, mint and toasted almonds coming into the mix. The finish features a big chocolate orange note that is classically Dewar's followed by more cinnamon and soft oak. This will be a very easy whisky to gift, given its smooth and unique flavor profile. A home run for the House of Dewar's.
Reviewed by Distiller Staff
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Leopold Bros. American Small Batch Whiskey
Distiller Score 83
The nose is a nice balance of spice and sugars with notes of caramel, brown sugar, and hints of molasses. This is soon followed by a nice rye and light baking-spice, baked apple, and delicate under-ripe strawberries. On the palate, this whiskey tastes of corn, baking spice, and caramelized sugars with hints of Bartlett pear and vanilla bean. The wood tannins are soft and perhaps a little on the light side for the modern whiskey palate, but perhaps right on for the pre-Prohibition-style that Leopold Bros. set out to recreate.
Reviewed by Ryan Conklin
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West Cork 10 Year Single Malt
Distiller Score 87
A fragrant mix of caramel and apples on the nose gives way to cereal (think Corn Flakes). The taste has a lot of those same cereal notes, alongside toffee, apple, and chocolate. Being non-chill filtered gives it a more viscous mouth feel, making for an Irish whiskey you feel like you could chew for dessert.
Reviewed by Keith Allison
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Gibson's Finest 12 Year
Distiller Score 88
Honey and strawberries on the nose. There's also a bit of citrus zest, caramel corn, and it has a waxy astringent character. Lots of rye, bitter orange peel, wood varnish, and caramel come next. Both caramel and strawberry notes assert themselves as it sits. The finish is warm but doesn't stick around very long. A thoroughly pleasing example of a refined, complex, but smooth and familiar tasting Canadian whisky.
Reviewed by Keith Allison
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Old Fitzgerald 12 Year
Distiller Score 88
Soft, sweet corn, rolled oats, buttery cinnamon sugar cookies, vanilla, and toffee dominate the nose with subtle aromas of oak in the background. Big flavors of gooey vanilla toffee, cinnamon toast, and maple syrup stand up front with mild hints of spice, wood, and red delicious apples rounding out the palate. The finish lingers with all the spice and oak that was missing in the first tastes with round and sweet mouth-coating memories of buttery toffee.
Reviewed by Ryan Conklin
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Tullibardine Sovereign
Distiller Score 84
Lots of cereal malt, orange, vanilla, and coconut on the nose. The taste boasts white chocolate, peaches and cream, spice cake, toasted coconut, and a hint of cinnamon. It has a medium finish full of spice, vanilla cream, and orange zest.
Reviewed by Keith Allison
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Daviess County Kentucky Straight Bourbon French Oak Finish
Distiller Score 91
A well-balanced use of French oak, which can be tricky with a spirit as muscular as bourbon. Right out of the glass is a rush of floral and pastry (think pound cake) notes that are held tightly together by sturdy rye and spice aromas. The palate is lush with nut and pear flavors that closes with a lingering tobacco note. Elegant and fun.
Reviewed by Colin Howard
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Big Bottom Barlow Trail Port Cask Finish
Distiller Score 91
After the initial alcohol heat has time to dissipate, the whiskey has a lively nose with Madagascar vanilla, flan, oak, fresh orange peel and raspberry. On the palate, an initial rush of vanilla fudge and caramel sauce gives way to baked raspberry crisp, with hints of toasted almonds, white peppercorns, cinnamon sugar, raisins, baking spices and oat cakes. The finish starts with warm alcohol and cinnamon, then into black pepper, but quickly dissolves leaving oak, tawny port, dried plum, and toasted cereal grains on the palate.
Reviewed by Distiller Staff
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Breaking & Entering Bourbon
Distiller Score 89
Warm banana nut bread and vanilla caramels dominate the nose with hints of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg rounding out the aromas. One sip will prove that the sweetness in the nose was supremely deceptive as nuttiness and spice pull forward with dominant cinnamon, white pepper, and a touch of menthol. A moderate finish persists with big wood, baking spice and caramel with lingering banana flambé.
Reviewed by Ryan Conklin
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Clayton James Tennessee Whiskey
Distiller Score 87
A surprising bouquet of apples and pears greets the nose, along with caramel, apricot, and most surprisingly agave. The taste is rich, with maple syrup, vanilla, spice, and that curious mezcal-esque agave again. Water brings out the whiskey's floral notes as well as accentuating caramel, smoke, charcoal, and even rosewater. A truly unique and surprising Tennessee offering unlike anything else being done in the state.
Reviewed by Keith Allison