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Hirsch Selection 28 Year Bourbon
Distiller Score 97
The nose is soft at first and but as you dive deeper you become bathed in the peppered, rich toffee and dried apricot notes. Vanilla, walnut and nutmeg enrich the complex woody whiskey. There’s a lingering finish of soft caramel and toffee with well-defined clove and earth. All of these flavors work in concert making this dangerously easy to drink. Please DO NOT mix this with Cola.
Reviewed by Brock Schulte
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Angel's Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels (2023 Edition)
Distiller Score 93
Tart lingonberries show up prominently on the nose, followed by brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. The palate showcases salted caramel, spearmint, candied orange peel, barrel char, and prunes. The finish is sweet, with raspberry syrup, grape juice, and dark chocolate, and closing notes of almonds, oak, and leather.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Dewar's Signature
Distiller Score 93
If anything is Dewar's signature, it's honey. This bottling has it in spades. The texture is chewy and also includes berries, vanilla cream, and chocolate. Kudos to their former Master Blender, Tom Aitken for creating this blend.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Macallan Fine Oak 25 Year
Distiller Score 93
A robust aroma of peach, blood orange and coconut greet you as you take bring the glass to your nose. There are wood spices found, but become integrated on the palate. The retro-nasal flavor profile is fruit, floral, and fresh despite the 25 years of age. A slight smoke lingers on your palate on the finish.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Dalmore Select Edition 2008 (Bottled 2023)
Distiller Score 89
The nose is sherried and sweet, with dates, honey, vanilla wafers, and dark chocolate covered raisins. The palate is viscous and showcases cocoa powder, ginger chews, and blackberries and raspberries macerated with sugar. The finish offers oak, cacao nibs, lemon peel, and candied orange slices. A warming dram for sherry lovers.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Macallan The Harmony Collection Rich Cacao
Distiller Score 89
True to its name, the nose offers gooey dark chocolate brownies, fudge, and carob, all intermeshed with prunes, raw honey, and trail mix. The palate showcases cocoa powder, raspberry syrup, cinnamon, and malted milk balls. A rich and indulgent finish brings chocolate in the form of lava cake, covered raisins, and pudding, along with dates, orange zest, and wood spice.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Bruichladdich 1986/30 Sherry: The Magnificent Seven
Distiller Score 95
The nose is leathery, thick, and rich with chocolate, sticky toffee pudding, dried fruits and sultanas. The palate is a beauty of complexity and layered aromas, showing citrusy notes as well as pastries, tobacco leaves, coffee beans and a slight iodine touch. The finish is incredibly lingering with rancio. Overall, if you like a good old sherry bomb with plenty of complexity, this should be something up your alley!
Reviewed by Anne-Sophie Bigot
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Wyoming Whiskey Barrel Strength Bourbon (Barrel #3242)
Distiller Score 94
A deep mahogany color beckons from the glass, with big baking spices leading on the nose, followed by vanilla and dry oak. The palate starts with rich sweetness, think hot caramel on a chocolate dessert, with sugar-dusted berries, cedar, cinnamon, red wine, and candy cane. The finish is long and sweet, with juicy fruits and mint chocolate chip ice cream balanced by peppery oak, leather, and a Red Hots combination of spice and cinnamon.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Compass Box Hedonism The Muse
Distiller Score 94
Creamy vanilla pudding pulls you in on the nose, with peaches and cream, vanilla-covered pretzels, and tropical fruits. The palate is luscious and richly sweet, with butterscotch, trail mix with sugary dried fruits, candied apples, and plenty of vanillas. The finish is short and sweet, with quick hits of citrus, spice, and oak rounded out by that creamy vanilla sweetness encouraging you to sip again. A supreme example of blended grain whisky.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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The Glenrothes 1985 2nd Edition
Distiller Score 93
Rich, sweet, and fruity on the nose, full of caramel, malt, buttery cinnamon toast, pears, and cream. The taste sticks with what the nose suggests then adds oak, chocolate, and orange zest to the mix. The long finish drifts dreamily from oak spice and chocolate-orange sweetness.
Reviewed by Keith Allison
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Bruichladdich 1984/32 Bourbon: All In
Distiller Score 96
Vanilla and crème brûlée lead on the nose, backed by toffee and butterscotch, oak, and a layer of bright fruits off in the back. A burst of tropical fruits then shows on the palate, with peaches and melons, and bubblegum. Sumptuously sweet and smooth, with rich vanillins and hints of black pepper and spice. The finish is long and wonderfully warming, with touches of menthol, as well as more vanilla and fruits. An absolute stunner.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Compass Box Stranger & Stranger
Distiller Score 92
This strange spirit showcases a wildly fruity nose with tropical bubblegum, sour apples, and a mélange of papaya, mango, and apricot, all with a strain of toffee in the background. Think creamy on the palate, with strawberries and cream alongside vanilla pudding, with honey, leather, and oak. A smooth finish offers more fruity creaminess studded with spicy black pepper, pine needles, and mint.
Reviewed by Jake Emen