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Yamazaki 18 Year
Distiller Score 97
There is a rich and milky feel to the whisky. The flavors found here sound like they would make a fabulous dessert: dates, figs, honey, walnuts, and cinnamon. Despite these sweet descriptors, the whisky finishes dry with those tastes pleasantly remaining on your palate.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Hibiki 30 Year
Distiller Score 97
Orange marmalade, rich dark chocolate, and apricots come first. Then, aromas of coffee, pepper, and tangerines. The nose is complex, to say the least. Oak and spice lead the palate. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and pepper blend in with rich oak, thick caramel, roasted marshmallows, and sweet malt. The long finish brings a touch of spearmint through the dark oak.
Reviewed by George Koutsakis
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Sullivans Cove American Oak Bourbon Cask
Distiller Score 89
Knowing that it uses new American Oak casks and that the whisky tasted for review was aged exactly 13 years to the day, you might expect that this whisky would be a little more full-bodied. It has a pretty high vanilla character all the way through, with Asian pear and Gala apples reigning throughout the first sip. Soon after, the character develops and takes an almost 180 degree turn to Tellicherry black peppercorns with the whisky finishing on the slightly smoky side.
Reviewed by Brock Schulte
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Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Seagrass (2022 Release)
Distiller Score 92
The nose offers creamy vanilla, rice pudding, and banana bread flecked with cinnamon. The palate has a multitude of sugary fruits, including watermelon Jolly Ranchers, canned peaches in syrup, and macerated grapes. The lengthy finish is rich and flavorful, with dried apricots, spearmint, baking spices, and vanilla bean ice cream. Almost startling how little heat there is given the proof.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Sullivans Cove French Oak Port Cask
Distiller Score 93
Caramelized barley lends to a peaty backbone that barely gives the smoke any legs at all. The proof is subtle and lends to a vegetal green pepper/purple radish flavor before the peat picks up again. It ends with a molasses and smoked banana fruitiness similar to 15-20 year aged rums, no doubt due to the French ex-port barrel.
Reviewed by Brock Schulte
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Kavalan Solist Fino Single Cask Strength
Distiller Score 87
A rich and winey opening on the nose, dark sugars atop a bed of fruits in the hot summer sun. On the tongue, it is full and rich with dark plums, cherries, cinnamon, toffee and cinnamon-raisin toast coming through and surprisingly the palate with their vigor. The finish is long and well spiced, tingling the tongue with Muscat-soaked nuts and cream that rests perfectly on the tongue.
Reviewed by Marcus Parmenter
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Hibiki 17 Year Chrysanthemum & Crane
Distiller Score 93
Gentle fruit lead the nose with melon, juicy peaches, and apricots competing, as freshly cut roses and honey hide in the background. The palate rolls in smooth with dark cherries atop a thick base of caramel and vanilla. Juicy fruit return on the finish, and linger playfully.
Reviewed by George Koutsakis
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Yamazaki 25 Year (Discontinued)
Distiller Score 96
The nose is exceptional. Dried figs, peaches, apples and walnuts. Aromas of old oak, roasted almonds, and rich sherry join the fruit. The mouth-coating, rich mouthfeel allows the fruit notes to escalate, as the presence of cinnamon and winter spice becomes evident. The finish is long, rich and oily, with hints of dark chocolate, licorice, and sweet, aged plums throughout.
Reviewed by George Koutsakis
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Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Single Cask Strength
Distiller Score 88
While extremely light on the palate, the flavors are very deep and complex. The grapey-ness of the wine influence really comes through, mixed with the cereal notes of the malted barley and the vanilla from the oak itself. The finish reminds a bit of a root-beer-flavored Life Saver candy, which makes it a fun sip. A drop of water makes the hot finish a bit more creamy.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Kavalan Solist Port Single Cask Strength
Distiller Score 93
Nose starts surprisingly with honeysuckle, before moving to candied fruits, citrus zest, and dark brown sugar. The mouthfeel is syrupy, with bitter dark chocolate, red fruits and berries, nuttiness, molasses, and maple syrup drenched brioche. The cask strength shows with heat on a supremely lengthy but resoundingly smooth finish, with hints of leather and shoe polish mingling with oak, nuts, candied orange peel, and citrus oils. Add water, and more rich chocolate and sweetness emerges, followed by touches of raspberry and spice.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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WhistlePig The Boss Hog Straight Rye Whiskey
Distiller Score 92
Please do try both without water and with to see how each drop of water opens up the rye. Vanilla and cherry wood, cinnamon butterscotch, spiced & charred wood, peppercorns, the flavors go on and on. The whiskey warms you from the inside and has an everlasting gobstopper of a spicy finish.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Kavalan Solist Oloroso Sherry Single Cask Strength
Distiller Score 87
Rich and extremely aromatic, the nose is dominated by an assortment of red fruits and chocolate, but there’s also mint, paint thinner, and soy. The palate is rich and fruity, with blackberries and plums, but it also has a nutty element, as well as cloves. Finally the finish shifts to a drier note, highlighted by tobacco leaves and cocoa.
Reviewed by Thijs Klaverstijn