This is a new one, Corsair Mosaic is a single malt whisky that’s been vapor hopped through the distillation process. Thanks @ContemplativeFox for the sample to try as I’ve only had one whisky before this that had hops included and that was Charbay S Lot 211A which I liked a lot, so interested in how this experiment with hops went. Going into this one is reminiscent of a past experience from my childhood. So let’s start up my childhood/whisky story. I used to play little league baseball and my prime position was right field, then one day my coach decided I am ready for a change and has me play third base. Similar to this whisky, I question if I want to step out of my comfort zone and try something else and decide to go for it. So I get all set up, pitcher is ready, batter comes up and I take my position ready to play. The nose on this is starts with lemon pine-sol, freshly cut grass, a pile of freshly pulled weeds from the garden, flint rocks, used cooking oils, light caramel, ginger and moderate ethanol burn. So the nose is interesting and kind of a weird funky, definitely some new flavors I’ve not had in a whisky before. Much like playing third base for the first time, it’s different, and a feeling of nervousness and excitement all at the same time. So the game has begun and now the batter comes up, pitcher throws the first pitch of the game and I’m ready, then all of a sudden the batter crushed the ball and I have a line drive headed right for me. Time for a taste. The taste is medium mouthfeel starting with lemon pine-sol, grass clippings, piles of pulled weeds, flint rocks, bitter dark chocolate finishing with ginger and barrel spices with a strong burn. The taste is similar to what happened next in the story, the baseball came at me and bounced off my chest, similar to the hop flavor bomb of this whisky. It’s so much, I’m looking for water and ready to head back to right field to kick dandelions and watch planes fly over again. The finish is weedy, spicy with ginger beer that’s unbalanced and too much ginger, some bitter chocolate and long, those herbal notes stick around much like my chest pain after getting clobbered by the baseball and the bruising my tongue has endured from this whisky. It takes time to heal but lingers for minutes. One would think, I would learn from the first tasting, but I repeated this multiple times to make sure it wasn’t just a surprise shock. It turned out to not be a surprise shock and each time was another line drive of weedy hop covered baseball rocketing at my chest, that I was incapable of catching, followed by knocking me off my feet again and again. I am now back to right field with a bottle of WR double oak, enjoying my Hershey syrup covered banana split as I work through the emotional and physical toll Mosaic has done to me. Perhaps a visit to a psychiatrist called Dr. Jack Daniels to get some much needed barrel proof medication is required.