Tastes
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So many good reviews after I hated that kentucky oak (at first, it grew to be ok) and never getting the love of the Lastu (spelled right?). But for 99 bucks in 2024 this felt ok. nose - And all fears leave me as a I get red breast kinda vanilla grainy earthy notes from those pot stills with light and not over the top PX. no over oaked elements to be seen! Taste - This is sweet sticky px goodness over redbreast. The balance of the two is also good. It's more redbreast than PX. Good mixed effect on the finish. Berry jam, toasted oak, toffee, light spices. I know I'm dragging on reviewing this as a redbreast and not trying to explain it as a whisky but I doubt anyone interested cares because they know what I mean when I say redbreast. I'll give this a 2.25. For the money at 100 add .5 stars. Remember i score more to a 4.0 scale so the points after that are EPIC. I think this is a great buy and I'm glad I got it. But there's no wow here. Just good solid whisky.
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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A124
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed April 27, 2024 (edited May 8, 2024)Welcome to 2024. The rent's too high, I'll never own a home, and my 2015 car I guess has to last me the next 10 years! But at least bourbon hasn't changed? Oh wait...ECBP is now not 12 years old? They are lower proof at under 120 proof? OK we're all having to accept a changing time, but not lower standards. We just gotta accept times are hard. Nose - Classic heaven hill vanilla and light corn over a bit of spice from the rickhouse. It's simple at first. Taste - Rich, but leaning towards sour and drying. Then on the finish a lot of really big smokey oak....not bad but different. Lets jump right to water. So we have classic ECBP here again! Nutty, rich, buttery, light smoke, and just classic vanilla caramel with some hints of leather and oak. This is just another meh ECBP, but anyone jumping on this has some falling off beyond what we've had for years...just an alarmist. You don't need this one. But you'll be happy to have it if you love bourbon. 75 bucks for me with 500 points. This doesn't wow me given that point aspect but no regrets! Not sure if I'm holding myself to my standards but 2.75 feels fine. 2.5-2.75.75.0 USD per Bottle -
Old Forester The 117 Series: High Angels' Share Barrels
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed April 27, 2024 (edited May 2, 2024)Batch 3. About 65 bucks. Obviously...just dumb luck I found this one. I wasn't after it. Nose - HOT. So full disclosure this is in a copita and maybe the wrong glass. Oak, oak, and oak. It's hot, it's astringent...and yet. I kinda like it? Pull back and you'll get lovely vanilla, banana foster, and just good rich smokey toasted marsh mellow. Taste - Rich and full of flavor. 110 proof...you could tell me 130 with how rich this is. The back end needs more oils for THAT, but as a drinker I don't need a bit more here. It's fruity, yet heavy oak and char...it's big it's bold. Man. I gotta add water to explain this one. Somehow that sometimes metallic and off putting note you get on old forester has been covered in oak and pushed into a wonderful spice forward drinker. Lovely from top to bottom. For you looking for more notes, just chocolate, smoked vanilla, bannanas, cream, charred and smoked oak, with a fruity kinda pie thing. I'm impressed as hell. This is a flavor bomb up front, but not a deep nuanced whisky. Giving it a crazy high 3.25 and I'd go way higher for my enjoyment. This is everything I want in bourbon. Other than nuanced and complex age! And frankly it's got more of that than I'm letting on. There's depth here, but it comes on so intense it's hard to fully explore and savor. -
Baker's Single Barrel Bourbon 13 Year
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed March 23, 2024 (edited March 25, 2024)2023 release. Nose - can I just say basic bourbon? OK Ok...I"ll say more. This comes off light and fruity, nearing caramel apples. As you dig in however the rich oak comes through, hints of leather, old spice, dusty cabinets, and of course vanilla extract. It's really nice but a touch muted and lends itself to upon first arrival just smelling like some less nutty than usual beam. Taste - Similar to the nose, the arrival is also pretty basic but exceptionally clean bourbon. Light fruits and vanilla. Thankfully, things turn up as you swallow and the finish gives you great beam oak notes (that dirty and rich oak they always give off), leathers, and a really nice level of spice builds up. A very nicely done 13 year old bourbon. Nothing outstanding here. just well crafted and put together. I'll give it a solid 3.25. I'd say about an 87 on a 100 point scale. At 150ish, I think think this is fair value.150.0 USD per Bottle -
Ardnamurchan Single Malt Whisky Cask Strength - Peated
Single Malt — Highland, Scotland
Reviewed March 14, 2024 (edited March 15, 2024)So I can't find a code or anything here. This is the first release of the CS without a date so I assume this is where I should review it. This is nearing the end, I've been using this as my "I can't taste but want peat" whisky for a while...that'll let you know where we are going. Mike and I already reviewed on the channel, but this is months later and near the end. Nose - Bubble Gum going on strawberry with hints of cherry. Those sour fruits over a smoke pit...coal driven. Some mint, pine, and a touch of kinda glue sour. Overall really lovely. More pepper and lemon grass. Taste - There's a lovely sweetness, but yeah spiced. really spiced. Good smoke and peat notes. Good vanila and a good kiss of sherry. But god this is heavy pepper and spice. I"m not sure where this is coming from. Youth or maybe odd casks? I'm leaning youthful malt. I really hope this malt matures from this spice note and gets rounded out by the 10 year mark (which is coming out soon). I think this is going to be great at 10 years old. But this isn't there yet. 1.25 - potential here, but you don't need this. Maybe split a bottle 10 ways to try the distillery. -
New Riff 8 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed March 8, 2024 (edited March 22, 2024)70 after tax basically for an 8 year 100 proof bourbon. OK...not great. From a CRAFT bourobn distillery? Oh...that's kinda fair! Nose - It's new riff. Whatever it is they do...they can't escape being new riff! But lets added raisened fruits and leather with dark chocolate notes. Taste - Again...it's new riff! If you know you know, right? But now we add a huge layer of both dark and malted chocolate notes. Hints of butter scotch sneak in. There's a depth and complexity around what is an otherwise kinda normal bourbon for those of us who like new riff. Bottom line...damn good for 70 bucks (after tax). I want to do something silly like 3.0 just because I'm the first review and I know I'm scoring lower than the community but 2.25 is a very fair score by my standards. This is well done really good bourbon. But it's nothing WOW level. They are showing 100% that at 10-12 years they might be putting out BTAC stuff. This is really going to a great place, not just good.70.0 USD per Bottle -
Springbank 10 Year Old Palo Cortado Cask Strength
Single Malt — Campbeltown, Scotland
Reviewed March 7, 2024 (edited April 2, 2024)So review already up on top shelf whisky, but lets see. Nose - Dry, higher alcohol, and salty (really salty). Light sweetness, wine notes, and well springbank 10 notes. I know a cop but lets keep this simple, you're not reading this if you haven't had springbank 10. Taste - Nose is simple but the taste is really fun. This gives me bannana, malt, white grapes, salt, more salt, light smoke, touch of grape, and really nice vanilla sweet. Yeah rich peat is coming through as I sample it. Weird sour notes don't work great for me and it's a big issue. I love springbank and this is springbank. But this is a poor finishing on younger whisky. 2.75...a crazy score for springbank. -
Port Charlotte 18 Year (2024 Release)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed March 7, 2024 (edited May 2, 2024)6000 bottles, mostly refilled sherry with a french oak refilled wine cask. Interesting. Always - these are neck pour reviews. Nose - Oh this is layered. Opening is sweet vanilla with red fruits. Digging deeper you get raspberry gasoline notes. Some hints of confectioner sugar. Clean smoke and touches of salinity. Taste - So lets just start, absurdly great mouth feel and just overall flavor! I get mixes of red fruits, cheese cake, rich smoke, savory meats. The mix of slightly acidic charred beef tips with red fruits is interesting. It's an interesting mix of cask flavors coming from those odd wine casks they used. OK - off a neck and first time with this. This is great. Price is 180 pounds I think...I think I paid a bit more given the 6000 bottles. Shipped and what not was about 300 for me lets say. I think this is a pretty decent buy. Not a must buy but it's good. I'm going to give this a 3.5, but I could go higher. Hoping this will open up a bit to make it better. -
Blood Oath Bourbon Pact No. 9
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed December 24, 2023 (edited February 7, 2024)This is my 4th blood oath, never been impressed, but always found them interesting and even the rum finished didn't leave me feeling it down on these (maybe over priced). I'd decided I was done however....and then they did Oloroso Sherry AND used 16 year old bourbon? Well ok...lets give this a shot. 150 seems to be the standard price, not sure why distiller thinks MSRP is 130. Costco Price? To do this I like I tend to do....poured all my blood oaths to make sure I could provide a more nuanced difference. I have 19, 20, 21 and 23 here. Nose - Light on fruits with a big milk chocolate coco powder over rich leathery oak. Honestly, really exactly what I'd wanted here. I've always found the blood oaths are over the top on oak, especially given they use sub 10 year bourbons in the blends. But Oloroso and oak are a really nice combo so I knew this had potential. Light raspberry vanilla undertones as well. Vs the rest - this is by FAR the driest and most oak forward. The others all seem to have their own style of sweet. This one leans to that coco powder for sweetness while letting the back end carry a nice bourbon sugar note. This one just comes off more sophisticated. Taste - Flat on arrival yet silky smooth. Quickly however is erupts in flavors. But there's a clean sweetness up front. Followed by this kinda soapy note I get on nearly all of these blood oaths (especially the cognac....of course the other "normal" cask finishing). Oaks and leathers then rise up, a lot of tannins. Then on the back end red fruits, raisins, prunes, figs, all come forward. Really setting this apart from most bourbons is a clear 3rd if not 4th wave of flavors on almost what I'd call the after finish. This is an exceptional sign of quality. I'll get back to final thoughts however. The comp? Well the Cognac which I really have liked today is coming off really soapy bitter, i mean it's still sweet as heck xo cognac here too but theres this note I can't get past. Good mouthfeel, more oily than dry. Good. The Sauternes is drinking so weird I think I mixed up the rum and sauternes. But yeah...it's not coming off like there's much of a finish. Drying, over oaked, poorly blended bourbon vs the others. Rum - again I can't believe I didn't mix these up but I'm digging it. OK maybe a hint of a flintstone vitamin giving me some sour fruits. But it's pretty good. So overall and vs the others. I like this one a lot. 150 bucks good? Yeah, I think in 2023 with today's prices this is about right. It isn't a wow bottle and it isn't a must get. it's a reasonable value that gives you a really nice complex experience but I'm not sure it all comes together to be the sum of all those fun parts. Where the vs comes in is that compared to this all the others had seemingly overt flaws that can be off putting. This one...it's just good. I'll have to go back to the Sauternes when it's not next to some of these more active casks, I recall that one being much better. Anyway if you're into big oak and sherry bourbon, you really should get one of these if it's in the budget. For everyone else, get a bar pour and call it a day unless 150 isn't an expensive bottle to you. I'll go 2.75. Average is 2.0. 3.0 is exceptional. 4.0 is perfect. And 5.0 is life changing.150.0 USD per Bottle -
New Riff Winter Whiskey
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed December 18, 2023 (edited December 21, 2023)Young bourbon made with a stupid gimmick someone's gonna excuse cause they hired a beer guy to make their whisk(e)y? I'll take a case! Nose is light citrus with light ethanol...its bourbon. Oh ok...chocolate, vanilla, oats, hell I'm getting rootbeer. It's not RICH or decadent, but it's really really something nice, a change of pace, and ok...it's kinda awesome. Taste - yeah it's new riff if you know that. But it's young 4 year bourbon with chocolate chip cookie notes, oatmeal notes, hints of toffee. Yeah it's a bit youthful, it's got some citrus which doesn't go with cookies. Look - I'm downplaying this because as a whisky guy....it's not our traditional whisky.I just wanted to have fun. Honestly - this is the best 50 dollar whiskey I've had in years...it's 55 now. Oh well. I do think this year's was a HAIR worse than last. Oh well. If you want a chocolate oatmeal forward young bourbon with more oak notes than you'd expect. Get this. If you don't....still get it! I'm iffy on score but I think 2.75 is about right. I could go higher, and for PRICE, it's a 4 star! But buy this in a second people! It's 125 dollar whisky in 2023 for 55.55.0 USD per Bottle
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