Review - Glenfiddich Project XX Experimental Series #02
There are 20 different barrels used in this blend: 17 bourbon, 1 port pipe & 2 sherry casks. It's really a great product but the complexity and effort that goes into crafting this whisky doesn't exactly translate into the experience.
Rating 3.5 Glasses
- Distillery: Glenfiddich Distillery
- Years Aged: NAS
- Proof: 94
- Local Price (USD): $79.95
- Availability: Widespread
- Local Price (USD): $79.95
Tasting Notes
- Color & Consistency: Light Golden Honey. Legs slow and thick.
- Nose: Floral, orange citrus, butterscotch, not overly complex.
- Taste: Spice, honey butter, a pinch of salt and butterscotch with a bourbonesque oakiness.
- Finish: Rather pleasurable. Long and peppery.
- Conclusion: Being non-chill filtered adds some body to this wonderful dram. There are 20 different barrels used in this blend: 17 bourbon, 1 port pipe & 2 sherry casks. It's really a great product but the complexity and effort that goes into crafting this whisky doesn't exactly translate into the experience. Good as a gift but we wouldn't go searching it out again for the price.
Review - Ardbeg Kelpie Single Malt Scotch
Tastes like a burning fishing vessel. Smooth with a taste of the sea and all of the peatiness we have come to know and love from Ardbeg.
Rating 3.5 Glasses
- Distillery: Ardbeg Distillery
- Years Aged: NAS
- Proof: 92
- Local Price (USD): $109.00
- Availability: Uncommon
- Local Price (USD): $109.00
Tasting Notes
- Color & Consistency: Light hay. Long, thin & inconsistent legs.
- Nose: Smoke, peat & salty sea air. The Black Sea and caviar
- Taste: Oilier than Ardbeg 10, smoked salmon, peat. Old butterscotch candies from last thanksgiving that ended up in grandma Betsy's ashtray instead of the candy bowl.
- Finish: Straight and to the point, doesn't linger long. Smokey bitterness with a hint of roasted seaweed.
- Conclusion: Tastes like a burning fishing vessel. Smooth with a taste of the sea and all of the peatiness we have come to know and love from Ardbeg. Very tasty but save your rupees and by 2 or more bottles of Ardbeg 10. It's just a little too expensive for what you get and one of the reasons we knocked it down a glass on the rating. If you are an Ardbeg fan like we are, then definitely grab a bottle.
Review - Basil Hayden's Dark Rye 2017
The more you drink the more you get used to it but its not exactly what we would call enjoyable. The port addition doesn't do it any favors either.
Rating 2 Glasses
- Distillery: Kentucky Springs Distilling Co. (Owned by Beam Suntory)
- Years Aged: NAS
- Proof: 80
- Local Price (USD): $49.95
- Availability: Widespread
- Local Price (USD): $49.95
Tasting Notes
- Color & Consistency: Fresh out of the tap rich maple syrup, thin & quick like Mo Farah.
- Nose: Cherry flavored Play-Doh and no, not the philosopher, but if so very likely had incredibly offensive BO.
- Taste: The aftertaste is worse so just swallow.
- Finish: Very organic and kind of musty. It doesn't hit you right away but when it does, all you want is for it to be over.
- Conclusion: We all had high hopes for this bottle as the port addition was intriguing but this unfortunately has a slightly offensive / funky profile from bow to stern. The more you drink the more you get used to it but its not exactly what we would call enjoyable. The port addition doesn't do it any favors either. It's a completely odd duckling and we give them credit for trying this blend (Kentucky Rye, Canadian Rye from Alberta Distillery & California Port). Unfortunately it just doesn't translate for us in the finished product.
Review - Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon
...contains every characteristic it is supposed to as a well put together and aged spirit and just does those Bourbon-y things so darned well.
Rating 4 Glasses
- Distillery: Michter's Distillery, LLC - Louisville Kentucky
- Years Aged: 10
- Proof: 94.4
- Local Price (USD): $120.00
- Availability: Rare
- Local Price (USD): $120.00
Tasting Notes
- Color & Consistency: Golden honey with slowly developing skinny legs. Random comment of the night "Like little caterpillar legs" - Jeff
- Nose: Relatively light. Subtle amounts of alcohol, cherry & vanilla
- Taste: Not very sweet like most traditional bourbons. Oak is "IN YO' FACE!" & the tannins are more present than Elijah Craig 18 even though it's 8 years younger.
- Finish: Peppery and very long lasting.
- Conclusion: Batch 16 / Barrel No. 195
- This is the first special release from Michter's new master distiller Pam Heilmann. She is the first female master distiller at a Kentucky Distillers Association distillery since prohibition. It contains every characteristic it is supposed to as a well put together and aged spirit and just does those Bourbon-y things so darned well. Not really bold in any one direction (except maybe a little extra oak) but extremely well balanced and just really good. Yearly release and definitely would buy again if we can find it.
Review - Elijah Craig 18 Year Single Barrel Bourbon
A good step up from Elijah Craig 12 and truly one of the best bourbons we have had to date... This thing lingers longer than your eccentric uncle Randall after a hearty holiday dinner.
Rating 4 Glasses
- Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery
- Years Aged: 18
- Proof: 90
- Local Price (USD): $112.00
- Availability: Rare
- Local Price (USD): $112.00
Tasting Notes
- Color & Consistency: Rich maple syrup tapped straight from the tree. No log cabin crap here. Crooked legs but we're not sure what that means.
- Nose: A dusty oak cabinet with cherry cough medicine spilled inside that just fell off the wall and was pieced back together with heavy construction adhesive.
- Taste: Cherries and vanilla up front then caramel and blood orange. Oak on the nose doesn't translate into the flavor.
- Finish: Vanilla. This thing lingers longer than your eccentric uncle Randall after a hearty holiday dinner.
- Conclusion: Delicious. A good step up from Elijah Craig 12 and truly one of the best bourbons we have had to date. We would call it almost an endangered species so if you can find, buy it.