Tag Archives: Sweet

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar dram # 5 – A.D. Rattray’s 9yo Caol Ila, bourbon hogshead # 303050

 

Region – Islay – 56.7% ABV

On the fifth day, G-d filled the seas with fishes and other water animals. In to the air above the earth s/he put many birds of all kinds and colors and sizes.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

  • 5 Golden Rings
  • 4 Calling Birds
  • 3 French Hens
  • 2 Turtle Doves
  • 1 Partridge in a Pear Tree
    • Actually she brought me nothing because Chanukah is early this year…

Scotch Whisky Advent CalendarOn the 5th day of the Scotch Whisky Advent calendar, we are having a 9yo single cask of Caol Ila bottled by A.D. Rattray.  The color is quite light so I am assuming that this is a refill bourbon hogshead which suggests the flavors will be more spirit driven rather than cask driven.

This dram shall set us free:

Scotch Whisky Advent CalendarOn the nose — A good bit of cayenne spice upfront mixed with puffs of schoolroom chalk and well cooked bacon. Now the bacon overtakes and seems to have been smoked with applewood.

Pink salt and crushed green peppercorns on a plate in the middle of a hot/dry attic (so there is some wood presence here!).

In the mouth — Incredible mouth feel here. Oily, ooey, chewy, mouth coating goodness.  This dram is why I’m a lover of Islay whisky.  More applewood smoke, and the taste of the smell of a French patisserie. Biscuits and salty tarts galore!

A lovely note of lavender is quite present here, too. Nice.

Scotch Whisky Advent CalendarBurnt edges of waffles covered in warm salted honey.

Finish — Near endless. Salty, spicy and sweet.

In sum — I need a bottle. It’s as simple as that. This is perhaps the best Caol Ila I’ve ever had (not bottled by me).  Man-o-Maneshewitz!

Wild Turkey “Kentucky Spirit” cask # 98, pick by Julio’s

 

Region – Kentucky – 50.5% ABV

Wild Turkey Kentucky SpiritI’m not a bourbon guy (generally speaking). Really, I’m just not huge on American spirits in general.

Don’t get me wrong, I quite enjoy bourbon, rye, and other American whiskeys. It’s just that, well, my heart and passion is in malt whisky.

You can look at all of my posts over the past 6 or so years, and see that I focus on malt whisky. Malt whisky is mine, my precious.  I wants it. I needs it. The others, they’re all tricksie!!

Gollum! Gollum!

Still, I need to give credit to a whisk(e)y where credit is due.  There are some good bourbons, great bourbons, and amazing bourbonsout there. Today, I’m reviewing a great bourbon. A well selected cask.

I think this cask may be all sold out at this point (I’m glad I purchased my bottle when I did) as this was a bottling that Whisky Advocate quite liked.  It’s in the top 10 of 2015’s releases.  Not too shabby.

On to the tasting!

On the nose — Spoiler alert! It smells like bourbon! Cloves, cinnamon, allspice, pencil shavings, coconut, cooked vanilla pods.  The standard stuff you’d expect to smell (thank you new charred oak – we know you all too well).

Let’s get beyond this though… buttered popcorn, wet leather, salted bread dough (huh…), Cherry tarts. All of these notes are well integrated.

In the mouth — Big and spicy stuff with notes of salted licorice, vanilla ice cream, buttered baguette, cream of corn soup (if it could be a very sweet soup).  Pear skins, and a hint of mint.  Decent mouthfeel with a fair amount of oiliness.

Finish — Cherry tootsie pops, all the way.  Medium finish

In sum — This can be picked apart (a la the above) or treated like bourbon should be treated – simply fine-fine sippin’ juice!  Really yummy stuff here.  Nicely chosen, Julio’s!!  Well met.

 

Exclusive Malts 28yo Longmorn, 1985, 51.6%

 

Region – Speyside – 51.6% ABV – $200-285 (if you’re lucky enough to find a bottle)

Exclusive Malts Longmorn 1985 28 year oldOk. Full disclosure. By day I work for the US importer of The Exclusive Malts line of independently bottled whisky, ImpEx Beverages.

Full disclosure pt.2. This whisky is no longer available, and was actually imported well before I started my position with ImpEx.

Being that I don’t actually score whisky but instead just present tasting notes and general impressions (and occasional dick jokes), I figured it’s kosher for me give you said tasting notes and general impressions on this release.

What is “Exclusive Malts?” It’s a line of single cask whiskies bottled by David Stirk of Creative Whisky Company.  The line is fairly new to the US market.

So, there you go.  Truthfulness. Information. And below? Tasting notes:

Longmorn Exclusive Malts 1985 28 years oldOn the nose — Honey, honey honey smoked honey! Caramels covered by orange oil rubbed cigar wrappers.

There’s a flinty minerality to this whisky that seems to enter my nose in the form of light peat (perhaps wood effect?).  Crushed chardonnay grapes sans the sweetness.

Aged (read: an oaky presence)  with a good bit of life to it (read: not a tired old 28yo but a whisky that has life, and vibrance).  There’s a waxy texture to the nose, and a hint of the powder you’d find on a bubblegum cigar.

On the mouth — Given the waxy mouth feel, some would confuse this with an old Clynelish or Brora. Given the fizzy quality that floats on the waxiness, some would doubt this was a 28yo whisky.  It’s a bit of a contradiction in the mouth, but a welcome one, to be sure!

Cacao nibs

There’s all sorts of soft spice and light tobacco notes mixed in with chili infused milk chocolate, cocoa nibs, and macca root.

 

 

Longmorn Exclusive Malts 1985 28 years oldThe pears, they are baked with whole anise star, and cinnamon’d walnut oil.

There’s an elegance to this whisky that is very much a Longmorn quality.

Finish – Beautifully floral yet grassy, mineral-y yet sweet, and quite looooooonnnnnggg…

In sum – This is a great example of Longmorn.  Perhaps the best Longmorn I’ve had to date. This is a treat to any whisky fan or whisky novice.  A celebratory whisky, if you will.

Lost Spirits Cuban Style Rum – 75.5% ABV (151 proof)

 

Region – California – price – $40

Lost Spirits Cuban Style Rum 151Today’s review is of Lost Spirit’s Cuban Style rum. This one is bottled at the over-proof ABV of 75.5%, or, 151 proof.

There are a few 151 rums out there. Most of these bottlings are ones I stay away from as they just tend to be bottles of pure unadulterated hellfire.

If I do have any 151 rum, I’ll most likely find it sitting on top of a Mai Tai.

I never though I’d see myself pouring and analyzing a 151 rum but given that the Lost Spirits Navy Style rum (bottled at 68% ABV) was down right wonderful, I am going to give this one a go.

So, here we go.

On the nose — This does not nose like you’d expect something that’s 75.5% ABV would (meaning that, you’re face does not explode upon getting within 6 inches of the glass). Actually, it’s quite approachable and there is little, if any, stinging alcohol vapor shooting up your nostrils.

Lost Spirits Cuban Style Rum 151I am immediately taken by the scent of melting caramel and nutty toffee.  There’s a hint of wintergreen or menthol in the background and sassafras tea.

Whoppers malted milk balls with a side of high-milk hot cocoa with a candy cane (purely for stirring purposes, mind you).

Crackling’ oat bran cereal.

On the mouth — Ok, here is where the heat kicks in.  Yes, it’s a hot Fother Mucker but, like George T Stagg, it’s bursting with flavor.

Lost Spirits Cuban Style Rum 151Crushed winterberries, sugar cookies and pine needles (slight).  Cellophane wrapped brown sugar with hints of pecan syrup flowing into a Bailey’s ice luge.

keep-calm-butterbeer1I’m getting echoes of smoke and good notes of cooked & browning butter, butter scotch and if Harry Potter and the gang were sipping, I’m sure they’d say they detected Butter Beer.

Finish — Quite creamy, nutty with dashes of both milk and white chocolate and it’s a long, really long finish.

In sum — You know, Lost Spirits makes some nice and unusual American single malt whiskey (really nice, actually). But when they put their minds to rum, pure magic happens.

I’ve had some fine rums/rhums, aged both young and old and I’d have to say that Lost Spirits rums are up there with the best of the best with regards to flavor, balance and complexity.  And, $40 for a bottle?! Holy Crap. Deals *do* still exist in this crazy world of brown spirits!

Many thanks to Bryan D for the sample!

Chichibu The First – Japan’s newest distillery and their first 3yo whisky released in 2011

 

Chichibu The First Japanese Single Malt WhiskyRegion: Japan – 61.8% ABV – Likely all sold out everywhere but Master of Malt had it at one time for $148

As a lover of Japanese malt whiskies, I’ve been tracking Chichibu since the very beginning.  And the beginning can be tracked all the way back to 2008.  Yeah, Chichibu is a very young distillery but one that was sure to show promise with Mr. Ichiro Akuto at the helm.

For more info on the Chichibu distillery and Ichiro Akuto, be sure to check it out here at the Whisky For Everyone website.

I’ve tasted many of Chichibu’s new make releases (peated, heavily peated, cask finished, etc…) and was Sofa King excited to hear the announcement of their first actual whisky.

I bought this bottle the day it was released (back in 2012 in the UK market) and have been slowly sipping on it since then.  With 2/3 of the bottle still left, I thought it was high time I finally and officially review this whisky.

Here we go, y’all:

Chichibu Japanese Single Malt WhiskyOn the noseWell, this is a treat to the nose! Warm milk soaked Weetabix, a new catcher’s mitt and lemon bars.  All of those scents are so well integrated and inviting.

Let’s dig deeper, shall we?

Chichibu Japanese Single Malt WhiskyApple porridge and a salted baguette. This is quite a foody whisky.  And, for 61.8% ABV, it’s not to hot for the nasal passages.

Finally, there’s a touch of creamed honey and vanilla bean.

On the mouth —  Very creamy and rich. Truth be told the mouth experience mirrors the nosing experience so well.

Chichibu Japanese Single Malt WhiskyWrap the nose up in a single spiced gumdrop version of what I described and that’s this whisky!

Chichibu Japanese Single Malt WhiskyDue to the holiday season (well, holiday for we Jews – the holiday is called Purim) I feel there’s a lovely lemon filled Hamantashen quality to this, too.

FinishMedium in length with spiced citrus fruits (namely lemon and etrog)

In sum At only three years of age, this whisky proves that Chichibu has a wonderful foundation for great older whiskies to come.  At only three years old, this whisky shows a balance and beauty that few other whiskies at this age can attain.  It’s not the most complex of whiskies but it’s delicious.  At 61.8% ABV it’s very easy going and approachable.

Keep your eyes peeled for more whiskies from Chichibu and let’s hope we see some of this lovely juice here in The States!