Mixed bag of samples. I believe this takes care of anything that I’ve got open or a sample of that’s not a scotch.
Origin — Age — Score — Notes
Rums:
- Saint Lucia 2006, Chairman’s/Smuggler’s Cove SP, 51% — 14 years — C+ — Very medicinally funky, minty woodiness. Intense, borderline bitter but relents at the right time. Would be unpleasant if higher proof. Mix it
- Saint Lucia 2009, Chairman’s/Florida Rum Society SP, 57.7% — 11 years — B+ — Sweet caramel, vanilla and a touch of mint are balancing the wood nicely. This is well balanced, enjoyable sipper that drinks under it’s proof. Well played.
- Panama, Grander Toasted Oak, Florida Rum Society SP, 63.7% — 11 years — B — A little water needed. Very wood & vanilla caramel-forward. Warm spice hug afterwards. Enjoyable but over-casked, giving it a confused identity.
Tequila Ocho Tasting
- Tequila Ocho Plata 2022 — 0 — B- — Fresh, mineral, citrus and lime peel.
- Tequila Ocho Reposado 2022 — 8w+8d — B — Aged 72 days. Ocho being 8… Got it? Caramel, rosemary, black pepper, spiced orange peel, vegetable stew.
- Tequila Ocho Añejo 2021 — 1y+1d — B- — Savoury, earthy, mineral, anise, orange peel, black pepper, touch of mint.
- Tequila Ocho Extra Añejo 2018 — 3y+1d — B — Sweet and mineral, light and fruity, almond notes, herbs, light pepper dust.
- Tequila Ocho Reposado Barrel Select 2022 45.5% — N/A — B+ — Likely 72 days. Aged in Widow Jane Casks. Sweet candy, orange peel, white pepper, anice. Solid stuff. By far the best of the lineup.
Remus Gatsby Reserve 2022, MGP: 15 y/o, 48.9%
A small sample courtesy of friend Michael. This is of course a 15 year old MGP extra ‘premium’ version of the limited Remus release. The nose is caramel and wood and some fennel surprisingly and overall rather deep. Closest approximation of the palate I can come up with is ‘velvety smooth’ or ‘polished to perfection’. We’ve got brown sugar, vanilla, almost no bitterness even though wood is felt through and at 15 years of age, it certainly could have been over-oaked, but it’s not. Long aftertaste lingers with sichuan peppers, more vanilla sugars, gentle baking spices. Overall: This is in one word… ‘Decadent’! Bloody good and well done MGP/Remus. One of the best bourbons I’ve tried. It only lacks a few more points of proof to be spectacular; 107 proof isn’t out of reach here. Supposedly, this is cask strength, but it really needs a little bit of oomph to soar; it glides instead. Value: The MSRP of $200+ is a little bitey… but considering a slew of questionably premium releases from other well known distillers at same or higher price… It’s a ‘perhaps worth it’ at sub $250.
Score: A
Old Potrero Malted Rye, 7y 3mo, Single Cask Port Finish 64.48%
Old Potrero Single Malt Single Cask, this is port cask finished and 7 years and 3 months of age. The nose is full of ripe red fruits and sweetness backed by malted rye pine, eucalyptus wood and fennel. The palate is very sweet and woody, it’s got lots of funk but the wood seems to be nearing bitterness here which somewhat spoils the balance. Aftertaste starts sweet from the palate, then veers into tobacco and gobs of sichuan pepper and then comes back into sweet fruit syrup yet again. Water is needed here… And it blooms with water! Overall: As typical with Old Potrero, this is an absolute flavor bomb that’s influenced by port cask, adding a number of red fruits to the assault on the senses! The nose and aftertaste are fantastic but I’m finding myself swallowing it down a touch too fast in order to avoid that bitter note on the palate. To be clear, this is purely cask issue as I’ve encountered similar balance issues in the past. Few drops of water tone down that middle and it becomes very enjoyable dessert pour. Value: N/A
Score: B- (B /w water)
Old Potrero Malted Rye, 8y 7mo, Non-Chill Filtered 64.72%
Old Potrero Single Malt Single Cask, non-chill filtered and 8 years and 7 months of age. The nose is unapologetic, concentrated, toasted wood. The backing notes are familiar pine, eucalyptus and toasted vanilla. The palate is hot, lots of wood, yet again toasted vanilla, mint, eucalyptus. Really dark and quite similar to varnish in some ways it’s yet again near-bitter. On the very welcome positive, it’s got a velvety texture and mouthfeel. The aftertaste is more burnt sugar and continues from the palate. Overall: This is more or less everything I enjoy in Old Potrero Malted Rye in a reasonable balance. The bitterness note is yet again hard to get away from at the proof and age, but few water drops really calm it down without losing too much if it gets too overwhelming. Value: Priced at ~$90 in various retailers these are no longer awesome deals as they were a year or two ago, so this price is about average on the market though still a worth checking out the flavor bomb that these bottles are.
Score: B+
Old Potrero S-b-S: The winner is non-chill-filtered sample, easy win for this pairing. As flavor balance of single casks is variable this result should not be considered the rule.
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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown