MrWizard's Ramblings

It is(was) middle of roughly middle of the April when i started writing this. The allergies are killing me and it’s time to catch up on some of the samples. Then I was on-and-off sick with a nasty cold for a month. Everything in excess, right?

I’ve recently had a lovely tasting of things from Single Cask Nation which bottles lovely things… If you willing to afford paying their prices.
Cameronbridge 26, Refill Sherry — Dark, sherried and quite delicious. Coffee, chocolate, wood. — Score: Yay
Benrinnes 10, refill bourbon — Lovely and fruity nose, peppery palate. — Score: Meh+
Linkwood 13, American (Wine) Cask — Fantastic, lovely red fruits galore! $150 is kinda obscene cost though — Score: Yay
Inchgower 10, ‘Double Cask’, Ex-bourbon & Sherry — Really lovely sherried malt of unidentifiable origin — Score: Yay-
Caol Ila 8, ex-bourbon — Sweet, fruity and smoky in the best Caol Ila fashion — Score: Yay

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Hubert Calvados 30, Pays d’Auge, K&L SP, 49%
Honestly no idea what I’m getting into here. This is a calvados from 1993, selected by K&L. Obviously I’m looking at it from whiskey-drinker’s perspective. Thanks David K for the sample. The nose is very armagnac-style and oozes of woodiness. There’s a note of old apple skins that plays well with the vanilla there. More and more wood on the palate, there’s also an odd soap-like note that I detect that probably something that’s inherent to calvados, that’s akin to a wax or paraffin flavor. The strange note is present through the entire experience, but not unwelcome. Medium length vanilla, spice and sweetness in the aftertaste follows. Overall: My sample was enjoyable though I cannot see reaching for this with regularity. Much much better than any other apple brandy I’ve tried… but that’s a very short list that I’ve sampled of that particular spirit. Value: At $99 this is basically a steal for the quality and age.
Read more here: https://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1709342
Score: B-

Gregarious Grump 30 Year Old Fine Bois Cognac, 1991, 52.9%
Another sample courtesy friend DavidK… Another sample from Chris Hart’s bottling company. This time a 30 year old cognac from 1991. Probably from Comandon domaine though that’s not a guarantee. As usual the disclaimer about whiskey-drinkers perspective, don’t take me too seriously, blah blah. The nose is dried fruits, vanilla extract, *strong* wood varnish. Strong wood notes continues into the palate, then thankfully opens up into tropical fruits and exotic spices… Followed by ‘dusty’ (tannic) finish that thankfully doesn’t quite overwhelm. Overall: This is a treat to those that like cognacs. Yet, it’s unlike typical light cognac style. Blind, I’d say it was armagnac. Either way, great drinker; it’s very enjoyable for those that like the woody brandies. Value: K&L cleared them out at $97 which is a fantastic value. The original MSRP is arguably still good in retrospect of tasting it.
https://www.klwines. … cognac-750ml/1667424
Score: B+

Old Forester (10) 1924, 50%
It’s a small sample, so I’ll be brief on this one. Also, thank you friend Michael! Nose is woody vanilla, with a touch of varnish in a good way. Palate is excellent bourbon, wood, spices, vanilla. Nothing too strong, nothing too weak. Overall: Excellent bourbon. Value: At MSRP of $115 it’s a touch steep… But this is competing with highly desired and allocated bottles here.
Score: A-

Pursuit United Bourbon, Small Batch, 54%
Continuing the theme of bourbon reviews. A blend of straight bourbon whiskeys here. Corn-forward nose with caramel and toasted wood notes. Enjoyable palate that delivers more or less all the typical bourbon notes, baking spices, cinnamon, vanilla and toasted corn. Lots of wood and complexity with plethora of primary notes, yet some of the funky grain eithers still remain. Peppery, spicy, slightly woody finish. Few drops of water helps with the palate. Overall: Enjoyable but too young blend. It really can use some more time to mellow out and let more of the funk disappear. Enjoyable and but not outstanding at the same time Value: About $70 is about average for high proof bourbon blend.
Score: B-

Ironroot Harbinger, 57.5%
A straight bourbon whiskey from Texas distillery? Does it go? It goes! Toasted vanilla and wood caramel nose. This smells somewhat… festive with mulled spice notes, without the wine. Enjoyable typical-bourbon palate with good balance of spice, wood and no offputting flavors. More of that toasted vanilla wood. An interesting eucalyptus and mint note shows up that I would associate with malted rye too. Interestingly, more of the malted rye notes in the aftertaste together with typical bourbon flavors. Water makes it sweeter, I wouldn’t bother as it drinks below its proof anyways. Overall: Surprisingly enjoyable. Nothing mind-bending, but a well-executed high proofer that’s got enough of the age and flavors to not lose in its category. There’s no way to compete with ECBP but this is sort of a similar thing in spirit. Value: ~$65, a reasonable price for this.
Score: B

Woodford Reserve Batch Proof 118.4, 59.2%
A woodford reserve? High proof? Perhaps a decent one? Nose is deeply toasted wood and nutty caramel, very cologne-like. Sweet, nutty, woody, vanilla-forward palate. Slightly bitter baking spices around off the aftertaste. With water, some of the bitterness recedes, leaving few sweeter notes in the aftertaste. Overall: A very enjoyable Woodford Reserve pour. I’m reasonably pleased with this batch and it’s well worth trying. Obviously, the profile varies somewhat with each iteration. Value: At $109-119 it’s not particularly good deal. If it was at $99, it’d be passable value. I would certainly not pay sticker price for it but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.
Score: A-

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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown

I’m sneaking in these reviews in, while I continue my break from reviewing guilt-free and to catch up on currently pending open bottle notes.

Arran Sherry Cask (2021), 55.8%
This is new packaging from Arran, a NAS bottling at cask strength. Historically, I do like what Arran distillery does so let’s see if this keeps up. “Aged in sherry hogshead” line on the label suggests that it was aged in ex-bourbon cask that was sherry-seasoned. There’s nothing particularly wrong with that and it’s good note to have for enthusiasts. Notably, it’s quite lightly colored when compared to similar sherry-aged bottlings. The nose. oddly enough, evokes speyside notes, with orchard fruits and some sweet sherry notes, toasted sugar, and vanilla. The palate evokes more Speyside notes, with more of the same as the nose. We’ve got same orchard fruits and sherry sweetness, but it’s backed up by flavorful and nutty core, while the nose evokes red apples, the palate surprises with green apples and salted dark caramel. The aftertaste is long, meandering yet consistent, and gently spiced with a touch of chili heat. Overall: “I enjoy” is about the right summary here. It’s right up my alley, it’s flavorful but not overwhelming, it drinks slightly under its proof and it’s reasonably available. Yet, it’s a generic, sweet, NAS, sherried malt that’s bottled at cask proof and could be just about anything Speyside. Value: At about $75 this is at a price point comparable to its counterparts… I’ll note the value here as ‘reasonable’.
Score: B+

Kilkerran 16 (2021), 46%
A Campbeltown Kilkerran (Glengyle) bottling from 2021. They should get a marketing person, as putting “Matured in Oak” on label doesn’t seem like good use of real estate. Anyways… Light ash on top of malty and slightly salty nose, like an old beach campfire ashes that been sitting around for while. Balanced and mild palate with sweet malt and oak finely balanced out by some salinity and a bare touch of smoke. Long and gently fading aftertaste that gets sweeter and spicier as it lingers yet again with an absolute whisper of wood ash and smoke. Overall: This is a really good bottle. I don’t particularly love every Campbeltown product, yet this one is a solid offering and a solid drinker. Yes the light ashy smoke is there but it’s incredibly well integrated and doesn’t overwhelm. There’s nothing to really fault here, but I’m not going to buy another one of these due to personal preferences. Price: Findable at ~$150 this isn’t a particularly good value for a great drinker. Unfortunately, its price bracket contains a large number of excellent drinkers. Fans of distillery are welcome to apply and are unlikely to be disappointed. Others should know that are plenty of excellent independent bottlings in that price point and may consider something that is more interesting to them.
Score: A-

Ledaig 10, 46.3%
A core range Tobermory (unpeated)/Ledaig (peated) distillery offering. I frequently chime up about my preference for unpeated bottles, but let’s see how this compares. This is quite pungent on the nose, campfire smoke and some brine, not unpleasant by any means. With time roasted nut notes start appearing in addition to the already mentioned smoke and brine. Sweet and smoky palate, tropical fruits that’s been charred, fire-toasted bread. Medium length, lightly spiced and lightly smoked aftertaste that drops off somewhat abruptly towards the end. Overall: I’m enjoying this way more than I initially thought I would. It’s peated, but not overwhelmingly so and despite somewhat briny nose, the actual palate is quite sweet making whole experience reminiscent of smoked candies. Not overly complex but it doesn’t need to be. Value: Total wine has it listed at $70… which is somewhat reasonable for what we get here.
Score: B+

Balvenie 17, Doublewood, 43%
Sadly discontinued in 2021, The Balvenie 17 doublewood, whiskey (ex-bourbon) and sherry. Thanks Uncle Vadim! Malty, peppery, nutty, balanced. Bourbon sherry split somewhere around 80/20, bourbon is all primary notes with sherry mostly secondaries. Not going to bother writing more. It’s really good, though it needs like 3% more abv to be great. Price: Used to be $150. Discontinued.
Score: A-

Benromach 12, Total Wine SP, 58.2%
Benromach 12 Single cask selected by Total Wine. This is a sherry cask #849. As a side note, Benromach is a peated Speysider. The nose is fish bbq shack. That’s basically what it smells like. Salty and sweet, filled with old nutty smoke. Palate is nutty, and salty-sweet, erring on the sweet side, without being overwhelming. Aftertaste got a gentle touch of spice and a lingering sweet smoke note that lasts for a long time. Overall: This is my kind of peated pour. I very much like this! Whenever I say that I’m into sweet smoke… this is IT. Is it complex? No. Is it tasty? Absolutely! Value: At $68 it’s a steal in 2024 values!
Score: A-

Benromach 11, Total Wine SP, 57.5%
A bourbon cask counterpart to the Sherry Cask above with cask #967. The nose is peat, salt and vanilla. It’s punchy, it’s smoky, it’s slightly salty and it’s slightly sweet. It’s exactly what you’d expect a good peated bourbon cask to smell like. Salted, smoked vanilla palate reminds of hard dry-cured salted fish. The smoke doesn’t stick around for the aftertaste and it finishes as a salty, slightly spicy, vanilla number. Overall: Perfectly serviceable but it lacks something for me. Peated ex-bourbon fans of coastal and Islay distilleries that aren’t iodine-forward should apply. Value: Value: At $68 it’s a steal in 2024 values!
Score: B

As a side note… Mixing the two casks above together in a 1:1 combination essentially creates Benromach Batch Strength 1.
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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown

Happy Holidays. Happy New Year.

I cannot believe it’s 2024 already with ‘23 really flying by super quick. Quick announcement:

I’m taking a short break from writing up new entries to gather up new samples, finish open bottles and generally not stress about reviewing. Same as in 2023 I’ll be back by April or so.

A super fun, informative and enjoyable tasting with Raising Glasses, an independent importer of single casks.

— Raising Glasses Whisky —
Opulence 21 yr Port Dundas Single Grain, 9m Oloroso Cask, 55.7% — Punchy nose, corny. Very sweet palate, though falls a touch flat as is expected with single grain. Oloroso sweet rich and slightly nutty, sherry-dominant syrup, honey. Baking spices in the aftertaste — Score: Yay-
Stories Westland 8 yr Five Malt American Malt, Mt Gay Rum Cask, 55% — Complex and floral nose with rich malt notes. Very chocolate palate with frosted cereal notes. Malty aftertaste with sugars sticking around — Score: Yay
Voodoo Westland 9 yr Peated Malt, Banyuls Cask, 57% — Peated malt, very islay scotch like. Banyuls is a sweet french dessert wine somewhere between sherry and port. Long sticky salty-sweet smoke aftertaste, medium to low peat. — Score: Yay
Bloom Westland 9 yr Pale Malt, PX Cask, #2478 cask!!! 59% — Sister cask to 2479, slightly funkier. Fantastic! — Score: Yay!
Emergence 9 yr Linkwood Scotch, Oloroso Cask, 60.6% — Light honey nose, young malt. Lots of fresh spices. A little young. Honeycomb. Sp — Score: Yay

— Raising Glasses Rum —
Purple Cane Rum - 9 yr Foursquare Barbados finished in Pineau des Charentes, 57% — Good Foursquare with many layers. 1 year in a rye cask and 5 months in Cognac cask — Score: Meh+
Manora - 9 yr Thailand Rum, 55% — Very upfront sweet, slightly funky, reminds me of simple sugar syrup. Enjoyable but not special. — Score: Meh
Whistler - 14 yr Venezuela Rum, 62.1% — Secret Info: It’s diplomatico single cask. Lots and lots of flavors all together. Very tasty — Score: Yay
Yowie - 16 yr Australia Rum, 68.3% — Eucalyptus, mint, tangerine, light funk — Score: Yay

— Brandy/Armagnacs: —
Cadinat 1988, 33 year old, 48% — Fruity, strongly oaked, pleasant overall. Leans towards some wood bitterness from the age. Somewhat similar note to woody sherry casks but leans towards wood instead of funky spice. Hard yet rewarding to comprehend the layers of flavor — Score: Yay-
Cardinat 2005, 16 years old, 51% — Fruity, slightly drying wood, lots of sweet vanilla, less layered and slightly sweeter when compared to above counterpart. Excellent casual sipper — Score: Yay
Pierre Ferrand, Cigare Cognac, 40% — Classic cognac fresh apples & fruit compote. Very fragrant nose. Light body with dried fruit notes instead. Classic sweet vanilla and a touch of heat in the back of the aftertaste. Excellent all around. Slightly too thin to be truly great — Score: Yay-
Hotaling Apple Brandy, 21 years old, 44% — Dry green apples through and through. Some spice and a touch of yeast. Drinks like a highly alcoholic, very dry, apple cider. Use this for spike your apple cider or something — Score: Meh-
1982 L’Encantada Domaine del Cassou, 35 years old, Cask #187, 46.6% — Woody, very fruity, somewhat tannic and lightly drying, vanilla caramel. It’s lighter but not drastically different from Cardinat ‘88 above. Enjoyable, but I’m selling a kidney for it — Score: Yay-
1975 Domaine Seailles, 45 years old, K&L, 46% — Fruity, woody, funky, umami and not nearly as drying as Cardinat 88. Perhaps slightly one-note, or highly compressed flavor profile, but nothing is bad here. Excellently crushable — Score: Yay

A local group I’m part of is doing a Christmas Calendar of blind samples. There are 22 samples with 22 guesses and 22 blind reviews. This is organized by friend Chris, thus the title. The bottles are supposed to be $80+ which both limits the choices and makes it much harder to guess. I’ll be updating this as I go! Previous year’s event is here: https://www.aerin.or … y:entry221204-210258

The format is going to be:

Name — Brief Notes — Guess: — Like/Dislike — Reveal:

1. GN (That’s me) — Classic toasted sugar, wood, roasted corn on the nose; all the telltale signs of a bourbon profile. Toasted caramel popcorn, vanilla, alcohol, and sugar on the palate. Cinnamon, baking spices and cigar smoke in the secondaries and aftertaste. Slightly drying seasoned sawdust at the very end — Guess: N/A — Yay — Reveal: Woodinville Bourbon, Hi-Time Wine Cellars SiB #1576, 61.94%
2. TJ — The nose is spicy, dusty, drying, and nutty. Profile continues the trend of being spicy and nutty evoking bourbon thoughts in my imagination. It’s fiery and laden with wood. Loads of cinnamon and toasted pecans through the entire thing. That proof is literal fire and could be too much for some. I’ve added a drop of water to calm it down — Guess: Beam: Bookers. Uncertain second guess: Coy Hill high proof from Jack — Yay- — Reveal: Bookers 2022-04, Pinkie’s Batch, 61.20%
3. Josh — Perfume, toasted corn and wood on the nose. Very sweet, yet woody, palate with loads of toasted vanilla. Definitely high proof. Spicy, peppery aftertaste that lingers with residual toasted sugar — Guess: Heaven Hill. Elijah Craig BP or Store Pick — Yay — Reveal: Redwood Empire, Pipe Dream Cask Strength Bourbon, MGP Blend, 58.4%
4. IT — Punchy, mineral, spicy, slightly salty nose. It’s a rye! Clean, spicy, vanilla and wood palate, yet not overwhelmingly sweet. The ‘typical’ rye notes aren’t as dominant here so it drinks closer to bourbon instead. Lots of secondary notes that are highly enjoyable with warming spice and cooling mint. Subdued, lightly sweet, and unremarkable aftertaste that lingers around without doing much — Guess: Michter’s rye. Possibly: Canadian Rye: Found North? — Yay- — Reveal: Redwood Empire, Rocket Top Straight Rye BiB, Local Grain, 50%
5. KM — I’m loving the nose, very classic bourbon, yet light and not ‘corny’. Whoa, that palate is punchy and spicy but still speaking bourbon flavors to me. The spice is nearly bitter, yet sufficiently balanced out by the rest. The flavor peaks and then mellows out into a very gentle, but sadly short aftertaste — Guess: Something wheated. Perhaps Maker’s BEP — Yay- — Reveal: Peerless Kentucky Straight Rye, 56.65%
6. MBA — Punchy and spicy. High proof! Nutty with toasted wood, spicy and untamed flavors on the palate. Did I mention lots of wood? Long and meandering aftertaste with great tropical note at the very end — Guess: ECBP, for funsies: C923 — Yay — Reveal: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, C923, 66.5%
7. DW — Very punchy alcohol on the nose; perfume and toasted vanilla sugars. That palate is fiery coming into it cold but grows much better with repeated sips. It’s full of sweet spices and slightly drying. A lightly sour note goes through the palate suggesting a familiar distillery. Long lingering, dry, and spicy-hot aftertaste follows. Plenty of hot peppers in this one — Guess: Old Forester Barrel Proof — Meh+ — Reveal: Elijah Craig Private Barrel 8 years old, Royal Liquors “Joker’s Wild”, 65.45%
8. MC — Salty-sweet umami nose, light smoke note, thought it’s likely the cask char. What seems like a typical sourced MGP note to me, high proof, high cinnamon and peppers. Lots of vanilla. Lingering and mouth coating. Very sweet and vibrant with fresh cask notes. A fiery dessert pour that I suspect it double-casked or finished in something — Guess: MGP-sourced. Nashville Barrel? Nulu Double Oak/Toasted? — Yay- — Reveal: Obtainium Canadian Whiskey 27 years old, Maple syrup barrel finish; 77.6%
9. ?? — This brings a smile to my face. Almost certainly because I know this profile. Brown sugar, toasty vanilla, eucalyptus, mint, spice through the entire thing. Finish that lasts forever — Guess: 99% Certain this is an Old Potrero Malted Rye, Single Cask — Yay — Reveal: Old Potrero Malted Rye 9.3 years old, TW SP, 66.1%
10. KJF — A rye-light nose that’s balanced out by sweet toasted wood. Both proofy and not overwhelmingly so. Lots and lots of wood notes in the mix, the rye is there but not domineering. Something familiar yet I’m unable to put my finger on it. Medium length aftertaste with lightly-drying wood yet again. Enjoyable and forgettable at the same time — Guess: Sagamore Rye SiB — Yay- — Reveal: Nulu Toasted Rye 6.5 years, MGP, TW SP, 60.2%
11. SP — The runners in the glass for this are epic. Clean nose with lots of toast notes, a touch of mint. Medicinal. Seems like a rye, but I’m having doubts. Yet another one where spice is present but doesn’t dominate. Mouth-coating with with a notable note I’m not sure how to describe. Blueberries? Blackberries? Lingering aftertaste with more of that berry pie, cinnamon and toasted sweet wood — Guess: Kinda stumped. Likely American. Barrell? I can see this as a blend. Subtle Spirits? — Yay+ — Reveal: NBC Straight Rye (MGP) 6 years old, Golden Gate SP; 60.53%
12. BT — Punchy, toasted wood on the nose. The absolutely first thought that popped into my head when I licked it in passing was ‘Blanton’s’, but it’s too proofy for regular one. Sweet & woody palate, lots of baking spices and cinnamon, but it’s sugar sweetness not corn syrup. High ‘perfume’ content, aromatic and punchy palate. Warming, enveloping aftertaste that lingers around — Guess: Maker’s Private Cask? Buffalo Trace: Weller Full Proof. Possibly: Stagg Jr — Yay- — Reveal: Jack Daniels Barrel Proof Rye, SiB, 64.25%
13. SR — Something familiar, again. The nose is sweet toasted wood and vanilla powdered cinnamon sugar. More cinnamon and sugar on the palate. This reminds me of MGP bourbon profile. Cinnamon, vanilla and sugar all the way into the aftertaste. Not funky, highly enjoyable — Guess: MGP sourced… Remus. NBC. Clyde May’s 110. — Yay — Reveal: Michter’s Barrel Proof Rye, 54%
14. PC — Sugar, vanilla and alcohol nose, not much else going on in there. Dripping, perfumed, agave syrup basically. Sweet, yet not very complex palate, balanced alcohol, yet still proof-forward as there’s nowhere to hide. Full of sweet and hot peppers. Same sweet & hot peppers continue into long aftertaste — Guess: Light whiskey of some kind. Unfinished obtainium. Balcones something? — Meh+ — Reveal: Frey Ranch Bourbon, PlumpJack SP, 64.23%
15. KT — Smelling salts? Geez that nose is pungent. Mint, untamed alcohol, this smells like something from a workshop can. Sweet & punchy palate with light mint and spice notes. Same on the aftertaste — Guess: Obtainium Rye? Reminds me of Balcones Rye on profile though. — Nay! — Reveal: Frey Ranch Bourbon, WFM Norcal SP, 62.23%
16. JDK — Familiar. Familiar. Floral palate, nose, aftertaste. Bourbon. Spices. Great body. — Guess: Four Roses — Yay- — Reveal: Four Roses Barrel Strength (OBSV), Sam’s Club PS, 53%
17. KK — Familiar. Familiar. Floral palate, nose, aftertaste. Bourbon. Very Spicy. Minty. Woody. — Guess: Four Roses — Meh+ — Reveal: Four Roses Barrel Strength (OESF), Bevmo SP, 60.5%
18. BL — Hot & floral nose. Sweet & hot palate with lots of toasted wood. Drying aftertaste that doesn’t do anything special, keeping the entire experience mostly in-line with itself and only varying in its intensity — Guess: Woodford Reserve High Proof — Yay- — Reveal: Old Forester Barrel Proof, QBB & Neat Drinkers Association SP, 65.55%
19. TT — Great nose, lots of toasted vanilla sugar and wood notes. The palate… malt? Hot cherries? Aaaaand I’m fairly sure I know what this is. There are tons of bottles with similar profile, but i’ll go with what came to my head first — Guess: Aberlour A’Bunadh — Yay — Reveal: Glendronach CS Batch 10, 58.6%
20. CB — Spicy and slightly nutty nose, subdued. Rye-light palate, mint, slight malty notes, nuttyness. Reminds me very vaguely of malted rye profile but super subtle. Long sweet and slightly spicy hot aftertaste that lingers — Guess: I cannot quite figure out if it’s a malt, a rye, or a bourbon! Hedging my bets here with all three. Shenks, WhistlePig, and wildcard malt being Amrut Malted Rye — Yay — Reveal: Stranahan’s Single Malt 10 year, Mountain Angel; 45.1%
21. TV — *Very* corn-forward nose. High proof, corn-forward palate, vanilla and wood. Toasted cask notes dominate the palate and greatly contribute to the experience. Long aftertaste with gentle spices. — Guess: Maker’s Mark Private Cask — Meh+ — Reveal: Cali Gold, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, SFBWSS SP, 59.5%
22. VS — Very nice woody and somewhat proofy nose. Actually not that proofy palate. Sweet and vanilla-dominated balance with some more wood in the mix. Gentle, cereal and vanilla pancake lingering aftertaste — Guess: Blanton’s Gold — Yay+ — Reveal: Old Weller Antique/107, Beer Baron SP, 53.5%

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Happy Holidays!