2011

Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky
47.3% ABV/ 94.6 Proof
$150 to $175

What the Distillery Says:
A meticulous re-creation of the original malt whisky shipped to Antarctica in 1097 by Shackleton to fortify his ‘Nimrod’ expedition, this dram has been a long, long time in the making.

Abandoned to the Antarctic winter in early 1909, three wooden crates of this fine Mackinlay’s malt, originally distilled at Glen Mhor Distillery in Inverness, were buried in the ice beneath Ernest Shackleton’s hut.

Unearthed a century later by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust, in 2010 a single crate was flown to Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand for conservation. Heralded as ‘a gift from heaven for whisky lovers’, this original and long-lost malt provided the inspiration and critical insight for our timeless re-creation.

Every whisky is an adventure, but this one more than most. From Glen Mhor to many years lying under Antarctic ice and then journeying back to the land of its birth. And in many ways it is now that the adventure is really just beginning as the discovery and analysis of the original malt an dour faithful re-creation now add an exhilarating new chapter to an already epic story.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Lightly smokey, fresh and citrusy. It reminds me of the smell of my kitchen the next morning after making a bunch of whiskey sours. It’s kind of like lemon but after it’s been left out for a while.
Palate: Lightly sweet and very delicate. This is more of an aperitif than an after dinner malt. It’s rather fruity and very little of the peat and smoke that is in the nose and finish shows up in the palate.
Finish: For such a delicate drink the finish is a surprising peaty smokey little punch. Oak makes a standing ovation too.
Comments: This is a funny little dram. The nose, palate, and finish seem like three different whiskies. It’s very enjoyable and speaks to Mr. Paterson’s skill as a blender.
Rating: Stands Out

My thanks to Patricia Jimenez with The Baddish Group for providing me with a review sample.

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Wild Turkey American Honey

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Wild Turkey American Honey
35.5% ABV/71 Proof
$18 to $20
Widely available across the U.S.

What the Distillery Says:
Wild Turkey American Honey is an exceptionally smooth liqueur blended with pure honey and real Wild Turkey Bourbon Whiskey, perfect served chilled straight from the freezer, over rocks, it is the sweeter, smoother side of Wild Turkey.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Surprisingly alcoholic on the nose. Much more than other similar liqueurs. The honey is very delicate and comes across more like honeysuckle.
Palate: Very viscous and sweet. The sweetness is more cane sugar than honey. There may be a little Wild Turkey at the back but it is the sugar that I taste.
Finish: One of the shorter finishes of the whiskey liqueurs I’ve tried. Even though it goes down like oil and coats like tar the finish is relatively quick and leaves more of the honey sweetness than the palate.
Comments: If you’re a fan of this type of drink then this one hangs with the best of them. It’s just not my bag.
Rating: Average

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Evan Williams Cherry Reserve

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Evan Williams Cherry Reserve Kentucky Liqueur
35% ABV/70 Proof
$13 to $16
Widely available across the U.S.

What the Distillery Says:
Evan Williams Cherry Reserve Kentucky Liqueur, a new product that marries extra-aged Evan Williams Bourbon with natural cherry flavor.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Luden’s cherry cough drops floating in cherry 7-Up.
Palate: Cloyingly sweet. Cherry Nyquil comes to mind. No hint of Evan Williams.
Finish: That sickly sweet taste hangs around for almost a minute. As it clears it leaves a light pleasant cherry note for a while. The finish is definitely the best part.
Comments: The best thing about this is that it actually make me yearn for Red Stag. Again, the whiskey connoisseur is not the audience they are targeting. However, if you’re inclined toward a cherry/whiskey infusion then I would pick Red Stag over this. Evan Williams Bourbon is so smooth that it can’t really stand up to all that cherry sweetness as well as Jim Beam.
Rating: Probably Pass

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Thankfully I’m Not a Horse

/ / Richard's Blog

I’ve gone lame. I haven’t started drinking Pappy Van Winkle with Dr. Pepper or using Highland Park 18 in whiskey sours. I’ve got a bad ankle on my right foot. It’s a reoccurring ligament injury that goes back at least as far as college. There’s even some argument that it goes all the way back to elementary school. This last go around I finally tore it in half (the ligament, not my ankle). So surgery is the only course of action at this point. Friday is the day.

Why am I telling you all this? I’ll be out of commission for a couple weeks while the pain subsides and the ankle starts to heal. While I’m on the DL I’ll be on heavy medication. Apparently, you’re not supposed to drink with said medication. I’ll also be pretty loopy too. I try not to blog under the influence of heavy narcotics. I know it’s hard to believe coming from a whiskey blogger but I like to be lucid when I write this stuff.

I’ve got several reviews queued up for the rest of the month and if I can kick this damn head cold I’ll get in a couple of bourbon reviews and my review of The Mackinlay before I go under the knife. I may not be too responsive for the next couple of weeks but hopefully I’ll be extra responsive after that. It’s my right ankle so I can’t drive or really go anywhere for the next couple of months. That should leave me with a lot of time for whiskey reviews, blogging, email, etc.

Hey, at least I’m not a thoroughbred. If I was I might be off to the glue factory!

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Red Stag

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Red Stag Kentucky Straight Bourbon Infused with Natural Flavors
40% ABV/80 Proof
$15 to $18
Available across the U.S.

What the Distillery Says:
Red Stag contains all the pride of the Beam Family’s 200 year history. Originated by Jaco Beam in 1795, Beam Bourbons are the product of seven generations of pioneering distillers. Like all Jim Beam products, Red Stag Black Cherry is made from the highest quality ingredients. And because it is made with Jim Beam, the world’s finest bourbon, it has a delicious taste and is rich with American heritage.

What Richard Says:
Nose: It smells like saltwater taffy floating in generic cherry Nyquil.
Palate: Luden’s cough drops (you know the ones in the white box that all get stuck together) with a Jim Beam chaser.
Finish: It’s like cherry generic Nyquil on the finish.
Comments: Do I hate it? No. It’s not as appalling as the popular nickname “Reg Gag” would imply but i’m not going to buy a bottle. I’m also not the target market for this product. I think among flavored/infused whiskeys this is one of the better ones. I’m going to pass on this but if you’re inclined to give it a try then by all means.
Rating: Probably Pass

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