2021

The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

43% ABV
$160-$180
Website
Balvenie DoubleWood 17 year Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

To craft The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 year old single malt whisky Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE returned to one of his most celebrated achievements – consecutive maturation in two different types of cask, a process often referred to as ‘cask finishing’.

This technique is at the heart of The Balvenie DoubleWood – it sees the whisky matured first in American oak barrels, which impart soft sweet vanilla notes, before being transferred to European oak sherry casks, where the second cask ageing adds rich spicy flavours and a depth and fullness of flavour.

The DoubleWood 17 year old is an elder sibling to DoubleWood 12 year old and shares its honeyed, spicy characteristics, but it is distinctly different, with deeper vanilla notes, hints of green apple, creamy toffee and a striking richness and complexity.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Elegant and complex oak, vanilla, honeyed sweetness and a hint of green apple.
TASTE: Sweet with dried fruits, sherbet spice, toasted almonds and cinnamon, layered with a richness of creamy toffee notes and traces of oak and deep vanilla.
FINISH:Vanilla oak, honey and spicy sweetness.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Green apples, cinnamon buns with raisins, heather, honey, a floral perfume, vanilla.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel with dried fruit notes of apple and pears, vanilla with soft spices, nutmeg, slightly nutty with a touch of oak, pepper and tamed cinnamon.
Finish:  Long with fading cinnamon dusted fruits.
Comments:  I’ve always found Balvenie to be an elegant whisky, and this is no exception. Really nice balance between the two casks where neither is dominating the other, and the combination is lovely. A bit of water tilts this toward more tropical fruit notes of papaya and mango, although wouldn’t blame anyone for sipping neat and never thinking to add water!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Tomatin 14 Year Old Port Casks

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Tomatin 14 Year Old Port Casks
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

46% ABV
$70-$80
Website
Tomatin 14 Year Old Port Casks Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

Cask Type: Matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Port casks

The Tomatin 14 Year Old is soft, smooth and sweet, benefiting from its time spent in Tawny Port casks which previously held port for around 50 years. Rich but balanced aromas of red berries, sweet honey and rich toffee develop into aspects of light fruits and nuts on the palate and an abiding finish of smooth fruit salad.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Fruity with banana nut bread, berries, toffee, honeysuckle, heather and port.
Palate:  Loads of fruit with berries, apricots, cherries, freshly cracked white pepper, oak, touch of peat with a mineral note.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with pepper and nectarines.
Comments:  Fruity but with a bit of a sharp edge. I really dig the nose, but the palate wasn’t quite as complex. Nothing off-putting, but nothing particularly special either..

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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PM Spirits Single Cask XO Grande Champagne Cognac

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

PM Spirits Single Cask XO Grande Champagne Cognac

42.6% ABV
$110-$135
Website
PM Spirits Single Cask XO Grande Champagne Cognac

What the Producer Says

(Below notes are from K&L Wine’s website)
This single barrel of eau-de-vie was acquired by Nicolas Palazzi over 10 years ago. It was already at least 10 years of age at the time with some eau-de-vie slightly older, around 15 years old, all distilled at a renowned single estate. With the help of the incredibly knowledgeable Jean-Noel Pelletan, a local artisanal cooper, Nicolas spent the next ten years researching age old techniques to bring the most out of this cask. Pelletan has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things cognac and a vast collection of historic technical manuscripts. It’s the secrets that were held in those books and his mind that brought this special cognac into existence. Bottled without additives or chill filtration of any kind at a cask strength of 42.6% alc by vol. Bottled in July 2020 at between 20 and 25 years of age.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich perfume, floral, fruity with apricots, melon, kiwi, apples, bit of caramel, oak and subtle spices.
Palate:  Rich mouthfeel, fruitcake with cherries, apricots, apple, bit of pepper spice, clove, a note of molasses, and a hint of mint.
Finish:  Long and dry with oak and honey.
DISCLAIMER: I’m a whisk(e)y enthusiast, and not familiar with Cognac (so read at your own risk!)
Comments:  Insanely intense flavor and nose for 42.6%! Not really a cognac drinker let along afficiando, but I know what I like – and I liked this. A lot. I didn’t have the prior 3 cognacs to try side-by-side with this, but of the others I sampled this spring, this was my favorite by such a wide margin, that’s inconsequential.

Rating: Must Try

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Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège Cognac

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Hennessy V.S.O.P Cognac

40% ABV
$50
Website
Hennessy Privilege VSOP Cognac

What the Producer Says

Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège is a well balanced cognac, the expression of 200 years of Hennessy craft. The fruit of nature’s uncertainties, this unique blend has tamed the elements to embody the original concept of cognac. Each sip reveals new facets of its personality.

The savoir-faire of the Maison of Hennessy is fully expressed in this balanced cognac: the selection of eaux-de-vie, aging and assemblage. A cognac of remarkable consistency and vitality, Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège conveys all of the savoir-faire of the Hennessy master blenders who have ensured the continued success of this harmonious assemblage for 200 years.

A ROYAL HERITAGE
The name V.S.O.P. Privilège originates from a special order placed by the future King George IV of England. He requested a “Very Superior Old Pale” from the House of Hennessy, the first shipment of which was made in 1818.

INTO THE WOODS
The oak wood used for aging V.S.O.P. Privilège comes from the Limousin forest in France. It must first dry outside for at least three years before being made ito a barrel.

TASTING

COLOR: Flamboyant mahogany with light tones.
NOSE: Releases very mature notes, evoking the aroma of fresh fruit coupled with a sensation of suppleness that settles in to underscore the harmony of this cognac.
PALATE: The sensation of full body deepens with the flavors of juicy fruits, vanilla, spices and mild tobacco also provided by the vigor of the younger eaux-de-vie.

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich, floral and fruity with currants, blackberries, soft oak, tropical fruit notes of pineapple and mango.
Palate: Softer with fruit, apples, pears, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, plums and a bit of pepper spice.
Finish: Short to moderate in length, drying with cinnamon and plums.
DISCLAIMER: I’m a whisk(e)y enthusiast, and not familiar with Cognac (so read at your own risk!)
Comments: This was noticeably darker in the glass than the Remy Martin V.S.O.P., and has a nice richness and depth of spice. Of the three cognacs I sampled, this was my favorite (although I can’t say I’ve been converted from whisk(e)y!)  An enjoyable pour, and was excellent in a Vieux Carré. And was originally the last cognac sample I had, until another founds its way in as I was typing up my notes – so have one more to go!

Rating: Stands Out

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Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. Cognac

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. Cognac

40% ABV
$35-50
Website
Remy Martin VSOP Cognac

What the Producer Says

VERSATILE / ELEGANT / ICONIC
The icon: generous and audacious

Rémy Martin VSOP embodies the perfect harmony of powerful and elegant aromas. It is the symbol of the Cellar Master’s art of blending.

Rémy Martin VSOP is composed of eaux-de-vie coming exclusively from the highest-quality vineyards of Cognac, the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne. Such eaux-de-vie offer an exceptional ageing potential and are known as Cognac Fine Champagne.

In 1927, Rémy Martin’s Cellar Master André Renaud created the very first VSOP Fine Champagne—a truly visionary and audacious decision. This prestigious appellation would be officially recognized 11 years later as an AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée – a specific growing area protected by French law).

In 2010, Rémy Martin VSOP Fine Champagne Cognac won a gold medal at the Spirits Business Cognac Masters (UK).

FRUITINESS: 4/5 | Aromas coming from the still wine’s fermentation, distillation on the lees and ageing

SMOOTHNESS: 3/5 | Sensation on the mouth giving mellowness, balance and perfect harmony

OPULENCE: 3/5 | Defines the intensity of richness in the cognac’s aromas.

LENGTH: 3/5 | The length of time for which the tastes are expressed after a sip

CHARACTER
NOSE: Dominant notes of vanilla thanks to longer ageing in French Limousin oak barrels, followed by ripe apricot, baked apple, and an elegant floral note.
TASTE: A perfect harmony between the firm character of ripe fruit and subtle notes of liquorice, offering a great complexity of elegant and powerful aromas.
BODY: Well-balanced, structured, and multi-layered, it combines the roundness of ripe fruit with a silky texture.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Floral, fruity with plums edging towards citrus, tropical candied pineapple.
Palate:  Fruit, spiced apples and pears, cinnamon, nutmeg, a hint of anise.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with dark berries.
DISCLAIMER: I’m a whisk(e)y enthusiast, and not familiar with Cognac (so read at your own risk!)
Comments:  More rich and more spice than the Courvoisier V.S., I definitely liked this better – although not my favorite of the three.

Rating: Stands Out

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