Gary

Managing apostle and whiskey enthusiast

Proper No. Twelve

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Proper No. Twelve Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey

40% ABV
$20 – $25
Website
Proper No. Twelve

What the Producer Says

Conor McGregor’s Whiskey
Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey
Proper No. Twelve’s Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey is an ultra-smooth blend of fine grain and single malt with hints of vanilla, honey and toasted wood.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet young malt, furniture polish (think lemon-scented Pledge), hints of vanilla and heather.
Palate:  Grainy, barley sugar with a slightly sour oak note, a bit of lemon-flavored cookies.
Finish:  Short with pepper, sour oak and a hint of lemons.
Comments:  Let’s get the non-whiskey part out of the way.  I was thinking about buying a bottle to try last year when I head the news of Conor McGregor’s assault in a bar in Dublin. That alone left me not wanting to buy a bottle (and initial reviews I read weren’t very kind either). That said, because I do like to try damn near any whiskey I can, I was excited when a friend offered me a sample from their bottle (thanks Tommy!)  I was also intent on assessing the bottle contents on their own merits.  I focused squarely on the whiskey – the above notes and rating below have nothing to do with the celebrity but wanted to share that in full disclosure. This stuff is pretty bad. Granted, for $20 I had low expectations, but I recently bought a similarly priced bottle of Old Tom Horan Irish Whiskey (review pending!) and liked it markedly better than this. I hope this isn’t the first bottle of Irish whiskey for folks out there (it has sold quite well) as it might single-handedly slow the growth of the category.

Rating: Probably Pass

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Old Bardstown Estate Bottled

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Old Bardstown Estate Bottled
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

50.5% ABV
$30 – $35
Website
Old Bardstown Estate Bottled

What the Producer Says

Small Batch – Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
tasting notes
Nose is sweet, herbal, citrus. The palate is herbaceous, sweet fruit, vanilla, on a layer of oak and earthiness that goes on like a champion marathon runner.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Musty oak with vanilla, cinnamon, hint of anise and fall leaves.
Palate:  Starts sweet with caramel sauce, vanilla cream frosting and walnuts; sharpens with a cinnamon bite, white pepper, nutmeg, allspice, and a bit of clove with oak throughout.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length with a lingering vanilla frosting and baking spices.
Comments:  This isn’t ‘Willett’ distillate (at this time), and is a decent enough 101 proof bourbon. Non-age stated, but that musty oakiness is typical of some older whiskey – along with the sharper palate. Not overoaked, but a health dose of wood if you like that sorta thing.

Rating: Stands Out

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Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend Single Marrying Cask (2018)

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend Single Marrying Cask

Selected by The Whiskey Library DC, Scotch Trooper &
Dekalb Bottle House, Cask No 5
49% ABV
$50
Website
Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend Single Marrying Cask

What the Blender Says

(Referencing the bottle details):
French Oak Barrel
Married 1/24/2017
Bottled 7/16/2018 (married 18 mos)
192 bottles
The Great King Street range from Compass Box is dedicated to creating contemporary Scotch Whiskies in the full-flavoured style of the great 19th Century blending houses. In creating these blends, we drew upon archive recipes from the golden age of whiskymaking then updated them with our own 21st Century custom cask maturation techniques. The result is a style of Blended Scotch unlike anything else available today.
Bold, Peaty, Sherried

What Gary Says

Nose: Thick peaty goodness, raisins, roasted marshmallows, subtle sea air with baking spices, wisps of barbecue sauce and rubber bands.
Palate: Thick and oily mouthfeel, peat with medicinal notes and dark fruit, vanilla, cinnamon, a hint of curry spice.
Finish: Moderately long, oily with lingering peat and subtle spice.
Comments: Third of these ‘single marrying casks’ I’ve bought, and only regret is not grabbing multiples. While I would buy any of them again given the chance at retail, this is my favorite. Just a lovely, intense, robust whisky with spice notes from the french oak. Compared to the standard Great King Street lineup, the additional proof points and marrying casks make more of a difference than you might suspect.

Rating: Must Buy

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Compass Box Great King Street Artist’s Blend Single Marrying Cask (2018)

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box Great King Street Artist’s Blend Single Marrying Cask

Dekalb Bottle House Exclusive, Cask No 27
49% ABV
$50
Website
Compass Box Great King Street Artists Blend Single Marrying Cask

What the Blender Says

(Referencing the bottle details):
American Oak Hogshead
Married 1/18/2017
Bottled 7/16/2018 (married 18 mos)
162 bottles
The Great King Street range from Compass Box is dedicated to creating contemporary Scotch Whiskies in the full-flavoured style of the great 19th Century blending houses. In creating these blends, we drew upon archive recipes from the golden age of whiskymaking then updated them with our own 21st Century custom cask maturation techniques. The result is a style of Blended Scotch unlike anything else available today.
Rich, Round & Fruity

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich, baked apple chips, vanilla, biscuity, rickhouse oak, bits of apple cider spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg).
Palate: Rounded, slightly waxy mouthfeel with apples, pears, vanilla, honey, allspice, nutmeg, a hint of cinnamon give way to freshly cracked pepper.
Finish: Moderately long, damp with building pepper spice and over-ripe pears.
Comments: This is the 2nd Compass Box Great King Street Marrying Cask I’ve bought, and they’ve all punched well above their weight for the money. I had an opportunity to try this at the launch party, and immediately bought one. Unlike private barrels, these aren’t everywhere you look – but I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on one.

Rating: Must Buy

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William Heavenhill Single Barrel

/ / Bourbon, Review /

William Heavenhill Single Barrel

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 14 Years
57.5% ABV
$250
Website
William Heavenhill 14 Yr Single Barrel

What the Distillery Says

Nothing unfortunately (no mention of it on their website).
This particular William Heavenhill single barrel was offered at the Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown, KY. During a visit, my dad and I had a chance to try it as part of a tasting, and he liked it well enough to buy one (and was generous enough to provide me a sample to review!)
Additional details from the bottle include:
Barrel 24
Barreled: 2/6/2003; Bottled: 7/11/2017

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich salted caramel, fudge, charred oak, vanilla bean, a slight tannic, smokey, sulfur note, subtle cinnamon with hints of anise and clove.
Palate:  Thick and creamy mouthfeel, nutty dark chocolate with bits of caramel, black cherries, dates, oak and pepper spice; a tad hot.
Finish:  Long and drying with oak and pepper spice.
Comments:  This is a bit more oak prominent than I prefer, but not overly oaked. I remember loving this when tasting it in Bardstown (although not enough to buy a bottle). I struggled with what felt to me like a very good single barrel version of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof w/ 2 more years – at triple the cost (or more). So I didn’t buy one, but remember thinking it was delicious all the same. I was disappointed to not love it nearly as much when I sat down on three different occasions to make tasting notes (I suspect something with my sample, although not sure what – who knows).  It takes water well, maintaining that lovely mouthfeel and tamping the hotness enough.

Rating: Stands Out

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