Gary

Managing apostle and whiskey enthusiast

Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whisky

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whisky

46% ABV
$40
Website

What the Distillery Says

A TRUE ORIGINAL
The first Texas whisky on the market since Prohibition, Baby Blue is crafted from roasted heirloom blue corn. This rich and oily maize adds new sophistication to the corn whisky tradition while keeping the freshness and verve of classic American distilling. Intentionally youthful, Baby Blue captures the essence of this prized corn with a round nuttiness, roasted overtones and refined complexity. The mouthfeel is viscous with a soft finish. A true Texas original that we are delighted to share with the world.

NOSE: melted butter, kettle corn, vanilla, toffee, cinnamon and nutmeg, fresh bread and honey, fresh ground coffee, baking chocolate
TASTE: tropical fruit, slight apricot, brown sugar, cotton candy, sweet tea with lemon, smoked chilis
FINISH: medium long warming, late cinnamon/leather spice, mint and green peppercorns

What Gary Says

Nose:  Warm, fresh corn tortillas, corn bread with loads of butter, buttered popcorn with some oak and smoke throughout; a bit on the sharp side.
Palate:  Thin mouthfeel, creamed corn with sugar and a subtle honey note.
Finish:  Short with notes of buttered popcorn.
Comments: The nose is interesting, not super ‘sweet’ like some other corn whiskies, but a more savory corn nuance. The palate is pretty unremarkable for me; my initial thought is that it is fairly ‘doggy’ (if you’re familiar with white dog). This is aged “at least 6 months”, and while the nose is intriguing, its youth is very apparent on the palate. I get that the heat in Texas might make this way too oaky given the age we typically see in a more northern climate. But then maybe the warehouses need to have some level of climate control to prevent that? Or ‘Texas’ whiskey will have that heavy oak influence as a characteristic? I’ll admit – I’m not a huge corn whiskey fan. But when you can get a bottled-in-bond corn whiskey for $15 or so, I can’t imagine where I’d spend $40 on a 6 month old bottle.

Rating: Probably Pass

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Port Charlotte – Scottish Barley

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Port Charlotte
Scottish Barley

Heavily Peated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
50% ABV
$60 – $70
Website

What the Distillery Says

Peated to a heavyweight 40ppm, Port Charlotte Scottish Barley is a cuvee crafted from cask profiles originally selected by master distiller Jim McEwan. It showcases the supreme elegance of this remarkable single malt – a union of the classic floral elegance of Bruichladdich and heavy peat. Trickle distilled from 100% Scottish Barley the spirit gently matures in the lochside village of Port Charlotte before being bottled here at the distillery using Islay spring water.

TASTING NOTES
CHARACTER – The texture is extraordinarily rich with a huge depth of character. The smouldering heat of peat fires pulls you into a whirlpool of islay flavours and aromas but with such finesse that you welcome the storm.
COLOUR – Gilded lily.
NOSE – Opening with assertive waves of peat smoke and Atlantic squall, the olfactory system is on high alert in anticipation of some major sensory excitement. A swell of aromatics flood the senses with notes of iodine, salty canvas, crushed sea shells, charred oak staves, black pepper, paprika and leather tobacco pouches. The second wave brings vanilla, figs and soft plump dates, marinated pear, freshly milled malt, dark sweet toffee and cracked walnuts. It’s smoky. It’s smouldering. It’s sensuous. Just close your eyes and inhale long and deep. This is aromatic awesomeness.
PALATE – Wow! Waves of the sweetest, smoothest, warmest smokiest spirit that you have ever experienced flood onto the palate like the atlantic surf on Saligo Bay. It is potent, focused and the flavours explode brilliantly onto the palate. Full of depth and complexity, the smokey sweetness of the barley contrasts beautifully with the marine freshness of the spirit and the richness of toffee and vanilla. The complexity is enhanced further with a citrus twist and then mellow oak tempers the fire. Once the taste buds adjust to what is happening, they rejoice in the company and pleasure of this young Celt.
FINISH – It’s long and heart-warming, arousing feelings of pride and passion. It brings courage and strength, honesty and faith to your very soul.
MOOD – It cries “freedom”. You are in a good place and you envy no man. You feel alive and ready for whatever lies ahead, knowing that the true spirit of Islay is with you.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Soft sea air with iodine laden peat smoke, dried hay & grass, subtle hints of barbecue sauce.
Palate:  Earthy sweet with vanilla, caramel and nutmeg on graham crackers; peat fire next door with a savory spice note.
Finish: Moderately long, drying with medicinal smokey notes.
Comments:  Concluding our exploration of Bruichladdich The Wee Laddie Tasting Collection Gift Pack, we enjoy Port Charlotte Scottish Barley. This is a very interesting dram. I love peat, and this has it balanced in a lovely way (no ‘peat bomb’ here). Easily my favorite of the three.

Rating: Stands Out

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Bruichladdich – Islay Barley

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Bruichladdich Islay Barley

Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
50% ABV
$65 – $75
Website

What the Distillery Says

Yellow gold with great structure. Soft with honey, citrus and sea salt, hints of spicy bourbon and young Islay barley. This is a Hebridean journey like no other
NOTE: Bruichladdich provides a lot of details for different vintages of these releases, which is great; I really love that level of transparency! Unfortunately I’ve no idea which vintage was included here; so using the gift pack image as well as  only providing the above notes which were part of the in-box materials.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet malt, honey over floral and herbal notes, a hint of dried orange zest with a stronger hit of sea air.
Palate:  Creamier mouthfeel, honey with vanilla and pears, some orange spice that transitions to a pepper spice.
Finish: Moderately long, thick and sweet with spice notes trailing.
Comments:  Continuing our exploration of Bruichladdich The Wee Laddie Tasting Collection Gift Pack, we arrive at Islay Barley. The nose is quite similar to The Classic Laddie, just a touch less sweet, a touch more herbal, and a touch more sea air. On the palate the distance grows, with a richer sweetness and some citrus spice. While fairly similar, I prefer this over the first.

Rating: Stands Out

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Bruichladdich – The Classic Laddie

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Bruichladdich
The Classic Laddie
Scottish Barley

Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
50% ABV
$55-$65
Website

What the Distillery Says

Head Distiller Adam Hannett has individually selected casks to showcase the classic, floral and elegant Bruichladdich house style. Made from 100% Scottish barley, trickle distilled, then matured for its entire life by the shores of Loch Indaal in premium American oak, it is a testament to the quality of our ingredients.

THE NATURAL OILS
We never chill-filter our whiskies because this industrial process strips out the natural oils and esters that give Bruichladdich a wonderful rich, oily mouthfeel.
A characteristic ‘band of gold’ is created when water, which is denser than our whisky is carefully added to the glass.

TASTING NOTES
CHARACTER – Smooth as pebbles in a pool. It’s clean, fresh and lively with both the oak and the grain in perfect harmony.
COLOUR – Sunlight on fields of early summer barley.
NOSE – The bouquet is brilliant. Opening with barley sugar and a hint of mint before leading into the most wonderful notes of freshly cut wild flowers; buttercup, daisy, meadowsweet, myrtle, primrose and cherry blossom. The cleanliness of the spirit is remarkable. As the seconds tick by, more aromas rise from the glass, little zephyrs of spindrift and sea pinks reminding you that this spirit is matured exclusively by the sea. After some four or five minutes and with the addition of a little water, caramelised fruits drift onto the scene; lemon drops and honey, tangerine and tablet.
PALATE – The palate entry is so refined and refreshing, the sweet oak and the barley arriving together sending the taste buds into raptures. The fruits from distillation drift in on an atlantic breeze and pop on the tongue like champagne bubbles. A combination of ripe green fruit, brown sugar and sweet malt bring closure. A taste back in time, a realisation that not all single malts are equal and to achieve the absolute optimum, you must use barley that is made in Scotland. Make this one the benchmark for all others you meet on your journey through the stills of Scotland.
FINISH – Unforgettable! Its best enjoyed in good company, you just don’t want the evening to end. It brings warmth to the heart and soul. The clock slows down and the cares of tomorrow disappear into the dawn.
MOOD – Conviviality! Relaxed, enjoying the spirit in the glass and the laughter from tales often told but never tired of hearing.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet malt, with a bouquet of floral and herbal notes, bit a dried mint and sea breeze.
Palate:  Nice mouthfeel, not quite creamy, blanched pears atop vanilla flan with caramel; builds up with pepper spice and a bit of clove at the back.
Finish: Moderately long;  slightly drying with some mint and subtle pepper spice.
Comments:  Richard picked up the Bruichladdich The Wee Laddie Tasting Collection Gift Pack, which included three 200mL bottles. I’m glad he did! Starting with this as the baseline for exploration of the three, which for my tastes is pleasant enough although definitely on the subtle side. Nothing that jumps out and grabs my attention, but also nothing that turns me off.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Any given whisk(e)y on any given Sunday

/ / Gary's Blog

I’m sure most have heard the phrase “On any given Sunday“, which is a short version of “On any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team“.  In my experience, the same can be said about whisk(e)y . . . to some extent. “Any” is probably too generous (I can’t imagine the day when I would find Buffalo Trace more to my liking than George T Stagg), but there are absolutely days when I like a particular whisk(e)y more or less.

We’ve talked about the variables that impact whisk(e)y, but the dram is only a part of the equation – lest we forget about the drinker and the environment. When it comes to the drinker – there are a lot of things that could impact what WE sense, including time of day, what we’ve had to eat prior, how hydrated we are, if we’re suffering from seasonal allergies, if we’ve got (or are just overcoming) a head-cold, or any number of other things.  It’s easy to know when you’ve got a cold, but there are days I feel perfectly fine, have poured a dram that I’m fairly familiar with, and it doesn’t taste right to me.  Maybe I get the herbal notes but I’m missing most of the sweetness (I personally find this happens after a head-cold – sometimes for a week or more).  Or I get a bit of everything I expect to, but it feels like the volume was turned down.  Sometimes I get almost nothing but alcohol – which is when I pour it back in the bottle and tap out for the day.

Let me share a quick story.  I’m with a gathering of whisk(e)y friends, where we’ve got 30+ bottles on the table and everyone is welcome to sample whatever you want. There’s been food, drink, and some cigar smoking on the back porch, as well as plenty of laughs. Someone brings out a decanter that is damned impressive looking, and passes it around – but isn’t saying what it is. I think to myself that it might be one of the best pours I’ve had all night. It strikes me as well balanced, sweet with fruit, oak, and spice notes, and a finish that doesn’t quit. After much debate about what this marvelous dram was, he discloses it was ‘just Macallan 12 yr’ in a decanter that cost more than the bottle of whisk(e)y.

My point is this: our enjoyment of the water of life is about more than the liquid itself.  While the spirit is important, take time to appreciate the setting, and savor those moments spent with friends and family over a glass of the water of life.  When I think of my most fond whisk(e)y memories, the first thing I recall is who I was with – not necessarily what we were drinking.

Cheers!
Gary

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