Gary

Managing apostle and whiskey enthusiast

Isaac Bowman Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Barrels

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Isaac Bowman Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Barrels

45% ABV
$40
Website
Isaac Bowman Port Barrel Finished Bourbon

What the Distiller Says

A. Smith Bowman Distillery finished its bourbon in a variety of port barrels from across Virginia and from Portugal for between three to six months, depending on flavor, before marrying them together to create Isaac Bowman Port Barrel Finished Bourbon. These barrels were made using American Oak and French Limousin Oak, with some barrels originating from Minnesota, Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia, and others. Master Distiller Brian Prewitt tasted these barrels every month to determine the optimum time to be emptied.
Prewitt describes this bourbon as having a dark amber color with a reddish hue.
“The nose greets you with our characteristic cherry and baked apple but supplemented with jammy fruit notes and balanced with the enticing aroma of vanilla, brown spice, and toasted
pecans,” Prewitt notes.
He describes the flavor as “bold and sweet with the toasty notes of French and American oak rounding out to a long smooth finish that pleasantly lingers on the palate.”
A portion of each batch will be held back for blending with the next batch to ensure consistency in flavor and color going forward.
This port barrel finished bourbon is named after Captain Isaac Bowman, the youngest of the Bowman Brothers, who was a soldier and Virginia militia officer in the American Revolutionary War. Isaac was at one point taken as a prisoner of war, but was able to make a historic escape before embarking on a two-year adventure and then returning home to Virginia. He then settled down at Fort Bowman Estate where he became a prosperous farmer and landowner. The Distillery felt it fitting to name this bourbon after Isaac whose great American spirit was evident throughout his life and many adventures.
While Abraham Bowman Port Finished Bourbon was only released once in limited quantities, Isaac Bowman will be offered as an everyday item as part of the Distillery’s standard line of spirits for the suggested retail price of $39.99. Isaac Bowman will launch initially in Virginia only, but eventually spreading into North Carolina and a few additional markets.

What Gary Says

Nose: Spicy dark fruit, stewed dates, figs, plums, raisins, cocoa, molasses, hints of tart cherries, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Palate: Sweet yet a tad sharp with vanilla, milk chocolate, dry nutty port note; bit of water tamps down the sharp edge while amping up the chocolate, nuttiness.
Finish: Short to moderate in length, drying with a slight pepper note.
Comments: The port finish is more prominent on the nose than on the palate, but not overdone in the least. I’m a fan of port-finished whiskey in general (see my favorite bottle I bought in Ireland), and am glad to see more of it happening here in the States.  Of course Angel’s Envy was/is the big label in this niche.  How does this compare to that?  To be fair – I can’t really say, as I don’t have a bottle of Angel’s Envy handy.  I know I enjoy both, and this is a few extra proof points higher (and $10 less).  I’d suggest that if you like Angel’s Envy and port finished whiskies, you’d enjoy this as well (and I’d consider it a ‘Must Try’).  And if you hadn’t tried that yet in part because of the price – here’s a slightly less expensive means to see what you think about bourbon finished in port.

Rating: Stands Out

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Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky

62.8% ABV
$100
Website

What the Distiller Says

According to Indian mythology, when the Gods and Rakshasas – the demons – churned the oceans using the mountain Meru, a golden pot sprang out of the oceans containing the “elixir of life”. This was called the “Amrut”.  The great founders of our distillery aptly named it Amrut Distilleries.

Amrut Single Malt Whisky Peated is a product of many years of research and development with an aim to produce world class whiskies. This whisky is made from the finest imported Scottish peated barley.

It is carefully mashed and distilled in small batches to preserve the natural aromas and matured in oak barrels in unique tropical conditions at an altitude of 3,000 feet above sea level at Bangalore, the “garden city” of India. To retain the natural characteristics of this oak aged Indian Single Malt Whisky we do not chill filter and it is bottled straight from the barrel in its natural color.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Gristy smoked barley, kippers with a salted butter, peppered bite
Taste: The delivery is youthful and barely reaching puberty then suddenly an intensely malty ascendancy followed by a healthy dose of drier oaks
Finish: A sublime finale for its sheer delicacy and elegance; the peat no more than oozes, there are cups galaore of sugarless medium roast Mysore and finally, as a bourbony trail is discovered, soft liquorice and molassed sugar – easily the highlight of the experience: one of the best finishes of the year

What Gary Says

Nose: Plenty of peat, some exotic wood, musty incense, and tahini candy.
Palate: Thick, earthy with some dark fruit sweetness, plums, dates, molasses, and some spice underlying; bit of water turns up the sweetness a bit more without losing the thick mouthfeel.
Finish: Short to moderate in length, on the damp side.
Comments: On the nose, this is the non-cask strength version simply turned up.  On the palate, the extra proof is bringing more to the party; another great example of why I prefer higher proof drams.  For me, the extra proof brings more complexity and depth, even with some water added.  The peat isn’t as overwhelming on the palate here (still heavy handed on the nose though).  At the price point though, while I like it more it still isn’t something that I’d rush out and buy a bottle of (not without trying first!)

Rating: Stands Out

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Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt Whisky

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review / ,

Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt Whisky

46% ABV
$80
Website

What the Distiller Says

According to Indian mythology, when the Gods and Rakshasas – the demons – churned the oceans using the mountain Meru, a golden pot sprang out of the oceans containing the “elixir of life”. This was called the “Amrut”.  The great founders of our distillery aptly named it Amrut Distilleries.

Amrut Single Malt Whisky Peated is a product of many years of research and development with an aim to produce world class whiskies. This whisky is made from the finest imported Scottish peated barley.

It is carefully mashed and distilled in small batches to preserve the natural aromas and matured in oak barrels in unique tropical conditions at an altitude of 3,000 feet above sea level at Bangalore, the “garden city” of India. To retain the natural characteristics of this oak aged Indian Single Malt Whisky we do not chill filter and it is bottled straight from the barrel in its natural color.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Unusually dry peat; not dissimilar to peat reek absorbed by an old leather armchair; a hint of citrus, too
Taste: Despite the nose, the immediate sensation is one of being caressed by molassed sugar and then a ratching up of the peat notes. As they get more forceful, so the experience becomes that little bit drier and spicier, though not without the molasses refusing to give way
Finish: You can tell the quality of the distillate and the barrels it has been matured in by the crystalline depth to the finish. Everything is clear on the palate and the butterscotch vanillas wrap the phenols for a comfortable and clean finale

What Gary Says

Nose: Peat! Seriously, loads of peat, with some exotic wood, incense, and mustiness in the background.
Palate: Sweet Earthy malt, some hints of fruit with vegetal notes.
Finish: Short to moderate in length, on the damp side.
Comments: Nothing off putting, but a bit one-dimensional for me. The nose is heavy on the peat, and on the palate it is sweet and earthy, but all of the exotic subtly I get from Amrut Single Malt is lost in this offering. Definitely unique though, and I applaud them for trying, but not something that I’d rush out and buy a bottle of (not without trying first!)

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Amrut Indian Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Amrut Indian Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky

61.8% ABV
$80-$90
Website

What the Distiller Says

According to Indian mythology, when the Gods and Rakshasas – the demons – churned the oceans using the mountain Meru, a golden pot sprang out of the oceans containing the “elixir of life”. This was called the “Amrut”.  The great founders of our distillery aptly named it Amrut Distilleries.

Amrut Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky is a product of many years of research and development with an aim to produce world class whiskies. This whisky is made from select Indian barley, grown at the foot of the Himalayas, nurtured by the waters flowing there and cultivated by traditional agricultural practices.

It is carefully mashed and distilled in small batches to preserve the natural aromas and matured in oak barrels in unique tropical conditions at an altitude of 3,000 feet above sea level at Bangalore, the “garden city” of India. To retain the natural characteristics of this oak aged Indian Single Malt Whisky we do not chill filter and it is bottled straight from the barrel in its natural color.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Classic house style with glorious bourbon notes fused with the richest of barley statements; not entirely unlike caramelised biscuit dunked in coffee; oh, and a bit of spicy attitude, too
Taste: There we go with that unique bitter-sweet overture where the oaks and barley appear joined at the hip; lovely soft oils and then a sharp jolt of blood orange citrus, which is removed by something more buttery and delicate
Finish: Long, elegant with the most intricate of fades with the oaks showing various bourbon then buttery characteristics; there is a trace of dark sugar and cocoa to help it along its way

What Gary Says

Nose: Musty, exotic wood, vegetal (celery perhaps?), rubber, worn leather, fresh tobacco, a bit of smoke and toasted orange zest.
Palate: Thick mouthfeel, warm, twangy sweet – dark fruits with an exotic citrus note, almost sherry-like – building to a sharp spice with allspice and pepper.
Finish: Short to moderate in length with a drying, musty spice note coasting in smoke.
Comments: I’ll admit that subconsciously, when I see the term “single malt whisky”, my mind (and apparently nose/palate) go to single malt Scotch. To me, the primary theme that came across with this lovely pour was ‘exotic’, which according to Merriam-Webster can mean “strikingly, excitingly, or mysteriously different or unusual”. This absolutely is how this whisky hit me. This is the first Amrut offering I’ve studied carefully, and I really enjoyed it. It brings a sweetness that reminds me a little of a lightly sherried single malt Scotch, but still a bit different. It takes water well, lessening the degree that it sharpens but not knocking the spice out of the picture.

Rating: Stands Out

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Clan Macgregor Scotch Whisky

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Clan Macgregor Scotch Whisky

40% ABV
$11
Website

What the Blender Says

The Taste
Fifteen of Scotland’s finest malt and select grain whiskies from the Scottish highlands, lowlands and the heart of Speyside have been skillfully blended to create the smooth and mellow, award winning flavour of Clan MacGregor. The result is a high quality, light and fragrant whisky with a well-balanced, smooth, mellow taste that resonates with whisky drinkers across the world.
Explore the flavours and aromas from one of the finest blended Scotch whiskies.
COLOUR: Straw gold
NOSE: Distinctive sweetness, vanilla, malted, drying, hints of smoke
TASTE: Rich, grainy sweetness, hints of dry smoke, baked apple, biscuity, smooth, malty, lingering
FINISH: Long, clean, delicate sweetness

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet malted grain, slightly sour vegetal grain note with sea weed/salted sea air brine; hint of alcohol.
Palate:  Thin mouthfeel; young, sweet malty grain.
Finish:  Short and forgetful.
Comments:  I’m a big believer in thoroughness, including exploring the bottom shelf/value brands – at least once if only to appreciate the difference (and sometimes re-visiting later is helpful). I hadn’t ever explored this area in Scotch, so figured it was about time. Sometimes that journey is a pleasant surprise that finds something you really enjoy, and value above the already inexpensive price tag. This wasn’t one of those. This fit squarely in my expectations. Nothing objectionable, but nothing that left me wanting more.

Rating: Probably Pass

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