Review

J. Riddle Peated Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

J. Riddle Peated Bourbon

45.5% ABV
$45
Website
J. Riddle Peated Bourbon

What the Distillery Says

Two James Spirits is proud to announce the release of our newest spirit, J. Riddle Peated Bourbon. This unique spirit pairs the sweet robust flavor of corn bourbon with the elegant smokiness of single malt whiskey. The mash bill possesses subtle notes of vanilla, buttered popcorn, sea salt, fresh cut grass and light smoke. What started off as an experimental mix of grains developed into a delicious bourbon unlike any other on the market. Distilled on-site from 79% Michigan Corn and 21% Scottish Barley and aged in full-format 53-gallon new American oak barrels, we are excited to release our first barrels and for you to savor and enjoy!

What Gary Says

Nose:  Funky, wet leather, cardboard, buttered popcorn with celery salt, malted barley, freshly cut green wood, hints of vanilla, cornbread, and odd vegetal notes.
Palate:  Sweet entry of butterscotch, vanilla, a soured grain note, caramel, earthy peat sneaking in with some tame ginger, a hint of clove and creamed corn.
Finish:  Moderate in length, drying with lingering peat and creamed corn notes.
Comments:  This is an odd dram, reminding me more of an American single malt than a bourbon. I like peated whiskey, but if your frame of reference is Islay scotch whisky, this isn’t anything like that. The peat is there, but it is different – more earthy/vegetal than sea air/brine/coastal. Plus only a fraction of the grain is malted with peat – so it is much less intense. The corn is quite evident. On the nose, I wouldn’t have guessed this to be peated, but it shows up more on the palate. It is a very interesting pour. I had to make several passes at it, as the aromas and flavors didn’t jump out as being things I get in whisk(e)y – which for me is intriguing.

Rating: Stands Out

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Lagavulin 8 Yrs Old Single Malt

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Lagavulin 8 Yrs Old

48% ABV
$60-$70
Website
Lagavulin 8 yr old

What the Distillery Says

This bicentenary limited edition is magnificently full-on in flavour – a celebration of the people and craft that make Lagavulin great.

Nose: Immediately quite soft with clean, fresh notes, faint hints of milk chocolate and lemon and then developing fragrant tea-scented smoke alongside nose-drying, maritime aromas, with subtle cereal. A prickliness seen earlier now develops, while the trademark Lagavulin dryness emerges as fresh newsprint. Softly sooty. Softer, fuller and more rounded with water: it’s not hugely fruity but there’s just a trace of red berry preserve, perhaps, beneath the smokiness, which comes sharply into focus.

Palate: A soothing light texture, with a magnificently full on Lagavulin taste that’s somehow even bigger than you expect; sweet, smoky and warming, with a growing, smoky pungency, then dry, with more smoke. Charred, with minty, dark chocolate. Beautifully balanced midpalate then salty, oven-charred baked potato skins and smoke. Water rounds things, the taste still mighty yet more succulent, sweeter, spicier and now tongue-tingling, mint-fresh and warming.

Finish: Lovely; clean, very long and smoky. Smoothly, subtle minted smoke surrounds chocolate tannins, leaving a late drying note to emerge in time. It’s warming, soft and still smoky with water, not as long or intense now, yet still leaving the palate dry as sweet smoke lingers on the breath.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Peat smoke, earthy, musty, light iodine, notes of husky grains.
Palate:  Sweet peat, honey with a sharper oak and pepper spice.
Finish: Moderately long, drying with a hint of stout (seriously – Guinness?).
Comments:  Compared with Lagavulin 16 yr, the color is much lighter, the nose is less rich, and the palate is sweeter but has less depth. But for being only 8 yrs old, it is surprisingly delicious. Unmistakably Lagavulin. I’m sure the higher proof helps with the comparison (and leaves me dreaming of what 16 or 20 yr old cask strength Lagavulin must be like). Fans of Lagavulin should seek this out if only to experience the whiskey at half the age. I was definitely impressed on that score.

Rating: Stands Out

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Lagavulin 16 Yrs Old Single Malt

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Lagavulin 16 Yrs Old

43% ABV
$90-$100
Website
Lagavulin 16 yr

What the Distillery Says

Aged in oak casks for at least sixteen years, this much sought-after single malt has the massive peat-smoke that’s typical of southern Islay – but also offering a dryness that turns it into a truly interesting dram.

Region: A roaring bonfire from the coast of Islay.
Appearance: Deep amber gold.
Nose: Intensely flavoured, peat smoke with iodine and seaweed and a rich, deep sweetness.
Body: Full, rich bodied.
Palate: Dry peat smoke fills the palate with a gentle but strong sweetness, followed by sea and salt with touches of wood.
Finish: A long, elegant peat-filled finish with lots of salt and seaweed.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Intense peat smoke, worn leather, cigar paper, creosote, iodine, all on an musty, earthy foundation.
Palate:  Sweet peat notes with oak and honey to start, before nutty spice and a hint of bitter cocoa; subtle notes of celery.
Finish:  Long and lovely, slowly drying with peat smoke and hints of pepper.
Comments:  If you like peat, this is absolutely a ‘Must Try’. I’ll admit – I was surprised we hadn’t ever reviewed this – and upon that discovery set about to correct that oversight. A very well balanced pour – bold without being too aggressive. In fact, in terms of peaty single malts, I’d say this is the most seductive of the various Islay distillery’s standard bearers.

Rating: Must Try

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Breckenridge Distillers High Proof Blend

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Breckenridge Distillers High Proof Blend Bourbon

52.5% ABV
$56-$60
Website
Breckenridge Distillers High Proof

What the Distillery Says

Breckenridge A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys

Preserving the essence of our raw barrel character by bottling at a gripping 105 proof, our Distiller’s High Proof Blend represents the whiskey as our master blenders experience it (for the true experience sip 20 samples at 8:00 AM, before coffee). Deep burnt umber hue with aromas of rich butter caramel and toasted almond paste. Medium body with a luscious vanilla sugar flavor and a long balanced finish.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Musty oak, salted caramel, cinnamon, vanilla wafers.
Palate:  Warm, sharp sweetness, caramel corn, oak with pepper spice and hints of orange zest.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with caramel and cinnamon.
Comments:  A bit oaky, but not excessive to the point where it is offputting. Appreciate the higher proof, but it doesn’t hold up well to water; thins out very quickly. After making my notes, I tried this side-by-side with Jim Beam’s Distiller’s Cut (100 proof), and I preferred that easily.

Rating: Average

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Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey

43% ABV
$40 – $45
Website

What the Distillery Says

Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey A Blend
Deep honey-amber hue with warm, pronounced aromas of under-ripe banana and brown sugar, with spicy notes of white pepper and toasted sesame. Light body with warm texture and long sweet oak, vanilla finish with a touch of bitterness to balance. Reminiscent of a slice of toasted rye bread with honey drizzled on it.

We mash, ferment and distill a lot of Bourbon in house. Our blend of Bourbon Whiskeys also consists of Barrels selected from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana chosen for their unique qualities, heritage, and ability to marry in our blend, always made from a high-rye mash bill.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Freshly baked and buttered cornbread with honey drizzled atop, vanilla, oak with pine trees.
Palate: Starts sweet, thin mouthfeel of cornflakes, vanilla and honey that sharpens with some oak and spice.
Finish:  Short and fleeting, with drying oak notes.
Comments:  This tastes like young bourbon to me, not that there is anything offputting about it – but nothing that would leave me wanting another pour. After making my notes, I decided to try this blind against Old Forester 86 proof, and it was no contest for me preferring the Old Forester. While not offputting, at this price point I can’t in good conscious consider it even average.

Rating: Probably Pass

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