Appleton Estate 12‑Year‑Old Rare Casks Jamaican Rum

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Appleton Estate 12‑Year‑Old Rare Casks Jamaican Rum

43% ABV
$43
Website
Appleton Estate 12‑Year‑Old Rare Casks Jamaican Rum

What the Producer Says

The proof that craftsmanship and talent need another ingredient to achieve excellence: Joy

12 Year Old Rare Casks is a true expression of Master Blender Joy Spence’s passion. A blend of rare hand-selected pot and column still rums crafted with limestone-filtered water, all aged for a minimum of 12 years in the tropical climate of Jamaica.

Color: Deep bronze with a honey gold ring of age and mahogany reflections.
Aroma: Toasted oak, dried fruit, and hazelnut, followed by notes of dark cocoa, molasses, orange peel, vanilla, and hints of coffee.
Finish: Long, bittersweet, and luscious.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Banana nut bread with tropical fruit notes of coconut, mango, vanilla, oak and a hint of maple.
Palate:  Sweet caramel, vanilla, milk chocolate, unsweetened coconut, bit of maple, candied grapefruit and subtle spice notes.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, with cotton candy, caramel and pepper spice.
Comments:  Continuing with another rum, this one is quite different from the Foursquare offering. On the palate, this reminds me a bit of a bourbon. Enjoyed the tropical fruit notes, and very easy to drink.

Rating: Stands Out

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Wilderness Trail 6 Year Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Wilderness Trail 6 Year Single Barrel Wheated
Family Reserve Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Barrel # 765288; ISC Classic #4
Rickhouse: E-N12-9-15; Yeast Strain: 927

55.2% ABV
$70
Website
Wilderness Trail 6-Year Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon
We would like to thank Wilderness Trail Distillery and Allison Worldwide for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Wilderness Trail, the award-winning Kentucky Distillery known for using modern science to optimize old-world distilling traditions, is proud to announce the launch of 6-Year-Old Private Barrel offerings in their single barrel lineup. This marks a notable milestone for the young craft distillery, which was founded only 13 years ago.

The collection features three distinct 6-year-old, single-barrel, cask-strength, non-chill filtered expressions including a Wheated Bourbon, a High-Rye Bourbon, and a Rye Whiskey. Each is meticulously crafted using Wilderness Trail’s Sweet Mash process, proprietary yeast strains, and a Level 4 Alligator Char barrel profile to deliver elevated flavor definition and barrel complexity.

Hand-selected for its distinct character and complexity, each single barrel is a testament to the combination of employing modern fermentation science with traditional Kentucky maturation techniques. Wilderness Trail’s unconventional approach to traditional bourbon-making is crafted for the true whiskey enthusiast looking to explore alternative styles and is best enjoyed neat or on the rocks.

“At six years, our single barrels hit the sweet spot where our sweet mash fermentation and proprietary yeast strains deliver layered complexity without sacrificing balance,” said Dr. Pat Heist, Co-Owner and Chief Scientific Officer of Wilderness Trail Distillery. “The Wheated, High-Rye bourbon, and Rye Whiskey selections let enthusiasts choose between softer high-wheat elegance and the vibrant spice and herbal nuance of rye, each barrel a distinct expression of science meeting tradition.”

Crafted for true whiskey enthusiasts. Each single barrel is hand-selected, bottled at cask strength, and features a high-wheat mashbill for a uniquely soft, rich flavor.

Aged for 6 years, it features a mashbill of 64% corn, 24% wheat, and 12% malted barley using proprietary yeast strains. Aged in a #4 char barrel and entered at 110 proof.

FLAVOR PROFILE
Color: Rich, unfiltered deep amber
Nose: Sweet and nutty.
Taste: Notes of vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, and stone fruit.
Finish: Hints of baking spice, oak, and barrel char.
HOW TO SIP IT
All our whiskeys are best enjoyed neat or on the rocks in a classic sipping glass.
If you’re inclined, you can add a few water droplets to open up their rich aromas. We’ll leave that up to you.

What Gary Says

Nose: Coffee cake with vanilla icing, caramel, cinnamon, oak and a hint of cloves.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, caramel, butterscotch, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, pepper spice approaching chili oil.
Finish: Short to moderate in length with oak and pepper spice.
Comments: For the ABV this one drinks a tad hot to me (if I had to guess, I would have put it north of 60%) but a bit of water doesn’t hurt it. In fact a few drops brings out fruit notes on the nose (apples and pears) and tamps down the pepper on the palate, taking the butterscotch over to more of a toffee note. Tried this in an Old Fashioned and it did really well (where I tend to prefer rye-bourbons).

Rating: Stands Out

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Glenfarclas 25 Year Old London Edition Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Glenfarclas 25 Year Old London Edition Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

50.5% ABV
$400
Website
Glenfarclas 25 Yr Old London Edition The Whiskey Exchange Exclusive

What the Retailer Says

Made at Glenfarclas distillery and matured in oloroso sherry casks for a quarter of a century before being bottled to celebrate The Whisky Exchange’s 20th Anniversary. Aromas of meadow flowers, baked apples, barley sugar and buttery brioche fill the nose, developing into earthy coffee and sweet raisins. The palate opens with notes of fruit cake, salted caramel and rich oak, developing buttery pastry, raisins and fruity espresso flavours and dry waxiness.

This bottle features a specially-created label, designed by our creative director Raj Chavda to pay tribute to London’s vibrant hospitality industry.

Tasting Notes (courtesy of Billy Abbott, The Whisky Exchange)
Nose: Meadow flowers and barley sugar sit on top of a pile of sultanas and baked apples. Fragrant wax-polished oak follows, with freshly scraped vanilla pods and a touch of pine sap. Buttered brioche and fruit loaf notes develop along with mixed peel and a hint of cream. Hiding underneath is a bed of Eccles-cake raisins and earthy ground coffee.
Palate: Rich and oily, with well-fruited sponge cake leading to salted caramel and old oak tables. Singed, buttered toast and buttery pastry are wrapped around fruity espresso and raisins. Dried apple rings liberally spread with blackcurrant jam and sprinkled with brown sugar sit in the middle. Behind everything is an elegant waxiness and freshly polished pine boards.
Finish: Lingering sweet spice, light char, sultanas and a touch of hay and honeysuckle.
Comment: An elegant Glenfarclas. The sherry punch of the regular 25 year old is dialled back to reveal orchard fruit as well as a layer of rich dried vine fruit and peel. Espresso notes run through the middle, making sure things don’t get too sweet and reminding us that this came from an oloroso cask.

What Gary Says

Nose: Raisins, plums, leather, figs, orange peel, floral notes with a hint of sulfur in the back.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with fruit cake, caramel, raisins, bits of dark chocolate, honey, and a hint of gingerbread.
Finish: Long and syrupy with dates, sherry and chocolate.
Comments: I had the pleasure of doing a side-by-side tasting of this with the retail Glenfarclas 25 Year (43% ABV), and this was hands down a better whisky. Much darker in the glass, with a note that was deeper and richer. That 7.5% ABV does quite a lot! There was a resemblence, but this was taking the Glenfarclas 25 Year and turning the volume to 11. Just absolutely delicious! The fine folks at the Whiskey Exchange are good at this, as this is my favorite Glenfarclas to date, followed by their exclusive 15 year offering that’s not longer available.

Rating: Must Try

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Deanston 1995 26 Year Old Gleann Mór Rare Find

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Deanston 1995 26 Year Old Gleann Mór Rare Find
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

52.2% ABV
$200-$250
Website
Rare Find Gleann Mor Spirits Company Deanston 26 Years Old

What the Bottle Says

RARE FIND – Gleann Mór Spirits Company
Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distilled at Deanston
Bottled from Cask No. 4392A
Aged 26 Years
Aromas of baked apples, Christmas cake and cinnamon; ginger sponge and almond pastries on the palate with a warming, spiced dried fruit finish.
Distilled 195 | Bottled 0222
Non-chill Filtered | Natural Colour
52.2% alc/vol

What Gary Says

Nose: Spongecake, pineapple, coconut, figs, almonds, pears and lemon squares.
Palate: Thick and creamy mouthfeel with chocolate fudge, hazelnut, apples, lemon, bit of raisins, honey and cinnamon.
Finish: Long, thick and syrupy with baking spices and chocolate malt.
Comments: I haven’t had any experience (that I can recall at least) with Deanston, but this is just delicious! On some sites (namely Whiskybase and reddit) this offering shows to be finished in sherry, while on other sites it shows a single bourbon cask for the entire duration. I’ve seen images of other 26 year old Deanston that isn’t nearly as dark, so I’m not entirely sure. If it was sherry finished, it was done so exquisitely and with a deft hand, bringing some notes I’d associate with that (chocolate fudge, figs raisins) but just adding another dimension without overshadowing what the bourbon cask brought to the party. This has intensity of flavor with a delicate complexity – absolutely delightful dram!

Rating: Must Try

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A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas Whisky 2022 Edition

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas Whisky 2022 Edition
Blended Scotch Whisky

50.5% ABV
$110
Website
A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas Whisky 2022 Edition Blended Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

Rich complex malts and the most elegant aged grain whiskies combined to create festive flavours and evoke the spirit of Christmases past
The Whisky Exchange
This festive marriage brings together rich sherry-matured whisky from Blair Athol with elegant old grain from Strathcylde and Cameronbridge, classic Speyside malt from Glen Elgin and spicy new-oak-matured Linkwood to create a dram that’s packed with Christmas flavour. Plum pudding and sticky toffee with apples, oranges and shortbread on the side – the perfect accompaniment to the festive season.

What Gary Says

Nose: Fruity, chocolate fudge, orange zest, pears, apples, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and a hint of a mineral note.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, fruity with apples, raisins, plums, oranges, cinnamon, pepper, candied ginger, honey, apricots and oak.
Finish: Moderate in length with spice notes, chocolate and honey.
Comments: The nose on this reminds me of mincemeat pie – which definitely takes my mind to the holiday season! I bought this at auction on a whim (for £50, which was around $64 USD at the time). The recommended retail price was £85 ($109) so a solid discount, even with the hammer price. My only regret is that Richard happened to buy a 2023 edition of this, giving me a sample that unfortunately didn’t have a good seal (and in recent years I’ve accumulated quite the backlog, so it’s been over a year since I got it). So I can’t compare this to that edition unfortunately, but based on this sample size – despite it being non-age stated I would pay retail for it (and in fact, just won an auction on a 2024, so look forward to bringing that comparison next year!)

Rating: Must Try

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