Average

Pinhook Rye’d On

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Pinhook Rye’d On
Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

48.5% ABV
$40
Website
Pinhook Rye'd On

What the Producer Says

Each year, Pinhook releases a new vintage of bourbons and ryes. Every expression is the best representation of our barrels at that moment in time, and dedicated to a promising young thoroughbred. Through a combination of careful barrel selection, blending in small batches, and meticulous proofing, each Pinhook vintage has a personality as unique as the horse on the label.

The 2020 flagship rye release is the inaugural expression of Pinhook using our proprietary mashbill. Developed, distilled and aged over 2 years at Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort, KY, our latest rye was blended and proofed by Sean Josephs, our Master Taster.

Corn: 20
Rye: 60
Malted Barley: 20

This Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey brims with aromas of peach, spearmint, and cinnamon, which lead to a palate of cherry, toffee, and clove.

Non-Chill Filtered. Distilled and bottled by Castle & Key Distillery, Frankfort, KY. Aged more than 2 years.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel corn with cinnamon, fresh mint, tangerines, notes of fennel; bit of water brings out a note of peach cobbler.
Palate:  Cherry cough drops with mint and orange, honey, cinnamon-pepper spice, hint of clove; bit of water dampens the cherry some along with the spice edge.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length with fading cinnamon.
Comments:  Having had the wonderful opportunity to tour Castle & Key distillery back in April 2017 (and again in April 2019 – what a difference two years made!), I was anxious to get my first taste of whiskey coming out of there. I happened to be in Tennessee in early March 2020 (as luck would have it, the day the WHO announced that COVID-19 was officially a pandemic) where this had just been released, and I immediately bought one. Not since Willett released their first 2 year rye whiskey was I that excited to buy a 2 year whiskey. I should have let that experience temper my expectations.
So – it’s not bad. In fact, there isn’t anything off-putting about it. But it’s a 2 year old spirit – and that shows.  It isn’t as minty as other ryes, and the cherry cough drop note is definitely unique.  But it also isn’t a $40 whiskey I’d buy again.  In fact I’ll likely set portions of this aside in sample bottles to revisit in the years to come against maturing stocks of the same mashbill – because that’s what whiskey-geeks do.

Rating: Average

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Dewar’s Ilegal Smooth

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Dewar’s 8 Year Old Ilegal Smooth
Mezcal Cask Finish Blended Scotch Whisky

40% ABV
$21.99
Website
Dewars Ilegal Smooth
We would like to thank Dewar’s and Nike Communications for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

DEWAR’S® Scotch Whisky, the world’s most awarded blended Scotch whisky, announces the unprecedented first-to-world launch of DEWAR’S Ilegal Smooth: DEWAR’S 8 year-old double-aged Blended Scotch whisky, finished in Ilegal Mezcal casks for a pleasant and unexpectedly sweet, smooth blend with a wisp of smoke. The second in a new cask-finished series of whiskies, DEWAR’S Ilegal Smooth aims to reflect the Scotch spirit’s progressive new face and invite in new whisky appreciators through partnering with Ilegal, the leading artisanal mezcal in the US. This follows on from the successful debut of DEWAR’S Caribbean Smooth last September and the ethos of bringing together two exciting cultures, this time with Scotland and Mexico.

“DEWAR’S is thrilled to launch this second in a series of double-aged cask finishes, which further pushes the boundaries of the whisky category in line with DEWAR’S commitment to innovation,” says Brian Cox, Vice President, DEWAR’S, North America.

“We’ve been considering experimenting in the mezcal space for a while and are thrilled to partner with Ilegal for this exciting world first. It’s a fortuitous collaboration as there are many parallels between Tommy Dewar, one of the DEWAR’S founders, and John Rexer, founder of Ilegal. They both have grit, wit and passion for creating something new on an ambitious scale – the very best ultra-premium, smooth spirits. DEWAR’S Ilegal Smooth pays homage to both of their successful legacies by dispelling myths about what’s possible between whisky and mezcal and ultimately breaking new ground in both categories. The end product says it all,” added Cox.

DEWAR’S Ilegal Smooth’s 8-year-old mezcal cask finish offers brown spirit drinkers a refreshing alternative. “We’ve blended our signature recipe of up to 40 single malts and grain whiskies that have laid in casks for at least 8 years, double aged the blend to ensure our distinctive extra smooth DEWAR’S profile, and then finished in ex-Ilegal Mezcal casks, sourced from Oaxaca, Mexico, all fulfilled in our ageing warehouses in Glasgow,” says Stephanie Macleod, Master Blender, DEWAR’S. “DEWAR’S Ilegal Smooth’s unique flavor profile features subtle notes of caramel, sliced green pepper and a wisp of smoke – making it an ideal pairing for your next dinner party, or as a spirit to enjoy neat, on the rocks or in highball recipes,” added Macleod.

“Many of the barrels utilized in aging mezcal are used whisky barrels. It’s a nice shift to have our used Ilegal Mezcal barrels crossing borders to age whisky in Scotland. The finished product is delicious,” says Founder of Ilegal Mezcal, John Rexer. Ilegal Mezcal is made in Oaxaca, Mexico by Oaxaqueños. The company is composed of Mexicans, Guatemalans, Mexican Americans, an El Salvadoran American, Venezuelans, an Ecuadorian, New Yorkers, Californians and a Philadelphian … people from an array of ethnicities and cultures. We live, work, and play across borders. This partnership between Ilegal and DEWAR’S is about sharing cultures and creating an opportunity for education around the mezcal category,” added Rexer.

Tasting notes: Subtle notes of caramel, sliced green pepper and a wisp of smoke

What Gary Says

Nose:  Malt with a vegetal nose of boiled cabbage, subtle smoke, heather, agave syrup and hints of floral notes.
Palate:  Sweet entry of honey with vegetal notes of green pepper and cabbage, a slight bit of pepper spice.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, with a lingering spice – almost a chili spice note.
Comments: This one is definitely on the vegetal side of things. More savory than sweet by comparison with Dewar’s White Label. Definitely interesting and unique.  Not what you’d call a complex pour, but not presenting itself as such either.  I haven’t tried Ilegal Mezcal so can’t say how close any resemblance there might be. I like that Dewar’s price point on these new offerings is such that if you’re curious, giving it a try isn’t going to really set you back.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Sagamore Spirit Straight Rye Whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Sagamore Spirit
Straight Rye Whiskey

41.5% ABV
$30
Website
Sagamore Spirit Rye

What the Producer Says

SIGNATURE RYE WHISKEY
Our spirit flows from a spring house, built in 1909, at Maryland’s Sagamore Farm – naturally filtered spring water, fed from a limestone aquifer. The same water that fuels our champion thoroughbreds also cuts the rich spice of our rye, creating a spirit as revolutionary as America’s risk-takers and history-makers. Our story is one of passion, of old meeting new, and crafting a timeless American whiskey.

TASTING NOTES
Aroma: Vanilla, caramel, and baking spices.
Palate: Traditional Maryland-Style Rye Whiskey. Candied dried orange peel with notes of clove and nutmeg. Lingering hints of walnut and brown sugar to finish.
Color: Golden straw.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Crisp vanilla with mint, eucalyptus, lime, baking spices of clove & nutmeg with just a hint of dill.
Palate:  Smooth and sweet entry with a minty lime uptick – but not sharp; a bit of vanilla and citrus notes.
Finish:  On the short side with notes of wintergreen mint.
Comments:  This has less of an edge than most rye whiskies, and only a little bit of dill (in fact I didn’t detect it on my first tasting). I also find more lime notes than orange notes, which is unique. For $30, there are several alternatives I prefer (like Rittenhouse Bottled-In-Bond, or Old Forester Rye), but there isn’t anything objectionable. The bottle is also fairly attractive, as well as hefty.

Rating: Average

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Old Tom Horan Finest Blended Irish Whiskey

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Old Tom Horan
Finest Blended Irish Whiskey

40% ABV
$20
Old Tom Horan Finest Blended Irish Whiskey

What the Blender Says (sort of)

Note that we don’t have a web-site link above, as this isn’t your typical whisk(e)y. We found a great article from the Houston Chronicle though that gives the backstory. While we don’t know the distillery or age, the article explains that the owner of Spec’s (a Texas family-owned liquor chain) had an opportunity to take some bulk whiskey off some Irish distillery, and with that created Old Tom Horan Irish Whiskey. The namesake is a retire public relations maestro who is active in promoting Irish pride and heritage in Houston, TX.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet cereal and malt mash, honey, freshly baked and buttered biscuits, a hint of toffee.
Palate:  Smooth and sweet with honey, light brown sugar, toffee, a slightly sour oak note.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length with that sour oak note.
Comments:  Ironically enough, I bought this because of the name. No, I’ve never met “the Tom Horan” for which this was named, but I work with a gentleman named Tom Horan.  This whiskey reminds me of Jameson more than a bit.  It has more grainy notes on the nose, but in a side-by-side, the palates were quite similar.  A couple of bucks less than Jameson, this strikes me as a pretty straight-forward ‘you get what you pay for’ bottle.  If you like ‘smooth Irish whiskey’, for the money this likely won’t disappoint, but also isn’t likely to be too impressive either.

Rating: Average

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Starward Two-Fold Double Grain Australian Whisky

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

Starward Two-Fold
Double Grain Australian Whisky

40% ABV
$33
Website
Starward Two-Fold Double Grain Australian Whisky

What the Distillery Says

When it comes to whisky-making, we’re unapologetically Melburnian. Our aim? To make whisky that’s unpretentious and easy to enjoy, however you like. Enter, Two-Fold.

It started with a question. How would our ideal whisky taste? It’d be easy-drinking, versatile and, most importantly, delicious. We chose two quintessential Aussie grains. First, for depth, malted barley. This new make spirit is the exact same as our Nova. Inspired by the craft beer scene, we ferment our barley with brewers’ yeast for extra fruity characters.

We balance this with a spirit made from aromatic and dry wheat. Then it’s time for each whisky to mature separately in the barrel.

We carefully select barrels from vineyards making great Aussie reds like shiraz, cabernet and pinot noir. These give our new make spirit tasty fruit, caramel and spice notes.

To keep as much of a fresh red wine flavour profile as possible, we source barrels from just a day’s drive away. We either lightly char or quickly blast barrels with steam. Many are still wet with wine when we fill them.

Flavour obsessed as ever, we fill each barrel at a lower alcohol proof than is traditional. This means our whisky draws more lip-smacking red wine fruit characters and tannins.

Then, it’s time for Melbourne’s climate to shine. Or, rather, rain and shine in a wildly unpredictable way. Famed for its ‘four seasons in a day’, Melbourne’s fluctuating climate means Two-Fold extracts more flavour from the barrel in a much shorter time than is traditional. After just three years, both barley and wheat whiskies are ready to be expertly combined.

The next part (the drinking part) is all up to you.

Nose: Bright red berries coated in buttery vanilla spice.
Palate: Imagine a smooth, rich caramel dessert balanced by tropical fruit.
Finish: Delicate and long. A delicious, dry finish from a faded sweetness.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Young, grainy vanilla, tapioca pudding, fruity with barley sugar, hint of milk chocolate, subtle red-wine notes.
Palate:  Fruity with apples, berries, plums, honey, bit of pepper and mixed nuts, a tad thin.
Finish:  Short and slightly drying with honey and berries.
Comments:  For a two year old spirit, this packs a decent amount of flavor – but for experienced whisk(e)y drinkers the age comes across with the grainy sweetness, thin mouthfeel, and shorter finish. This was the first Australian whisky I purchased, and I don’t think it will be the last. This is very easy to drink, and I think they’re successful in what they set out to make in that regard. I think it has potential with age to appeal to more seasoned whisk(e)y drinkers. But also priced as an entry-level spirit which I appreciate (hell, there are folks selling 2 yr old spirits domestically for double, so my hats off to them in that regard!)

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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