Average

The Macallan Fine Oak 12 Years Old

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Macallan Fine Oak 12 Years Old
Single Malt Scotch Whisky

40% ABV
$65 – $80
Website
Macallan Fine Oak 12 Year

What the Distillery Says

The Macallan Fine Oak 12 Years Old forms part of the Fine Oak range and is matured for a minimum of twelve years in three exceptional oak cask types. This complex combination of casks delivers a smooth whisky with notes of dried fruit, honey and subtle spice.

THE EXPERIENCE
COLOUR: Pale straw.
NOSE: Complex, with a hint of fruit and vanilla.
PALATE: Medium, balanced with fruit, oak and spice.
FINISH: Lingering with dried fruits, oak and spice.

NOTE: Reborn as The Macallan Triple Cask Matured 12 Years Old from April 2018, The Macallan Fine Oak 12 Years Old is embodied in a new look range; offering the same extraordinarily smooth, delicate yet complex character with a new name, new bottle and bold new packaging.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Bright malt, honeysuckle, day-old peach cobbler, subtle smoke with floral hints.
Palate:  Sweet and fruity with green apples, honey, oak and just a hint of pepper spice.
Finish:  A tad short, with honey and dried fruit.
Comments:  This is a different take on Macallan – fruity but not the dark fruit you get from the sherry cask matured standard bearer. The finish was fairly short (at least to me) which surprised me. Fans of Macallan wanting to explore the whisky with different wood treatment might be interested in this. While nothing turned me off, nothing really grabbed my attention either.

Rating: Average

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J.T.S. Brown Bottled in Bond

/ / Bourbon, Review /

J.T.S. Brown Bottled in Bond
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

50% ABV
$10-$12
Website (ok, not their web-site, but the closest thing, eh)
JTS Brown Bottled in Bond

What the Distillery Says

(No mention of this brand on their web-site, so below is what is on the bottle)
J.T.S. Brown Kentucky’s Finest
Established 1855
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
100 Proof
Distilled and Aged in Kentucky, Bottled by
J.T.S. Brown’s Son Company, Bardstown, Kentucky

Distilled by Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc
D.S.P.-KY-1
Louisville, Kentucky

What Gary Says

Nose:  A tad hot, charred oak and vanilla, hint of caramel with a bit of cinnamon, and a trace of dried mint.
Palate:  Crushed vanilla wafers with a watered-down caramel sauce, bit of oak with a sharp bite of cinnamon candies.
Finish:  On the shorter side, drying with cinnamon.
Comments:  This is definitely a ‘value brand’. No age statement, although as ‘Bottled in Bond’ it is at least four years old (I’d guess it is pretty close to exactly four years old). My Dad would point out that this was the whiskey that ‘Fast Eddie’ Felson (played by Paul Newman) drank in “The Hustler“.  If you like ‘smooth’ bourbon, this ain’t it – although adding a bit of water brings out some corn sweetness and softens the edges a bit – without completely losing them). This drinks a little hotter than 100 proof to me, and is edgy like bourbon aged at the top of the rickhouse. But for $10, it is a pretty serviceable bourbon – and there aren’t many at that price point that meet that bar in my opinion.

Rating: Average

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Four Roses Super Premium

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Four Roses Super Premium

43% ABV
$50 (bottled for the Japanese market)
Website
Four Roses Super Premium

What the Bottle Says

(No mention of this product on Four Roses website, and this is one of the worst labels I’ve seen on a bottle. The gold print is very difficult to read.)
Four Roses Super Premium
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Four Roses Bourbon was born and crafted in the traditions of old Kentucky. From producing a unique sour mash to ageing the Bourbon in hand made, charred oak barrels, the same traditions prevail to produce Four Roses Super Premium, a Bourbon of rare smoothness, richness and strength.

The Four Roses distillery is a Kentucky landmark and the home of one of the world’s premier Bourbons. Age old craftsmanship and the rugged Kentucky climate work a special magic to create this smooth, mellow Bourbon.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Freshly baked vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting, subtle baking spices, buttered popcorn, a hint of oak.
Palate:  Sweet vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce, a hint of corn sweetness.
Finish:  Short, sweet and slightly drying with notes of vanilla.
Comments:  They’re right about ‘smooth’. Its been a bit since I’ve had Four Roses Bourbon (sometimes referred to as “Yellow Label”, but it no longer has a ‘Yellow Label’ and during a tour they made it clear no one should refer to it that way), but this reminds me more of that than any other Four Roses product. From what I recall, that had more spice than this, and more of those floral notes I associate with Four Roses. I’m not sure I would have picked this out of a blind lineup as being a Four Roses bourbon. While nothing offputting, it is a little too smooth and bland for my taste. I definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to seek it out, being a Japanese offering.

Rating: Average

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Kilchoman Sauternes Cask Finish

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Kilchoman Sauternes Cask Finish
2018 Limited Edition

50% ABV
$95 – $100
Website
Kilchoman Sauternes Cask Finish

What the Distillery Says

Sauternes Cask Finish, a limited edition release of just 30 casks, is on its way around the world, hitting shelves any time from Monday 1st October 2018.

The Sauternes Cask Finish follows a range of wine cask releases we’ve bottled over the previous five years. This latest offering differs in that it was initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels before being transferred into fresh Sauternes hogsheads for five months prior to bottling. This finishing period allows the caramel and vanilla influence of bourbon barrels to be accentuated by the buttery sweetness of the desert wine casks. Meanwhile the classic peat smoke and citrus character of the Kilchoman spirit brings a distinct depth and punch to the whisky, emphasised at the increased strength of 50%.

We have previously favoured full-term maturation for our wine cask releases, bottling fully matured Port, Madeira, Red Wine and Sauternes editions every other year since 2013. The Sauternes Cask Finish approach has arguably provided a more balanced character, combining both the maritime peat smoke and tropical fruit typical of Kilchoman with the softer buttery floral notes characteristic of the Sauternes casks.

As with all recent limited editions, a neck tag details the number of bottles (10,000), casks, ages and cask types used in the vatting; in this case, the Sauternes Cask Finish is a combination of thirty 2012 bourbon barrels married in Sauternes wine casks for five months before bottling.

Anthony Wills Kilchoman Founder and MD, “The full-term wine cask maturations that we’ve released in the past have been hugely successful, but we wanted to show a more measured approach this time around. The five month Sauternes finish has allowed a more subtle sweetness and buttery character to be imparted into the spirit while maintaining the fresh fruit, citrus and vanilla notes so typical in Kilchoman releases.”

What Gary Says

Nose:  BAM! Peat smoke smacks you immediately, earthy, vegetal, a bit of sea air mist with hints of vanilla, caramel, lemon, and some sulfur in the back.
Palate:  Starts off sweet than really warms and sharpens quickly; honey, subtle vanilla, orange cream candies, caramel before a peaty, peppery bite; bit of water delays the sharpening and brings the caramel and orange notes out front a bit more.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with peat smoke and pepper spice.
Comments:  This was the first Kilchoman in a flight of three I received in a Flaviar tasting box.  I selected the flight as I’d never spent any quality time with Kilchoman, so what better way to learn!  This is definitely a peaty dram, but not in the typical Islay peaty way; I don’t get the iodine or medicinal notes. Quite a cutting, aggressive whiskey; a little unbalanced for my taste. The sauternes finish is hard to pick up.

Rating: Average

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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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