Must Buy

Longmorn 1996 23 Year Old Sherry Cask

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Longmorn 1996 23 Year Old Sherry Cask Signatory The Whisky Exchange
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

58.8% ABV
$335
Website
Longmorn 1996 23 Year Old Sherry Cask for TWE Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky Signatory

What the Retailer Says

Matured in a single first-fill sherry butt for more than two decades, this 1996 Longmorn single malt was bottled by Signatory Vintage in August 2019, exclusively for The Whisky Exchange’s 20th Anniversary.
Bottling Date: August 2019
No of Bottles: 433
Cask Type: First-Fill Sherry Butt
Cask Number: 105100

Tasting Notes (from Billy Abbott)
Nose: To quote a certain anchorman: rich mahogany – both the colour and the first thing out of the glass. There are some leather-bound books as well, but beforehand this dives head-first into a bowl of dried fruit: dates, cherries, prunes and the expected raisins. There’s a touch of barrel-char smokiness behind the fruit, with a spoonful of brown sugar making sure it doesn’t get too much.
Palate: Softer than expected from the nose, but still thick and very rich. Malt loaf with cherry jam; liquorice sticks dipped in brown sugar; toasted schwarzbrot with honey. Clove-heavy speculaas biscuits sit at the back, with bitter liquorice pastels and a touch of charred oak.
Finish: Char and concentrated dried fruit hang around with an ever-changing cast of extras: cinnamon toast, blackcurrant jam, singed cloves and sweet liquorice.
Comment: A bit of a beast, but with more complexity than it has any right after 23 years in an active sherry cask. Endless layers of fruit spice.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Dark fruit notes of figs, dates, raisins and cherries, leather, pipe tobacco smoke, oak and raw honey.
Palate:  Thick, viscous and rich with fig, cherry, honey, anise, a bit of cinnamon with cloves, nutmeg, chocolate, walnuts and oak.
Finish:  Long and drying with spiced dates and figs.
Comments:  The words ‘Longmorn’ and ‘Sherry’ combined translate (for me anyways) to ‘happy place’. I have many fond memories of sipping mature sherry-bomb Longmorns on different occasions with whiskey friends, where the dram was improved only by the company (but tasting this one alone – still pretty damned good!) The nose reminds me of sitting in a wood-paneled library full of old books, worn leather furniture and wisps of pipe tobacco in the air (and a rock glass of Scotch, of course). A bit of water brings out a note of blood orange on the nose, and tilts the palate from chocolate towards caramel – but again, this is one I absolutely love neat.

Rating: Must Buy

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Redbreast 19 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Cask Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review / ,

Redbreast 19 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Cask Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

58.9% ABV
$320
Website
Redbreast 19 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Cask Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange

What the Retailer Says

This elegantly sherried Redbreast was aged entirely in second-fill oloroso casks, making for a complex dram that balances notes of dried fruit and nuts with the distinctive spiciness of Irish pot still whiskey. After almost two decades in the Midleton distillery warehouses in County Cork, it shows excellent maturity with fine tannins and hints of dark chocolate. Outside of the celebrated core range, there are precious few Redbreast whiskies in the wild, so we are particularly proud to offer this limited-edition bottling exclusively to customers of The Whisky Exchange.

Nose: Opens with notes of black cherry and vanilla, accompanied by light dustings of nutmeg with a sherry nuttiness softly lingering in the background. The pot still spices continue to build along with delicate dried herbs, all gently resting on a solid oak foundation.
Palate: Delicate tannins at first, with the fruits slowly building over time adding hints of stewed apples and prune. The tannins continue to evolve adding dark chocolate undertones that work in harmony with a subtle honey-derived sweetness, complimenting the pot still spices and red liquorice confectionary notes.
Finish: The fading fruits and subtle sweetness allow the oak and sherry seasoning to have the last word, with the tannins lingering until the very end.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sherried fruit with golden raisins and cherries, vanilla, nutmeg, oak, heather and soft wood spices.
Palate:  Rich mouthfeel, fruity with apples and pears, oak, dark chocolate, honey, baking spices, black cherries and toffee.
Finish:  Long, damp and syrupy with fruit notes.
Comments:  Just lovely and right in my wheelhouse. I’m a big fan of Redbreast, and also a fan of sherried matured/finished whisk(e)y. The use of secondary fill sherry casks rather than first fill is nice and offers more of a balance where the sherry isn’t dominant but isn’t hiding either. A bit of water opens this up, bringing the nose towards more tropical notes of candied pineapple and mango, and on the palate the toffee forward over the dark chocolate. All of that is delicious as well, but I’m drinking the remainder of this sample neat and enjoying every last step of that fruit and dark chocolate dance!

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Parker’s Heritage Collection 10 Year Bourbon Heavy Char Barrels

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Parker’s Heritage Collection Heavy Char Barrels
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 10 Years

60% ABV
$120-150
Website
Parkers Heritage Collection Heavy Char 10 Year Old Bourbon

What the Distillery Says

The 14th edition of Parker’s Heritage Collection features Heaven Hill’s traditional rye Bourbon mashbill, aged in specialty barrels that were charred for a full minute and a half, as opposed to our traditional 40 seconds. These “Level 5” barrels were aged for a full 10 years, where the heavier char allowed the Bourbon to penetrate further into the barrel, bringing forth caramel and maple sweetness. These 102 barrels were aged on the sixth floor of rickhouse Y, and developed a pleasant smokiness after 40 Kentucky seasons of maturation. It is bottled without chill filtration at 120 proof.
TASTING NOTES
Color: Deep copper
Nose: Balanced and fruit forward.
Taste: Smooth, rich marmalade. Sweet but not cloying.
Finish: Very long & warm. Cloves & cinnamon linger.

What Gary Says

Nose: Dark chocolate, graham cracker, roasted marshmallow, caramel, walnuts and oak.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, turtle brownies with chocolate, walnuts and caramel, nutmeg and brown sugar.
Finish: Long, syrupy fudge with subtle oak.
Comments: Damn this is just a lovely bourbon! The Parker’s Heritage Collection rarely (can’t say never) disappoints, and this is no exception. This is just a delicious, intense, well balanced pour. I do miss the days when I could find these behind the counter of my local liquor store, but am always thankful for having the opportunity to try someone else’s (thanks Dad!) This was the 2020 release, although my tasting notes are from the summer of 2024. If you see this laying around – I can’t imagine not grabbing it (aside from outrageous overpricing).

Rating: Must Buy

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Compass Box Flaming Heart 2022

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Compass Box Flaming Heart 2022
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

48.9% ABV
$160-200
Website
Compass Box Flaming Heart 2022 Blended Scotch Whisky

What the Blender Says

The whisky inspired by a rock song – remixed​
This is our seventh edition of Flaming Heart, the whisky that revels in the harmonies between heavy peat and toasted French oak. Imagine Metallica with a backing orchestra, and you’re getting close.
With the best bands, each album is an opportunity to explore and experiment; every record is an evolution from the one before. For fans of Flaming Heart, we always seek to evolve the ‘sound’ and have introduced a deep fruitiness to the arrangement for the 2022 version.
The smoke machine is powered by a combination of malts from the Laphroaig, Caol Ila and Talisker distilleries, while our Highland Malt Blend has spent more than five years in richly toasted virgin French oak custom casks to deliver round, booming spicy richness.
FLAVOUR PROFILE: A high-energy nose with smouldering peat embers, cigar wrapper and candied ginger. The palate is oily, smoky, rich and savoury.
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS: A whisky for friends, great music, and not taking life too seriously.
TECHNICAL DETAILS: Bottled at 48.9%. Natural colour. Not chill filtered. Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. A limited edition of 9,606 bottles. August 2022.
LEAD WHISKYMAKER: James Saxon.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Smoke and peat with wisps of salty sea air, bit of tar, smoked pork lightly brushed with barbecue sauce, grilled peaches, pears, raisins, mineral notes and leather.
Palate:  Thick and creamy mouthfeel, sweet with smoky caramel, peat, berries, apples, raisins, cherries, and nutmeg.
Finish:  Long and syrupy with apricot jam and peat smoke.
Comments:  I’ve been a fan of Flaming Heart ever since I first tried one (which was the 2012 edition). The 2015 edition I was such a fan of, I stocked up and over a couple of years bought 6 or 7 bottles (hard to tell as some were drank over that period of time!) The SRP back then was around $130 so this wasn’t an inexpensive endeavor – but worth it to me. Fast forward to 2024 when I sat down with a sample of the 2022 Flaming Heart (which I didn’t buy as the SRP was closer to $200 when I saw it on the shelf). Knowing how much I have loved past releases, I wanted to do a blind side-by-side tasting with the 2015. I have to admit – kinda wishing I had picked up a bottle now! This is a marvelous whisky! By comparison, I found this to be thicker on the nose, with more darker fruit notes, and with a bit of water got notes of tropical fruits. The 2015 was a bit lighter in color, with less red and gold – and with a bit of water tended towards more citrusy notes. Also found the nose on the 2015 brighter but a bit thinner. I found the 2015 pretty similar to the 2012 when I did a similar blind side-by-side back in the day. Just another magnificent offering from the folks at Compass Box, who I’ve been fans of for many years while not loving everything they’ve put out.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique

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

Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Single Cask Strength
Single Malt Whisky

50-59.9%
$220 – $300
Website
Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Cask Strength Whisky

What the Distillery Says

Vinho is fully matured in used American oak wine barrels that have been toasted and recharred in a way that brings out fruity vanilla notes from the wood into the whisky overlaid on a delicate background of complex fruitiness.
It has a complex and multi-dimensional background of pepper, spice, dates and other fruits, such as ripe melon and mango together with kiwi and a delicate blend of bursting citrus fruits.
ABV: 50-59.9%
Colour: Deep autumn gold
Flavour: A rich fusion of vanilla and caramelized sugars with dark chocolate on top. Ripe melon and mango together with kiwi and a delicate blend of citrus fruits burst. Pepper is also present in the background waiting to be noticed.
Palate: The taste ends with clean and complex flavours embodying all that is best in the finest malt whiskies enjoying a long aftertaste.
Tasting: We suggest drinking Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Single Cask neat.

What Gary Says

Nose: Raisins, berries, leather, toffee, charred oak, smoked brisket with brown sugar glaze, subtle baking spices, balsamic drizzled over mango.
Palate: Rich and thick mouthfeel, fruity with cherries, strawberries and raspberries, fudge toffee, plums, dates, honey and vanilla.
Finish: Long and syrupy with dark fruit, honey and allspice.
Comments: Wow – this is just a lovely dram! Apologies that I don’t know the exact ABV of this sample, but damn – I need more of this in my life. Incredibly intense and complex – the kind of dram I could just sit and nose for hours (except it’s so damn tasty on the palate!) I don’t often get strawberries and raspberries in whisky, and really enjoyed those peeking in. A bit of water brings more citrus to the party, but despite the cask strength I enjoyed it immensely neat. I haven’t had much Kavalan before, but this is definitely going on my watch list.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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