Must Buy

Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 15 Years Old
Fall 2011 Release
53.5% ABV/107 Proof
$80
Website

What the Distillery Says:
They really don’t say much. Like most Buffalo Trace whiskeys they refer to review PR.

A younger version of our famous 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle’ Family Reserve, this bourbon was crafted according to our exclusive family wheated recipe. The smooth, oak flavor blends well with the barrel proof. Selected from barrels in the heart of our Kentucky warehouse, it has remained untouched for 15 years and unhurried by time. “A whiskey connoisseur’s bonanza,…remarkable find…ranks with the best whiskeys,” Paul Pacult’s Spirit Journal.

What Richard Says:
Nose: For such a lovely bourbon the nose on this is surprisingly coy. It’s got a mellow cleanness to it out of the bottle. Bring in the water and out rolls the toffee, nutmeg, and vanilla custard.
Palate: Dear God that’s rich! Caramel drizzled vanilla custard with lots of cinnamon and a little dark chocolate.
Finish: The finish is like a warm bourbon blanket wrapping you up. The oak and spice are there but they play a supporting role to everything that came before.
Comments: The contrarian in me wants to hate this because of all the bullshit hype Van Winkle bourbons have surrounded themselves with the last few years. There are no more over hyped bourbon products on the market by a wide margin. If you don’t “know somebody” or don’t camp out like groupies looking for tickets to see Bon Jovi on the Slippery When Wet Tour then you ain’t getting any of this. And the incessant bourbon geek flame wars over which distillery is which bottling from are enough to make me want to hate this stuff without all the hype. (BTW, many thanks to Chuck Cowdery and John Hansell for finally putting THAT to rest) There just one problem with my personal vendetta against this stuff…it’s so freaking GOOD! Despite all the ridiculous fervor and all the pseudo bourbon intellectual poser assholes talking it up on the stool next to you this stuff is really good. I don’t know why the Weller recipe ages so well but it does. The 15, 20, and 23 are all great. This is the only one you can still get for under $100 although I still wish it was $50 a bottle like it was when I started drinking it. If you have the means and opportunity don’t pass this one up.
Rating: Must Buy

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Sazerac 18 Year 2009 Release

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey, The Collector's Cabinet /

Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, 18 Year Old
Bottled Fall 2009
45% ABV/90 Proof
Collectible (Originally $70 to $80)
Website

What the Distillery Says:
Amber chestnut color. Huge, spicy aroma. Very mature, with notes of oak, leather, and molasses. Enormous in every respect, from its thick, chewy texture to its unbelievably spicy and very powerful flavors. The long, warm finish is preceded by notes of mint, eucalyptus, cinnamon, vanilla, molasses, oak, leather, and lingering pepper.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Rich sweet orange marmalade, lots of vanilla and toffee, with notes of buttered bread.
Palate: A delicious aged rye with the refined complexity of a great cognac. This is very sweet for a rye. Some people may not like that but I really dig it. Toffee, caramel, vanilla, and dark chocolate play on the palate.
Finish: Old oak furniture, antique leather bound tomes, and a crisp minty note.
Comments: My tasting notes may romanticize this one a little but it deserves it. This is an amazing dram of whiskey. On the scale of rye alone it’s off the charts. This is easily one of my most sought after purchases each year. It’s my favorite of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection and while it changes year to year, I’ve never had a bad one. It only comes out each October in limited quantities so mark your calendars now.
Rating: Must Buy

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Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

57.7% ABV
$65
Website
Redbreast 12yr Cask Strength
We would like to thank Marina Maher Communications for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

Redbreast 12 Cask Strength is a pure representation of Redbreast 12 Year Old before water is added and the whiskey is non-chill filtered. Its aroma is an explosion of fruit – figs, dates, ripe bananas, sultana, red apple and lime – combined with sweet vanilla and pine from the casks. In the mouth, Redbreast 12 Cask Strength offers the flavor of dried fruit along with a touch of citrus, aromatic oils and spices. The finish is exceedingly long and richly complex with fruit and spice slowly fading through sweet butterscotch to barley.

What Richard Says

Nose: Fig newtons, bananas foster, and candied caramel apples right out of the bottle. In the glass vanilla and fresh cut wood come out but the alcohol is a little overpowering.
Palate: Oily and spicy in the mouth with a little lime zest. With water is gets a little sweeter, even more so than the regular Redbreast 12 Year Old.
Finish: Spicy and grainy initially. As you would expect from cask strength whiskey it’s pretty hot on the finish. With water the finish is a lovely interplay of peppery spice, buttery sweetness, and a touch of wood.
Comments: I was skeptical. I admit it. I’m not one of those guys riding the cask strength wave in all things whiskey. I enjoy a lot of bourbons at higher proofs but when it comes to scotch and especially Irish whiskey I tend find it too delicate to get much from the higher proof beyond more alcohol for your coin. If it’s possible this dram has changed my religion. This is a richer, fuller, more fragrant and tasty representation of Redbreast. When I tried the 15 Year Old I mistook some of my displeasure for the additional proof rather than it just not being as good as the 12 Year Old. This is an amazing Irish whiskey that everyone should experience.

Rating: Must Buy

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Macallan 18 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Macallan Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 18 Year Old
43% ABV/86 Proof
$150
Website

What the Distillery Say:
The Macallan Sherry Oak is exclusively matured for a minimum of 18 years in Spanish oak casks, handcrafted and sherry seasoned in Jerez, Spain. This delivers a classic Macallan style, wonderfully rich in colour with dried fruits, spice and chocolate orange.

Colour: Light Mahogany
Nose: Dried fruits and ginger, with a hint of citrus, vanilla and cinnamon
Palate: Rich dried fruits, with spice, clove, orange and wood smoke
Finish: Full and lingering, with dried fruits and sweet toffee, ginger and a hint of wood smoke

What Richard Says:
Nose: A big whopping sherry smack in the face. Very rich. Gingersnap cookies, vanilla, and orange zest.
Palate: Raisins, sherry, Fig Newtons, and little bits of wood and smoke play behind the scenes.
Finish: Meaty and chewy with sweet woody notes.
Comments: Is there a more universally praised dram of scotch? Macallan 18 is no secret. Ask anyone with even a passing interest in scotch to name a “great” scotch and more often than not this will come up. Despite how pissed I continually am as the price of this keeps going up I always have a bottle at home. I remember less than 10 years ago you could buy a bottle for almost half of what it costs now. I don’t think it’s any solace but I will say that I don’t believe you get much incremental return for moving up the range of Macallan beyond this dram. The 25 and 30 year olds are nice but to me this is the quintessential Macallan. What else can I say about Macallan 18 that hasn’t been said by everyone and there brother? Not much. It’s a great dram and a benchmark of sherry oak single malt scotch.
Rating: Must Buy

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Highland Park 18 Year

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whiskey Aged 18 Years
43% ABV/86 Proof
$80 to $100
Widely available

What the Distillery Says:
First released in 1997, Highland Park immediately found favour with whisky writers and enthusiasts all over the world. It is a perfectly balanced single malt with a toffee sweetness and a mouthwateringly smokey finish.

Tasting Notes

Appearance:Natural colour; burnished gold, clear and bright
Nose:Rich, mature oak; top note of aromatic smoke
Palate:Rich, full flavour; honey and peat
Finish:Soft, round and long

The nose of Highland Park 18 Year Old displays characteristic toffee sweetness and an almond nuttiness reminiscent of marzipan. The finish is a prolonged, full, smokey aftertaste.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Dark fruit, sherry, polished oak, heather, buttery sweetness.
Palate: Smokey, rich, kind of oily, sweet and salty playing together, a little nutty.
Finish: Warm, peaty, a little spicy, and hotter than I expected.
Comments: A true classic. This is an amazingly complex whisky. It changes every time I try another dram. To me, this is the best sub-$100 18 Year Old single malt available. I almost don’t want to say that you must buy it because I don’t want to run low.
Rating: Must Buy

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