Must Buy

Kirkinriola Single Cask Series Canadian Island Triple Distilled Potstill Whisky

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

Kirkinriola Single Cask Series
Canadian Island Triple Distilled Potstill Whisky

Carefully crafted in premium recharged Portuguese red wine Barrique

46% ABV
$130
Website
Macaloneys Kirkinriola Single Cask Series Canadian Island Triple Distilled Potstill Whisky
We would like to thank Macaloney’s Island Distillery for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

This island whisky is from our triple distilled single potstill range – triple distilled using only the best unmalted and malted barley available. The patient, yet purposeful, triple distillation produces a complex, layered and balanced new-make spirit. Dr. Swan described our original new-make which trickles off our copper pot stills as “the best that I have tasted in any distillery at this stage, super fruity.” This triple-distillate is even smoother and fruitier!

This single cask series, Kirkinriola (pronounced ‘kirk-in-riola’), is our connoisseurs / collector’s single-cask edition. Like the passionate, spirited Ulster-Scots, it is an ever-changing series of triple-distilled potstill expressions based on unique one-off single casks, or other special selections. With individually numbered bottles, it is sought after by those who appreciate fine whisky.

A wonderfully complex nose with apricot, papaya, pears, honey, oats, brandied fruitcake, natural caramel, red wine and oak wood. The palate is creamy and full bodied with cereal and a symphony of floral and fruit notes including roses, honey, nectarine, papaya, apricot, apples and candied orange. Layered into this are red wine, blackcurrant, wood spices with a lingering oak finish and a hit of sea breeze.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick, pipe tobacco, fruity with plums, apricots, pears, earthy red wine, nutmeg and a hint of maple syrup.
Palate:  Creamy, viscous and thick with intense stewed fruits including apricot, soft citrus notes, honey, tobacco, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Finish:  Moderately long and damp with honey, soft oak and currants.
Comments:  Absolutely delicious! Intense flavor and a unique profile. This is by far my favorite of the first three Macaloney’s Island Distillery samples I’m reviewing (there will be two more reviews coming later!). I love the earthy/tobacco notes which remind me of a nice single malt scotch whisky with thoughtful cask management. Simply throwing whiskies from different casks together does not always work, and the layers and balance here is really nice. For only a few dollars more than the Kildara or Killeigh – I’d go for this over those every time. As the single cask series may have different casks, make sure you read the label/box as it may not be the same as I’ve reviewed here.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Springbank 19 yr Single Cask

/ / Campbeltown, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Springbank 19 yr Single Cask
Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky

57% ABV
$250-$300
Website
Springbank 19 yr Single Cask Single Malt Whisky

What the Bottle Says

Distilled: May 1997
Bottled: October 2016
Cask Type: Re-Charred Sherry
No. of Bottles: 438
An exclusive bottling for Pacific Edge Wine & Spirits

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich and intense, dark fruit, stewed plums, raisins, hint of pineapple, cloves, nutmeg, earthy funk, pencil eraser and sea air.
Palate:  Thick and chewy, dark fruits, black currants, raisins, dates, cloves, nutmeg, earthy/salty note and pepper spice.
Finish:  Moderately long, peppery with sea air and fruit.
Comments:  Classic Springbank. Intense flavor with a magnificent balance of sweet, savory and earthy – just spectacular (if you like that sorta thing). Water brightens the dram up with the fruit taking more of a citrus slant and still maintaining the lovely mouthfeel. It feels pricey to me, except that seems to apply to damn near everything 18 or more years old these days – so accepting the fact I’m likely just becoming a cheap curmudgeon. I just can’t imagine buying this, and being disappointed after the fact.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye 2022

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey / ,

Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye 2022
Canadian Rye Whisky

63.5% ABV
$80
Website
Alberta Premium Cask Strength 2022
We would like to thank Alberta Distillers and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Alberta Distillers Ltd, makers of Alberta Premium, the No. 1 selling 100% rye whisky in the world*, is proud to share the 2022 release of its limited edition Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye.

Originally released in 2020, this year marks the third release of this anticipated limited edition liquid. Crafted and distilled in Calgary, Alberta, this 100% rye whisky is influenced by the surrounding environment in which it is made, and uses pure 100% prairie rye mash bills and glacier-fed spring water from the famed Rocky Mountains. This results in a very sippable whisky, best enjoyed neat with a drop of water or on the rocks.

TASTING NOTES
Packaged in an eye-catching, faceted glass bottle, Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye features the below characteristics:
Proof: 127
Taste: Exceptionally smooth with notes of caramel, vanilla and a hint of chocolate balanced with the spiciness of rye and black currant
Finish: Smooth and lingering with the complexity of spice, warm vanilla and dark fruit
Drink Recommendations: Neat with a drop of water or on the rocks

* According to the 2021 IWSR Drinks Market Analysis

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla buttercream frosting, maple candies, cedar shavings, nutmeg, oak and freshly baked donuts.
Palate:  Warm and chewy, caramel, vanilla, chocolate, baking spices of cinnamon and nutmeg with a bit of orange.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with mint, baking spices and a bit of citrus.
Comments:  This is incredibly similar to the 2020 edition (which was incredibly similar to the 2021 offering!) In fact I did a three way blind tasting (with two glasses containing the 2020 and one containing the 2022), and I couldn’t pick out which was different. In looking back, I had picked up more mint last year but that’s probably just me. This is a fantastic rye, and one of the few 100% rye cask strength options on the market. Maturing in Canada gives it a unique profile from American 100% rye. If I didn’t have one and saw this on the shelf – it would be an automatic buy for me (since I’ve tried it!)

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Bushmills 25 Year Old Marsala Cask

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review / ,

Bushmills 25 Year Old Marsala Cask
Irish Single Malt Whiskey

Flaviar’s Bushmills “Rare Cask Series” Tasting Box
Sample ‘B’

50% ABV
Bushmills Potential Rare Cask Bottle
We would like to thank Flaviar and Bushmills  for the opportunity to try these rare whiskies!
NOTE: The samples were provided as part of a lottery through my personal Flaviar membership, and not provided directly for purposes of a review.

Wait – What is This?

In the summer/fall of 2020, Flaviar offered an opportunity to members to enter a lottery, the winners of which would have the opportunity to sample some rare Bushmills and vote on what would be the next ‘Rare Cask’. I was fortunate enough to be picked to participate, and received a 5 sample kit from Flaviar which included:

  • Bushmills 10 yr Single Malt
  • Bushmills 16 yr Single Malt
  • Sample A (Bushmills 28 Year Old PX Sherry Cask, 1992)
  • Sample B (Bushmills 25 Year Old Marsala Cask, 1995)
  • Sample C (Bushmills 23 Year Old Crystal Malt, 1997)

Flaviar stated that they would announce the winner with Bushmills. If that happened, I missed it (and as of Feburary 2022, Bushmill’s website only lists the initial Rare Cask release – although I saw some stores that had labels for ‘Rare Case 02’, so not sure if they released it quietly, or if they planned to but then changed course, or what happened). Regardless, I was waiting for such an announcement before posting these reviews – but as that may never happen – here they are!

The details below were compiled from what was provided by Flaviar with the samples, and the NightCap Live streaming event they hosted – which included the Bushmills brand ambassador Jack Ferris who provided additional details about the whiskies.

Includes whiskey first matured in bourbon casks for 10 years and Oloroso sherry casks for 10 years, combined and finished in Marsala casks for 14-15 years. Has notes of dried fruits, bit of anise, and more viscous sweetness.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, Marsala wine, honey, figs, dates, roasted walnuts, oak, tapioca, nutmeg, subtle cinnamon.
Palate:  Thick and rich mouthfeel, honey with spices, nutty, slight pepper bite, brown sugar, bit of tobacco, orange, apricots.
Finish:  Long with honeyed ginger and tobacco.
Comments:  An amazing dram (if you like Marsala, which I do – in fact this is only the 2nd whisk(e)y I’ve had with a Marsala cask maturation)! Compared to Sample A (28 yr PX Sherry Cask), this was more spicy, which I like. Love the high ABV and non-chill filtering, which is evident in the mouthfeel. This is the sample I voted for the next Bushmills Rare Cask offering, as I think we need more Marsala maturation offerings, and it is really delicious.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Aberlour A’bunadh Single Malt Scotch Whisky

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Aberlour A’bunadh Batch 50
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

59.6% ABV
$90-$100
Website
Aberlour A’bunadh Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

Sherried & Intense
Meaning ‘the original’ in Gaelic, A’bunadh is made in homage to Aberlour’s founder, James Fleming. A’bunadh is a whisky hand-made from start to finish with each batch being created to ensure a rich and complex flavour of moist raisin, and homemade fruit cake. It is bottled at cask strength resulting in a robust and deeply intense, sherried whisky.

Colour: Auburn gold
Nose: Aromas of mixed spices, praline and spiced orange harmonising with rich, deep notes of Oloroso Sherry
Palate: Orange, black cherries, dried fruit and ginger spiked with dark bitter chocolate and enriched with Sherry and Oak. Full bodied and creamy
Finish: Robust and intense with bitter-sweet notes of exotic spices, dark chocolate and oak

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, dark fruits with raisins, dates, stewed prunes, earthy Portobello mushrooms and wood polish, cocoa, caramel, grilled peaches, anise, smoked brisket and a hint of spent matches.
Palate:  Rich and intense with a thick mouthfeel, fruit explosion with prunes, raisins, pears, cherries, cinnamon red hots, anise, molasses and pepper.
Finish:  Long, syrupy thick with a cherry cough syrup note (but in a good way).
Comments:  Wow – Aberlour isn’t one of my favorite distilleries to be honest, as I usually get more than a hint of sulfur and spent matchsticks (which just aren’t my thing, but your mileage may vary). But this one is fantastic! Here that sulfur note is subtle, although some water brings it out a bit more, as well as amping up the anise (if I close my eyes, definitely get a black licorice vibe). This is a super dark dram. Do I wish it were age-stated? Yes – if only for the transparency; but based on what is in the bottle, this is delicious. I could give two sh!ts if they threw a splash of 3 year old in the batch (not suggesting they did!) Based on the intensity and complexity of flavors, and balance between the sweet and spicy notes, this is a damn nice pour!  So nice that in fact the first A’bunadh I ran across after trying this (a batch 64) I grabbed.  Also delicious, and pretty similar (just a tad lighter in color, and a bit less anise; I really like both although thought the nose on this one might be a tad more complex – but really splitting hairs).

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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