Must Buy

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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Ledaig Gordon & MacPhail 14 Year

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Ledaig 14 Year Gordon & MacPhail
Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky

57.5% ABV
$140
Website
Ledaig 14 Year Gordon & MacPhail

What the Bottle Says

Cask Strength
LEDAIG
From Tobermory Distillery
DISTILLED: 21/09/2000
CASK: Refill Sherry Hogshead
BOTTLED: 20/01/2015
REGION: Island
Aged 14 Years In Oak Cask
Natural Colour | Non-Chill Filtered

Each expression in our Cask Strength range is unique. A small selection of casks is carefully chosen and the contents bottled – always at natural strength and colour, with no chill filtering.

LEDAIG FROM TOBERMORY DISTILLERY 2000, 57.5% ALC/VOL
Smoked cured meat aromas with hints of leather and orange. The palate is sweet with fruit flavors, complemented by hints of bonfire embers.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich fruit and peat, leather, pipe smoke, kiwi, nectarines, medicinal, tobacco, smoked pork roast and ashy.
Palate:  Thick and viscous mouthfeel, oily, fruitcake with a healthy dose of peat smoke, blood oranges, raisins, pepper spice, honey, walnuts, savory spice notes including tarragon.
Finish:  Long and syrupy sweet with dark fruits, pepper, peat and smoked meats.
Comments:  This is my 2nd Ledaig and is lovely! The non-chill filtration is much appreciated, and really adds so much to the mouthfeel and palate. Just thick and syrupy throughout. I love the balance between the sweet and savory. A bit of water thickens this up even more, and brings the fruit forward along with baked pastries. I picked this up at a local package store during the pandemic (February 2021). I am a fan of independent bottlings, although rarely do I buy a second bottle (figuring I’d rather have a new experience and try something else). This was an exception to that, and I’m glad I picked up a second bottle. I liked it so much, that while grabbing that second bottle (in January 2022), I picked up another independent bottling of Ledaig (this one a 19 year from Cadenhead).

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Barrell Bourbon Batch 031

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Barrell Bourbon Batch 031

55.6% ABV
$90
Website
Barrell Bourbon Batch 031
We would like to thank Barrell Craft Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Blender Says

Barrell Bourbon Batch 031 is a blend of 6, 7, 10, 15 and 16-year-old barrels. The blend was built around the sweetness in a group of 99% corn bourbon barrels and a group of wheated bourbon barrels. To bridge these two groupings, we layered in 15 and 16-year-old barrels for their gentle nuttiness and oak. Finally, a selection of 10-year-old barrels was added to bring notes of milk chocolate and tropical fruit.

  • A blend of straight Bourbon Whiskeys
  • Distilled and aged in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana
  • Selection of 6, 7, 10, 15, and 16-year-old barrels
  • Aged in American white oak barrels
  • Bottled in Kentucky
  • 111.2 proof cask strength bottling

FLAVOR NOTES
A perfect autumn release, this batch’s notes of shortbread cookie, pumpkin pie, peppermint latte, and pine needles match the mood of sweater weather.

​Neat
Appearance: Deep Gold.
Nose: A rush of dry, notable oak, incorporating wormwood, tobacco, and pine needles. Curious and sweet with browned butter, candied walnut, and spiced apple pie. Other notes balance between woodsy and floral, such as thistle, milkweed, and poppyseed. As we emerge beyond the scope of oak, we find some fruity and sweet cream notes, the latter represented by peppermint latte and vanilla creme anglaise.
Palate: Moderate sweetness and juicy citrus make for quite an easy pour. The fruit sings loudest here — pomegranate juice and strawberry rhubarb pie. Extractive elements of spice and tannin bring quince and ginger beer into the equation. The baking spice nods toward a Manhattan, garnished with an orange twist. Finally, some marshmallow root and pumpernickel take it in an earthier, cardoon-like direction.
Finish: A quick burst of heat announces smoked paprika, black peppercorn, and spearmint. As it subsides, demerara rum and black cherry soda emerge. Finally, it fades to leave only a little chalk and slate.
With a few drops of spring water
As is often the case, the oak gets pushed way back to reveal abundant tropical fruit, especially lime and passion fruit. The woodsy/floral balance also pitches over into the bouquet, displaying apple blossom, dogwood and rose. Creamed honey and grilled peach take over the plate, leaving behind fresh young ginger in the finish.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich salted caramel, oak, leather, tobacco, freshly baked shortbread cookies, honey, mixed nuts, hint of pumpkin pie.
Palate:  Rich and thick mouthfeel, fruity with peach cobbler, pecan praline, baked pears, dates, dark chocolate, caramel syrup, cinnamon, allspice and toasted marshmallow.
Finish:  Long and damp with pepper, caramel, mint and honey.
Comments:  Another really lovely bourbon! Thick right out of the bottle, and thickens up even more with a bit of water. Complex, sweet, spicy, bit of oak but overall – really nicely balanced. A bit of water give it this ‘dusty bourbon’ vibe (if you’ve had 80’s glut bourbon, it reminds me of that). This might be my favorite Barrell Bourbon release yet!

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Green Spot 1991 26 Year Old Marsala Cask

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Green Spot 1991 26 Year Old Marsala Cask
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
The Whisky Exchange Exclusive

55.7% ABV
$675 – $800
Website
Green Spot 1991 26 Year Old Marsala Cask TWE Exclusive Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

What the Producer Says

A very special bottling, selected by and exclusive to The Whisky Exchange: a single cask of 26-year-old Green Spot pot still whiskey, distilled at Midleton and filled into cask on 18 October 1991. It was initially matured in bourbon and sherry casks, before the spirit was reracked into a single Marsala butt for further maturation. The result brings together the fresh fruit flavours of bourbon-cask maturation with the richer dried fruit notes you get from sherry casks, and stirs them both together with fragrant Marsala and classic Irish pot-still fruit and spice.

Details from the bottle:
Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Single Cask
Matured in Bourbon Barrels, Sherry Butts and recasked to Marsala Butt

Cask Number: 50776
Date of Bonding: 10/18/1991
Matured in Warehouse: M14B Bay 20
576 Bottles

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich and thick, dark fruit notes of raisins, apricots, dates, figs, clove, nutmeg, marsala wine, butterscotch, dark chocolate, caramel, toffee and a hint of anise.
Palate:  Rich mouthfeel, intense fruit notes, dates, black currants, figs, chocolate, marsala and sherry, graham cracker, nutmeg, bit of pepper and baking spices.
Finish:  Long and lingering with marsala notes and dried fruit.
Comments:  THE best Irish whiskey to pass these lips! In fact, one of the top 5 best whiskies I’ve tasted. To be sure, this is a pricey one. Big thanks to Richard for sharing a generous sample of his bottle (and sharing the bottle itself amongst friends). Water opens this up with even more fruit and tamps the chocolate notes a big, but it absolutely doesn’t need water in my opinion. The palate near the end leaves me thinking of S’mores. Just an amazingly intense and complex dram. If you don’t have to pay VAT, the price is £500 ($691 at current exchange, before shipping).  Now – you may ask, if I’m rating this a Must Buy, did I buy a bottle then? No, but not because it isn’t worth it. But even at $800, if you can get a group of enthusiasts together – that’s only $35 for a 30 mL pour (and I think anyone who handed over $35 for a 30 mL pour of this would think it was absolutely worth it, and might double-up – if there was any left!)

Rating: Must Buy

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