Stands Out

Glen Grant Five Decades

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Glen Grant Five Decades Single Malt Scotch Whiskey
46% ABV
$250
Website
Glen Grant V Decades
What the Distillery Says:
Five Decades of Excellence
Glen Grant Five Decades is a single malt specially crafted by Dennis Malcolm to celebrate and pay homage to his five decades of experience with Glen Grant. Dennis has hand-selected his favorite casks, which he personally laid down over the last Five Decades (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s). By marrying together these slowly aged casks, each of which has reached its peak of maturity, he has created a rich yet mellow Single Malt with unusual depth and complexity. This whisky is carefully hand-selected to deliver the distinctive smooth, fruity and rich taste experience for which Glen Grant is renowned.

Scotch Whisky as it Should Be
As the scotch category has burgeoned, rival spirits have attempted to differentiate themselves through excessively peaty flavors and exagerated “dark” editions – all gimmicks meant to catch eyes, not taste buds. Glen Grant’s Dennis Malcolm, probably the most experienced master distiller in Scotland, cut his teeth as an apprentice cooper in the distillery in which he is now leading the effort to re-introduce Scotch in its purest form: a beautifully light and excessibly drinkable whisky. As the only Speyside Distillery to bottle every whisky on site, Glen Grant is a fitting face to the scotch category, producing scotch whisky as it should be.

Glen Grant is as famous for innovation as it is for its scotch. The founder, James Grant, was the first to install electric lighting in a distillery, and established the distilleries signature pot stills – some of the tallest in Scotland. These taller stills help achieve the delicacy signature to Glen Grant’s scotches; during distillation, vapors from the fermented solution rise, and taller stills allow the vapor to escape, resulting in a unique light color and easy taste. It is safe to say that the scotch category continues to benefit from this historic distilleries’ progressive, yet respectfully traditional outlook on whisky distillation.

Tasting Notes
Appearance: Light golden barley
Bouquet: A rich and smooth marriage of vanilla, honey and oroloso sherry
Palate: Mouth-feel of orange blossom and honey, intensely creamy, with sweet toffee and mellow raisin fruit
Finish: Smooth and fruity lingering aftertaste

What Richard Says:
Nose: Sherry jumps out first but not in an aggressive way. It just make’s itself known. There’s a buttery back note hiding behind the sherry.
Palate: Nice initial sweetness reminding me of toffee ice cream and poached pears and it transitions into a grain/cereal type flavor.
Finish: Subtle but you know it’s there and it has a decent length. Like the quiet gentleman in the corner of the room listening in on the conversation. A creamy oak note is the main bit but it’s not in your face like a whiskey that’s spent too much time in the cask.
Comments: Very nice dram. A true standout. It’s not going to change the face of scotch but that’s not really Glen Grant’s thing. They just make damn fine whiskey that you’re never opposed to drinking.
Rating: Stands Out

I’d like to thank Nick and the folks at exposureusa for providing me with a sample to review.

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Germain-Robin Shareholders’ Reserve

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Germain-Robin Shareholders’ Reserve Alambic Brandy
40% ABV
$65-$75
Website
GR_Shareholders_300
What the Distillery Says:
Hubert Germain-Robin was the first distiller to use wines from world-class varietal grapes. He created one of the world’s greatest spirits. When the family cognac firm Jules Robin (1782) was bought by giant Martell, Hubert looked for a way to go back to the hand methods that had made cognac great. Following a chance 1981 meeting, Hubert took an antique still from an abandoned distillery near Cognac and brought it to Ansley Coale’s Mendocino County ranch, where the two men built a modest distillery.

Hubert’s first brandies outscored famous cognacs in blind tastings. By the late 1990s, when Hubert’s cellar had matured, his brandies began to be reviewed as among the world’s finest spirits: elegant, complex,
and rich.

227 cases of a blend created for our founding investors, the first to reveal the true depth and richness of brandy hand-distilled from premium Mendocino wine grapes.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Rich and sweet with back notes of botanicals and paint (yeah…I know).
Palate: A rich riesling mixed with candied apricots.
Finish: Dry, short, and mildly woody.
Comments: I actually don’t find as much depth in this as the standard alambic brandy. It’s very tasty but I’m can’t say for you to pay the extra $20+ for a bottle of the Shareholders’ Reserve over the standard expression.
Rating: Stands Out

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Sea Wynde Rum

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Sea Wynde Pot Still Rum
46% ABV
$35-$45
Sea Wynde
What the Distillery Says:
For centuries, the finest rums, like whiskeys, were made in pot stills. Traditionally, pot still rums from several different origins were married together to produce the most coveted rums, rich and complex with flavor. This costly and time-consuming method of distillation has now all but vanished. Today, most rum brands are the product of a column still or a combination of column still and pot still rums. Furthermore, most rum brands are the product of a single country.

Sea Wynde is a rum unlike any other. Not only is it made using the traditional pot still technique, but it also marries rums from Jamaica and Guyana, creating a rich flavor that could never be reproduced by column stills used today, and also proves that two are better than one. In fact, Sea Wynde is the only rum in the world, to our knowledge, to combine pure pot still rums from these two countries. The individual rums are aged in small oak casks, some in the Carribbean and some in the UK. Once all the individual casks are selected, the rums are vatted together prior to bottling.

Sea Wynde is bottled in small batches and, like a vintage wine, the flavor of each bottling will vary. It is a rum of honeyed richness and subtle complexity which places it in a class of its own, and demonstrates the benefits of sticking with tradition. Sea Wynde Pot Still Rum allows you to experience the invigorating taste of the Caribbean and South America any time of year.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Fruity, creamy, dark fruits, and stewed cherries.
Palate: Much less sweet than the nose would portray. Nutty and fruity.
Finish: Dry, sharp and hot. Later is turns bitter and almost tannic.
Comments: This is a bit of an odd one. It progresses downward from the nose to finish. The nose is lovely, the palate is interesting, the finish is just okay and possibly off putting. It’s definitely an interesting one to try but you need not rush out to buy a bottle.
Rating: Stands Out

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Ron del Barrilito “Three Star”

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Ron del Barrilito “Three Star” Puerto Rican Rum
43% ABV
$25-$35
Ron del Barrilito
What the Distillery Says:
Established in 1880 by Eng. Pedro F. Fernandez in the “Hacienda Santa Ana” at Bayamon, Puerto Rico. For over 100 years, the Fernandez family has manufactured “Ron de Barrilito” at the place of origin, using the same name, formula and aging process. This special rum is a blend of rums aged, each undisturbed, from 6 to 10 years in charred oak barrels. Enjoy its unique, smooth mellow flavor by sipping, in a snifter, or enjoy it straight, with a splash of water, over ice, before or after dinner.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Rich molasses, brown sugar cookies, slightly smokey and organic.
Palate: Chewy with a lovely mouth feel. Creamy, mellow sweetness, in no way cloying. Honey, bananas and nice citrus notes.
Finish: Warm, slightly bitter but not overly so. It’s a lovely counter balance to the sweetness of the palate.
Comments: Lovely Puerto Rican rum. Pass by the more popular Don Q and Bacardi offers and try a nice taste of Bayamon. Despite the PR on the bottle this is actually distilled for Ron del Barrilito by Bacardi but the flavor stands out well against Bacardi’s rums. A lovely, versatile rum that you won’t regret picking up.
Rating: Stands Out

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George Dickel Barrel Select

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey Barrel Select
43% ABV
$35 to $45
Website
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What the Distillery Says:
At George Dickel Whisky, we’ve always been true to our name. The same can be said of our newest whisky, George Dickel Barrel Select. Each year, at peak periods of maturation, Master Distiller John Lunn selects approximately 10 barrels of his best, most mellow whisky to produce an exceptionally fine small-batch Tennessee whisky.

Aged between 10–12 years, this 86-proof gem provides a consistently smooth taste, perfect balance, rich amber color and a hint of vanilla. Aided by charcoal mellowing and the slow aging process, these distinct characteristics create a super-premium whisky in a class of its own.

Designed to commemorate the re-opening of the distillery in September 2003, this handcrafted bottle reflects beautiful craftsmanship, from its elegant shape and cork to the unique label design. It’s outstanding quality has been honored five times since 2006 by the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, including one Bronze Medal, One Silver Medal and two Gold Medals for Tennessee Whisky.
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What Richard Says:
Nose: Corn and vanilla syrup.
Palate: Candy corns, heavy vanilla extract, mellow oak, and citrus.
Finish: More aggressive on the finish than anywhere else. Heavy on the oak with mint riding out the back of the finish. The age of this shows in the wood influence.
Comments: Tired of Jack Daniels? Do you want to see what else is coming out of Tennessee? Give George Dickel a try. The brand in general makes nice whiskey. The Barrel Select is easily the best of bunch.
Rating: Stands Out

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