Stands Out

Jameson Gold Reserve

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Jameson Gold Reserve Irish Whiskey
40% ABV/80 Proof
$55 to $65
Widely available

What the Distillery Says:
Up until recently Jameson Gold Reserve has been the elusive family member that could only be found in airport shopping outlets. Since its creation in 1996, Jameson Gold Reserve – a marvelously rich pot still character whiskey – has been the toast of whiskey critics. Such praise is rare, as indeed was the whiskey itself. Jameson Gold can now be found worldwide but is still as precious as ever.

Jameson Gold Reserve is a creative blend of three whiskeys of advanced years, one of which is uniquely matured in virgin oak barrels. It’s the inspired choice of this virgin oak, coupled with the bourbon barrels and sherry casks, that account for the whiskey’s satisfying complexity and honey toasted sweetness.

Nose: Fragrant wood, rich pot still with a touch of sherry sweetness.
Taste: All the creaminess and honey sweetness come together to create a taste sensation of spicy character.
Finish: A very long finish with a pleasantly peppery finale.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Herbal and grassy but very mellow. There are really just hints of a nose to the whiskey.
Palate: Initially it’s sweet with a mild oak flavor. With time it develops into cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla. It really kind of reminds me of snickerdoodle cookies.
Finish: Woody with a surprising heat, very surprising given the proof.
Comments: This definitely stands out among the crowd of Irish blends. However, to me it’s more of a different take of Jameson rather than a bridge between the 12 Year and the 18 Year. I personally prefer the 12 year Old Special Reserve over the Gold Reserve. I don’t find any reason to pay the extra $10 to $20 more unless you just want a little different take of Jameson.
Rating: Stands Out

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Collingwood Canadian Whisky

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Collingwood Toasted Maplewood Mellowed Hand-Crafted Blended Canadian Whisky
40% ABV/80 Proof
$26.99

What the Distillery Says:
Aged in white oak barrels & finished with toasted maplewood mellowing, some call Collingwood the smoothest whisky ever made. We invite you to judge for yourself.

Aroma: graham cracker sweetness with delicate notes of vanilla, caramel and butterscotch underpinned by a rich floral (rose petal) and fruit character.
Taste: creamy with a prickly vibrancy that fades into a delicate marzipan dusted grain notes. Faint hints of maple syrup drift about. Nice complexity.
Finish: warm, sweet and long with a lingering floral and light malt whisky character.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Malty like a porter or scotch ale with a slightly sweetness reminiscent of cherry lifesavers.
Palate: Cherry, vanilla, and dark fruits. All in very large quantities.
Finish: Smooth and mellow. Jack Daniels with a spicy rye kick at the very end.
Comments: This is an interesting bottle for sure. It’s made by Canadian Mist in their Collingwood Distillery (hence the name) but it’s not just Canadian Mist that’s been mellowed. It’s a new direction for sure. They take the finished mature whisky and then put it in vats with toasted (not charred) maple staves to further mellow the whisky. It’s incredibly smooth. The smoothness is similar to Jack Daniels (both are Brown-Forman products) but with more flavor. I actually don’t have a good “whiskey memory” in that I can’t taste something and say it reminds me of a dram I had a year or some ago. For that kind of comparison I need the two side by side. However, this particular dram really reminds me of Mitcher’s American Blended Whiskey. It has a lot of the same flavors. My wife loves it and the Mitcher’s is one of her personal favorites. I’m not sure this is my cup of tea and I probably wouldn’t buy it for myself but it definitely stands out among Canadians.
Rating: Stands Out

Thank you to the folks at Brown-Forman for providing us with a bottle for review.

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Jameson 12 Year Old

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Jameson Special Reserve 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey
40% ABV
$40 to $50
Widely Available

What the Distillery Says:
Jameson 12 Year Old Special Reserve, with its full-bodied flavour, is like a friendly handshake welcoming you into the world of aged whiskeys. With its pot still whiskeys infused with sherry casks, it’s the best known and most popular of the aged Jameson whiskeys. Exuding great character, its complex yet superbly mellow flavours of toasted wood, spice and sherry and its exquisite taste are a celebration of the enduring heritage of great Jameson whiskeys which began in 1780.

NOSE – Warm, spicy, assertively complex.
TASTE – Sherry richness, nutty flavour, mild woody undertones.
FINISH – Rich and lasting.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Light like fresh grass with fruity notes and a bit of char.
Palate: Creamy and malty with honey and cereal grains coming through. You definitely pick up the sherry casks. The more time you spend with this the sweeter and creamier it gets.
Finish: More oak and wood than on the nose or the palate. A little spice at the tail end of the finish.
Comments: If you like Jameson then kick it up a notch and give this a try. If Jameson is a little too bland for you, still give it a try. There’s a lot more flavor here that may just appeal to you.
Rating: Stands Out

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Glenfiddich 18 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 18 Years Old
43% ABV/86 Proof
$70 to $75
Available worldwide
Website

What the Distillery Says:
At eighteen years, our single malt is exceptionally smooth and mellow wit notes of oak, apple and cinnamon. Matured in the finest Oloroso sherry and bourbon casks and then married in small batches for remarkable depth and complexity. Judged to be the best 18 Year Old Scotch Whisky in the world.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Rich cream, tobacco, cinnamon crumb cake.
Palate: Very spicy and malty.
Finish: Clean with a slow fade leaving woody, nutty notes.
Comments: This is definitely the Solera’s big brother. Part of it is the 43% bottling strength which I’d like to also see in the 12 and 15 year olds. But mostly the extra years have bee kind to Glenfiddich. It’s smooth, easy to drink, and has some pleasant notable characteristics. Would I call it the “best 18 Year Old Scotch Whisky in the world” you may ask? No, but it’s a good value and you really can’t go wrong with it.
Rating: Stands out

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Balvenie Golden Cask

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Balvenie Golden Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 14 Years
47.5% ABV/95 Proof
$60 to $65
Travel Retail Exclusive
Website

What the Distillery Says:
“characterised by fruity sweetness and subtle spice”

In the crafting of GoldenCask, Balvenie is carefully aged for many years in traditional oak whisky casks and then transferred into barrels that had previously held golden Caribbean rum for a final period of maturation.

Characterised by fruity sweetness and subtle spice, The Balvenie GoldenCask is only available in Duty Free and is non chill-filtered and bottled at a strength of 47.5% abv.

NOSE: Light and fruity with notes of vanilla and honey. Delicate layers of orange and subtle flora add complexity.
TASTE: Sweet and spicy with a beautiful syrupiness. Chocolate orange and vanilla oak combine with hints of aniseed and liquorice.
FINISH: Long, dry and oaky.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Very light with lots of creamy honey fruit notes that remind me of cognac. Maybe scotch + rum = cognac? (I’m kidding!)
Palate: There is just a hint of sweetness. I’m mostly picking up a spicy smokiness. That’s not really what I expected from a rum cask finished scotch.
Finish: The finish is long with lots of smoky oak.
Comments: I don’t get out of the country too much. I’m not the international man of mystery the internet would lead you to believe. When I do I try to look for travel retail bottlings. A lot of them really are nothing special but I’m sucked in by the exclusivity of only being able to buy them in travel retail. This particular bottling is nice. I enjoy it from time to time but I was really hoping for a little more sweetness. Something closer to the Havana Reserve Glenfiddich 21 Year Old. I would’ve recommended that you pick up a bottle last year but with the new 14 Year old Caribbean Rum Cask as part of their standard line I’m not so sure anymore. I’ll have to grab a bottle and do a side by side to see if this is really just the same thing with 4.5% extra alcohol.
Rating: Stands Out

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