Stands Out

John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend
Blended Scotch Whisky

51% ABV
$75
Website
John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend

What the Blender Says

John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend honors the past whilst being an invitation to raise a glass to the next 200 years.

2020 marks 200 years since John Walker first opened the doors to a small grocery store in rural Scotland, setting in motion a chain of events that would change the world of Scotch whisky forever. This is a limited edition release inspired by our first commercial blend ‘Old Highland Whisky’ the first of our whiskies to be exported from Scotland to the four corners of the world.

As John Walker opened the doors to his grocery store two hundred years ago, we invite you to do the same when you open this celebratory Scotch whisky blend to unveil the historic image of where our journey began.

A lot has changed since those early days, but our entrepreneurial spirit remains the same.

THE STORY BEHIND THE JOHN WALKER & SONS CELEBRATORY BLEND LIMITED EDITION

The John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend is inspired by a breakthrough moment, the release of ‘Old Highland Whisky’ in the 1860s, which was created primarily for export and became the first of our whiskies to travel from Scotland to the four corners of the world. With more whisky being sold overseas, the iconic design of the square bottle and uniquely slanted label were distinct and helped the name stand out against other whiskies.

“John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend is a sensorial journey featuring notes of sweet dried raisins, subtle spice and marzipan, which develop into hints of roasted nuts, icing sugar sweetness and gentle peat, with a soft pepper finish. It celebrates an historic moment in the our story.”
– Jim Beveridge, Johnnie Walker Master Blender

FLAVOR
NOSE: On the nose this whisky has sweet dried raisins, subtle spice and marzipan.
PALATE: The palate develops hints of roasted nuts, icing sugar sweetness and gentle peat.
FINISH: The finish is soft pepper.

(whisky advocate notes)
This spicy concoction, inspired by John Walker’s original Old Highland Whisky, has a nose of marzipan, candied peel, raisin, marmalade, aromatic spices, pepper, and ginger loaf, with a trace of cool smoke and peppermint. The strength and pepperiness give this plenty of clout, with a flavor unique among Johnnie Walker whiskies: brown sugar, hazelnut, royal icing on wedding cake, nuts, pepper, clove, peat, and blackened fruitcake.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Fruit notes with raisins and apricots, caramel, chocolate, subtle vegetal notes with peat.
Palate:  Rich and thick, dark fruit with toffee, caramel, chocolate, spice notes kicking in with nutmeg, cinnamon, hazelnuts, allspice and pink peppercorn.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with dark fruit, honey and spice.
Comments:  One of the better Johnnie Walker (I know – this is ‘John Walker’) blends I’ve tried. Appreciate the higher ABV, although drinks nicely neat. Takes a bit of water well, opening up the fruit notes more with some apples and pears peeking in. A nicely balanced dram!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Chattanooga Whiskey Tawny Port Cask Finish

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Chattanooga Whiskey Tawny Port Cask Finish
Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tawny Port Casks

47.5% ABV
$45
Website
Chattanooga Whiskey Port Finished

What the Distillery Says

Barrel Finishing Series
Proof: 95 (47.5% ABV)
Mash Bill: B001, B005, SB055, R18025, R18106 & R17113
Cooperage: 53 gal, toasted & charred oak barrels
Filtration: Non-chill
Finish: Tawny Port Barrels
Finishing Time: Greater than 6 months
Age: Greater than 3 years
Batch Size: 6-7 barrels
Tasting Notes: Fig jam, blackberries, chocolate syrup, toasted oak, raisin. Full-bodied, with a layered, sweet wine finish.

Our limited edition finishing series celebrates the union of Tennessee High Malt into a variety of classic finishing casks. Crafted from a combination of unique bourbon mash bills, each containing over 25% specialty malt, each batch is made to complement the flavor characteristics of the finishing barrel.

For our first finish, our distillers sought out one of the most famous fortified wines of Portugal, Tawny Port. Our finishing casks come from the eastern most edge of the famous Douro valley bordering Spain, known as Duoro Superior. This region yields some of the highest quality Tawny Ports of the region, noted for their rich, caramel-sweet, fruit-forward characteristics.

To highlight and enhance the qualities of these finishing barrels, our distillers brought together a custom blend of 6 Tennessee High Malt mash bills, selected together for their fruity wine-line flavors and aromas. Aged for over 3 years, including 6 months in the Tawny Port casks, the result is a celebration of one of the world’s most iconic wine styles alongside our very own Tennessee High Malt.

Featured Mash Bills:
B001 – Dried Fruit, Spice
B005 – Butterscotch, Pastry
SB055 – Chocolate, Brown Sugar
R18025 – Caramel, Honey, Citrus
R18016 – Toasted Oak, Red Fruit
R17113 – Dried Fruit, Jam

What Gary Says

Nose:  Port wine with fruit notes, raisins, caramel, oak.
Palate:  Sweet, port forward with caramel, vanilla, subtle mineral note with pepper spice.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with port, oak and pepper.
Comments:  I do like port finished whiskey, but this felt a bit heavy handed for me. I tried this next to Isaac Bowman Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Barrels, which I enjoyed. I found that to be better balanced with the port influence being clearly present, but not overdone. That said, if you like a heavier finish influence, this might be right up your alley, although if I had $50 and was looking for a port finished bourbon – I’d go with the Bowman. I did enjoy the Chattanooga Whiskey 1816 Cask Unfiltered Barrel Proof Bourbon, so I’ll try more of their stuff and look forward to future releases.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Watershed Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Watershed Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002
Finished in Apple Brandy Casks

60.4% ABV
$90
Website
Watershed Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002
We would like to thank Watershed Distillery for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Watershed Distillery announces its most mature spirit to date—a highly limited barrel strength bourbon—will be released on Saturday, September 18, 2021 at the distillery with limited allocation in Ohio retail agencies and select markets across the U.S. to follow. The highly anticipated 2021 Watershed Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002 follows the release of Batch 001 in September 2020 for the distillery’s 10-year anniversary, which sold out in under three hours.

Created from some of the last remaining barrels of Watershed Distillery’s original five grain mash bill of corn, wheat, rye, barley, and spelt—an ancient grain grown primarily in Ohio and
nod to the distillery’s craft roots—Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002 was created from copper pot-distilled bourbon aged four years in virgin char #4 White Oak barrels and finished for 34-45
months in Watershed’s own Ohio apple brandy casks. Bottled without chill filtration at 120.8 proof, this rare and complex spirit was created from barrels 100% distilled, aged, and bottled
on-site, and represents the oldest bourbon ever released by Watershed Distillery.

“When selecting the barrels for this batch of our Barrel Strength Bourbon, our Barrel Master Anne Dimmick and I set out to highlight the true depth and complexity of the bourbon we make
at Watershed Distillery,” shares Head Distiller Aaron Harris. “We are always looking for that ‘magic’ in a barrel—a rich and bold bourbon with balanced sweetness that truly stands apart from the rest, and we think Batch 002 captures that perfectly.”

Watershed is releasing just 3,060 bottles of this highly anticipated limited offering to seven markets—Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New York and Michigan. Suggested retail
price is $89.99. Tasting notes for Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002 are as follows:

Appearance: Deep Amber
Aroma: Dark brown sugar caramel, roasted oak and rich vanilla
Flavor: The palate brings with it a full-bodied rich viscosity, with complex notes of fig, peripheral spice, and a touch of black cherry and toasted nuttiness
Finish: Robust and balanced with lingering complexity
Age: 6-8 years

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel covered apples, vanilla, oak, bit of molasses, note of cedar and fall leaves.
Palate:  Spicy with vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, pepper, black cherries, oak and pecan.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with pepper spice and cherry notes.
Comments:  This is the first whiskey from Watershed Distillery that I’ve had the pleasure to try. I love that they’re releasing this at barrel strength and non-chill filtered (AND with some age on it!) This was a bit hot and sharp (120 proof isn’t anything to sneeze at), but took water well which softened the edges and brought out some notes of apple pie. The apple brandy cask finish is fairly subtle, which given the finishing time I was surprised by (although appreciated, since I don’t care for heavy-handed finishes).  It does really shine with some water, without distracting from the core 5 grain bourbon.

Rating: Stands Out

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The Macallan Terra

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Macallan Terra
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

43.8% ABV
$165-$180
Website
The Macallan Terra

What the Distillery Says

– The Quest Collection –
Each single malt within the range is an exploration of flavor and texture, from vibrant and fresh through to rich and intense, concluding with a whisky that signifies the essence of The Macallan. The Macallan Terra represents the story of discovery in the Quest Collection journey in this balanced and complex whisky.

A complex, yet balanced single malt, with a distinctive character of toffee, sweet dried fruit and rich wood spices.

A DEFINING MOMENT
The Macallan Terra tells the story of discovery through a complex, yet balanced single malt, aged in exclusively selected first fill sherry-seasoned oak casks, whose journey spans 10,000 miles.

Matured exclusively in first-fill European and first-fill American oak casks sourced from two of the most distinguished family cooperages, The Macallan Terra honours the very best of sherry seasoned oak from both continents. Celebrating the wonders of spirit maturation this is a whisky with a distinctive character of toffee, sweet dried fruit and rich wood spices, that reveals the intensity of first-fill oak that inspires our quest.

Displaying the bark of the oak tree, The Macallan Terra marks the discovery of the journey, grounded in a defining moment.

THE EXPERIENCE
COLOR: Sunset Orange
NOSE: Dried fruits are tempered by lemon zest, toffee and light ginger. Aged oak rises.
PALATE: Sweet dried fruits, subtle tones of ripening apple. Heavy and fresh on the palate.
FINISH: Medium length. Dried fruit and wood spices.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, thick dark fruits with some lighter notes of lemon, caramel, meaty notes of boiled cabbage and tobacco.
Palate:  Sweet and fruity with apples and citrus notes, a spicy zip, savory notes with cloves and sultanas.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with plums and spices.
Comments:  Another very nice dram – a bit more vegetal and earthy compared to The Macallan Edition No. 2, but not a departure from the style of Macallan. Rather enjoy that difference, and think I’d prefer this over that – although not sure I like this enough to fork over the asking price.

Rating: Stands Out

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The Macallan Edition No. 2

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Macallan Edition No. 2
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

48.2% ABV
$120-$150
Website
The Macallan Edition No. 2 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

– The Edition Series –
A unique selection of oak cask styles are combined to yield a new limited edition expression each year. A characterful single malt, Edition No. 2 showcases our extraordinary commitment to sourcing and selecting only the very best oak casks for The Macallan.

Four extraordinary characters, one exceptional single malt.

DEEP AND RICH
A creative collaboration between our Master Whisky Maker and the three Roca brothers – co-founders of world-renowned restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca – Edition No. 2 unites these four masters in one spirit.
The distinctive and dynamic character of Edition No. 2 has been shaped not only by the use of seven exceptional oak cask types from four different bodegas but by the creative spirit of each of the four collaborators; combining flavors to reflect each of their distinctive personalities in the resulting whisky.

THE EXPERIENCE
COLOUR: Golden Syrup
NOSE: Treacle, ginger, toffee apples and rich fruits. Layers of vanilla open into tropical fruits and subtle green wood.
PALATE: Warm with spice as cracked black pepper and cloves join with hints of chocolate, brown sugar, oak and nuts. Finally, liquorice and brandy snaps come through.
FINISH: Full, slow, warm and wonderfully viscous.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick sherry, stewed dark fruits, musty spice, oak, sandalwood, fruit cake, dulce de leche, hints of apple and leather.
Palate:  Sweet with sherried fruit, honey, vanilla, clove, cinnamon, cocoa, oak, bit of pepper and anise.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with chocolate, raisins and sherry.
Comments:  A nice dram – fully of sherried fruit but also a fair amount of spice notes. Well balanced overall, and what you’d come to expect from. I tried this along side The Macallan Terra, and found this to be sweeter (but unfortunately didn’t have any more readily available Macallan on hand for a side by side).

Rating: Stands Out

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