One of 180 Bottles Charged from a Refill Barrel Ref DL12798 No Colouring; No Chill Filtration
This Single Cask Was Distilled July 1988 And Bottled August 2018
Specially Selected for K&L Wines
Nose: Opens with a golden syrup, slight spice and Californian orange quality Palate: Expect Scottish marmalade with runny honey and lightly toasted pine nuts Finish: Medium long with a citrus twist, American cream soda and gentle pepper
What Gary Says
Nose: Vanilla, buttercream frosting, hint of baking spices (hermit cookies), light caramel, porridge cereal notes with a subtle hint of citrus. Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with a citrus zip, honey, caramel, oak and hints of herbal tea. Finish: Long, damp with honey, pepper and vanilla. Comments: This is a really nice well aged single grain, and like others – benefits a lot from time in the glass (the old adage of ‘1 min in the glass for every year in the cask’ is asking a lot; I gave it an honest 20 minutes and it was much improved over freshly poured). Delicate and subtle, with a lovely depth on the nose. A bit of water brings a nuttiness to the nose, while the mouthfeel maintains the viscosity and the palate introduces some notes of toffee.
Bourbon de Luxe Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey National Distillers (dusty)
40% ABV $8.49
What the Bottle Says
Bottled under United States Government Supervision by The Bourbon de Luxe Distillery Co. Frankfort, KY. Aged 4 Years
NOTE: The bottle has a tax stamp from the State of Georgia, as well as a ‘faux tax seal’ over the enclosure. The stamp on the bottle indicates it was made in 1987. There is no government warning on the label (which was mandated beginning in November 1989). The first part of the UPC is 86259, which identifies it as a product of National Distillers.
What Gary Says
Nose: Butterscotch over vanilla ice cream with a bit of caramel and nutmeg. Palate: Creamy, caramel, vanilla cream, hint of butterscotch with a bit of toffee and cinnamon. Finish: Short to moderate in length with caramel and faint spice. Comments: As far as dusty, glut-era National Distiller’s bourbon goes, this isn’t close to the top end. Wouldn’t go so far as to call it ‘bottom shelf’ since it is straight bourbon with a four year age statement, but more middle of the road. Given the late 80s, this bottle very likely has some whiskey that is older than four years old. If you’ve never had dusty ND bourbon, this is a treat! It holds a special place for me as being one of the first dusty whiskey finds I made in the wild in April 2013 (along with a tax stamped Old Charter that I had to pour out; was just horrible). This has that butterscotchy note that ND is well known for, and has a nicer mouthfeel than most 4 yr, 80 proof bourbon would. While not very old, it does benefit from some time in the glass, and I find myself appreciating the nose more than the palate. This isn’t a complex pour by any means. The whiskey itself I’d rate as ‘Stands Out’, but throwing a ‘Must Try’ in there if you’ve never had it (and if you can come across it for reasonable money).
Three words can describe Batch 12 with unfettered honesty – full, uncompromising, powerful. We invite you to uncork this particular offering of our Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength to experience the purest taste of the land, sea, and air of Islay. Its distinctive flavor comes from being barrier-filtered (which removes unwanted char particles) and then bottled directly from the barrel after a decade has passed.
This 60.1% vol cask strength full-bodied whisky is a result of this laborious process. There is a smokiness of renown present, as well as particular depths that speak to both an unrestrained sweetness and spiciness. The palate can be overwhelmed by the flavor of fudge, cinnamon, and toffee, as fragrances of leather, vanilla, and pipe tobacco fill the nose. A little watering of the whisky can reveal more features of sea salt and peat smoke.
Colour: Tawny. Nose: Sweet cereals with biscuit notes, fresh oak, smoked cedar and Manuka honey. Amsterdam pipe tobacco, shoe polish and old leather combined with a touch of waxy church candle, vanilla cream, nutmeg and oak extracts. Palate: Sweet and spicy, with burnt oak staves, barbecued marshmallows, toffee and sea salt, vanilla and Belgium caramel waffles. Roasted coffee fudge cream on sticky toffee pudding, with a hint of white pepper and crushed cinnamon. Finish: Floral with spicy oak tannins, iodine and sea salt.
What Gary Says
Nose: Smokey seaweed, wet bandages, creosote, salty sea air, hint of sulfur, bit of caramel, smoked meat with lemongrass. Palate: Warm and oily mouthfeel, peaty and peppery with honeyed biscuits, hint of toffee and lemon. Finish: Long with peat, apricots, smoke and iodine. Comments: Classic Laphroaig! If you don’t know, it is hard to describe in a way that sounds appealing. In my experience, Laphroaig (and most other Islay peated single malts) can be very polarizing. I don’t know many folks who are on the fence; they either like it a fair amount, or really dislike it pretty strongly. I fall into the ‘like it alot’ camp. In fact Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (batch 003, January 2011, 55.3% ABV) was my first ever single malt scotch whisky purchase. I shared that story here so I won’t repeat it. In fact, I was down to the last 2 ounces of that bottle (which had been decanted more than once, so please hold off on the comments about air time, etc) so I decided to do a side-by-side. This batch 012 definitely had a sharper edge to it, was a bit less sweet and not quite as well balanced. I mistakenly thought I had reviewed that already and didn’t take detailed notes – sorry about that (the only other batch to date we have reviewed is batch 005 which Richard was a fan of). To be clear, while I preferred batch 003, there wasn’t anything off-putting about this one. I find that this makes an excellent smoky old fashioned, with no smoking of glass required!
Midleton Very Rare Irish Whiskey 2014 Blended Irish Whiskey
40% ABV $260 to $2,000 (range from new to vintage at auction) Website
What the Distillery Says
Since 1984, each Master Distiller of Midleton Very Rare uses their eye for detail, their passion for quality whiskey and their exemplary skill to create the pinnacle of Irish whiskey, our special vintage release.
NOTE: The 2014 vintage was the first year that Brian Nation signed off on (following the legendary Barry Crockett), and is a blend of pot still and grain whiskies, believed to be aged from 12 to 22 years old.
What Gary Says
Nose: Floral and fruity, poached pears, peaches, melon, roses, honeysuckle, soft oak and vanilla crème brûlée. Palate: Fruit salad with pears, apples, cherries, peaches, vanilla, honey, bit of toffee before a citrus note and a subtle mineral note. Finish: Short to moderate in length with dried fruit, a hint of cereal and vanilla. Comments: This is a nice layered dram with nuanced complexity, but a lot of work to unpack. If you didn’t let it sit and open up and just poured and sniffed at – may not have appreciated all it has going on. That said, while complex, it is a LOT of work to get after. Given the suspected age (and price, although many thanks to Richard for biting the bullet and sharing a sample!) I had higher hopes for the mouthfeel, and I can’t help but wonder if this would have been just lovely at 46% or more. Don’t get me wrong – if someone has one open and is offering me a pour, I’m not turning it down – but also wouldn’t pay the retail (let alone insane auction prices) for this one.
Penelope Tokaji Cask Finish 8 Year Straight Rye Whiskey
53% ABV $90 Website We would like to thank Penelope Bourbon and BYRNE PR for sending us a sample to review.
What the Producer Says
Rich and decadent, Tokaji Cask Finish straight rye whiskey captures the late harvest notes of Tokaji wine from Hungary, once dubbed, “the wine of kings” by King Louis XIV. Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, aged eight years and bottled at 106 proof, its two-grain mash bill consists of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. The rye whiskey features a nose of dark chocolate-covered raisins and almond pastry; a viscous body with notes of sweet honey and caramel with hints of orange zest; and a savory finish highlighted by notes of black cherry, tobacco and red wine.
“From consumers to tasting panels, our Tokaji Cask Finish was really well received last year,” said Michael Paladini, founder of Penelope Bourbon. “For the initial release we used a 6-year-old straight rye whiskey as our base, and we are excited to bring this back but with an 8-year base at the same price point.”
In 2023, Penelope Bourbon Tokaji Cask Finish received 91 points from Whisky Advocate and was awarded a Gold Medal ASCOT Award.
It is the third installment of the company’s Cooper Series, which takes Penelope straight whiskeys on a world tour. The other members of the series include Rosé Cask Finish, Valencia and Rio. The Cooper Series was named after the son of Daniel Polise, one of the founders and the master distiller of Penelope Bourbon. A product locator for the Penelope family of bourbons can be found here.
What Gary Says
Nose: Big rye spice with dill, mint and citrus zest, floral notes with almond cookies and toasted oak. Palate: Dry with honey, mint, cinnamon, chocolate orange, caramel, clove and pepper. Finish: Drying with orange zest, fading spice and tobacco. Comments: This is an interesting dram. Only my second experience with Tokaji as a finish, but like the first it seems to be a very subtle influence. I really enjoy the rye whiskey itself, and have long been a fan of that 95% rye mashbill the folks in Indiana make. With a bit of water the mouthfeel thickens and brings the citrus notes forward. This is an unapologetic rye that’s dry, spicy and savory. I enjoy it neat, but it also makes a mean Preakness cocktail.
