Stands Out

Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey

45% ABV
$40
Website
Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey

What the Distillery Says

This truly small-batch bourbon starts with traditionally grown corn, rye and malted barley. All of our staple grains are cultivated exclusively for us on the Omlin Family farm in Quincy, Washington. The grains are mashed, distilled, and barreled in our Woodinville® distillery, then trucked back over the Cascade Mountains to our private barrel houses, where Central Washington’s extreme temperature cycles promote the extraction of natural flavors from the oak. Prior to being coopered, the barrel wood is seasoned in open air, rain, wind, sun, and snow for eighteen months, softening the wood’s harsh tannins. The barrels are then slowly toasted and heavily charred to further enrich the wood’s desirable flavors. This meticulous process yields a truly hand-crafted spirit with aromas of crème brûlée and spice cabinet, as well as notes of rich caramel, dark chocolate, and vanilla bean on the palate with a sweet, lingering finish.

*Also available in Cask-Strength at distillery only.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, light caramel, corn, musty oak, peaches with a hint of cherries and brown sugar.
Palate:  Vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce, light baking spices and black cherries.
Finish:  Moderate in length, slightly dry with a bit of oak, baking spices and cherries.
Comments:  A decent enough pour, although the corn on the nose and lack of depth on the palate would lead me to believe it is young (being non-age stated ‘straight’, this would be four years and a day). The nose is nice, with a bit more to offer than the palate, but appreciate that this doesn’t “taste like craft” to me.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye
Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

56.1% ABV
$60
Website
Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye Whiskey

What the Distillery Says

Crafted in one of the few distilleries to remain dedicated to the art of rye whiskey, Rare Breed Rye is a blend of non-chill filtered rye. It is barrel-proof, meaning that it’s uncut, bottled directly from the barrels at the proof it is reached in those barrels. It is sister to award-winning Rare Breed bourbon and the first permanent super-premium rye in the Wild Turkey family.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Fresh dill, vanilla, oak, mint, lime zest, herbal, pepper and cinnamon.
Palate:  Vanilla, clove, tangerines, oak, cinnamon, mint, nutmeg and a hint of white chocolate.
Finish:  Moderate in length, drying with pepper, mint and honey.
Comments:  Intense rye spice like you’d hope for/expect from Wild Turkey! The Wild Turkey 101 Rye is one of my favorites, and this turns that up a notch. The non-chill filtering is a plus, as it thickens up nicely with a bit of water. Maintains a nice balance of sweetness with rye spice. I did a couple blind tastings of this against Pikesville (which required the black Glencairns, as this is lighter in color enough that it stood out), and on three different days, I preferred the Pikesville over this – finding this to have less sweetness and more spice. But sometimes that’s what you’re in the mood for – is that hit of rye spice. And it was pretty close on 2 of the 3 tastings as well – highlighting how much WE have to do with it versus the whiskey.

Rating: Stands Out

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Cadenhead’s Small Batch Mortlach 21 Yr Single Malt Scotch Whisky

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Cadenhead’s Small Batch Mortlach 21 Yr
Single Malt Scotch Whisky

53.5% ABV
$150
Website
Cadenhead's Mortlach 21 yr Small Batch Single Malt Scotch Whiskey

What the Producer Says

Distilled in 1994 at the Mortlach Distillery.
Matured in Bourbon Hogshead for 21 years.
Bottled in 2015.
One of only 492 bottles.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla sponge cake, raw almonds, subtle peat and vegetal notes, nectarines, tropical fruit, heather, tobacco, rice pudding, allspice and a hint of ginger.
Palate:  Spicy bite, fruity with apricots, nectarines, pears, pepper spice, honey, walnuts, allspice, chocolate, and cherries.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with apricots and a nutty pepper spice.
Comments:  Really nice dram – sharp neat but a bit of water brings out more chocolate and cherries, and thickens nicely. Here in the United States, we see ‘small batch’ used commonly in the world of bourbon despite having zero legal meaning (could be as few as a single barrel, or as many barrels as you want – 50, 500, 5,000, limit is only your imagination). It is much less common in Scotch whisky. In this case, there being 492 bottles of this small batch, it is likely only 2 or 3 casks (a hogshead cask is 250 liters, which would be 357 750 mL bottles full; scotch whisky loses about 2% to evaporation each year, do some math and you land at 2 casks with slightly less than 2%, or 3 casks).

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Alfred Giraud Harmonie French Malt Whisky

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Alfred Giraud Harmonie
French Malt Whisky

46.1% ABV
$190
Website
Alfred Giraud Harmonie French Malt Whisky
We would like to thank Alfred Giraud and Savona Communications for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

This powerful and inviting whisky epitomizes the harmony achieved through our blending and aging techniques. We begin with a blend of two non-peated French malt distillates that matured in different casks, the majority in extra old cognac casks and a proportion in new French Limousin and American oak casks. Once the optimal blend is achieved, the double malt ages exclusively in extra old cognac casks where it develops complex and balanced flavors. Finally, it is blended with a lightly peated French malt distillate and is finished in the same extra old cognac casks until it reaches its optimal flavor.

WHISKY MAKER’S NOTES
Color: Deep copper.
Nose: Bold and inviting. Warm raisin bread and baking spices surround notes of smoky barley.
Palate: Powerful yet delicate. The silky texture gives way to baking spices and juicy grapes. Rich and balanced, with a hint of peat.
Finish: Long, very long. The subtle peat amplifies the soft tannins of the extra old cognac casks.

CHARACTER: Silky with a hint of peat
BLEND: Triple Malt, Triple Wood
CASKS: Cognac, new French & new American Oak
ANNUAL RELEASE: 7 Casks
COLOR: Natural
FILTRATION: Non Chill-Filtered

What Gary Says

Nose:  Floral, barley, fruity with grapes, pears, apricots and black currants, subtle spice with a slight earthy note of peat and cedar.
Palate:  Rich and creamy mouthfeel, vanilla, milk chocolate, grapes, peaches, nutmeg with subtle peat.
Finish:  Long, thick and syrupy with chocolate and pepper spice.
Comments:  While similar to the Heritage by Alfred Giraud, this is darker and richer on both the nose and palate. Quite lovely, with the peated whisky balanced nicely so that it is additive without dominating or detracting.

Rating: Stands Out

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Alfred Giraud Heritage French Malt Whisky

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Alfred Giraud Heritage
French Malt Whisky

45.9% ABV
$155
Website
Alfred Giraud Heritage French Malt Whisky
We would like to thank Alfred Giraud and Savona Communications for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

An intense and complex, yet elegant whisky, HERITAGE showcases complex and balanced flavors, the result of masterful blending and aging. Three non-peated French malt distillates that matured in different casks, mostly in extra old cognac casks with a proportion in new French Limousin and American oak casks are blended together, then matured in extra old cognac casks.

WHISKY MAKER’S NOTES
Color: Natural, light and golden.
Nose: Complex yet balanced. Buttery pastries and brioche develop into aromas of toasted malts and sweet baking spices.
Palate: Structured with a full body. Brioche quickly transitions into grassy notes. A slight woodiness balanced perfectly with vanilla and nutmeg. Refined and well-rounded.
Finish: Sophisticated and subtle. The soft spices and nutty malts balance beautifully leading to slightly sweet notes from the extra old cognac casks.

CHARACTER: Soft and elegant
BLEND: Triple Malt, Triple Wood
CASKS: Cognac, new French & new American Oak
ANNUAL RELEASE: 23 Casks
COLOR: Natural
FILTRATION: Non Chill-Filtered

What Gary Says

Nose:  Delicate, floral, barley, fruity with grapes, pears and apricots with a subtle spice.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel with vanilla, poached pears, peaches, grapes, buttered brioche, nutmeg, hint of cinnamon, bright citrus note with a bit of chocolate.
Finish:  Moderately long, wet with vanilla, nutmeg and a bit of pepper.
Comments:  A delicate and delightful dram! Subtle and sweet, the cognac influence is apparent. I appreciate the higher ABV, as well as skipping the chill filtration, which all lends to a really nice mouthfeel.

Rating: Stands Out

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