Stands Out

Joseph Magnus Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Joseph Magnus Bourbon
Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Sherry and Cognac Casks

50% ABV
$100
Website
Joseph Magnus Bourbon

What the Producer Says

Rich deep flavors with notes of orange citrus, dried dark fruits, and vanilla
A marriage of straight bourbon whiskey aged in white oak barrels and finished in Oloroso sherry, Pedro Ximénez sherry, and cognac casks.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, cinnamon buns with raisins & cherries, cocoa, vanilla, musty oak with a mineral note.
Palate:  Rich and fruity, raisins, dates, chocolate with cinnamon, clove, a hint of anise.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying, spicy with berries.
Comments:  This is a super dark bourbon, no doubt influenced by the sherry cask finishing. At first nosing, I thought perhaps this was Dickel distillate, as I was getting a mineral note that I get from their whiskey. By all accounts, this is MGP (and while they do source Dickel it isn’t, or wasn’t, used in this product). But I digress – this is a really tasty whiskey. The finishing is a bit on the strong side, but as a fan of sherried single malt – that isn’t a bad thing.

Rating: Stands Out

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Johnnie Walker Explorers’ Club Collection – The Gold Route

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, The Collector's Cabinet / ,

Johnnie Walker Explorers’ Club Collection – The Gold Route
Blended Scotch Whisky

40% ABV
$95 (for a 1 L bottle)
Website
Johnnie Walker Explorers Club Collection The Gold Route

What the Blender Says

NOTE: This is a discontinued item.
Johnnie Walker Explorer’s Club Collection – The Gold Route is a luxurious, alluring, contemporary blend which evokes the exotic fruit flavors and beautiful, rich golden colors experienced by agents of John Walker & Sons on their journeys through Amazonia and the Caribbean. This blend is available exclusively to travellers through Duty Free stores.
Johnnie Walker Explorer’s Club Collection – The Gold Route delivers a bold, distinctive smokiness followed by a rush of guava, coconut, mango and pitaya. An undercurrent of sweet vanilla and spice emerges before a smooth, luxurious finish combining rich currants and raisins.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Butter cream icing on freshly baked donuts, maple candies, subtle peat and smoke, herbaceous, fresh tobacco, a malty tropical note.
Palate:  Fruit forward with apple, pears, mangos, other tropical fruit with a subtle earthiness, honey, toffee and a chili spice.
Finish:  Moderate in length with a lingering chili spice and smoke.
Comments:  This is quite nice, especially for 40% ABV. The nose on this is as complex as any Johnnie Walker I can recall (in fact trying this side-by-side with Johnnie Walker Blue Label, I preferred the nose on this). This might be my favorite Johnnie Walker to date. A lovely, fruity, spicy dram!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

El Dorado 21 Year Old Special Reserve Finest Demerara Rum

40% ABV
$120
Website
El Dorado 21 Yr Special Reserve Rum

What the Distillery Says

This richly crafted rum has been laid down in oak barrels for at least 21 years then artfully blended for you to savour and enjoy.

Tasting Notes
Nose of mocha, toffee, tobacco, and dark spices. The mouth is velvety smooth with full body of tropical fruits, coffee, leather, and rich toffee. The Finish is nutty and smoky.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Burnt demerara sugar, fruitcake soaked in rum, oak, toasted orange zest, baking spices, brown sugar, raisins and plums.
Palate:  Fruitcake with orange, apricot, coconut, raisins, bits of dark chocolate, medium roast coffee and honey.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying.
Comments:  Hands down my favorite of the three. A nice step up from the 15 yr, although I can’t say I like it 2.5x as much as the 15 yr. Like whisk(e)y, the price starts to get crazy with age for a number of reasons. And like whisk(e)y, I often find that jump in price doesn’t align with my enjoyment. Price aside, this one definitely stood out.

Rating: Stands Out

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El Dorado 15 Year Old Rum

/ / Other Spirits, Review / ,

El Dorado 15 Year Old Special Reserve Finest Demerara Rum

40% ABV
$50
Website
El Dorado 15 Yr Rum

What the Distillery Says

This rum has been laid down in oak barrels for at least 15 years then artfully blended using the Enmore and Diamond Coffey Stills, the Port Mourant Double Wooden Pot Still and the Versailles Single Wooden Pot Still – for you to savor and enjoy

Tasting Notes
Full nose packed with dark coffee, candied orange, almonds, dark chocolate, pepper and rich vanilla. Beautifully rounded palate with a great spread of flavours: grilled tropical fruit with smooth oaky spice – silky, vibrant and moderately full-bodied.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Similar to the 12 yr with more brown sugar and molasses, a bit more of an herbal quality (celery?) and roasted coconut husks.
Palate:  Bit more candied orange, along with bits of kiwi and green plantains in dark molasses, little pepper and oak.
Finish:  Short and dry, more bitter than the 12 yr with a wisp of pepper.
Comments:  I definitely prefer this over the 12 yr. The nose is a small step up, but the palate made a much bigger leap (almost to where I enjoy the nose and palate equally, but not quite). The finish isn’t much better.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Spirit Works Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Spirit Works Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey

45% ABV
$50
Website
Spirit Works Four Grain Straight Bourbon
We would like to thank Spirit Works Distillery and Verdant PR & Marketing for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Meticulously pot distilled, each batch of our Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey is the proprietary master blend of our two Bourbon formulas. Featuring 60% corn with wheat, rye, and barley in the mash bills, our grains are all organic and the corn and wheat are California grown. Mashed, fermented, distilled and aged on-site by female distilling team this Bourbon features impressive palate complexity from each of the four grains. Smooth and welcoming in any cocktail our Bourbon is also especially delicious sipped neat.

45% ABV or 90 Proof
Aged a minimum of four years
53-Gallon, New American Charred Oak Barrels
Color of Amber Honey

Nose: Honeysuckle, toasted sugar, and stone fruit
Palate: Chicory, brown butter, and treacle
Finish: Roasted savory cooking spices

What Gary Says

Nose:  Light vanilla, cherry blossoms, honey, chamomile tea, toasted oak and a hint of berries.
Palate:  Creamy and rounded mouthfeel, vanilla wafers atop black cherry ice cream, almonds, subtle pepper with cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, wet with a nutty spice note.
Comments:  The pot still influence comes across in the mouthfeel, which I appreciate. Also glad that they matured this at least four years in full size barrels, although it still tastes fairly young. Many four year old bourbons from the larger distilleries in Kentucky will come from the higher tiers of the rickhouse, where they’re getting significantly more ‘action’ from the barrel during that time (and where they really can’t go a LONG time without it becoming a oaky, tannin-laden mess). I point this out because if you’re sitting down to compare this to one of those, they’ll be quite different – which isn’t a bad thing. I’d love to try this with more age on it (and maybe a higher proof), as I expect the climate in California with less extremes would allow the spirit to mature for a long time before becoming overly oaked. I didn’t find anything objectionable about this whiskey.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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