Stands Out

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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Blood Oath Pact No. 6

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Blood Oath Pact No. 6 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Finished in Cognac Barrels

49.3% ABV
$100
Website
Blood Oath Pact 6
We would like to thank Luxco and Common Ground PR for sending us samples to review.

What the Blender Says

In its sixth year, the Blood Oath ultra-premium bourbon series continues to see unique expressions – Blood Oath Pact No. 6 launches this spring. The series – a creation of Lux Row Distillers’ Head Distiller and Master Blender John Rempe – combines three selected bourbons, expertly blended for a distinctive whiskey.

For Pact No. 6, Rempe chose a 14-year ryed bourbon with notes of oak and leather, melded with an 8-year warm toasty ryed bourbon and complemented them with a 7-year ryed bourbon rested in cognac casks. The memorable combination brings caramel notes and hints of spice, along extra flavor from the cognac barrels.

“This particular pact is special in that the cognac barrels added some sweetness and a slight fruity, brandy flavor to the bourbon, creating an amazing taste profile,” says Rempe. “When selecting these bourbons, I wanted to see how these flavors meshed together and I have to say the result was spectacular.”

As with all the other expressions, Pact No. 6 is a limited edition, never to be made again, with only 17,000 cases being produced and sold globally. This expression continues with the tradition of a 98.6 proof and packaged in an intricate wooden display box, with the 750ml bottle being topped with a natural cork and emblazoned with John Rempe’s signature. The suggested retail price is $99.99.

“The Blood Oath series launched in 2015 and it’s hard to believe we have already created more than half a decade of Pacts,” adds Rempe. “I’m honored to see consumers searching for the new release every year and get as excited as I am when a new Pact hits the shelves,” adds Rempe.

TASTING NOTES
APPEARANCE: Deep dark amber with long legs.
AROMA: Caramel, butterscotch, brandy and vanilla.
PALATE: Caramel, butterscotch, brandy and vanilla.
FINISH: Lingering spice and nutty.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich coffee cake with vanilla butter-cream frosting, plums, dates, burnt caramel, charred oak, nutmeg with a hint of cinnamon.
Palate:  Rich mouthfeel, caramel, butterscotch, toffee, fruity with berries and oranges, cinnamon, nutmeg, a hint of clove with dark chocolate.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with pecans, cocoa, and baking spices.
Comments:  This is another really lovely, rich and luscious whiskey. The cognac finishing is well done – giving it a layered influence and not overbearing. A bit of water brings out more notes of chocolate .

Rating: Stands Out

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