Stands Out

William Heavenhill Single Barrel

/ / Bourbon, Review /

William Heavenhill Single Barrel

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 14 Years
57.5% ABV
$250
Website
William Heavenhill 14 Yr Single Barrel

What the Distillery Says

Nothing unfortunately (no mention of it on their website).
This particular William Heavenhill single barrel was offered at the Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown, KY. During a visit, my dad and I had a chance to try it as part of a tasting, and he liked it well enough to buy one (and was generous enough to provide me a sample to review!)
Additional details from the bottle include:
Barrel 24
Barreled: 2/6/2003; Bottled: 7/11/2017

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich salted caramel, fudge, charred oak, vanilla bean, a slight tannic, smokey, sulfur note, subtle cinnamon with hints of anise and clove.
Palate:  Thick and creamy mouthfeel, nutty dark chocolate with bits of caramel, black cherries, dates, oak and pepper spice; a tad hot.
Finish:  Long and drying with oak and pepper spice.
Comments:  This is a bit more oak prominent than I prefer, but not overly oaked. I remember loving this when tasting it in Bardstown (although not enough to buy a bottle). I struggled with what felt to me like a very good single barrel version of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof w/ 2 more years – at triple the cost (or more). So I didn’t buy one, but remember thinking it was delicious all the same. I was disappointed to not love it nearly as much when I sat down on three different occasions to make tasting notes (I suspect something with my sample, although not sure what – who knows).  It takes water well, maintaining that lovely mouthfeel and tamping the hotness enough.

Rating: Stands Out

William Heavenhill Single Barrel Read More »

Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

The Yamazaki Single Malt Japanese Whisky Distiller’s Reserve

43% ABV
$70
Website
Yamazaki Single Malt Japanese Whisky Distiller's Reserve
We would like to thank Paul (check out his reviews here, or on Dapper Drams) for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says*

* Note that there is no mention of this product on their web-site, the below content is from various sources including packaging images.

Yamazaki Whisky is Suntory’s flagship single malt whisky, from Japan’s first and oldest malt distillery, multi-layered with fruit and Mizunara aromas. Released in Spring 2014, this is one of two Distiller’s Reserve single malt whiskies from Suntory in Japan. This single malt from the Yamazaki distillery is jam-packed with superb red berry notes, gained from the whisky being matured in Bordeaux wine casks and Sherry casks. It also features malt matured in Mizunara casks, adding subtle fragrant oak notes.

TASTING NOTES
Color: Gold
Nose: Strawberry, cherry, Mizunara (Japanese oak)
Palate: Raspberry, white peach, touch of coconut
Finish: Sweet vanilla, clear finish with, hint of cinnamon

What Gary Says

Nose:  Fruity with citrus, peaches, green apples, banana, grapes, a bit of red wine casks and Mizunara oak, hints of strawberries, cherries, and almonds.
Palate:  Sweet and full of fruit notes, peaches, pears, fresh berries, caramel sauce, honey, and almond cookies.
Finish:  Moderately long with lingering mixed fruit and notes of wine.
Comments:  This is like a liquid fruit salad in whisky form. Quite light and fruity, it has a lot going on – albeit it mostly in the fruity/nutty spectrum. Not a critique, but an observation. If you like fruity whisky, this is a lovely dram that you could spend some time with picking out all of the varieties.  You also get the nuance from the various casks which is interesting. While I rather enjoy it, I can see where others might find it lopsided and lacking balance (maybe a bit more spice and savory notes).

Rating: Stands Out

Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve Read More »

Laphroaig 16 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Laphroaig 16 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

48% ABV
$90
Website
Laphroaig 16 yr Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
We would like to thank Laphroaig and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Laphroaig® 16 Year Old is an exceptional expression that has been matured for 16 years in ex-bourbon barrels. Over time, the whisky’s smoky flavor softens on the senses and is beautifully married with sweet vanilla notes aging in Americna Oak to deliver a long lasting, smoky sweet and rich flavor. Laphroaig 16 Year Old is best served neat or with a drop of water.

TASTING NOTES
Color: Deep copper
Nose: Sweet leather, oaky spices, with floral notes, roasted chestnuts with rich maple syrup, and a touch of black pepper.
Palate: Sweet with treacle, caramel, Manuka honey and thyme, as well as wood smoke, creosote, lots of floral notes of heather and bergamot, and a chili mouthfeel.
Finish: Long lasting, smoky, sweet with a salted seaweed, medicinal character.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick and lovely with seaweed, iodine, leather, peat smoke, tar, and a subtle sweetness underneath.
Palate:  Sweet salted caramel to start, then sharpening with pepper spice, peat, smoke, oregano & thyme dried near the sea.
Finish:  Moderately long, smokey and drying with medicinal notes.
Comments:  This is a lovely dram! Water tamps the sharper edges and brings more sweetness forward, but make no mistake this is squarely in the Laphroaig wheelhouse. I was fortunate enough to have a bottle of Laphroaig 18 yr on hand to compare to, and it was fairly similar (maybe not quite as creamy of a mouthfeel and a tad less refined). Unfortunately that isn’t a standard offering, which is all the more reason I’m excited about this new addition to the lineup. In particular I appreciate the relatively high ABV. While softer than the 10 yr with more nuance, this still brings images of a peat fire by the sea shore. If you’re a fan of Laphroaig, I’d consider this a ‘Must Try’.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

Laphroaig 16 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Read More »

Glentauchers 18 Yr Cask Strength

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Glentauchers 18 Yr Cask Strength
Gordon & MacPhail Casks 5072 & 5073
Distilled 1995

58.3% ABV
$125-$145
Website
Glentauchers 1995 Cask Strength

What the Producer Says

A rare example of cask-strength Glentauchers, released by independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail. Distilled on 14 June 1995, it was aged in a pair of first-fill sherry butts for 18 years before being bottled on 27 January 2014.

Natural Colour; Not Chill Filtered

Packaging Notes:  Sweet, with apple, pear and eucalyptus notes developing. The palate has chili spice with ripe banana, orange peel and a creamy chocolate edge

What Gary Says

Nose:  Orchard fruit, stewed apples, an herbal/malty note with a hint of darker fruit and nutmeg.
Palate:  Sweet entry with a strong/sharp spiciness, subtle fruit notes underneath with pears, banana, orange creamsicle; some water seems to thicken the mouthfeel, subdues the spiciness a bit and brings out more of the dark fruit notes.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with fruit and pepper spice.
Comments:  Often I find the tasting notes in a PR or on the bottle to be fairly imaginative but not particularly accurate. Everyone tastes differently, but these were damn close to my experience (in hindsight, I get the eucalyptus although couldn’t put my finger on it as THAT; same thing with the chili spice). Water improves this one quite a bit, and actually improves the mouthfeel which I don’t find very often.

Rating: Stands Out

Glentauchers 18 Yr Cask Strength Read More »

Jameson Black Barrel and Holiday Cocktails

/ / Cocktails, Irish Whiskey, Review /

Continuing to get into the holiday spirit (get it? Both the whiskey & . . . nevermind), here’s my thoughts on Jameson Black Barrel neat, as well as in two holiday cocktails. We would like to thank Jameson and Ketchum for sending us a sample to review, as well as the cocktail recipes!

Jameson Black Barrel

40% ABV
$35-$40
Website
Jameson Black Barrel Irish Whiskey

What the Distillery Says

Triple distilled, flame charred, for a rich smooth taste.
Charring is an age-old method for invigorating barrels to intensify the taste. Jameson Black Barrel is our tribute to our coopers, who painstakingly give their bourbon barrels an additional charring to reveal their untold richness and complexity. The select double charred barrels produce a whiskey with even richer flavor and intense smoothness.

Nose: Time spent maturing in these barrels leads to intensified aromas of butterscotch, fudge and creamy toffee.
Taste: Nutty notes are in abundance alongside the smooth sweetness of spice and vanilla.
Finish: Enjoy the richness and intensity of toasted wood and vanilla.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich with vanilla, honey, oak, notes of butterscotch and fudge toffee with an herbal grassy note underneath.
Palate:  Sweet with caramel, vanilla and honey before the spice kicks in with cinnamon, pepper, and charred oak.
Finish:  Moderately long, on the damp side with cinnamon, pepper and caramel trailing.
Comments:  Compared with Jameson’s standard bearer, this packs in more flavor, with more vanilla and spice notes and is a bit sharper (but by no means sharp).  This stays more aligned with Jameson than some of the recent cask finishes we’ve reviewed, and I personally prefer this over those (mainly because I’m not a beer drinker).

Rating: Stands Out

Now onto the cocktails! This first one required a bit of prep work, as I didn’t have cinnamon syrup laying around (and none of my local liquor stores or grocery stores carried it). I used this recipe to make some, cutting it in half (which yielded just over 100 mL of syrup) and using demerara sugar.

Jameson Black Barrel Crimson Cranberry Punch

Jameson Black Barrel makes any holiday party into a true event. Simple enough for any busy host to mix up, the Crimson Cranberry Punch is a bright crowd-pleaser with tastes of lemon, cinnamon, and cranberry.

  • 1.5 parts Jameson Black Barrel
  • 1 dash Angostura Bitters per serve
  • 1 part Cranberry Juice
  • 0.5 part Cinnamon Syrup
  • 0.5 part Lemon Juice
  • 0.5 part Club Soda
  1. Combine all ingredients together in a punch bowl (or a glass)
  2. Garnish with lemon wheels, orange wheels, cranberries
  3. Serve in rocks glasses chilled over ice

Jameson Black Barrel Crimson Cranberry Punch

What Gary Thought: I skipped the punch bowl and and just combined the ingredients in a rocks glass, stirred, and added ice.  Of the various cocktails I made this week, this had the strongest ‘holiday vibe’ for me with the cranberry & cinnamon.  The lemon helped cut the sweetness and really balance it out nicely.  This was also my wife’s favorite of the several I made that day (and no, not because we had each drank several prior!)

Jameson Black Barrel Ginger Sparkler

The holidays are here and it’s your time to shine with the Jameson Ginger Sparkler. We’re combining old favorites like ginger and lemon with sparkling wine and Black Barrel for a truly special sip.

  • 1.5 parts Jameson Black Barrel
  • 1.5 parts Lemon juice
  • 1.5 parts simple syrup
  • 1.5 parts Ginger Beer
  • 1.5 parts Sparkling Wine topper
  1. Build all ingredients except for sparkling wine in a shaking tin
  2. Add ice
  3. Shake
  4. Strain as you pour into a highball glass
  5. Top with Sparkling Wine
  6. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a rosemary sprig

Jameson Black Barrel Ginger Sparkler

What Gary Thought: I have to call this out, but if every ingredient in the recipe is in equal measure – you can just refer to them all as ‘1 part’.  And yes, I know that this isn’t a highball glass either (although I’m confident it didn’t impact the flavor).  All that aside, I really enjoyed this fresh take on a whiskey sour.  I did find that the rosemary sprig comes across a bit strong (but I did like the added aroma – I might just dunk a rosemary sprig in for a few seconds before serving instead of using as a garnish).  This had a fresh and refreshing quality that made me think more of summer than the holidays, although if someone was serving these at a holiday party – I wouldn’t turn it down.  I could do without the sparkling wine topper personally, but still enjoyed it as designed.  I used Idris Fiery Ginger Beer for those interested, which I find is nicely balanced.

Cheers!
Gary

Jameson Black Barrel and Holiday Cocktails Read More »