Stands Out

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 Yrs

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Glenmorangie Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The Quinta Ruban Aged 14 Years Port Cask Finished

46% ABV
$45-$55
Website
Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 yrs Old

What the Distillery Says

A voluptuously silky spirit, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban is aged first in bourbon casks for smooth, fruity notes. We then finish this single malt whisky in ruby port casks to create velvety depth.

Our Quinta Ruban port cask finish brings chocolate boldness to Glenmorangie’s renowned smooth style. Non chill-filtered for additional aroma and mouthfeel, it is savoured all over the world.
Aroma: Dark mint chocolate, tangerines and Seville oranges mingle with sandalwood and walnut before giving way to a spicy finish of pepper and nutmeg.
Taste: Mint chocolate and walnuts envelop the palate like velvet, laying the foundations for rose, Turkish delight and sweet Seville oranges.
Finish: Long lasting silky aftertaste leaving dark chocolate mints and traces of orange.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Mellow malt with rich notes of port, hints of milk chocolate, berries, smoke and leather.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel to start with green apples, pears, chocolate covered cherries; a sharp bite in the mid palate with some pepper spice.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with dark fruit notes, oak and some pepper spice.
Comments:  I tasted this side-by-side with the original Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, which is 12 yrs old. I found the nose on this to be similar but with more depth and richness. On the palate, the mouthfeel was creamier at the start, but then got sharper with more depth in fruit. The finish was the most similar, maybe a tad longer. 2 yrs may not sound like a lot, but it was a bigger change than I expected. While a bit more sharp, I don’t mind that as Glenmorangie’s house style tends to be on the smooth side. The fact they’re offering this at the same price I think is outstanding. If you’re a Glenmorangie fan, and in particular a fan of the 12 yr Quinta Ruban, I’c consider this a must try.

Rating: Must Try/Stands Out

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Catcher’s Rye Whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey / ,

Catcher’s Rye Whiskey

49.4% ABV
$50
Website
Two James Catchers Rye Whiskey

What the Distillery Says

Distilled from 100% Michigan rye and pure water from the Great Lakes, Catcher’s Rye is a testament to the grain’s distinctive terroir. Each drop is artfully produced and aged for a minimum of two years in traditional, charred new American oak 53 gallon barrels. With delicious spice notes and a subtle fig finish, Catcher’s Rye proves there is no substitute for time or proportion. This is a labor of love, accept no phonies.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Bright, intense rye spice with fresh mint, caraway seeds, blood oranges with a squeeze of lemon, dill, hints of tarragon and thyme with a wisp of smoke.
Palate:  Rich mouthfeel, orange marmalade on rye toast, cinnamon sprinkles with allspice, hints of ginger, a bit of pepper and faint anise near the end.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with citrus spice.
Comments:  This is a pretty intense rye. My first impression of the nose was that this was a young rye, as I find many young ryes have that intensity and pop on the nose – but when I sipped it; completely exceeded my expectations.  I reached out to Two James distillery with some questions, and was delighted when David Landrum -the founder – took the time to provide a detailed response!  Here’s a summary of what David shared:

Mashbill: 100% Michigan Rye (specifically a northern variety: Hazlet)
ABV at Still: Between 65-70% (note that this is lower than many larger distillers, who are coming off closer to the maximum allowed limit for bourbon at 80%)
Barrels: We only use large format (minimum 53 gallon) oak barrels with varying char levels, mostly #3 and #4
Age: We have no age statement on our rye at the moment but everything released is between 4-6 years.
Maturation: Barrels are aged in a rickhouse on the farm where we grow the grain, non temperature controlled

Many rye whiskies are what I’d call ‘barely legal ryes’, meaning that their mashbill is 51% rye with a fairly high corn content.  Four Roses has a rye bourbon mashbill that has 35% rye, so these are closer to that than to a 100% rye mashbill.  Corn brings a lot of sweetness to the party, and David was looking for to “create an assertive whiskey”.  I’d say he certainly succeeded.

Frequent readers (all 6 of you) are aware that I’m not a fan of what is often referred to as ‘craft whisk(e)y’, because candidly too many of them cut corners with smaller barrels. I really appreciate Two James not taking this course, and more than that – for producing a delicious rye whisk(e)y.  If someone had poured this for me blind and asked what I thought, the word ‘craft’ wouldn’t have entered my thought process.  Sure, you’re paying a premium because of the smaller scale, but if I still lived in Michigan where this is easier to find, I’d have no problem keeping a bottle on hand.  And if you’re a rye whiskey devotee, I’d strongly encourage you to seek this out!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Blood Oath Pact No. 5

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Blood Oath Pact No. 5 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Finished in Caribbean Rum Casks

49.3% ABV
$100
Website

We would like to thank Luxco and Common Ground PR for sending us samples to review.

What the Blender Says

A masterful union of three well-bred bourbons. One, a 13-year mahogany bourbon, un‑apologetically peppery with shavings of dark chocolate. Two, an 11-year silky, wheated bourbon rich with vanilla and honey. And three, an 8-year find, finished in Caribbean rum barrels to impart orange, brown sugar and warm island spice. Every sip, an uncharted, sensory adventure.

This year’s release returns to its original fire-branded wooden display box. Like its predecessors, the bottle is topped with a custom, eco-friendly natural cork, sealed and hand-labeled with certificate-style paper stock, including Rempe’s signature, and bottled at 98.6 proof. Pact No. 5 is available globally in 750ml bottles, with a suggested retail price of $99.99.
Pact No. 5 is a limited release, with only 15,000 cases (3-packs) created; this bourbon will never be made again. The Blood Oath series launched in 2015 with Pact No. 1, and will highlight a different variant, or Pact, each year.
“This series, and the creativity it allows, is something I am passionate about and always looking for new combinations and ideas,” says Rempe.

TASTING NOTES
APPEARANCE: Deep dark amber with long legs.
AROMA: Sweet, vanilla and brown sugar, hints of dark rum.
PALATE: Sweet dark rum notes, vanilla, carmalized sugar, dark fruit.
FINISH: A long finish with hints of brown sugar and raisins.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla icing with light caramel drizzled over Jamaican rum cake, hints of molasses and banana.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, raisin bread w/ dark rum vanilla icing, notes of cinnamon and clove.
Finish:  Moderate in length, rum raisin ice cream.
Comments:  The rum cask finish is clear on all fronts, and this is definitely on the sweet side of whiskey – but not excessively so. In fact the palate is quite well balanced. Fans of both whiskey and rum (and of rum cask finishing) aren’t likely to be disappointed.

Rating: Stands Out

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Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whisky

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whisky

46.5 ABV
$55
Website
Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whisky

What the Distillery Says

TWO BARRELS. ONE FINE BOURBON.
1910 Old Fine Whisky, Old Forester’s fourth and final expression in the Whiskey Row Series, is a double barreled Bourbon creating a smooth mingling of sweet oatmeal raisin cookie and milk chocolate, caramel corn, and evolving spice that lead into a refined, charred oak finish.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Interlaced layers of buttercream, sticky toffee, cedar, and apricot
TASTE: Smooth, well rounded mingling of sweet oatmeal raisin cookie and milk chocolate leading into caramel corn and evolving spice
FINISH: Charred oak leads with a clean peripheral spice

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla raisin spongecake with shaved toffee, cocoa, and cedar smoke.
Palate:  Creamy sweetness, vanilla cola (without the carbonation obviously) with chocolate, nutmeg, oak and a hint of pepper.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying a tad with oak and hints of spice.
Comments:  I was a bit surprised that I enjoyed this – only because I’m not usually a fan of double-oak bourbons. This has a lovely sweetness to it, balanced with a bit of oak bite – but not too much oak.

Rating: Stands Out

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Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

50% ABV
$50-$60
Website

What the Distillery Says

Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond, the second in our Old Forester Whiskey Row Series, is crafted to honor a watershed moment in bourbon history – the U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897.

This 100 proof expression is the second release in our Old Forester Whiskey Row Series and was specially crafted to honor the U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. After the U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 to be labeled as Bottled in Bond, whisky must be the product of one distillation season, one distiller and from one distillery. The concept behind the Act – the idea of “sealed-in quality” – was something that Old Forester – America’s First Bottled Bourbon – introduced in 1870.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Robust, intense caramel. Rich vanilla with roasted coffee notes, spiced dark fruit and mature oak.
TASTE: Mouth-filling. Sweet and intense. Deep fruit, spice and oak notes layered over dark caramel and vanilla.
FINISH: Big and bold.

What Gary Says

Nose: Vanilla crème brûlée with caramel sauce, sour oak rickhouse aroma over blood orange, nutmeg, anise and subtle dried mint.
Palate:  Sweet caramel with milk chocolate and vanilla that sharpens with anise, allspice, hazelnuts and a toasted orange zest note, followed by pepper spice.
Finish:  Moderate in length, drying with oak, orange spice and pepper.
Comments:  For fans of Old Forester, this is very squarely in the family with that lovely sweetness and spice. Quite nice, with a bit more depth and complexity than Old Forester Signature.

Rating: Stands Out

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