Nov 16

Blackadder 1976 Edradour Distillery Scotch – Review

Blackadder 1976 Edradour Distillery ScotchBlackadder 1976 Edradour Distillery 24 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

98.8 Proof

Price Point: Unknown for 750 ML

Distiller: Edradour Distillery

 

Background

Thus far in my Blackadder reviews series, I have examined whiskies from Longmorn, Springbank, and Highland Park Distilleries.  Today, we are venturing over to Edradour Distillery to see what their 24 Year Old offering tastes like.  A little distillery history, courtesy of Wikipedia:

“Edradour Distillery is a Highland single malt whisky distillery based in Pitlochry, Perthshire.  Edradour is reputed to be the smallest distillery in Scotland.  Established in 1825, the distillery was traditionally run by three men but now there are just two. Only eighteen casks are produced each week.  The stills are the smallest in use of any distillery in Scotland.  Were they any smaller, they would be deemed by HM Revenue and Customs to be portable, with the implicit capacity for illegal production.”

 

Review

The nose begins fruity, florally, and malty all in one.  Blackadder Edradour has the faint aromas of burnt rubber and Sharpie marker; not the two best smells, but unique nonetheless.  There’s also leather and mature oak.  This nose really develops and change as you go.

Blackadder Edradour tastes very mature with big leather.  It has an oily mouthfeel and a nice peppery taste.  The fruit from the nose is long gone now.  It’s a little grassy and earthy; definitely a different tasting Scotch.

This whisky has a nice, lengthy, cooling finish with a touch of pine (perhaps mint?) afterward.

 

Rating & Recommendations

Blackadder Edradour is a good single malt, earning a rating of 89 out of 100.

Although very tasty and mature, I wouldn’t pick this as a whisky to drink everyday.  But it’s certainly worth sampling if you can get your hands on this or something similar.

 

-Ryan

Nov 02

Blackadder 1982 Highland Park Distillery Scotch – Review

Blackadder 1982 Highland Park Distillery ScotchBlackadder 1982 Highland Park Distillery 20 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

112.2 Proof

Price Point: Unknown for 750 ML

Distiller: Highland Park Distillery

 

Background

My third review in my Blackadder series travels to the Highland Park Distillery on the isle of Orkney, at the very north side of Scotland.  This is very much different than my previous two reviews of the Longmorn 13 Year Old and the Springbank 1991, in that this one is aged longer and is bottled at barrel proof.

If you recall my review of Highland Park 12 Year Old, I didn’t care all that much for the flagship expression from the distillery.  We’ll see how this special bottling compares.

 

Review

There is lots of sediment present from the charred oak on the inside of the barrel.  This cloudy whisky has a nose full of creamy peat.  There’s caramel and molasses to add a little sweetness.  In addition, Blackadder Highland Park has pine needles and mint on the nose.

Mature oak is big and in your face in the first sip.  This is a very “woody” whisky.  There’s leather and a touch of peat and smoke.  Blackadder Highland Park has perhaps a sherry influence, although I do not know the history of this particular bottle/barrel.  There’s a little sea salt present, too.  This Scotch drinks hot, as a cask strength whisky should.

The finish is big, long, and warming, with a minty aftertaste.

 

Rating & Recommendations

Blackadder Highland Park is a very nice tasting Scotch, receiving a rating of 89 out of 100.

This is a bold whisky for bold whisky drinkers.  Certainly proof that a little extra aging and a higher proof can do nice things for Highland Park.

 

-Ryan

Oct 19

Blackadder 1991 Springbank Distillery Scotch – Review

Blackadder 1991 Springbank Distillery ScotchBlackadder Springbank Distillery 1991 Single Campbeltown Malt Whisky

90 Proof

Price Point: Unknown for 750 ML

Distiller: Springbank Distillery

 

Background

Welcome to the second review in my Blackadder series.  If you missed my first one, you can read it here.  This week’s review visits Springbank Distillery on the island of Campbeltown.  Here’s a little background of the distillery:

Springbank Distillery is unique.  It is the oldest independent family owned distillery in Scotland.  Founded in 1828 on the site of Archibald Mitchell’s illicit still, the Springbank Distillery is now in the hands of his great great great grand son, Hedley G. Wright.  Owned by Mr Wright’s J&A Mitchell & Co Ltd, Springbank is the only distillery in Scotland to carry out the full production process on the one site.  100% of the traditional floor malting, maturation and bottling is done at the distillery in Campbeltown.  It produces the most hand made whisky in Scotland, with traditional production methods being used throughout the process, and human involvement at each and every stage.

 

Review

Just like my last review of the Blackadder Longmorn Distillery whisky, this one’s nose is light with the preliminary high notes of an Irish.  Rich toffee makes a brief appearance.  This is a peated whisky that holds back in its aromas.

In the mouth, Springbank Distillery 1991 is peaty and complex.  The label suggest coconut (Balvenie Caribbean Cask anyone?), and I definitely taste it.  There’s just a touch of smoke, a pinch of malt, and some leather to round things out.  Toffee is back again to sweeten the palate.  The maritime terroir of Campbeltown is very apparent in this whisky.  This is a robust tasting Scotch considering its underwhelming nose.

The finish is long with plenty of sea salt.  You may need a glass of water to wash this down.

 

Rating & Recommendations

I enjoyed Blackadder Springbank Distillery 1991, which is why it has earned an 85 out of 100.

This is a step up from the last whisky I reviewed, but I’m sure there are still better whiskies ahead in my Blackadder series of reviews.

 

-Ryan

Oct 05

Blackadder Longmorn Distillery 13 Year Old Scotch – Review

Blackadder Longmorn Distillery 13 Year Old ScotchBlackadder Longmorn Distillery 13 Year Old Single Speyside Malt Whisky

90 Proof

Price Point: Unknown for 750 ML

Distiller: Longmorn Distillery

 

Background

I was recently fortunate enough to receive eight bottles of Blackadder whiskies to review (see picture of the line-up here).  These whiskies range from a 13 Year Old Speyside (this review) to a 35 Year Old Highland.  They’re all a little different and all very much unlike what I usually review.  I picked the Longmorn 13 Year Old as my first review as it is one of the youngest; not that age statements run parallel with quality.

A bit of distillery history from the Longmorn website:

Built on the site of an old chapel, the Longmorn distillery was founded by John Duff and two associates, Charles Shirres and George Thomson in 1894, together with its neighbour Benriach.  Despite his good position within the whisky world in those days, John Duff was crippled by debts because of the great recession in the whisky industry at the end of the 19th century.  He was forced to sell everything to pay his creditors.  In the early 1970’s, Longmorn merged with the distillery “The Glenlivet” to create “The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd”.  The distillery doubled its production capacity in 1972 and again in 1974.  The number of stills went from 4 to 8.  Seagram purchased the distillery in 1977.  Longmorn is one of the few distilleries who never stopped production.  The distilleries belonging to “The Chivas and Glenlivet Group”, part of Seagram were bought by the French group Pernod-Ricard on December 19, 2001.

 

Review

The nose is a bit peculiar.  It starts out with the high notes of an Irish whiskey, with alcohol-heavy intensity.  Blackadder Longmorn transitions to a floral nose, with pears and a touch of malt.  I’ve certainly experienced better noses on a whisky.

This whisky starts out malty with a hint of leather and peat.  This is full-bodied and mature; very pleasant with an oily mouthfeel.  Blackadder Longmorn tastes like a classic Speyside with a touch of the Glenlivet trademark pineapple.  Something still seems a bit off, though – perhaps a bit too much of a bite for a bit too low of a proof?

Blackadder Longmorn has a very similar finish to Glenrothes, although it lasts a lot longer.  This is where fruit makes its most abundant appearance, for a long-lasting finish.

 

Rating & Recommendations

Blackadder Longmorn is an okay Scotch, earning a rating of 83 out of 100.

This is a nice whisky from the Blackadder collection, but I have certainly had better.  More of these reviews to follow…

 

-Ryan

Sep 21

Single Oak Project Barrel #110 Bourbon – Review

Single Oak Project Barrel #110 BourbonSingle Oak Project Barrel #110 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

90 Proof

Price Point: $55 – $65 for 375 ML

Distiller: Buffalo Trace Distillery

 

Background

I had to review something special for my 100th whiskey review.  And what would be more special than a bottle from the Single Oak Project?  For those of you unfamiliar with this project, here is the description straight from its website:

“For over two centuries Buffalo Trace Distillery has been a pioneering leader in quality and innovation.  The Single Oak Project is our most inventive and comprehensive experiment yet.

It all started with 96 individually selected American oak trees that differed according to the number of growth rings per inch and growing location.  Each tree was then cut into two parts – top and bottom – yielding 192 unique tree sections.  A single barrel was constructed from each unique section.  Prior to construction we varied the stave seasoning times.  The 192 barrels were then charred differently.  These single oak barrels were then filled with different recipe whiskeys, at various entry proofs and aged in a variety of different warehouse styles.

We believe that this experiment will allow you to directly compare the impact of 7 different critical variables across 192 bottles for a total of 1,396 taste combinations.  None of the 192 bottles in the complete set are exactly alike.”

Below is my review of Barrel #110.  If you want to know the recipe of this or any other barrels, well, you’ll just have to review it yourself!

 

Review

This whiskey has a beautiful amber color.  It looks soft and delicate in my Glencairn glass.  From the first whiff, Barrel #110 has an unmistakable Buffalo Trace nose.  It’s sweet and silky with tons of caramel and vanilla – I liken it to the aroma of a nice crème brûlée.  The nose presents an interesting mix of wheat and rye.  I get a small splash of lemon zest and some very strong black cherry notes.

Barrel #110 impresses from the very beginning.  It’s very sweet as is the Buffalo Trace trademark, with plenty of wheat and corn sweetness.  There’s orange peel and a little rye spiciness.  This is an incredibly well-balanced and complex whiskey; it seems to evolve as you swirl it around your mouth.  I even pick up a dash of pepper on the tail-end.

The finish is spicy yet smooth on Barrel #110 with a nice amount of vanilla.  This is long-lasting for a 90 proof bourbon, and keeps you coming back for more.

 

Rating & Recommendations

I have thoroughly enjoyed reviewing Barrel #110 of Buffalo Trace’s Single Oak Project, and it has certainly earned a high rating of 93 out of 100.

I suppose I lucked out with having one of the better barrels in this collection, and most other reviewers tend to agree.  This isn’t quite the holy grail of bourbon, but an excellent start for the folks at Buffalo Trace.

 

-Ryan

 

Note: Going forward, reviews will be posted every other Saturday.

Sep 14

Inver House Blended Scotch – Review

Inver House Blended ScotchInver House Green Plaid Very Rare Scotch Whisky

80 Proof

Price Point: $5 – $15 for 750 ML

Distiller: Barton Imports

 

Background

Sometimes you have to drink cheap, right?  You can’t always open that $80 bottle of Scotch.  There are certainly inexpensive whiskeys worth drinking (Evan Williams and Benchmark come to mind), and others that should be avoided (Ten High, anyone?).

A whiskey can be cheap for any number of different reasons – inexpensive ingredients/aging techniques or being a domestic product with limited shipping expense.  Sometimes it’s not the quality of the whiskey at all, but the price point that the market demands.  Inver House Blended Scotch is a very cheap whisky.  Does that mean it lacks quality?

 

Review

On the nose, Inver House starts out heavy on the high notes, much like a Canadian whisky.  It’s simple and light, but develops veiled caramel and a hint of malt over time.

This whisky certainly has a better taste than nose.  Inver House is creamy with subtle peat.  There’s a little fruit there, with an even mixture of malt and grainy flavors.  The taste is very simple but surprisingly drinkable.

There are apples on the brief finish, with a touch of malt.

 

Rating & Recommendations

Inver House is a so-so Scotch whisky, earning a 75 out of 100.

This is further proof that sometimes you get what you pay for.  Again, this is a surprisingly drinkable whisky, but also one you may want to use for guilt-free cocktail experimentation.

 

-Ryan

Sep 07

Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1 – Review

Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1

125 Proof

Price Point: $10 – $20 for 375 ML

Distiller: Buffalo Trace Distillery

 

Background

Oh, how I loathe white dog (unaged) whiskeys.  Typically, I embrace different ways of experimenting with whiskey, but I simply do not understand the fascination with consuming new make spirit.

Buffalo Trace White Dog is a little different in that it’s not sold nationally as a stand-alone product (although it is starting to be sold outside of the distillery’s gift shop…).  If you’ve ever had the pleasure of sampling Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, or George T. Stagg, then you owe it to yourself to at least give this a try, as this formula is where it all starts.

 

Review

The nose is crisp and clean on Buffalo Trace White Dog, with corn dominating the aroma.  This noses like a vodka, only smoother.

Once in the mouth, corn is still the decidedly abundant taste, with some rye making its way in as time goes on.  Buffalo Trace White Dog is oily in texture, with a touch of barley appearing for good measure.  You can definitely taste the beginning stages of a bourbon, which really makes you appreciate the art of aging whiskey.

There’s more burn than expected on the finish.  It’s definitely strange not tasting any oak or other sweet flavors at this point.

 

Rating & Recommendations

Even though I despise new make, I can appreciate Buffalo Trace White Dog, and give it an honorable 76 out of 100 rating.

This is for sure an interesting spirit to pick up, if only to learn a little more about your bourbon’s heritage.

 

-Ryan

Aug 31

Talisker Distillers Edition Scotch – Review

Talisker Distillers Edition ScotchTalisker Distillers Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky

91.6 Proof

Price Point: $65 – $75 for 750 ML

Distiller: Talisker Distillery

 

Background

Of the 96 whiskey reviews I have posted, only 13 have been rated a 90 or above.  For all you math nerds out there, that’s under 14%.  And, if you’ve read my reviews, you know that I tend to purchase a variety of whiskeys, but certainly not a lot of bottom-shelf expressions.

That being said, when I received a bottle of Talisker Distillers Edition for my birthday, I wondered if it would stack up with the Talisker 10 Year Old, which was one of the elite making it into my “grade A” category.  Let’s see how a whisky from the Isle of Skye, double matured in Amoroso cask wood, stacks up to its younger brother.

 

Review

The nose opens up with wood and peppermint.  Talisker Distillers Edition is smoky with plenty of ocean influences.  It’s medicinal, with rich vanilla and red wine (sherry) at the tail end of the nose.  Oddly, I pick up a strong bourbon scent, too.

In the mouth, Talisker Distillers Edition is a tamer version of Ardbeg Uigeadail.  It’s heavy on leather and oak; smoky but not overdone.  The sherry influence mixes very well.  It’s salty and oily – a complex Scotch that keeps you guessing and guessing.

Like putting out a fire, Talisker Distillers Edition ends smoky.  The finish is salty and sweet and here to stay; wonderful!

 

Rating & Recommendations

This is an excellent Scotch whisky, earning a rating of 92 out of 100.

If you consider yourself a fan of maritime Scotches (or the 10 Year Old Talisker), you have to pick up a bottle of the Distillers Edition.

 

-Ryan

Aug 24

Redbreast 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey – Review

Redbreast 12 Year Old Irish WhiskeyRedbreast 12 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

80 Proof

Price Point: $45 – $55 for 750 ML

Distiller: Midleton Distillery

 

Background

I was recently having dinner at a country club (no, I’m not a member; it was a work function).  Before dinner, a few of us went to the bar and ordered drinks.  They had a decent whiskey selection, considering most bars in the area end their variety at Jack and Jameson.  This bar had Woodford Reserve, Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, and even Lagavulin 16 Year Old, among others.

I happened to spot a dark bottle with a tan label way in the back.  It was Redbreast 12 Year Old.  Despite my love for single malt Scotches and all their complexities, I found myself ordering the Redbreast.  If that doesn’t speak volumes for the quality of this Irish whiskey, I’m not sure what will.

 

Review

The nose on Redbreast 12 Year Old starts out creamy, and much smoother than most Irish whiskeys.  It’s a very delicate nose, with faint cinnamon and nutmeg.  It’s grainy, but in a pleasant way.  This is the best Irish when it comes to the nose, although the most interesting belongs to Connemara.

I would liken this to drinking the big brother, “grown-up” version of Bailey’s Irish Cream.  Even the texture is smooth and creamy.  Redbreast 12 Year Old is unmistakable as an Irish yet very subtle and refined.  It’s tasty on the tip of your tongue, but a little dull everywhere else.

The finish is brief, but very pleasant.

 

Rating & Recommendations

This is the best Irish whiskey I have tasted to date, earning a rating of 84 out of 100.

Redbreast 12 Year Old is a really solid whiskey all around, which is why it earns a top spot among Irish whiskeys.  I would like to see a little more complexity on the palate, but that’s probably not why you would buy this in the first place.  I would love to try the Cask Strength version.

 

-Ryan

Aug 17

Willett Bourbon – Review

Willett BourbonWillett Pot Still Reserve Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

94 Proof

Price Point: $35 – $45 for 750 ML

Distiller: Willett Distillery

 

Background

I wrote a post a long time ago about the difference between single barrel and small batch whiskeys.  I mentioned how single barrel whiskeys are just that – poured from a single barrel, not blended with other barrels.  Willett takes it a step further with its Pot Still Reserve Bourbon.  They tell you the exact barrel and bottle number you are receiving.  The whiskey I am reviewing is from bottle 242 of 289 out of barrel number 3781.  Therefore, my interpretation of this whiskey may be marginally different than what I may interpret from your bottle.  Keep that in mind while reading this, and any other single barrel whiskey reviews.

 

Review

The nose on Willett starts out with oatmeal, and a good amount of rye.  There’s also sweet honey, maple, anise seed, and mint.  This nose is very complex and intriguing.

My first thought on the taste is that it’s very similar to Angel’s Envy…only much better.  Willett’s higher proof brings along a little more rye and spiciness.  There’s an interesting pot still characteristic without the typical Irish influence.  A fellow blogger (Sour Mash Manifesto) detects “buttered popcorn” in Willett’s taste, and surprisingly, it’s absolutely there!

The finish is sweet and sugary.  A little maple syrup rounds out a long-lasting finish.

 

Rating & Recommendations

Willett Bourbon is a very nice whiskey, earning an 85 out of 100.

This is one bourbon that is probably more interesting to nose than taste, but still very good.  Would recommend to anybody looking to spice things up.

 

-Ryan