2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 24

And here we are, Day 24 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y. This has been a fun year with some surprises. It's my birthday today, and so I lined up something I was really looking forward to trying. Tonight we're drinking McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt Whiskey, 6 Year, PX Sherry Cask Finished, made in Hood River, OR by Clear Creek Distillery using Peat-Malted Scottish Barley, Cask Strength, 56.13% ABV.

On the nose, this reminds me a lot of a Lagavulin Distillers Edition. I get a touch of mint freshness, some smoke, the sherry fruit. I also get a touch of sulfur in the back. This has hot cinnamon as well, some ash. It's a touch on the hot side from the higher proof. I could nose this one all night, it's really quite inviting. 

The taste, I get the ash and hot cinnamon and the sherry sweetness. It's clingy and rich. If I hold this in my mouth for too long before swallowing I seem to get a Szechuan pepper numbing sensation. I can't think of any other Whisk(e)y that I've had that with.

The finish is fruit sweet, mouthwatering, drawn out, with a touch of that numbing in the finish too. This invites more sips and is very enjoyable. Water doesn't change much to this. It is a little sweeter on the taste overall, and the finish is probably more sweet too. It's enjoyable either way. 

This is certainly the best of the 24 Days, and it holds it's own vs Lagavulin 12 Year Cask Strength or the higher proof Ardbegs. It did cost me $120 (though it is currently on sale for $120), so at least for me that makes it a special occasion drinking. I'll rate it 4.5/5.0 ... cheers!!! 

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 23

Monday... Funday? Sure! End of the road, tonight we have....

Black Bull 12 Year, blended Scotch Whisky, 50% Single Malt, 50% Single Grain, 50% ABV. This is bottled by Duncan Taylor, this one sounded interesting... let's see how it is.

On the nose, this has a lot of going on. First impression is I get sulfur and rubber - but in a good way. A distinctive strike anywhere match note for sure. Molasses, brown sugar, creme brulee, malty richness, and a bit of dried fruit. This nose just keeps on going, it's fantastic.

The taste, very sweet, crazy sweet... marshmallow, honey, sugar, molasses - but behind that I get the sulfur and rubber too along with the red hot cinnamon. It even has a little bit of the caramel popcorn ball taste I get from Balcones Brimstone, which I love. 

I'm a bit surprised that water doesn't change things too much. More sulfur on the nose, more sweet on the taste, ashy finish. It's worth trying both ways as it is different and your palette might like one or the other more. 

This is *really* surprising. I bought this to kinda fill out the calendar, I wasn't expecting anything from it. It's really good. Cost $43, and I'll give it a 4.0/5.0.... cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 22

Sunday ... Day 22 of the 24 Days of Whisk(e)y ... nearing the end. Tonight we are drinking ...

Tin Cup 14 Year Bourbon, 42% ABV, distilled in Indiana, bottled in Colorado, costing $66, about $10 more than the Tin Cup 10 Year I had last year that I enjoyed. It's a bit pricey and rather low proof, but it's fairly well rated, so I thought I'd give it a try.

On the nose, it's light, but I do get a musty brown sugar, some orange, maybe a touch of apple, and a bit of something that reminds me of Lemon Pledge. The taste carries the orange, along with some simple syrup, a touch of spice and wood. 

The finish I get orange and the wood. It's nice and drawn out, but I fear the proof is really hurting this one overall. I did add a dash of water - the nose got more citrus, the taste is more fruity, lemon and more wood. The finish the wood is more prominent ... it's probably worth trying both ways. 

Overall, I was a little disappointed in this one. A 14 Year Bourbon... I was expecting more interesting nosing and tasting notes. I rated this the same as I rated the 10 Year from last year, 3.5/5.0. Good overall, but could have been better. 

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 21

Happy Saturday... day 21 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y. Pretty nice day here in Oregon City, and it's always a fine day when you finish with a nice Highland Single Malt 12 Year in the evening (: Tonight, we are drinking Deanston 12 Year Scotch Whisky, 46.3% ABV, this one cost me $65. Let's see how it is.

On the nose, this one is fairly soft and tame. It's flowery, some citrus... some orange. Touch of honey as well. The taste, the first thing I get is a brown sugar rum like note, followed by orange sherbet. It's pleasant for sure.

The finish is that orange sherbet again, burnt brown sugar, and some hay. There is this odd note that I can't quite place for sure. It reminds me of cosmetic powder, like blush makeup. With water, the nose is similar, the taste is more orange, the finish more sweet and orange with a touch of hot cinnamon as well. The odd note seems missing with water, so I might like this one better with water.

I'm rating this a 3.5/5.0. It's fine... there's nothing really offensive with it, but there is also nothing special with it. The Compass Box blend last night was certainly better (and cheaper). Cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 20

Friday! Things are getting busy around here, so I am going to enjoy this Whisk(e)y tasting for sure. Final 5 days... and while I do not know the exact order of what is left, there are only so many options, so the chances of me knowing what I am drinking is getting quite high, and tonight was a night that I was pretty sure I knew what I was drinking after the first sip. 

Compass Box releases a line of blended Scotch Whiskies. They are quite transparent about what they do, with a handy blending wheel on the website for each blend. They are also quite good, even the cheaper ones like this one that cost me $36. Glasgow Blend, Blended Scotch Whisky, 43% ABV, no color added, non-chill filtered. 

On the nose, I get the malt, a fruit that at first I have a hard time pinpointing, but I'm going to go with a somewhat generic 'red berry', vanilla, and then I get a nose of dessert berry fluff. In the back I get a touch of smoke and a little bit of iodine too. Some flowery perfume as well. The nose is quite light but very pleasant. 

The taste is a bit of a let down after the nose, but still nice. I get honey, vanilla, some floral, a little bit of baking spice, and the same whiff of smoke and iodine. It's a bit thin, but that is likely the 43% ABV. The finish hits with ash and smoke initially, turning sweet, then back to a dry ash that hangs around nicely. It also has a nice warmth that builds. I find myself wanting to go back to this over and over. 

A dash of water seems to bring out the ash on the nose, and it's more floral as well. The taste is more sweet and vanilla, and the finish is less enjoyable overall, but still lingers.This one is quite enjoyable, and I do think I enjoy it more than their similar blend "Great King Street Artist's Blend". Glasgow Blend does throw in some Laphroaig... which could be the reason I like it better (:

I'll rate this 3.75/5.0 ... very good, especially for the price. I might have to buy a back up. My biggest complaint is it's too easy to drink - you could put a hurt on a bottle pretty easily in an evening, but that's not much of a complaint, Cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 19

Thursday! Hey, it's almost the weekend, right? Nearing the end of the line, from the looks of things, we have 1 Peaty Scotch, 3 Non-Peated Scotch, 1 Bourbon, and 1 American Single Malt. What did the dice roll give us for tonight?

On the nose, I'm nearly certain it was the last Peaty Scotch, and it was...

We were drinking Smokehead High Voltage Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Ian Macleod Distillers, 58% ABV, costing $91. I was curious about this one, and I tend to enjoy higher proof Scotch Whiskies.

On the nose, my first initial smell I got black pepper, but then that faded, and I got a touch of rubber, malt, a sweet bbq, and then mesquite and ash. A touch of iodine too, along with a bit of brine. I had a hard time trying to figure out *what* type of smoke I was getting. I am probably due for a palate reset, which I plan on doing in January.

The taste has an initial burst of sweet syrup, followed by hot cinnamon, then to the ash. The finish follows with the sweet and hot cinnamon and then lingers a long time with the char and ash. It's very clingy.

With water, the nose seems a little more smokey, but I still can't quite put a name to it. The taste has a bit more smoke as well, with the finish being more hot cinnamon and black pepper, and it just lingers for a very long time.

I do enjoy this. I'd say both the Taliskers and the Laphroaig from earlier were better balanced, but on some nights, I would likely prefer this one over those. The internet seems to think this is sourced from Ardbeg, or at least used to be. It does have *some* Ardbeg notes, but it's certainly fairly young if it is from Ardbeg. I'll rate it 4.25/5.0

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 18

24 Days of Whisk(e)y... day 18!. What do we have?

On the nose, I get butterscotch, some toffee, Butterscotch, some orange, Butterscotch, a little minty, butterscotch, and some brown sugar. Did I mention the BUTTERSCOTCH!?! 

The taste, yes, butterscotch, but I also get some dark chocolate cherry, some hot pepper, this is really quite interesting, and I can't quite figure it out. It tastes Irish-ish... but because we've had all 4 Irish Whiskies this year, I know it's not Irish. My second guess was Scotch - because that can sometimes be interesting. What was it?

Turns out, American Single Malt - the chameleon, it can be whatever you feel like. And today... it feels like butterscotch (:This comes from Wanderback Whiskey, located in Hood River, OR. This was in partnership with Balcones in Texas. 100% Malted Barley, 52% ABV, aged a minimum of 3 Years.

I did try this with some water, and it was more sweet on the nose, less pepper on the finish - maybe a little more enjoyable. The more I drank this, the more I enjoyed it. By the end, I thought it was pretty darn good - 3.75/5.0 - cheers!!!