Whisk(e)y Wednesday 2026-08-05

Happy August ... hopefully we get some rain here in Oregon soon, dry days of summer are upon us for sure. Another random whisk(e)y sample for Whisk(e)y Wednesday, let's see what we have today.

On the nose, sharp, peaty, meaty. Seems high proof on the nose with some ash in the back, earthy. Once acclimated a bit to the proof, more sweet and with plenty of smoke an ash - less sharp. The taste is hot and spicy, earthy, peaty, sweet bbq, ashy. The finish is sweet, bbq, dry at the back. It has a nice heat that lingers for some time. I'm thinking this one of the Ardbeg Cask Strengths I have, or a different CS Peated Scotch, or it could be McCarthy's too. Guessing 55% ABV - 60% ABV though, it does have a nice punch.

With water, things are similar - a bit more sweet on the nose and taste, but still plenty of ashy goodness. Finish flips, with the heat up from and sweet and wood in the back. Overall the nose is amazing, the taste is a bit of a let down, I'll rate it 4.25/5.0. 

Turns out this was the McCarthy's Cask Strength, Single Barrel - Westmoreland Store Pick, Barrel #375, 56.2% ABV, bottled back in 2021. I went through several of these bottles as they were in the $60-$65 range and just really darn tasty. I think Westmoreland finally ran out of these, and I don't know if they'll be doing another single barrel or not. If they do, I'll jump in for sure (:

Whisk(e)y Wednesday 2026-07-29

Whisk(e)y Wednesday time yet again. I pulled out a random sample to try blind and see what I thought.

The nose - minty, brown sugar, spearmint. It feels a bit sharp, touch of cherry too. I'm thinking bourbon or rye... more thinking rye with the mint, but unsure - seems low-ish proof, around 45% ABV or so. The taste is brown sugar, minty, bit of spice. Taste feels more rye so I'll lock that in - feels young too. The finish has a nice spice that lingers along with a good heat.

With water, this seems more minty, the taste is sweeter and more plain. The finish gets a bit more heat. This seems like a fairly standard rye, and I'll stick to 45% ABV. I'll give it 3.25/5.0 - feels pretty middle of the road.

Tonight I was drinking Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 45% ABV. Right on proof - wrong on Rye, heh. This was a sample from a friend and I had not rated it before. It costs around $35 - but at that price point there does seem to be things I like better to buy before this one. Cheers!

Whisk(e)y Wednesday 2026-07-22

Here we are yet again ... Whisk(e)y Wednesday ... random sample, blind tasting, you know the drill (:

On the nose, I get malt and honey, a slight touch of sulfur in back, apple, vanilla ... even some molasses. At first I thought Irish - but I'm leaning towards unpeated Scotch. The taste ... apple, honey, with some spicy petter. The finish is honey, vanilla and malt.

With water, this is more fruity on the nose. It also feels a little more spicy on the taste and finish. Overall this is pretty good, but also a bit simple. I do think it's a fairly low proof Scotch, maybe a Compass Box blend, and I'll rate it 3.75/5.0 tonight.

This was the AnCnoc, 12 Year Highland Single Malt, 43% ABV. I had this during 2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y and rated it a 4.0/5.0 that evening. It's pretty good, but I doubt I'd pick up another bottle.

Whisk(e)y Wednesday 2026-07-15

Whisk(e)y Wednesday yet again ... let's see what our random sample is this time (:

On the nose, malty and fruity ... almost artificially fruity. This carries over to the taste... seems like grape jelly or such? The finish ... more fruit (:

I don't think I have any in the random samples, but all that grape reminds me of Eagle Rare - though this seems way too malty so most likely an American Single Malt or possibly an Irish. With water ... everything just seems more and more fruit. 

Overall, this feels a little flat and one note - I do think it's an American Single Malt, probably around 45% ABV, maybe even lower. I'll rate it a 3.25/5.0 tonight. This was the Stranahan's Diamond Peak Single Malt, 45% ABV. I had this during 2025 24 Days of Whisk(e)y, and this one is Batch No 2, Aged between 5 - 8 years and then finished in Extra Anejo Tequila Casks for 2 years. Distilled in Denver, Colorado. I rated it 3.5/5.0 previously and thought I might like it better on a different night, but it doesn't look like it, cheers!

Whisk(e)y Wednesday 2026-07-08

Time for another random sample Whisk(e)y Wednesday - here we go...

On the nose, I get campfire, ash, brine... I am getting some floral too, but it's in the back. The taste is sweet up front, charred wood, charred fruit, charred meat and some heat. Lots of char for sure. The finish is heat at first, then brine, charred oak ... maybe some mint too?

With water, everything to toned down a bit, seems more floral on the nose with some more bbq as well, taste seems sweeter, finish still has the char but I think the mint zing is more present. Overall this is enjoyable, I'd rate it a 4.0/5.0 very good, but not quite great... seems around 50% ABV. If I was going to guess, I'm betting it's one of the Ardbeg One-Offs that I have bought over the years.

This was the Ardbeg Scorch Single Malt from 2021, 46% ABV. I rated this a 3.5/5.0 during 2021 24 Days of Whisk(e)y ... so it looks like I enjoyed it a bit more tonight, or it had more competition back in 2021 (: Either way - I'm not seeing this one again, so it was nice to revisit, cheers!

Whisk(e)y Wednesday 2026-07-01

Whisk(e)y Wednesday time ... a random sample from the collection, let's see what we have tonight.

On the nose - this seems pretty laid back. I get some cherry and molasses, some alcohol in the back, but not too much so I'm guessing around 45% ABV. This feels finished, but not exactly sure in what. It might just be from the color - which has some red hue to it. The taste is woody and cinnamon, with some burnt sugar as well. The finish is cherry and vanilla with some cinnamon in the back. Almost feels like Wild Turkey 101, although I'm getting some spearmint too.

Water doesn't seem to change things too much, about the same really. It's fine, but not great. Guessing a mid priced, 45%-ish proof bourbon, and I'll rate it 3.5/5.0. 

So this was the Woodford Reserve Double Oak. I had this during 24 Days of Whisk(e)y 2025, and I rated it a 3.75/5.0 for that and I thought it was an Irish Whiskey ... at least I got the bourbon part right tonight (: 45.2% ABV - so I was on those nose for that too. Until next week, cheers!

Whisk(e)y Wednesday 2026-06-24

Time for another random sample Whisk(e)y Wednesday... here we go!

On the nose, this is brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, touch of malt. My first hunch is crafty bourbon or maybe an Irish. It seems a little proofy on the nose too. The taste is molasses, fruit, peppery, with a finish that is sweet cherry - leaning towards a cask strength bourbon.

With water, this is more sweet on the nose, more orange and fruity on the taste and finish. Overall this is quite enjoyable, I would rate it 3.75/5.0 - solid for sure. This was the Trail's End 8 Year Bourbon Van pick, coming in at 56.85% ABV. This was finished in a McCarthy's Peated and Smoked American Single Malt Barrel ... I didn't really find that this came through the finish, but it was quite tasty regardless. Cheers!