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!!!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 17

Day 17 of the 24 Days of Whisk(e)y ... tonight, bourbon! We're drinking Baker's "7 Year" Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Single Barrel. These always come in at 53.5% ABV, mine was distilled on 03-2015 and came in at 8 Years, 0 Months. This comes from James B. Beam distilling. I've had this before in the past, and it's a good high-ish proof bourbon without going to Cask Strength. 

On the nose, I get some apricot, vanilla... it's a bit light at first. After a bit it opens up some and I also get brown sugar, a bit of granola bar and a touch of peanut - but not as much peanut as expected from a Beam product. The taste is much more sweet with the brown sugar and vanilla, I get some hot cinnamon as well, a hint of licorice and a hint of peanut. I can tell it's not low proof, but it doesn't come across as too high proof either.

The finish is brown sugar, a nice delayed proof warming, wood bite and a hit of licorice. With water, the nose is similar, but the taste and finish has more wood. This is a nice solid bourbon. I picked this up for $62, and I will say there are several bottles around that price I do like better, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, for example. I might buy this one for some variety, and I probably like it better than the Maker's Mark from earlier... I'm going to go ahead and rate this one a 3.75/5.0. Cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 16

Happy... Monday? Yes, Monday! Now that I'm retired the day of the week is meaningless, except for the fact that a lot of my friends are still working, and they're more happy on the weekend, so I kinda know what day of the week it is (: Anyway...

Tonight ... Trit! Trit? Yes, Trit... as in Triticale, a rye-wheat hybrid developed in Scotland in the late 1800s (and apparently Germany too). There are Bouryes that blend bourbon and rye... but what happens when you blend a rye grain with a bourbon grain and then distill that? Time to find out.

I went into this blind. On the nose I get a hodgepodge of whiskies - this one is all over the place. Malt at first, a touch of cereal grains, honey, fruit, sweet apple (possibly pear), orange peel, vanilla. Initial taste I get the orange, the vanilla, a simple sugar sweetness, some wood, some pepper spice. The mouthfeel is thin, I'm guessing this is young. Going back to the nose after some tastes and letting it sit - the nose has a distinctive malt funk that if I would have noticed it earlier, I would have known this was from the Pacific Northwest. Really - once you spot it, it pushes out everything else. 

The finish has the pepper, the malt, the wood and orange. Overall, this is really quite nice. Adding water, the nose is similar, the taste is more peppery, and the finish brings in more wood notes. It's pretty good both ways, but probably better neat. 

Drinking this blind, and not catching the funky malt notes, my guess on this would have been Irish. But we have already had all 4 Irish Whiskies for the 2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y ... so I my guess was non-peated Scotch. And again ... I was wrong. Tonight we were drinking Branch Point Trit Straight Whiskey, 46% ABV. This one cost $55 - and I lumped it into the Rye category as it was Rye adjacent. For the 4 "Ryes", I probably liked this one the best. It's NAS, and if I was going to guess it's likely 2 or 3 years old. Mash bill of locally grown triticale, rye malt, and distillers malt, pot distilled. Everything done in Dayton, Oregon. I'll give it a 3.5/5.0 ... at least for today, it's not quite good enough to bump up to a 3.75... but it's quite good, cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 15

Sunday funday? Day 15 of the 24 Days of Whisk(e)y ... tonight ... something I knew I would enjoy on the first sniff. While I had this one blind, I am to the point where there are only 10 bottles left, and the last one I know what it is, so this was likely 1 of 2 bottles (possibly a 3rd because I have no idea what that one is going to be like). Turned out I was wrong, which has happened *many* times this year (:

Tonight we were drinking Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 10 Year, Original Cask Strength, 58.5% ABV. The regular Laphroaig 10 Year is one of the OGs of Peated Scotch Whiskey. I recall the first time I had it, I got goose bumps from the peat and the iodine and the band-aid and the ... well, you get the idea. I was curious how the Cask Strength would do.

On the nose, this one is just delightful. It makes me question why I just don't drink peaty Scotch Whisky anytime I drink Whisk(e)y. I find smoke, charcoal, a touch of meaty bbq sweetness, ash, a bit of strike anywhere match sulfur, a smoldering campfire, and even some dirt and earth. While some of those do not sound "delightful" - all together it was quite enjoyable. 

The taste is similar, but without the dirt and earth, heh. Along with the charcoal, ash, bbq meat sweetness, and the touch of sulfur, I get a hot pepper... reminds me of a Capsaicin extract where it's just *hot* in a way you want to keep going back to it. The finish is similar, with the match sulfur, the hot pepper Capsaicin, and then at the tail end a heat that lingers for a long time. My face got flushed while drinking this. 

With water, the nose isn't as good. It seems to release the alcohol a bit more which covers up the interesting things I was finding. The taste is probably better - at first it is even more peppery, but then it gets bbq meat sweet and nice and smokey before going back to hot, then the finish does the same for me, going back and forth between spicy and sweet and smokey. Really quite enjoyable.

This one is really good. But doesn't quite make it into the fantastic range. It beats you up some, so it likely isn't for everyone, and not something I would go to often, but when I did want something "interesting" ... this one wouldn't let me down. I'm not really a fan of the standard Laphroaig 10 Year - of the 'big' big Islay Peated Scotch Whiskies, it's probably my least favorite. But this one is quite different and better. I'm rating this 4.25/5.0... cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 14

Day 14 ... Saturday, wee! After today, 10 days to go, and there are still a lot of great whiskies yet to come. Tonight we're drinking Coopers' Craft Bourbon, 50% ABV... I thought this might be Bottled In Bond - but my memory must be incorrect. After pouring the samples, I tucked away the bottles until I tried them during this tasting... except for this one. I kept this out as it is a bit of a daily drinker and I had had it before. So the bottle is gone... below is a stock photo from the company website (:

I wanted to see how a budget-ish Whisk(e)y would stand up to the rest of the selections blind. On the nose this seemed a bit proofy up front but then faded. There is some sweetness, some burnt sugar, a touch of floral and I seem to get a little bit of light dill too. 

Drinking this - I find cinnamon, brown sugar, some wood and again I think I get a little dill. Not enough to make me think this might be a rye (several ryes I get dill on), pretty faint. The finish has the sweetness turning to wood and a nice warmth too.

Water softens the nose, the taste is more cinnamon hot and woody, while the finish is still sweet and woody. I was pretty sure it was bourbon - it was fine, nothing wrong with it, but nothing overly special either. I tried it side by side with Wild Turkey 101 and I seem to prefer the Wild Turkey a little more, so I'll rate this one 3.0/5.0. This one cost $32 when I picked it up, but it looks like currently it is hard to find in Oregon.

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 13

Friday! Today was my last day of work at my current workplace, and I am not planning on getting another job, so... retirement! It will take a bit of time for things to feel real as I've been super busy outside of work, but I am planning on enjoying more free time.

Tonight... rye! I was pretty sure right away on this one, it wasn't really hiding anything. The nose was floral, spices and a light sweetness. Generally speaking, the nose was pretty soft. The taste I did find some molasses and simple syrup, along with spice, pepper, hot cinnamon. A little bit of heat too. The finish I did get a touch of licorice, along with the spice and the molasses in the back. 

Water didn't change things all too much. The nose and taste had more spice, while the finish still had the licorice as the main thing I was finding. We were drinking...

Few Spirits Straight Rye Whiskey, ABV 50%, Bottled In Bond, aged at least 4 years. This cost me $56, so not a budget rye. Good thing it's better than a budget rye (: While I enjoyed the Jefferson's Rye from Day 9 more than this one, this is more like a typical rye. Rated 3.5/5.0 - pretty solid overall. Cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 12

Thursday! Day 12 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y... cue Bon Jovi! Tonight... peaty Whisky. Is it Scotch? Is it American Single Malt? Who knows.

On the nose, this one is not fooling around. It reminds me of the random one off Ardbegs that get released. They are different than the usual Ardbegs - but not necessarily better. I'm getting peaty sweet meaty bbq, smoke, char, some cinnamon, and a touch of tire rubber. I'm wondering if this is Laphroaig, but I'm not getting any medicinal band-aid or iodine. It doesn't feel too low of proof, but not too high either. 

On the taste, I get a sweet mint, more of the bbq, jammy berries. The finish is minty and fruity up front, but then peppery in the back. This is really enjoyable and has a lot of things going on. Adding water, the nose is softer and minty, the taste is more minty, mint finish as well. Water really buries all the peat. It's different but not necessarily better with water. 

I was a bit surprised by what this was... 

I've had a Talisker Distiller Edition long ago, the 2015 version, and it wasn't anywhere near as rich as this one. I still have a sample of that one, and tried it side by side with this, and my memory was correct. The 2015 was good, this release from 2023 is outstanding. My only complaint might be that it is too sweet and too easy to drink - this would be better at 50% ABV or so, but that is reaching for something to complain about. Price was $80, I give this one a 4.25/5.0 - best of the bunch so far, cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 11

Hey! Hump ... DAY ! ! ! Day 11 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y ... what are we drinking tonight? As usual, I've been going into this 'blind' - I know what 24 bottles I bought, but the order was random except for the final day, and at this point there are fewer and fewer left. So you would think I'd have a good chance of knowing what I'm drinking, right?

On the nose, this one is malty and orange, a bit sharp from the alcohol, and a get a light chocolate frosting. Not a good rich chocolate frosting, one that you're disappointed that it doesn't have more chocolate. I also get some butterscotch too.

The taste is certainly sugary sweet, some wood, some spice, chocolate, buttery, with some malt. The finish is spicy and lingers, it has a warmth that builds. This is really nice overall. But....

for whatever reason it didn't strike me as Irish, and it didn't strike me as this one - which is something I've had many times in the past, including this batch.

After I knew what it was - of course it was easy to see. High proof, malty, fruity, chocolaty, butterscotch... yeah, Redbreast 12 Year Cask Strength. With water it's still a bit sharp on the nose, but there is more wood there. Less spice on the taste and finish, really good overall. This one is batch B1/22, 58.1% ABV, currently it costs about $110. It used to be one of my favorites, but these days it's getting hard to pull the trigger at that price. I was curious how it would fare drinking it blind. It's good, and likely the best Irish Whiskey of the bunch... but there are so many other things that can be bought for less, it's hard to justify. Still, without regards to the price, I rate it 4.0/5.0. 

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 10

Tuesday! Day 10 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y ... tonight ... Scotch! Finally! (: Random is random, but we've somehow avoided having any unpeated Scotch until tonight. Even though this was blind, I was pretty pretty sure this was a Scotch on the first nose. I thought it was likely a blend... was I correct? Uh... nope (:

We are drinking anCnoc (the middle C is silent) 12 Year Highland Single Malt, 43% ABV. It doesn't state that it's not chilled filtered, so at this ABV it likely is. This one was discontinued in Oregon, and I picked this up for $52. There is a reason I tend to enjoy Scotch over Bourbons and Ryes - and that is they are usually more interesting. This one is a good example of that.

On the nose, initially I get malt, followed by sweet vanilla, apricot, orange, a touch of lemonade, floral, perfume. It's shiny on the nose, which made me think it was a blend as that is something I commonly get on blended Scotch. There is even a bit of menthol cough drops. 

The taste isn't quite as interesting ... but to be honest, it would have been hard to follow the nose. I do get the malt and sweet vanilla, but I also find some black walnuts and a flat lemon-lime soft drink. 

The finish is nice too - I get malt for sure, but a bit of unspecific spice and warmth, with a touch of ash way in the back. With water, the nose has the malt tamed down a bit, which helps the other notes come out. The taste with water has the cinnamon wake up a bit. The finish is still sweet and I'm finding some honey as well. This is worth having both ways.

I am giving this one a 4.0/5.0. I bought this about a year ago when it was discontinued in Oregon, but checking online, there are still bottles to be had - so I might have to pick up another bottle of this... it's really good. Cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 9

Happy Monday! Day 9 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y ... tonight we are trying Jefferson's Ocean Aged At Sea Double Barrel Rye, Voyage 26, 48% ABV, no age statement, costing $80. This starts with Canadian Rye that is then put in barrels that are then put on a ship that goes to various places while the barrel sloshes around and sees some changes in weather and whatnot. It's supposed to age the whiskey quicker ... no idea how much is gimmick, and how much actually helps - but that's their story.

On the nose I find a touch of floral, some citrus, maybe orange, herbal, vanilla, nutmeg or similar baking spice and cinnamon. The taste is sweet brown sugar syrup, hint of orange, maybe some chocolate, touch of spice and maybe a touch of oak. Going back and forth tasting and nosing I kept finding new things. 

The finish is sweet, lingers and I get some licorice. While this doesn't have much rye spice for me, the licorice had me guessing it was a rye when drinking this blind. With water the nose is more sweet along with the taste, finish is similar but shorter. For me this is better neat.

Overall this is pretty good. It's better than budget ryes for sure. It's better than the 10 Year Whistle Pig from the other night - which costs the same. It might be a smidge high, but I'll rate it 3.75/5.0 tonight. I plan on trying all these again next year and seeing if my ratings change any. Cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 8

Sunday evening ... what are we drinking? For the 8th Day of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y we are drinking Powers Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, Jonh's Lane, Aged 12 Years, 46% ABV. This one cost $67 - which isn't too bad these days for a 12 Year Irish Whiskey... but only if it's worth drinking.

On the nose this one is pretty light. I get a nice maltiness, along with some orange citrus and vanilla. It's sweet, but I can't quite place my finger on what type of sweet. The taste is similar... lots of sweetness, orange crush, a touch of sweet candy licorice, and cream brûlée. The finish has some spice... enough that when I drank this blind my initial thought was it was Irish, but the finish led me to think it might be a rye. But once you know you're drinking an Irish - it's all you find really.

Water didn't chance much, just make things flatter. This one might be a little too easy to drink, and once you notice how sweet it is, it's hard to think about anything else. I enjoyed it, but I don't think it's something I would buy again, I prefer something a bit more interesting. Even so, I rate this one a 3.75/5.0 - cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 7

Saturday... day 7 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y. Tonight... Stranahan's Original Colorado Single Malt Whiskey. This is 100% malted barley, double distilled in copper pot stills and aged in virgin American Oak casks. 47% ABV, no age statement.

On the nose, I get the maltiness, a touch of mint sneaks in briefly, and then I get cinnamon bread and a touch of apple. The taste is very similar, some sweetness comes in - brown sugar or maybe molasses, still getting what I think is apple or similar.

For the finish, I get brown sugar that lingers, apple in the back, and a nice building heat. Water didn't change things much if any, though I might have got a bit of malt funk with water that I didn't seem to get without. 

My initial thought drinking this blind was this was an Irish, but I thought it was higher proof too. Being that it 100% malted barley, and distilled in copper pot stills, it's not *that* big of a surprise that it tastes like an Irish. I've had this a few years ago and recalled enjoying it, so I figured I'd toss it into the 24 days and see what I thought about it blind. I like this, but it's not as complex as the Colkegan American Single Malt from the other night, and I'll rate this a 3.75/5.0. 

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 6

Friday! Day 6 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y ...tonight we're drinking Whistle Pig 10 Year Small Batch Rye, 50% ABV. This is distilled in Canada, aged and bottled in New York. 

I went into this one blind, and initially I thought this one was a bourbon. On the nose I got some citrus, orange, some bright fruit notes. A touch of vanilla as well, and maybe some light toffee. The taste I found some brown sugar, some pepper and some wood. I could be convinced there was a little licorice. Overall the nose and taste was fairly subtile.

The finish is about the same, but I did find a little marshmallow fluff too. Adding water things were very similar, probably even a bit more smooth, not really needed. While there is nothing wrong with this one, there was nothing that really wowed me either. I am not sure if it's the Canadian source or the 10 Year that is making this quite polished for a rye. You could tell it was 50% if you took a healthy sip, but otherwise the proof was fairly well hidden. I'm going to have to sip on this again some time, but tonight I'm giving it a 3.5/5.0. Cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 5

Day 5 ... here we come. I'm off work until Wednesday, so the weekend starts NOW! Tonight we're sipping on The Smoky Twelve, Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Benraich. This is three cask matured, in bourbon, sherry and Marsala casks. This one cost $60 and comes in at 46% ABV... let's see how it is.

There is a lot going on with the nose. No missing the smoke, but it reminds me of a rich Ardbeg smoke and peat... rich and earthy with a sweet meaty bbq thing going on too. Some vanilla and light fruit as well. Initially I got some alcohol burn, but I was probably just too far into the glass. I little bit of salty brine and a touch of rubber too.

The taste isn't quite as impressive. The fruit comes through... reminds me of orange marmalade or a non-specific berry jam... a lot of fruit but subtile enough it's hard to pick out what fruit for me. Some smoke, but it certainly takes a back seat to the fruit. The finish is nice and long. Good char turning ashy and then remaining for quite some time. I get a little bit of wood way at the end too, along with some nice heat to round things out.

Water doesn't change this much, and at 46% it probably doesn't need it. It turned things softer overall. I'll rate this a 4.0/5.0. I think the Colkegan from last night is more interesting, but this one is better balanced overall. Very happy with this one, cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 4

Hump... DAY!!! Tonight we're drinking Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey, Cask Strength from Santa Fe Spirits, coming in at 59% ABV. This was double distilled in pot stills, with mesquite-kilned malted barley. Aged in once used American White Oak Bourbon Barrels. I picked this up for $65... let's give this a go.

On the nose I get an initial hit of the alcohol, but after that dissipates I am finding the malt, a nice earthy rich smoke, and a savory sweet bbq meat profile. The taste carries on the earth rich smoke and a nice char. The smoke and char tasted a little different than a typical Islay Peated Scotch. In some ways this reminds me of Brimstone from Balcones, but I currently do not have any of that around, so I can't do a comparison... might have to pick up another bottle. 

The finish carries on with the smoke and char turning to ash in the back. I get a some fresh tingle, and there is a burn that lingers and builds. Water brings out some of the alcohol on the nose, with everything else about the same for me. I find more smoke on the taste with water, and it seems hotter on the finish.

Overall, this is really quite tasty, but it's the type of thing I commonly enjoy. Blind I was thinking it might be an American Single Malt, and I've been looking forward to trying this one out. I'll rate it 4.0/5.0 - cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 3

Day 3 ... tonight, we're drinking Maker's Mark Cask Strength, 55% ABV. After two Irish Whiskeys, this was a nice change. How was it? Let's find out... 

Initially on the nose, I wasn't getting much of anything. I had a little bit of the alcohol burn that should have clued me into the higher proof on this one. Eventually I did get typical bourbon notes including molasses/caramel, some red fruit and maybe a light pepper note, though that could have just been the proof.

The taste had some sweet along with some dry wood in the back. I got more of that peppery tingle, though again, sometimes proof can come across as peppery/spicy. I thought for a second this could have been a rye. But every time I went back for another sip it did get more typical bourbon. The finish seemed more spicy, with a lot of dry wood and some cherry.

Water didn't change things much, I could drink this either way. This one cost me $42 when I bought it, and for that price, it's pretty good overall. My biggest complaint is that it was a bit flat overall, and surprisingly soft for the proof. I would rate it 3.5/5.0.

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 2

All right, day 2. This one caught me off guard. On the initial nose I got a touch of sharpie marker / rubber cement. While that might sound like a bad thing - it's that it reminded me of those, not that it smelled exactly like that. After that, I got a candy cordial cherry and a little sweet fudge. I was guessing the proof was over 50%.

The taste was more tame, sweet cherry, a little chocolate, and maybe a little bit of red hot cinnamon as well. The finish was light and mild - didn't linger... with the cinnamon red hots the most notable item.

With water, not much changed, everything just tasted more tame. I like this more without water for sure. With all the cherry and sweetness, I was *positive* this was a bourbon ... but nope!

Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey, matured in California Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels, which would give it that "red fruit" / cherry notes. Overall I did enjoy this, and I would rate it a 3.5/5.0 ... I probably liked night 1 a little bit better, but this one was close, and a pleasant surprise. Cheers!

2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 1

All right, time to start this off. This year is a little different. While I do know the 24 bottles I'll be drinking this year, other than day 24, I do not know the order. I'm hopping on voice chat nightly to drink this with some friends who have the same set. We share nosing and tasting notes, then see what bottle we're drinking. I then take some more notes after knowing what the bottle is to see if there is anything more I find. This review is a combination of all those notes.

Tonight we're drinking Knappogue Castle 12 Year California Blend, bottled at 46% ABV. I like the regular 12 year from Knappogue Castle. This one is a blend of hand picked barrels, and it's bottled at 46% ABV instead of the 40% that the normal 12 year comes in at. This was purchased from Flaviar for $50.

On the nose, this one comes across with malt, apple, with orange cream sickle citrus as well. Some vanilla or maybe banana pudding in the back. The taste has the malt, citrus, orange along with some sweet apple. The finish has a nice warm spice along with some mellow dark sweetness like molasses. On the back end of the finish it lingers with some cool freshness too. 

With water, the nose is more flat and it brings out more malt on the taste. Probably best neat. Overall I like this one quite a bit. I'm going to rate this a 3.5/5.0 (leaning towards 3.75...). No idea if I like this one more than the regular 12 year as I do not have that one around currently and it's been a while since I had it. A nice solid start for the 24 days... cheers!

Whisk(e)y Wednesday - I'm Back!

It's getting close to 24 Days of Whisk(e)y time... so I figured I better warm up my nose and my palate. Tonight it's time to kill a bottle that's been around for a while, Ardbeg BizarreBQ - coming in at 50.9% ABV... no age statement. They say this one is a blend of Charred Oak Casks, Pedro Ximenez Sherry Casks, and a Unique BBQ Cask. A one off from Arbeg... how is it?

On the nose, I certainly get the char, bbq meat, molasses, marshmallow smores, and some sherry sweetness. The taste I certainly get some proof tingle, pepper spice, cinnamon ... it drinks hotter than expected after the nose. The finish I get char, tar, meat, bbq sauce with some ash in the back.

With water things are more sweet on the nose - meaty, sweet bbq and I get more of the sherry sweetness now. Taste is much more tame - with a hint of chocolate... but still BBQ meats, sherry, and spice. The finish is now spicier, but with some sweet, hot pepper and still ash in the back. 

The 50.9% is a nice touch on this, and it really is quite different with and without water - worth trying both ways. It cost $85 when I picked it up, and like most Ardbeg one offs I'll never see it again. It's different enough that if you're an Ardbeg fan and you see this at a reasonably price you should pick it up. It's not better than any of the core line offerings, just different. I'll rate it a 4.0/5.0... cheers!