2020 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 9

Day 9! Big Peat Small Batch Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, 46% ABV, from Douglas Laing & Co. This is a blend of single malts from Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore, and Port Ellen. I picked this up on clearance and have been holding off trying it until ... today!

On the nose there is a lot going on, I find coastal brine, phenols, citrus, toffee, smoke and some floral in the background. I keep going back and finding more. The taste has salt, spice, smoke and citrus zest - with the smoke and peat hanging around. The finish is dry, smoke and peat that lingers. With water, I find more smoke and ash on the nose. It seems to smooth things on taste, but I find a bit more ash, I prefer it neat.

This reminds me of Ardbeg 10 - enough that I had to get out the Ardbeg and A/B compare. The Big Peat does have more smoke and oomph. This is good, not great. If I stumble upon another bottle at a reasonable price I would likely buy it, but I won't search it out. Rated 3.5 / 5.0

2020 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 8

Day 8 ... today we have another Balcones. Brimstone Whisky, 53% ABV. This is made from roasted blue corn, Texas scrub oak smoked, then pot distilled. Batch BRM20-1, "aged at least one day in oak". I've watched a few reviews of this, and it sounded interesting, and at around $50, I figured I could give it a try.

While I've not really been mentioning appearance / color because Scotch is often artificially colored - American spirits generally cannot be colored (not sure of the full rules). So while this claims "aged at least one day" ... my guess is it was in the barrel a bit longer than that.

On the nose I find BBQ meat, campfire, and a smokey popcorn ball. The taste I get smoked pepper, burnt oak, popcorn ball sweetness, all cranked up to 11. Nothing subtile here. The finish is BBQ smoke that lingers, along with pepper spice. Adding a bit of water seems to bring a bit more smoke on the nose, taste is slightly tamed, but the finish seems to have more punch. I could see drinking it either way, depending on my mood.

This has a lot going on, it reminds me of a hot salsa that is so hot you don't really enjoy it - but then you just keep going back to it over and over. I could sit all night and just nose the glass over and over. Rated 4.0 / 5.0 - BUT this is something I would need to be in the mood for.

2020 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 7

Made it through another Monday - tonight I'm having a gift from my Brother from last Christmas, waiting patiently until today... Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whisky, 46% ABV, aged "at least" 6 months. Balcones is in Waco, TX - and the summer heat can age booze mighty fast. They make interesting Whisky, usually using corn. Baby Blue uses Roasted Blue Corn. How does it taste? Let's find out...

On the nose I get sweet candy, butter, and caramel. The taste I find pepper and caramel. The finish gives me some wood notes and leather. Adding water seems to open up the alcohol on the nose, more pepper on the taste. I probably prefer this neat. A bit too sweet overall for me, but would likely be good over ice or mixed, overall enjoyable. Rated 3.25 / 5.0

2020 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 6

Sunday evening, relaxing for a bit, getting mentally prepared for the start of the work week, but for now, Day 6, Oban Little Bay Single Malt Scotch Whiskey, NAS, 43% ABV. I enjoy Oban 14 but haven't had it recently, and I thought I'd try its Little Brother.

I find sweet fruit, mint, and floral on the nose - really nice. The taste I find apple, mint, spices, and cinnamon. This finishes with mint freshness and spice tingle. Water kicks up the spice for me, overpowering the other notes, I prefer this neat. Quite enjoyable, well balanced, could sit and enjoy this one all night - 3.5 / 5.0

2020 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 5

Day 5! Today we have Bowmore 12 Year Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 40% ABV. I bought this one near the start of the year then stashed it away for this year's 24 Days of Whisk(e)y. Today is the day to crack it open (:

On the nose, I'm getting quite a bit of citrus, some grass, with a touch of smoke in the background. I get quite a bit of the bright citrus on the taste, sea mist and an herbal spice of some sort. The finish is citrus and spice. I don't really get much smoke or peat on this, but I usually drink more peaty/smoky Islay Whiskies. At 40%, this probably doesn't need water, but adding water did seem to bring out a bit of smoke on the nose, and brought the spice to the front. With water I also get a slight earthy smoke on the finish. Easy drinking, not bad, but at this price point I would be buying other things. Rated 3.0 / 5.0

2020 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 4

Ah, the weekend, and an Ardbeg Day! Things are looking pretty good (: Today we have Ardbeg Wee Beastie, Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 5 Year, coming in at 47.4% ABV. I've had this before, and I was looking forward to having it again... 

The nose has your typical Ardbeg smoke, along with vanilla, pepper and some sweet wood. The taste is smokey meat, some bitter chocolate and a touch of minty freshness. On the finish that minty freshness lingers. This is a bit rougher around the edges than Ardbeg 10 or An Oa, which are just slightly more than this one. The roughness actually works though - making this in some ways better than the 10 or An Oa, but it would't be my go to choice every night.

Water opens up the nose a bit - I find more dark smoke and the minty freshness. Smooths out the taste a little and I find some brine on the finish. I probably prefer this with a little water. Rated 3.75 / 5.0 ... which is what I rated both Ardbeg 10 and An Oa, I can't say it's better or worse. Cheers!

2020 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 3

Today we have Four Roses Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Warehouse VW, Barrel No. 4-1I, coming in at 50% ABV. Pretty sure I have not had this one before - let's see how it is...

On the nose, I find brown sugar and caramel with some sweet fruit. With the taste I find oak all day, not as sweet as the nose, and I'm getting some spice I can't quite place. This finishes with the oak that lingers along with some spice that reminds me a little bit of rye. Adding water seems to open things up - still a lot of oak, but I get more of the sweet notes in the background. I probably prefer this with a little water.

Overall this is quite enjoyable - but given the reputation I was expecting a bit more. Rated 3.0 / 5.0