2021 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 1

Back for another round! No better way to send out 2021 than to drink some good whiskies. Tonight, we're starting with Deanston Virgin Oak - NAS (said to be between 6 and 8 years), Highland Single Malt, 46.3% ABV. These days most of my Scotch drinking is peaty Islay, but it's nice to mix it up every once in a while. How will this one fare?

On the nose I get floral/herbal ... almost like potpourri, along with a hint of fruit and some spice - quite pleasant. The taste has oak, smooth honey notes, some spice. The finish I get some sweetness that drifts off clean and some spice tingle and the very end. Water seems to dull things overall, I prefer this one neat. 

All right overall - solid, and at about $37 a bottle, not a bad deal. Reminds me of Compass Box Artist Blend - which about the same price, though I think I prefer the Compass Box a little more overall as it's a little more interesting. I give this a 3.0 / 5.0. Cheers!

Whisk(e)y Wednesday - 2021-09-22 ... RYE ! ! !

Another Whisk(e)y Wednesday - today... RYE! Trying two higher proof young-ish ryes today. We have Willett Family Estate Small Batch Rye aged 4 years, coming in at 111.8 proof - 55.9% AVB along with Knob Creek Single Barrel (Westmoreland Liquor Store Pick) 115 proof - 57.5% AVB aged 6.25 years or so.

First up, the Knob Creek. On the nose, I find expected rye spice, a touch of dill, some cinnamon and licorice. The taste I get the licorice coming through along with the cinnamon heat. The finish is cinnamon and spice.

With water I get a bit more dill on the nose, more baking spice on the taste, and more wood on the finish. To me this was nothing outstanding, a touch above Old Forester Rye but about twice the price too. Rated 3.25 / 5.0

Next we have the Willett. No batch statement or such on this one. The nose I get brown sugar, a touch of dill, cinnamon and some floral notes. On the taste I get molasses, toasted marshmallow, baking spice, some fruit, and some bitter tea. The finish has spice, some spicy/minty numbing, and a touch of wood.

Water brings out more floral notes on the nose, and brings the bitter tea to the front on the taste for me, along with more molasses - which makes for an interesting combination. Overall this one is interesting, and if you are going to have to hunt down a bottle - you want it to be at least interesting. A step above the Knob Creek - I'd rate it 3.50 / 5.0

I also tried my old standby budget rye - Old Forester 100 proof - and compared to these two, it's a bit flat, but at half the price, probably a better value. I also had a sample of a different Knob Creek Single Barrel Store Pick (same 115 proof) that had more of the typical Knob Creek notes of being nutty and I probably prefer the Westmoreland store pick over that one - but only slightly.

Cheers!

Whisk(e)y Wednesday - 2021-09-15

Here we go ... Hump Day aka Whisk(e)y Wednesday! Today we're trying a budget Kentucky Straight Bourbon - Early Times Bottled in Bond - which means 50% ABV and aged at least 4 years. How does this one compare to others?

On the nose, I get some cinnamon spice, honey, citrus and a hint of nut in the background. The taste I get caramel, spice, citrus and vanilla. The finish is peppery, sweet and a hint of nuttiness.

Water seems to bring out some dill on the nose for me, more spice on the taste. Wood bite on the finish, I like this one more neat. Overall, I like this one better than some other budget bourbons such as Buffalo Trace or such. While I didn't do a head to head, I'm guessing I would prefer Wild Turkey 101 over this. Rated 3.25/5.0 - which is what I give all decent budget bourbons it seems (:

Whisk(e)y Wednesday - 2021-09-01

Whisk(e)y Wednesday - two weeks in a row... maybe I'm back in the swing of things! Tonight I'm drinking Roknar Minnesota Rye Whiskey, from Far North Spirits. This comes in at 47% ABV, aged for 16 months and finished in Cognac casks. Let's find out how it is...

On the nose I get spearmint, vanilla, brown sugar, and fruit flavoring (not exactly fruit). The taste I get (real) fruit - like apricot or similar, wood, pepper, ginger, brown sugar with some vanilla creaminess. The finish is vanilla, sweet and honey. 

Adding a dash of water - the nose and taste are very similar, a touch more ginger on the nose, and less spicy on the taste. With the water, I do get the Cognac on the finish. Overall this is interesting - it's certainly better than the Basil Hayden Dark Rye, which is about the only other rye I would compare this to. Not a typical rye, would need to be in the mood for it - but it's interesting and overall pretty good. Rated 3.25 / 5.0

 

Whisk(e)y Wednesday - 2021-08-25

All right - it's been a while since I did this. Time to get back in the swing of things. Tonight - we're trying Wild Turkey 101 Rye. The Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon won in a head to head blind taste test between Eagle Rare and Evan Williams Single Barrel - will I be a fan of the Rye as well?

On the nose, I get caramel, citrus zest, spices, vanilla and fresh apple. The taste I get rye spice, some cinnamon, citrus, ripe fruit, a hint of vanilla and toffee. Something else is there that I can't quite place. The finish I get wood that lingers, with some mint-like freshness giving it some tingle. 

Water seems to bring out the spice on the nose, and it gives the taste more vanilla. The finish seems to have more spice coming through. Overall I would say it seems a little different than Old Forester - not better, not worse. I think I probably like the budget-ish Woodford Reserve Rye a touch better, as well as the High West Double Rye - which again is a bit more expense. This bottle is nearly empty, I don't see a need to buy another one at this time. Rated 3.25/5.0 - Cheers!

Whisk(e)y Wednesday - 2021-07-07

Hey... it's Wednesday. Been a while since I've done this... today we have a 6 Year Oregon Single Malt Whiskey from Bull Run Distilling Company, coming in at 45.18% ABV. This is Batch #007, Bottle #1002. My bottle was getting pretty low a while back, so I moved what was left to a smaller bottle to hold onto it a bit longer (:

On the nose I get honey, sweet tea, grass, some herbal notes, along with musty funk, maybe some pickle. The taste has come caramel, barley grain, honey, tea, some saltiness/brine too. The finish lingers for quite some time with some spice, touch of wood bite, and a funk at the end.

Adding a dash of water doesn't change much. Initially things are a little hotter, but then I do find more brown sugar on the nose, and the taste is smoothed out some overall. Overall this one is growing on me. My initial taste I wasn't sure if I was a fan, but I think each time I try it I like it a little more. Rated 3.5 / 5.0

 

Whisk(e)y(?) Wednesday - 2021-03-03

Back at it for Whisk(e)y Wednesday? Not quite - tonight I'm having Ron Zacapa Centenarlo Sistema 23 Solera. A blend of rums between 6 and 23 years old.

On the nose, I get orange peel, ripe bananas, toffee, cinnamon, vanilla and some honey. The taste I get honey, sweetness, some apple, a touch of licorice, and some cinnamon spice. The finish is sugary, candy, simple syrup and some spice on the backend. 

This is pretty good overall. I used to drink random rum mixed drinks and such, so I thought I would try a mid-level rum to see what I thought. This one is in the $40s, so not too expensive, but we're not talking rum for mixed drinks. I could see having this when I wanted a break from scotch/whiskey/bourbon. Rated 3.0 / 5.0