2021 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 8

Hump Day, aka Whisk(e)y Wednesday aka Day 8 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y. Tonight I'm trying Wolfburn 3 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 46% ABV.

Originally I thought this was Wolfburn Northland, but after further investigation, it looks like Northland is more or less the same as this, but aged 4 years instead of 3. From the reviews I've seen, people think it's quite similar, so I won't sweat it too much.

On the nose I get malt, salt, touch of light peat/smoke, fruit (grapes?) and some grassy notes. On the taste, I get vanilla, smoke, pepper and some dried fruit. The finish has malt, chocolate, some spice, it is fairly light and short. With water, the nose has a bit more brine/salt, the taste is a bit more smooth with more chocolate and vanilla. Might be better with a dash a water, but it probably will depend on my mood.

This does seem young, but is overall fairly interesting. My memory is that it reminds me of Kilchoman, but I don't have any of that currently to compare to. The peat/smoke is gentle, and nice overall. Rated 3.25 / 5.0

2021 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 7

Day 7 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y ... today, Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof, coming in at 58.4% ABV. While no age statement is on this whiskey, it's believed to be a blend of 6, 8 and 12 year. Wild Turkey 101 is probably my favorite budget bourbon, so I've been wanting to review the barrel proof Rare Breed.

On the nose, there is some barrel proof sharpness, along with caramel, vanilla, citrus, some oak and when I came back to it, some tobacco. The taste I get sweet up front, then spicy pepper coming in after that, along with maple sugar, and tobacco. The finish I get maple and caramel, with spice in the background, then tobacco and wood trailing off. 

With water, the nose is more floral and baking spice. More sweet on the taste, but with a spicy/hotter finish. It's good either way. I don't have many high proof bourbons to compare this to currently. Comparing it to Old Forester 1920 (57.5% ABV), the Old Forester is just completely different with a lot of cherry on the flavor. Comparing it to Old Granddad 114 (57% ABV) - that one just is a lot lower end with nowhere near the finish. 

Overall this is pretty good, I give it a 3.75 / 5.0, but I would like to compare it to some other higher proof bourbons, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, or Russel Reserve for example.

2021 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 6

Made it through another Monday - sooner or later, I'll be done with Mondays (: Anyway... day 6 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y, today we have 1792 Bottled in Bond, Single Barrel Select Barrel #5918, Store Pick from Baseline Liquor, 50% ABV. How is the pick? Let's find out...

On the nose I get hints of rye spice, some caramel, vanilla, and a touch of dill - in the background, for a lack of a better term, I get dirt. The taste, lots of wood, spicy, peppery, hints of nut/peanut in the back, damp cut grass and earth. The finish I get wood and pepper, and it hangs around quite a bit.

This has an odd taste and finish that is hard to describe. I don't particularly like it, and I went back to it later in the evening to see if it's still there. It triggers a memory of my youth of line trimming dry weeds with a line trimmer - which isn't necessarily what I'm looking for in my whiskey. I'll give it another try down the road, but for now this is just too 'earthy' for me.

Overall, this is quite woody, and I'd like to try a non-store pick to see if the flavor profile is much different. Rated 3.0 / 5.0 - mostly because I feel that if I'm in the right mood, this could hit some good notes for me, otherwise it would be lower. 

On edit - over time, this got even worse ... I was never in the mood for it. 2.0/5.0 ... barely drinkable - even in mixed drinks.

2021 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 5

Sunday=Funday ... and the 5th Day of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y. Today we have from Lagavulin, 11 Year Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in Guinness Casks coming in at 46% ABV, aka "The Offerman Edition". Who doesn't like Lagavulin and/or Offerman ... marketing GENIUS!!! I tried the first round of this back in 2019 (on day 5 as well) - and I thought that one was pretty good. They upped the game this time with the finish in Guinness Casks... let's see what I think of this one. 

On the nose, this has the Lagavulin smoke, along with meaty bbq, and some mint and vanilla in the back. The taste there is initially some sweet caramel, but then hot pepper comes in and takes over. The finish is a spicy pepper tingle that lingers for quite some time. I would have guessed this was higher than 46% ABV - not that it burns, the finish just is trying to trick my brain. I get a touch of brine in the back along with something I can't quite place - maybe it has to do with the Guinness Cask finish. 

Adding water, I get a little more sweetness on the nose. The taste flips for me - with the spicy pepper front and center, but with the sweetness and a touch of chocolate in the back. The finish is similar - I could drink this one either way depending on my mood. 

Overall this is quite enjoyable. It does run around $80 - $90, so not something to go through too fast (: I do have a sample of the 2019 Offereman Edition, and tasting that one, it just doesn't have the spicy pepper notes for me. As this is my first time drinking the latest version, it could just be my mood tonight that is making it spicy, and I'll give it another try down to road. Even so, the spicy pepper is not enough for me to not enjoy it - I still rate it a 3.75 / 5.0 - best of the year so far, but not as good as the 2019 version. Cheers!

2021 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 4

Saturday! Was a pretty nice day here in the PWN - certainly can't complain seeing that it's December and we're in the rainy season (: Anyway, today we have the 3rd of the Heaven's Door Trilogy Pack ... Double Barrel Whiskey, coming in an 50% ABV. It seems like they do not say exactly what is in this ... only that they combine 'them' then finish 'it' in new toasted oak for a year. 

On the nose, I find vanilla, wood, and butterscotch in the back, it's a bit sharp, I would have guessed a higher proof. The taste, it's quite spicy and hot, but not a cinnamon hot... and quite a bit of wood. I would have guessed this was a rye on the taste. The finish I get shortbread, wood that lingers.

With water, the nose is less sharp and it's quite nice - the taste is mostly the same. Overall, I can't put my finger on exactly why - but I like this one quite a bit. It is a bit punchy - drinks hotter than 50 proof, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in my book. I tasted a Blanton's that is similar in price and proof (when you can find it) - and the Double Barrel compared well to that. I'll rate this 3.5 / 5.0, and at $45-ish ... the best value of the three I'd say.

2021 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 3

Friday! Day 3, woot woot! Today we have Heaven's Door Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Vosges (French) Oak Barrels, 46% ABV, NAS - but at least 4 years and reportedly between 7 and 8 years. How is it? Let's find out...

On the nose, I get vanilla, fruit, floral, clove, mint and after sitting awhile some toffee. The tast I get vanilla, wood, pepper, with toffee in the back. The finish I get cloves, wood, mint and pepper. With water, the nose is more floral, with a woody and peppery taste, I will probably prefer this 

neat, overall it's more interesting and has more depth. 

Really good overall. Hard to compare this to other ryes though. This comes in around $75 a bottle, and in the same ball park Willett Family Estate 4 Year has more licorice and tea on the taste and is more interesting overall, while Crown Royal 16 Year has similar notes, but is more smooth overall. It's worth trying, not sure if it's worth buying. Rated 3.5 / 5.0

2021 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 2

Day 2 - today we are trying out Heaven's Door Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 45% ABV, aged a minimum of 6 years. Does Bob Dylan know bourbon? Or does he at least know someone that knows bourbon? (:

I picked up a 3 pack of 200ml bottles of Heaven's Door offerings and will be trying them all over the next few days. 200ml is enough to get a good feel for a whisk(e)y before buying a full bottle - I wish more distilleries would do 200ml bottles.

On the nose, I get sweet caramel, bread, dried fruit and corn. The taste I find cinnamon up front and strong, baking spice, oak in the back with some vanilla. The finish is warm cinnamon that lingers. With water it's more floral on the nose, and on the taste it brings out more oak, I prefer this one neat.

Overall, this is pretty good. It reminds me of Wild Turkey 101, but with more cinnamon and a longer finish. Bottles go for $45 or so - I could see picking up a bottle of this but do want to try the other two first. Rated 3.25 / 5.0