2022 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 14

Hump DAY!!! Whiskey Wednesday!!! Tonight, we're trying out Noah's Mill, Genuine Bourbon Whiskey, handmade in the hills of Kentucky, from Willett Distillery. Batch 21-53, 57.15% ABV, estimated to be a blend of 4 - 20 Year. Apparently it used to have a 15 year age statement, but about 5 years ago they dropped that. This is not sold in Oregon as far as I can tell, but I did pick up a bottle from Flaviar for about $60 last year.

On the nose, I get herbal/floral, some honey/brown sugar, a cherry candy, and maybe some wood. Nothing is out front. I do get some alcohol as well, but it's not overpowering. On the taste, I do get the wood, some heat/cinnamon, along with the herbal notes and the cherry candy and wood. I can tell it's a bourbon, but without the sweetness, I would probably think this was a rye. The finish is dry and a bit acid/woody, along with some heat, either cinnamon or alcohol, I can't tell for sure.

With water, the nose is still herbal, but more sweet, and it's more herbal on the taste... still sweet, but less heat. The finish does have more wood bite. I would say this is better with some water - maybe taking it down closer to 50% ABV. I'll give it a 3.25/5.0 ... I would almost raise it to 3.5 with water, but I'll stick with 3.25 (:

2022 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 13

Tuesday... end of the weekend for me as I go back to work tomorrow. Day 13 ... tonight, we're drinking Rye. Old Pepper Distillery Straight Rye, a Single Barrel Store Pick from Westmoreland, bottled at 55% ABV, aged 4 years, distilled in Indiana, bottled in Kentucky. I tend to like rye whiskeys more than bourbons overall, so let's see what I think about this one.

On the nose, this has a lot going on, but I can't put my finger on one "big note". I get an herbal/floral note, some licorice, some molasses sweetness, and ever once in a while I get a faint hint of dill - but that might be because I'm looking for it.There is some proof, so I had to back off a bit to get the nose, but it's not overpowering. The taste is similar... nothing is out front and in your face, but there is the floral, the licorice, the sweetness. I also get some heat - nothing I can specifically call out, but there is certainly a spicy warmth... and there is some proof showing up too, so you can't come at this one too hard. The finish has a nice tingle that lingers. Occasionally I get a bit of black tea on the taste, but then it seems to vanish.

With water, the nose is similar, maybe a bit more herbal on the taste. The finish is still warm and tingly ... this is pretty good straight or with water. I think it does need to be at room temperature to shine, so I wouldn't drink this on ice. I rated this on a 3.75/5.0 ... pretty good overall. Cheers!

2022 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 12

Half way ... Day 12. Today I did a 20 mile urban hike... so I earned this Whiskey! Drinking the Westland Peated American Single Malt, aged a minimum of 3 years, bottled at 46% ABV. The peated malt comes from Scotland, and then is mixed with Westand's own malt, and this is the final product. 

On the nose, I get earthy peat, a touch of mint freshness, a little bit of malty sweetness. If I go hunting too deep I end up getting alcohol burn. The nose is somewhat subtle. The taste is similar and not heavy handed, with the earthy peat, the mint freshness along with some heat... not really pepper heat, so it might just be the alcohol. The finish is the mint freshness and some spicy heat, hangs around nicely.

With water, things get a bit soft. The nose seems more sweet, as does the taste. The finish is more subdued, I certainly think this would be better neat. Overall this is pretty good. I'd like to try it aged a bit more, have the peat more out front, or higher proof. I hear they have a yearly "Peat Week" release that I might have to see about getting as that might deliver some of what I think this one is missing. Rated 3.75/5.0

2022 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 11

Sunday Evening! Yes, I didn't forget to post this until Monday morning... 

Anyway... Day 11!!! Tonight, we're having Stranahan's Blue Peak American Single Malt, Solera finished starting with 4 Year old barrels. I watched some reviews of this one, and it sounded interesting enough to try, so I picked up a bottle.

On the nose, this has apricot, vanilla, a sweet honey or simple syrup, malt with a touch of funk... maybe some lemon or perfume-ish floral herbal notes as well. It's not dull, but it's not over powering either, and the alcohol is in the back so you can really get in there for a sniff. The taste is more sweet, with butterscotch coming through along with a malty bread and some herbal/floral. There is a spicy heat that seems to build up over time like a spicy Thai dish. I don't notice any heat when drinking but after a bit I feel hot... in a good way. The finish has the malt and the spicy heat fighting each other and it lingers for some time. 

With water, everything seems more bitter... the initial notes are still there, but there is a bitterness that comes through initially on the taste and finish - I prefer this one neat for sure. Overall, this is interesting and pretty tasty, and at $43 it's pretty reasonably priced. I give it a 3.5/5.0.

2022 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 10

Saturday... Day 10. Earlier today I did a stout and pastry pairing at a Arch Bridge Taphouse. It was quite tasty, but I did need a nap afterwards, strong beers, good desserts!

So tonight we tried High West American Prairie Bourbon, Single Barrel store pick for Westmoreland, finished 10 months in a Malbec barrel, 48.9% ABV. No real age statement, and they don't say where it comes from other than saying it's a blend of straight bourbon whiskeys.

On those nose, my first thought and reaction is "neutral". I'm not really getting much of anything... if I go hunting a get a touch of fruit and maybe some floral, along with a bit of sweetness, but not enough to really get more specific. The taste is similar, a little bit of mild fruit, some simple syrup sweetness, a little bit of heat. Finish I think I get some wood, and a nice warm finish that does seem to linger. 

Water doesn't really change things... possibly a little more floral on the nose and taste, I'd probably just drink this neat as the water does seem to dull things a little. Overall, this isn't bad, but it's not great either - and it's a bit boring. Pleasant enough to drink, no issues, I'll give it a 3.0/5.0 

2022 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 9

Happy Friday! Day 9... today we're drinking a store pick/single bottle of Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon, aged 10 years, from Liquor World. I bought this a few years back, and today is the day I drink it (:

On the nose, I get an orange sherbet, some mint, brown sugar sweetness, and a a touch of alcohol burn. The taste is a mild sweetness, some hot peppery spice, some sort of soft fruit notes, and some oak as well. The finish I get oak, the pepper - medium duration for the initial finish, but the pepper lingers for some time.

With water, I get some floral notes on the nose and some brown sugar, there is more oak on the taste and it's a bit softer overall, the finish turns a bit more spicy hot - this is probably better neat. While this is a store pick, this does track with what I recall from previous tastings of Eagle Rare, though previously I did get some licorice notes that are not present tonight. At $35 or so this is a steal of a deal but it can be difficult to find at times. Certainly worth keeping around, rated 3.25/5.0

2022 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 8

And today... day 8, we have McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt... it's peated, it's Cask Strength at 56.2% ABV... is it any good?

On the nose, it's meaty, I get BBQ, it's fatty, there's charred Meat, there's campfire, a simple syrup sweetness... it's Ardbeg-ish. The nose is *really* good. Crazy good. The taste is a little bit of a let down, but that's not too surprising to be honest... there is some minty freshness, some heat (it is Cask Strength), some "bourbon style" sweetness, honey, and the simple syrup from before. The finish has a lot of mint freshness tingle that lingers, along with the smoke, campfire, marshmallows... did I say this is really good?

With water, there is more mint on the nose, otherwise, it is similar. The taste is more sweet overall, and the finish is more mellow. This is really good. I broke out the Ardbeg Uigeadail to compare it to... and even though it didn't quite reach to the Uigeadail level... it was closer than you would expect. Rated 4.25/5.0