24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 5

Happy Friday! It's booze-o-clock ... so time to drink some whisk(e)y and see if I like it or not.

This one has a nice color to it, and the nose has honey, a touch of nail polish, toffee, floral, a touch of talcum powder ... overall it's light. The taste - I get sweet tobacco, pepper, that talcum powder again, and if I'm looking for it, some ash.

The finish brings the tobacco, some wood, some hot pepper, a touch of sour malt, maybe even a light hint of dill. This does have some heat that builds as well, but I think it's just from the spice - not the proof - I would guess the proof is 46% ABV... and this sure does seem like an unpeated Scotch.

Adding water, it's sweeter on the taste, more pepper on the finish, and the nose has more toffee. Overall, I would rated this a 3.75/5.0 ... it's good, nothing offensive, but also nothing overly great about it. I am enjoying it though. Tonight we were drinking ...

Highland Park Viking Honour, Single Malt Whisky, 43% ABV. Distilled by Highland Park Distillery, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland. This is generally considered peated - and I guess if I go hunting for it, I can find some peat, and I will say, the more I drink, the more the peat seems to be there. I have not had this one for a while, and was curious how it would do blind. At $59 a bottle - there are better things to buy, but this is still a solid whisky.

24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 4

Thursday... let's see what tasty liquid we have for tonight.

On the nose, I get minty, sweet, strawberry, brown sugar - overall the nose is pretty mild though. I'm guessing this is under 50% ABV. The taste is cherry, sweet, some pepper, pretty good overall, and I'm guessing a bourbon. 

The finish has cherry and some oak. It's medium in length. I added some water and the nose is more fruity, the taste is more sweet, the finish is more peppery and probably has more wood too. Overall this is pretty good, I'd rate it a 3.5/5.0 - it tastes a step above 'budget' bourbon. Tonight, we were drinking ...

Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey, 46.5% ABV, no age statement, but reported to be around 7 Year. Distilled (for now?) at Nearest Green Distillery, Shelbyville, TN. I picked up for a bit under $50 - similar to price as the Wild Turkey 70th we had on night one. I probably like the Wild Turkey more, but would have to compare them in a blind tasting sometime.

24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 3

Hump ... DAY! Whisk(e)y Wednesday (:

Ready to check this one out. The nose is faint and malty. First thought is an Irish or Scotch. I get some apple, pear and honey as well. The taste is apple and malty - but it seems more like a Scotch than an Irish Whiskey, that's for sure.

The finish is nice - malty, does hang around for a while with a touch of spice on the backend. This seemed around 45% ABV so I was hesitant to add water - and water turned it even more sweet, certainly better without

Overall, I like this quite a bit, giving it a 4.0/5.0. 

Tonight we were drinking Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair, Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 46.3% ABV, Distilled on Islay, Scotland - no age statement, but estimated to be a blend of 7 to 10 year, unpeated. I tasted it a bit more after knowing what it was - and I did find a little bit of talcum powder as well, which is something I have found in unpeated Scotch before. This cost me just under $50, at that price I give this a thumbs up, cheers!

24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 2

Happy Tuesday ... Treat Tuesday? Most certainly! Tonight ... it looks like Scotch ... it smells like Scotch ... I'm betting it's Scotch. (or American Single Malt...)

On the nose... it's got the rubbery peat, some bbq meat, something sweet like molasses. It doesn't seem too proofy, I can go in pretty good while nosing. Some honey too, and I thought I might be getting some brine/salt as well.

The taste ... ash that comes out of nowhere up front, a little bit of peppery hot, spicy, then sweet. It feels a little disjointed. I like it, but ... it seems to lack something. Going back to the nose after the first sip - I am getting the ash on the nose as well now. The finish is more ash, some pepper heat, sweet in the back.

Adding water, I get more proof on the nose, and more sweet on the taste, and a LOT more sweet on the finish. Overall, this is OK. I tend to like peaty Scotch - even ones that are not that great or balanced. This one seems to be a bit random, but I'd still give it a 4.0/5.0. Tonight ... the bottle was...

Port Askaig 110° - Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, no age statement, coming in at 55% ABV or ... 110 proof (: Distilled on Islay, Scotland - apparently Port Askaig isn't the distillery... it's just the name of the Whisky and they source from various distilleries on Islay. I've had a few other Port Askaigs in the past, including a 100° that was really 114 proof that was a bit harsh when I had it early in my Scotch journey, an 8 year that I thought was OK, and a 19 Year that I rated a 4.0 but at the time I wasn't doing quarter ratings and I'm guessing I would have given it a 4.25 as I do recall enjoying it quite a bit. Overall I'd say Port Askaig isn't quite as well rounded as the larger distilleries on Islay (though who knows who they source this from...), but if you really like Islay Whisky - it's worth checking out.

24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 1

And so it begins... 24 days, 24 different Whiskies ... Whiskys? Whatever. I poured these back in April and they've been waiting since then. After pouring the samples, wrapping the bottles in paper, and then randomizing them... at this point I've forgotten what most of the bottles are - so this will be going in fairly blind.

On the nose, I get some proof initially, but then that seems to dissipate. I get brown sugar and some spearmint ... leading to a bit of cherry as well. The taste I get brown sugar sweetness, along with some cinnamon and some heat. It doesn't seem low proof - but not too high of proof either, so I'd guess around 100 proof. 

The finish I get spearmint and the sweetness - I don't really get much oak so maybe this is on the younger side. Adding a little water seems to bring out some oak on the nose and finish, while the taste is more sweet. Overall, this is pretty good, I would guess it's a bourbon, though it could maybe be a rye. I'd rate it a 3.5/5.0

We were drinking Wild Turkey, Jimmy Russell 70th Anniversary Release, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. 50.5% ABV, bottled on 2024-08-27 in Lawrenceburg, KY, Aged 8 Years. Wild Turkey 101 is my favorite 'budget' bourbon, and when I found a bottle of this, it was a bit tough to not just open it and start drinking it... it is certainly better than the standard WT 101 - but at $50 a bottle it better be an improvement over the $25 WT 101.

Whisk(e)y ... Sunday?

With 24 Days of Whisk(e)y starting up tomorrow, I figured I'd do a blind sample tonight to get in the mood (: What will the random offering be tonight...

On the nose, I get honey, mild, bubble gum, and alcohol that initially is hard to get past. Going back I do find some smoke and some bbq meat. The taste, I get strawberry, cinnamon, spicy, heat. Some rubber in the back. I can't quite place this one, and I'm wondering if I'm just off tonight.

The finish is fruity, sweet, cinnamon... not getting any oak. There is some sweet bbq as well. I don't have a good guess on this - I'm guessing it's around 50% ABV, it does seem like a peated scotch, but other than that ... not sure. And it was.... Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength, 58.5% ABV. Which is surprising to me. After knowing what it is, I can find more peat and smoke, but I'm not really getting any Laphroaig notes overall. Tonight I rated it 4.0/5.0 - last year I rated it 4.25/5.0 - and looking at my tasting notes from last year I enjoyed it quite a bit more than I did this time.

Whisk(e)y Wednesday - 2025-11-26

Another random blind sample... here we go! Tonight's pour is light in color, so light my first guess is Ardbeg, but I'm getting ahead of myself a bit here. The nose... rubber, sweet bbq, touch of sour malt, campfire, ash, and char. The taste is ash, peat, spicy, hot pepper, sweet bbq meat, and char.

The finish, I get some burnt sugar, hot pepper that is a bit punchy and lingers. More sweet way in the back. Overall, this feels a bit random - the flavors are not overly cohesive. It's still pretty good, and I do expect it to be a one-off Ardbeg, I'll rate it 4.0/5.0 tonight.

And - it was Ardbeg. Scorch Committee Release, 51.7% ABV. I had this during 24 Days of Whisk(e)y in 2021 and rated it 4.0/5.0 that time as well. I did like the Committee release version better than the standard version back then.