Whisk(e)y Wednesday - 2020-12-30

Almost the New Years - Hump Day!!! and... Whiskey Wednesday. Today I'm doing a budget bourbon shootout - doing a blind tasting of Eagle Rare, Evan Williams Single Barrel, and Wild Turkey 101. I don't usually do blind tastings - normally I know what I'm trying, I have looked at reviews for some ideas of what to expect on the nose/palate - so today... it's going to be interesting.

I labelled the glasses on the bottom, and then after pouring I randomized the order (which is easier to do the older I get...) until I felt confident I had no idea which glass was where. 

Glass #1. On the nose I got sweet, flowery, vanilla, and some brown sugar. The taste I found a touch of spice, some burnt brown sugar, and a bit of mint. The finish was charred sugar and a bit of metallic shiny notes. With water the sweetness pops on the nose, more brown sugar, with burnt sugar and some oak on the taste. Rated 3.25 / 5.0 - seemed a little better with water.

Glass #2. On the nose my first thought is mustard, which is odd as it's not a note I think I've came across before... some grass and dill pickle as well. The taste is neutral - I kept going back trying to find something, but it just wasn't there. The finish is minty with some oak notes. With water it's a bit more traditional on the nose - I've lost the mustard and dill. More metallic on the finish and a bit sour on the taste. Rated 3.0 / 5.0 - I found it better neat.

Glass #3. On the nose, I found this floral, touch of cinnamon, and some licorice. The taste is spicy with a bit of metallic. The finish I am finding licorice and a minty finish. With water, I get more floral on the nose, more licorice and wood oak on the finish, along with a spicy taste. Rated 3.25 / 5.0. I could drink this either straight or with a dash of water.

#1 was Wild Turkey 101, 50.5% ABV, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. I grew up thinking Wild Turkey was rotgut... but apparently not the case, as this edged out #3 for me as the best of the three. No age statement - which I think would be aged at least 3 years as this is a 'straight bourbon', though online I see comments that state it's 6 years old, so I'm not sure.

#2 was Evan Williams Single Barrel, 43.3% ABV, aged about 8 years (put in oak 2012, bottled 2020). This came in last place for me, but was still pretty good overall. I recall really liking this in the past, so maybe the current batch isn't as good as the old batches. 

#3 was Eagle Rare, Aged 10 Years, 45% ABV. It can sometimes be hard to find, but at around $30 it's certainly worth the price. While in the A/B comparison I felt the Wild Turkey was slightly better - they are really close.

This was a fun experiment - I'll need to do more blind tastings ... cheers!

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

Day 24 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y... end of the line, pretty good selection this year - maybe I'll compare my average review to past years (: Tonight we have The Glenlivet Enigma, released in 2019, no age statement, cask strength at 60.6% ABV. The whole idea of this one is there isn't very much information on it. I figured Glenlivet wouldn't release crap - so I jumped in. This cost a bit north of $100 - is it worth it?

On the nose I get citrus fruit, sweet apple, floral notes that are expected, and butterscotch in the background. The taste is sweet, fruity, some marshmallow, but it certainly has some proof burn as well. The finish I get cinnamon and dessert sweetness. Some water tames the alcohol burn a bit, and I find more cinnamon on the taste and finish.

This is interesting. I would be interested in doing a blind taste test of this as I don't know if I'm reaching to find something in this knowing the price. It's good - but I don't currently have much to compare it to. Maybe the Glenlivet Nadurra Peated I had earlier. I wouldn't drink this daily, but I would pull it out for a friend who likes cask strength Speyside Scotch Whisky. Rated 3.75 / 5.0 - going to have to give this another taste and do some A/B comparisons another time (:

2020 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 23

Nearing the end of the road, Day 23 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - tonight we have The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky, The Week of Peat, Aged 14 Years, 48.3% ABV, Story #2. I had Story #1 a few years back and enjoyed it, and in general Balvenie puts out good stuff, so I figured this was worth checking out.

On the nose, I get heavy peat and smoke up front, but not punchy. Butterscotch, citrus zest, malt and hints of apple as well. The taste is citrus, some sweet, and I get some licorice as well, but the peat/smoke is missing. The finish is more citrus and a mint tingle that hangs around.

My thoughts on initial nose and taste was this was comparable to Lagavulin 16. Doing an A/B compare - The Lagavulin is sweeter on the nose, but more ashy and smoky on the taste. Same ball park overall, but I prefer the Lagavulin 16. I could see keeping this around for people that like scotch but don't generally like Islay and want to drift into a bit of peat smoke. Rated 3.75 / 5.0

2020 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 22

Day 22 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y, tonight I had Yellow Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, Aged 12 Years, 46% ABV, coming from Mitchell & Son. This goes for about $100 - so that's getting up there for an Irish Whiskey - I've had this before, but was looking forward to having it again.

On the nose I find vanilla, peach, and some cherry. I taste sweet fruit, some oak, and nuts. The finish is sweet, fruity, touch of oak that lingers. With water I find more oak in the taste and some honey. The nose is about the same for me - I probably prefer this neat.

Overall this compares well with another Irish Whiskey I really like, Redbreast 15. I would probably lean towards the Redbreast - but it's very close, and the two are different enough both can find a spot on the shelf. Rated 4.0 / 5.0

2020 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 21

Made it though another Monday... and since I have the week off - wasn't too hard to make it through the day (: Day 21 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y ... Adbeg Corryvreckan, Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, No Age Statement, 57.1% ABV. I'm curious how this compares to yesterday's Ardbeg Uigeadail.

On the nose, a lot going on and I have to keep going in. Pine, pepper, light smoke, charcoal grilled meat, baking spice (cloves maybe?), some vanilla, and leather. The taste I find peppercorn, fruit, smoke, medicinal, some sweetness. On the finish I get some brine, medicinal, spice, smoked pepper steak. Really amazing and I could sit with this one all night. With water I get a hint of floral on the nose and smoke - it seems to kick up the wood on the taste but tames everything else, I probably prefer this neat.

Really tasty. In the same wheelhouse as Uigeadail, but a bit more peppery, smokey, peaty, and medicinal. I can't say either is better than the other - it would probably depend on my mood, but both are worthy permanent fixtures on the liquor shelf. Rated 4.5 / 5.0

2020 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 20

Sunday-Funday ... Day 20 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y. Today, Ardbeg Uigeadail, Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, No Age Statement, 54.2% ABV. I've had this a few times before, but have been looking forward to having it again. 

On the nose, there's floral, pine, some tar in the background, and smokey meat. Taste I find smoke, port, hints of sweet, and citrus. The finish is zesty, smokey, spicy, and just lingers. Adding water, the taste is milder and more sweet, but the finish seems more present. Might get a bit more meat on the nose too. I probably prefer this neat.

This usually sells in the $70s, so while not cheap, not overly expensive either. It's really well balanced, and if you like Ardbeg, this one cranks everything up. I'd rank this up there with any of my favorite Islay Scotch Whiskies - 4.5 / 5.0

2020 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 19

A nice rainy Saturday here in the PNW ... already getting dark out, the joys of December (: First day of my 9 day staycation... so there is that! Today I'm trying Crown Royal Noble Collection Blended Canadian Whisky, 16 Year Rye, coming in at 45% ABV. I have a soft spot in my heart for Crown Royal as it was my go to drink of choice for many years. I've not had the standard Crown for some time, but I thought the standard Crown Royal Rye was all right, so I figured I'd give this a try to see what 16 years might do.

On the nose I get mint, dill, berries and caramel, pretty nice overall. The taste I get the mint, fruit, some dill and the expected Crown smoothness. The finish I get pepper, mint, a hint of wood and maybe some char. Adding some water seems to bring out more mint on the nose, I get a touch more wood on the taste, and it seems more bitter on the finish, I probably prefer this neat.

While this is certainly rye - it's different enough from others I've had lately that I'm glad I tried it. Pretty good overall, was a bit worried it might be too dull and "smooth", but it has some good flavor going. At about $70 a bottle I probably would buy something else or at least try something new before buying this again. Rated 3.5 / 5.0