Monthly Archives: July 2014

Jefferson’s 10 YO Rye, Batch 11

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Jefferson's 10 Rye
This is a 100% rye from an unnamed Canadian source. This source is thought by many to be Alberta Distillers, who are also the source of the similarly 100% rye bottled as Whistlepig in Vermont. This is at a lower proof at 45%. I have now exhausted my knowledge on the subject, so let’s get straight to the review.

Jefferson’s 10 Year Rye (47%; Batch 11; from a sample received in a swap)

Nose: Quite sweet with pine and dill. Some toasted oak right below along with some cool mint. With another minute or so of air I’m getting some maple syrup and some caramel. The oak gets quite perfumed as it sits and the dill and pine intensify. Water brings out some nice cereally notes. Continue reading →

Sazerac Rye

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Sazerac Rye
Continuing with the theme of younger siblings of releases from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, here is the Sazerac Rye, a 6 yo*. It just barely clears the requirements for being labeled a rye whiskey, being distilled from only a 51% rye mashbill. Though it bears the Sazerac name I believe this is supposed to be the same whiskey as is sold as Thomas H. Handy in the annual Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, only cut down to 45%. (If that’s not true please write in a correction below.) Unlike the Thomas H. Handy, however, it is both easy to find and very affordable (and easier to find and cheaper than the Stagg Jr. as well).

*As per Patrick’s comment below, there is apparently no confirmation that this is a 6 yo and I realize that Bryan’s label has the words “I think” after 6 yo. So this may not indeed be a 6 yo. Continue reading →

Stagg Jr.

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Stagg Jr.The Stagg Jr. from Buffalo Trace is probably mostly an attempt to cash in on the George T. Stagg name more than once a year. It’s received very mixed reviews from the bourbon cognoscenti and so you will all be relieved that one who knows so little about bourbon is able to make the final pronouncement. Here you go!

Stagg Jr. (67.2%; from a sample received in a swap)

Nose: Some caramel sweetness but also a lot of sharp, dusty wood. As it settles the caramel gets richer with some orange peel but this is crazy hot. I’m going to wait a bit but this baby needs water. With time there’s more rye’ish notes: cold tea, some pine. Okay, letting this breathe for a good while is a good thing: not as woody now and there’s more fruit (plum). But it’s still pretty hot. With even more time the fruit intensifies but there’s just a little too much wood. With a lot of water the wood and heat recede and it’s now all about caramel and toffee and fruit (plum and overripe banana with a bit of orange peel). Continue reading →

Piccolo II: The Re-Piccoloning

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We enjoyed our dinner at Piccolo in March so much that when it came time for figuring out where to go for our anniversary dinner last month it was the first place we both came up with. We were interested to see if it would be consistent with the level of creativity and execution of our first meal—I’m pleased to report that it was and that we enjoyed this meal even more. Continue reading →

Koval, Lion’s Pride, Dark Rye

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Koval, Lion’s Pride Dark Rye, Barrel 198
Koval is a small distillery in Illinois who’ve released a number of whiskeys made from 100% mashbills of various kinds of grains (there’s also oat and millet) as well as a bourbon which has millet in place of the usual rye and barley complement, and a four grain whiskey from oat, wheat, rye and malted barley. They currently also have an aged 100% rye and a 100% white rye but this Dark Rye (I don’t know what “dark rye” is) doesn’t seem to be part of their current/continuing lineup. So, clearly they’re doing interesting stuff—but is it any good?

It’s not just the Dark Rye that’s gone, by the way. Their current releases don’t sport the “Lion’s Pride” moniker either. I believe the early releases were all dubbed Lion’s Pride for the owners’ son who is apparently named Lion.

Lion’s Pride Dark Rye (40%; Barrel 198; from a sample received in a swap) Continue reading →

Woodford Reserve

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Woodford Reserve
Of the major bourbon producers and distilleries, Woodford Reserve and their owners Brown-Forman, are probably the least loved by bourbon geeks. People like the vicious Sku have made their careers on blood feuds with this proud company and scion of American Tradition. As a general neophyte in the world of bourbon, and being studiously opposed to controversy myself, I take no position on these matters; though I do feel, as a matter of principle, that powerful bloggers like Sku should be more supportive and nurturing towards small, brave companies trying to make it in a hard-scrabble world.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Woodford Reserve is on almost no one’s list of great American bourbons, and has the kind of reputation that keeps cautious people like me from purchasing bottles or even a pour in a bar on spec. But when you’re flying international on Delta and Woodford Reserve is their “house” bourbon and you get a complimentary miniature that you never get around to drinking because one of your children turns into an utter bastard before you get to it…well, then months after that flight you get around to finally drinking and reviewing it. Continue reading →

Reviewing, Revisiting and Revising (And Other Thoughts on Blogging Practice)

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This is a post in everyone’s favourite genre: blogger blogging about blogging. It’s your lucky day.

As the two or three people who read this blog regularly and read both the new posts and the recent comments know, I sometimes (but not as often as I should) go back to bottles I have previously reviewed and add fresh comments (not to the original review itself but in the comments section); and in some cases suggest a new score based on the later tasting. Sometimes I find the whisky to be unchanged or not significantly changed, but usually I find a shift in emphases in notes (most commonly) or a complete disappearance of some notes (not unusually) or the appearance of completely new notes (rarely). None of this is surprising news to anyone who drinks bottles down slowly over time—whiskies change in the bottle with time and air and their mutability is part of what makes them interesting. But it does raise some (unoriginal) questions about reviewing and scoring (not just on blogs). Continue reading →

Glen Grant 17, 1993 (Whiskybroker)

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Glen Grant 17, 1993, WhiskybrokerThis Glen Grant 17 is from Whiskybroker the low-priced indie outfit of Martin Armstrong, the son of Raymond Armstrong, who was till recently one of the principals behind the revived Bladnoch distillery. Bladnoch’s fate continues to be unclear but Whiskybroker seems to be going strong. More power to them and their reasonable prices—though I have to say I have not been very highly impressed by many of their bottles that I’ve tried (I did like this Bowmore more than the others). Let’s see if this Glen Grant bucks the “trend”.

Glen Grant 17, 1993 (55%; Whiskybroker; from a purchased sample)

Nose: Quite spirity at first but as it settles there is a mouth-watering fruitiness (apples, a touch of pear) along with a lot of malt and sweet vanilla; just a little bit of grassiness too. After a minute or two more acidic notes emerge (lime peel, kiwi) and then get quite intense before merging with the buttery, vanilla sweet note. Really quite lovely. A drop of water emphasizes the lime at first but there’s a slight turn to a muskier, almost tropical sweet-sour note. Continue reading →

Compass Box, Great King Street

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Compass Box, Great King StreetCompass Box seem to have the whisky geek version of “most favoured nations” status but try as I might I have not yet come across an expression from this innovative bottler that to my palate has matched its reputation, story or stylish presentation (though I did like the Eleuthera). I should say in advance that this is also true of this bottle of Great King Street (which is a blend of single malt and grain whisky). I opened this as well for our local whisky group’s June tasting and it wasn’t just my lowest whisky of the night, it was pretty much everyone’s—and everyone but me was tasting everything blind. As with all their whiskies, it does have a nice label and an evocative name. Unlike most of their whiskies it’s at 43%.

Compass Box, Great King Street (43%; from my own bottle)

Nose: Mild sweet fruit (apples mostly) and a light grassy note. With more time there’s some soft, buttery oak and some cream. With more time there’s some citrus mixed in with the sweet fruit. Continue reading →

Bowmore 16, 1996 (Faultline)

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Bowmore 16, 1996, Faultline
This Bowmore 16 was one of K&L’s cask selections for 2013 that was delayed and finally arrived in early 2014. It’s been the subject of some mixed reviews since, with at least one prominent (ex?)blogger recording very less than enthused notes on it while the purveyor reports that many customers like it a lot (see the comments on Tim’s post). Me, I’ve not had any bad mid-1990s Bowmores, especially from sherry casks and so I was not overly bummed to read Tim’s pan. Bowmore can be an idiosyncratic spirit and there are other bottles, official and indie, from the distillery that I seem to like a lot more than many others.

Accordingly, I opened the bottle for our local group’s tasting in June and the response was all over the map. A few in the group had it as their top whisky of the night, a few had it at the bottom, and most had it somewhere in the middle (we drink one ounce each of four whiskies). Personally, I liked the nose and thought it was otherwise pedestrian but not objectionable. The bottle went to the halfway mark that night and I haven’t tried it since. Let’s see what I make of it now. Continue reading →

Talisker 18 (2011 Release)

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Talisker 18In my review yesterday of the Talisker 18 from 2007 I noted that I’d purchased that one for $49 in 2007 right before the price started climbing steadily. Well, in early 2012 when the average price for the Talisker 18 was at $80 or higher in the US a well-known store in Kentucky (which no longer ships) offered it at $59. Once again, I was an idiot and only got one bottle. It was right after this that the 18 yo disappeared briefly and then returned in new packaging with the shocking $140 price tag. I’ve not bought any since or tasted any Talisker 18 from 2012 or after, but am happy to report that this iteration from 2011 is pretty good.

Talisker 18 (45.8%; 2011 Release; from my own bottle)

Nose: More peat right off the bat than in the 2007 and it’s both more phenolic and more farmy (though not very phenolic or farmy per se). The fruit begins to emerge after a bit: it’s in the same family as the 2007 (apricot, orange peel) but less pronounced. A couple of minutes later there’s some struck matches and a fair bit of brine. The citrus gets a little brighter and stronger with time and eventually the apricot comes out much more strongly as well. A few drops of water and the fruit is even more to the fore. Continue reading →

Talisker 18 (2007 Release)

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Talisker 18, 2007 ReleaseI purchased the bottle of Talisker 18 that this came from when I first moved to Minnesota in 2007. At the time it was available for $49.99 at a store in Minneapolis that was well-known for very low prices on a surprisingly decent selection of whisky. (Alas, in recent years that selection has shrunk and the prices have risen.) At the time I didn’t pay any attention to the doings of the industry or to prices in general and so failed to stock up big time. By the time I finished the last of the bottles I’d bought (this one) the Talisker 18 had become scarcer and its price had risen quite sharply (close to $80 in most markets). And then a couple of years ago Diageo dropped the boom on us by raising the price even more dramatically ($140 in most markets). As to whether this was due to dwindling older stock and/or because they want to premiumize 18 yo whisky (a la Macallan) while releasing more NAS whisky at prices that seem comparatively much cheaper but are much higher than they should be (see the new Storm, Dark Storm and Port Ruighe) I don’t know but I suspect the latter. At any rate, as much as I like the Talisker 18 I’m not about to pay $140 for it, and so I’m pleased to see recent signs that the price may be dropping (a sign possibly that lots of other consumers feel the same way). Continue reading →

Little Szechuan, West End

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As I’ve noted before, Little Szechuan was the first restaurant in the Twin Cities to put Sichuan food front and center. The original location on University Avenue was ground central for the mini-Sichuan boom in the area, spawning not just its own branches in St. Louis Park and in Minneapolis but also launching Grand Szechuan, which came into existence in Bloomington when the original chef of Little Szechuan, Chef Luo, left with all the kitchen staff. Grand Szechuan too spawned its own branch in Plymouth but that has since shut down. Continue reading →

Talisker 57 North

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Talisker 57 NorthIn yesterday’s review I noted that the Talisker 10 packs quite a punch at 45.8% and would likely be a monster at cask strength. Well, the Talisker 57 North is at 57%. It’s not a 10 yo, however. No age is noted but the rumour is that it is mostly 7 years old. Of course, as no age is noted the distillery can change the mix from batch to batch without having to change the label. This was originally available only in duty-free but can now be found in regular retail too (though not in the US). It may now be the only non-stratospherically priced official release at a high strength. As to whether that will last or this will give way to its NAS brethren at lower strengths remains to be seen.

This particular bottle is from 2013.

Talisker 57 North (57%; from my own bottle) Continue reading →

Talisker 10, 2009 Release

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Talisker 10
The Talisker 10 is an all-time classic and one of my favourite whiskies…except I don’t think I’ve had it in more than a couple of years (as per my spreadsheet, not since October 2010 but that seems unlikely). Word on the street is that its quality may have slipped. As always with Diageo, it is hard to separate dislike of the giant global conglomerate and its practices from one’s feelings about individual products. At any rate, I can’t judge potential decline here as this (recently opened) bottle is from 2009 which is probably from before the narrative of decline kicks in.

Talisker 10 (45.8%; from my own bottle)

Nose: Hot tarmac and then a sweet, slightly rubbery note transitioning to minerally peat. Quite a bit of salt too after a minute and some fruit lurking below (dried orange peel, a bit of apricot). And shiver my timbers if I’m not also getting some of those floral, quasi-mezcal’ish notes I got on the nose of the Speakeasy. Those notes go away with time though. Water softens the nose a bit, pushing the salt back and pulling out some vanilla. With more time there’s some gunpowder/rock salt too. Continue reading →

Tyrconnell 10, Madeira Finish

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Tyrconnell 10, Madeira Finish
I’ve not been very high on very many, if any, of the few Irish whiskies I’ve reviewed on the blog but my most surprising review may have been of the regular NAS Tyrconnell, which I didn’t think was great but liked more than most people seem to. This probably means my response to Irish whiskey is anomalous and not worth paying attention to. You will therefore find very enjoyable my review of yet another Irish whiskey, also a Tyrconnell, this time 10 years old and finished in madeira casks.

Tyrconnell 10, Madeira Finish (46%; from a sample received in a swap)

Nose: A combination of citrus and wine cask notes (red fruit, incense). A bit of grassiness and some salt as well. It doesn’t take very long for the madeira notes to come to the top and it now smells very much like a generic red wine cask finished whisky. Some oak spice and some other resinous wood emerge too. With more time the red wine notes recede a little and the citrus returns (orange peel) along with some mild floral notes and a bit of caramel. Continue reading →

Arran Port Cask Finish

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Arran Port CaskI’ve previously reviewed a single bourbon cask Arran and a single sherry cask Arran. This one is not, I believe, a single cask, and it is in any case not matured for the full term in port casks, merely finished in them–though for how long I don’t know. I’m not sure either how old it is. It’s hard to stop up this gushing fount of useful information but it’s time to taste the whisky.

Arran Port Cask Finish (50%; from a sample received in a swap)

Nose: Nutty and raisiny with just a little bit of cherry syrup. After a minute or two there’s some citrus–some orange peel and some lime–and a mild grassy note. The grassy note actually picks up with time and the lime gets stronger too. With water the citrus is mixed in with some melon and there’s some toffee too. Some of the candied sweetness from the palate shows up here too now. Continue reading →