MrWizard's Ramblings

Catching up on rums, both samples and open bottles.

Rums!

What — Notes — Score

Rhum Clement 2002, Martinique, 17 years single cask, 55.2% — Aged agricole… very old-aged agricole. Tons of cask influence, utterly insane flavors. Somewhat drying vanilla and wood bomb. Weird and interesting. — Score: Yay
Alambique Serrano, Oaxacan/Mexican Unaged Rum, 68.7% — Some sort of unaged single cask of Mexican rum. Drinks like a mix between agricole and ‘regular’ rum. Clean, sweet, slightly grassy. I dig it. Not super exciting but I dig it. — Score: Yay
Fiji 2004, 17 years, Holmes Cay SP #57, 58% — Fijian rum from Holmes Cay!? Sign me up! Rather hot but all that vanilla forward with a touch of funk. It’s delish! Perhaps not outstanding, this leans towards a delicious mix of foursquare profile and somewhat funky agricole/jamaican/guyana profile — Score: Yay
Samaroli Caribbean Rum, 48% — Light base with white-tropical fruits galore and complex secondary flavors that stay mostly subtle — mango, pineapple, a hint of coconut. Sugars, spice, a touch of tobacco, lots of nice touches throughout. Just minutely too light to be truly outstanding. — Score: Yay+
Jamaica 1994-2020 (26), Plantation, 53.6% — This is plantation after all so likely finished in cognac cask. Holy cow this is great stuff. Slightly funky but not too much. Great balance of wood to rum funkyness. Some of the best stuff for me! — Score: Yay+
Foursquare 12, Total Wine Master Series #2, 62% — Ex-bourbon and Ex-sherry. It’s Foursquare… What am I expected to say here? — Score: Yay
Foursquare 14, Total Wine Master Series #4, 62% — Ex-bourbon and Ex-madeira. It’s Foursquare… More wine influence vs sherry sweetness. Gentle spice burn that lingers for a while. Different balance from above but still delicious. — Score: Yay

Malts!

Mars, The Y.A. #1, 52%
Mars The Y.A. #1 is the first release in Mars’ “Yakushima Aging” (Y.A.) series—a limited, NAS blended malt meant to showcase the effects of aging on humid, subtropical Yakushima. It’s fairly wood-forward, with vanilla, light honey, and white-tropical fruits. The palate is somewhat creamy, carrying more tropical notes—leaning pineapple-orange—backed by a near-bitter oak presence rather than char. Supposedly there’s a touch of peat here, but if it exists, it’s buried under the wood. The aftertaste is medium-length and enjoyable, carrying through the palate’s better elements while, thankfully, dropping most of the bitter note. Overall: Young, punchy, and drinkable, though the assertive, somewhat bitter oak keeps it from being more than an occasional or situational sip. Value: N/A; internet pricing around ~$120 sits higher than I’d recommend and that was in 2022.
Score: B

Benriach 15, G&M SP, 59.6%
A 2005 Benriach from refill American hogshead #118. The nose opens with lemonade, minerality, and cereal notes—initially sharp but settling down nicely. The palate is creamy and sweet, with pineapples and sweet orange oil supported by vanilla creaminess and more cereal character. Secondary notes bring chili spice, black pepper, and sweet-heat chilies that carry into a medium-long finish of malty sweetness and a touch of drying pencil shavings. Water pulls the more disjointed layers together, softening transitions and creating a more cohesive experience. Overall: With prominent cereal and citrus notes, this shows a level of flavor impact that exceeds expectations. It’s multilayered, though not fully integrated at full proof, offering complementary yet distinct layers that could interest a connoisseur (HA! Coincidentally, this is a bottle under G&M’s “Connoisseurs’ Choice” brand). A touch of water brings those layers together. However, as is often the case, too much softens its overall impact. Value: N/A, though likely around ~$150 in today’s market—placing it squarely at a solid midpoint on the value bell curve.
Score: B+ (w/ water)

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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown

A local group I’m part of is doing a Christmas Calendar of blind samples 2025 holidays. There are 13 samples with 13 guesses and 13 blind reviews. This is organized by friend Chris, thus the title. The bottles are supposed to be $80+. I’m usually fairly wrong on my guesses but it’s fun to try. I’ll be updating this as I go! Previous year’s events are here:
https://www.aerin.or … y:entry241206-234357
https://www.aerin.or … y:entry231203-180411
https://www.aerin.or … y:entry221204-210258

Name — Brief Notes — Guess: — Like/Dislike — Reveal:

1. KK — Nutty, not very high proof. Rich in vanilla and oak tannins. Low proof helps here. Higher would be dangerously bitter. — Guess: Jack. Heritage Barrel of some sorts — Score: Yay — Reveal:
2. V1 — Proofy… Sharp roasted nuts note, doesn’t overwhelm. Lots of wood. Lots of vanilla too. Quite sweet. Coats the palate and sticks around for a while. — Guess: Heaven Hill. Larceny BP or Old Fitz — Score: Yay — Reveal:
3. JLazz — — Guess: Old Forester SBBP — Score: — Reveal:
4. IT — — Guess: — Score: — Reveal:
5. YN — — Guess: — Score: — Reveal:
6. JL — — Guess: — Score: — Reveal:
7. ML — — Guess: — Score: — Reveal:
8. KJF — — Guess: — Score: — Reveal:
9. KM — — Guess: — Score: — Reveal:
10. MBA — — Guess: — Score: — Reveal:
11. V2 — — Guess: — Score: — Reveal:
12. CB — — Guess: — Score: — Reveal:
13. MH — — Guess: — Score: — Reveal:

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Happy Holidays!

… Wild Turkey Diamond, BuffTurkey 15, Redemption 18 Bourbon…

Geez what a title! Samples time! Courtesy of… Friends!

What — Notes — Score

Westland, Colere #1, 50% — We’ve got dried pineapples, ginger, bitter chocolate, coffee grounds, black pepper at various points start-to-finish. Oddly thin texture, yet a flavor bomb. Lots of big flavors to unpack here, but it’s missing a common thread to tie it together. — Score: Meh+
Westland, Colere #2, 50% — Classical bourbon-casked Scotch notes, interplaying with American malt style, amping up cereal flavors. It invokes thoughts of a young Scotch malt from a new distillery of some sorts. Typical Westland notes are muted, but overall this is balanced and enjoyable. — Score: Yay
Westland, Colere #4, 50% — Yet again classic bourbon-casked Scotch, interplaying with American malt style. Compared to #2 above, the cereal note stands out less. Really reminds me of that Old Malt Cask Speyside scotch. Balanced cereal notes, vanilla, some spice. — Score: Yay
Bimber, Ex-Bourbon Batch #4, 51.2% — I’ve reviewed Batch #3 before. I won’t repeat myself. It’s mostly same, perhaps a little better balanced. Still same deal, starts pretty solid ex-bourbon refill… but the more you drink of it, the less balanced it gets — Score: Meh
Glenmorangie a Tale of the Forest, 46% — The name involuntarily starts invoking earthy notes. Mineral-forward, the malt sweetness is balanced by moderate spice, earthy, not too sweet, not too dry, clean and somewhat wood-smoked palate. This is really good actually, in a simple, but flavorful way — Score: Yay
Glenmorangie a Tale of Winter, 46% — Marsala wine casks at the fore. Warm and gentle spices, honey, toasted nuts, mulled wine. Gentle on the alcohol. The whole thing drinks like a big, warm, winey hug. Definitely for mulled wine lovers, and/or cold weather with that warming aftertaste — Score: Yay
Glenmorangie a Tale of Spices, 46% — A blend of four casks, PX, STR, Red Wine and New Oak. This is less wine-y, more oaky version of Winter above. Granted, at 46% abv there’s not a lot of wiggle room for impact, yet, it is wine, vanilla, sweetness, oak and spices balanced well — Score: Yay
Lindores NAS, Scotch, 46% — Bourbon, Sherry and Wine Barriques. No other info provided. Young, light(ish), reasonably balanced. Grains, lots of spices and some light cask character notes. Doesn’t break the mold, but doesn’t dirty the mold either — Score: Meh+
Frey Ranch, Malted Four Grain Bourbon, SFWS SP 2025, 65.58% — Cask #3048. A bourbon made of 4 malted grains? American Single Malt with a weird mashbill? Hot, woody, grain-forward, yet well aged, no notes of raw distillate here. Did I mention hot? Very nice with a dash of water. — Score: Yay-
Remus VIII, 50.5% — MGP (original) blend. Prominent minwax wood varnish nose, not in a good way. Prominently nutty and woody character with chili spice. Opens up with a little time in a glass but doesn’t quite ensnare my interest. — Score: Meh+
Four Roses 2024, Small Batch Limited Edition 54.1% — Excellent blending technique, good balance, excellent all around. Par excellence, especially for Four Roses fans. Falls solidly into flowery four roses profile without cherry or heavy wood notes of other bourbons. — Score: Yay

Wild Turkey Diamond, 45.5%
This Wild Turkey release commemorates Jimmy Russell’s 60 years of making whiskey. Released in 2014, it’s a blend of 13–16-year casks, and I was genuinely excited for it. The nose has that wonderful character somewhere between a perfume cabinet and a cigar box. The proof is strong enough to make itself known without overwhelming anything. The palate is flavorful, though the texture feels a bit thin—coming across more like an exceptionally good Russell’s Reserve (Eddie’s influence showing) than the old-style Wild Turkey it ought to echo. That said, the flavor is here in spades: dried plums, apricots, apples, loads of leather and baking spices, and an excellent balance of bitter wood against classic sweet bourbon notes. The finish lingers with more dried fruit and wood. The relatively low proof keeps it extremely drinkable without sacrificing flavor. Overall: This lands as an incredibly good Russell’s Reserve rather than a classic Wild Turkey, but the distinction is mostly academic—blind, it’s simply delicious. At the same time, it sits firmly in the ‘excellent bourbons’ cloud without quite crossing into that truly memorable, standout tier. Value: Back in 2014 it was $125, which felt obscene; today it probably tracks with modern Turkey releases in the $250+ zone. Still very expensive—though it is unique and genuinely good. If you’re rich, do as the rich do.
Score: A-

Redemption 18 Bourbon, 51.7%
This is a 2025 release of 18-year-old bourbon distilled at LDI/MGP. The nose is full of sweet, deeply toasted wood, caramels, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. The palate is classic MGP goodness: everything from the nose plus the signature cinnamon, cloves, and a touch of nutmeg spice. The aftertaste lingers with those bittersweet spices, and thanks to the lower proof, they don’t overwhelm—just hang around pleasantly. Overall: Spectacularly executed 18-year-old MGP goodness. I’d drink this any day, every day. The proof is right, the palate is spot-on, and the flavors and textures are exactly where they should be. Value: MSRP is $400… screeching stop! Terrible value! Buy Gatsby Reserve instead—it’s nearly as good for almost half the price.
Score: A

K&L Liquors’ Every Drop 16 (BuffTurkey) Bourbon, 60%
This is the weird one. It’s allegedly Wild Turkey mashbill, distilled at Buffalo Trace 16 years ago and bottled in 2025. Let’s see how it measures up. The nose is surprisingly restrained for the proof, but what does open up hints at good things ahead: plenty of alcohol (unsurprising), hard candy, candied fruits, and caramel apples. The proof is a lot to take in—though that may just be my palate tonight. Classic Kentucky bourbon notes follow: toasted wood, caramel, vanilla, lots of chili spice (that’s new), and a very prominent bubblegum note underneath it all. More chili spice carries into the aftertaste, lingering like a spoonful of sweet-and-hot sauce—pleasant burn, mouthwatering, and making me want more… just not too much more at once. With water, it settles into a still-spicy sip that leans hard into those sugary chili-oil notes. Overall: I’m genuinely not sure what to make of this. On one hand it’s tasty; on the other it’s a bit of a hot mess that somehow still works. Value: At $275 from K&L, it’s worth trying as a sample, but probably not worth buying a bottle unless you’re checking every box: “Kentucky,” “Buffalo Trace,” “Wild Turkey,” “high proof,” “hot mess,” and “flush with cash.”
Score: B+ (Possibly higher)

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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown

Caol Ila 12, Berry Bros & Rudd, 56.5%
A 2010 Caol Ila from Berry Bros & Rudd, bottled in 2022 and finished in a Vin Santo cask (Cask No. 311758), is an intriguing, dessert-leaning dram. For the uninitiated (me included), Vin Santo is an Italian sweet dessert wine — and it shows. The nose is enticing: fresh leather couch and a humidor full of good cigars, with campfire smoke and dark, sweet fruit from the wine cask. The palate opens with sweetness, malt, and peat, then shifts to honey-roasted nuts, finishing with sweet wisps of ash and a tickle of chili pepper. Overall, it’s a smoky but not overwhelming, custardy dessert pour that reads like a sweet smoke box with a rare and enjoyable finish, richly complex and sweetened from the cask much like a fine white dessert wine. If you’re expecting a classic wine-finished malt, this isn’t it. Value: N/A — received from a friend.
Score: A- (Smoked Dessert)

Pulteney 18, Hunter Laing’s Old & Rare, 58.6%
A 2002 Pulteney distillate, aged in a bourbon barrel for 18 years and bottled in 2022 under the Old & Rare label. While this was a single cask sold by K&L, there’s no cask number to report — oh well. Let’s dig in! A classic bourbon-cask, buttery nose with a hint of salt, the signature note for this distillery. The palate is clean and classically structured, with just a trace of wood smoke carried by that same saline note, likely from the cask, as Pulteney’s core distillate is unpeated. Pepper and ginger make their presence known in the secondaries but never dominate. The finish lingers lightly sweet, with vanilla and refined sugars that seem just out of reach. It’s so delicate that adding water makes it somewhat generic — yet also teases out a bit of aged-wood complexity along with a faint, pleasant bitterness. Overall: a strong yet gentle experience; at nearly 60% ABV, it drinks closer to 50%. Respectfully mature, refined, and never overpowering — an elegantly light pour. It’s sweet, slightly white-citrusy, classical, and maybe a touch boring. Value: at $149 in 2022, it wasn’t the cheapest option but not the most expensive either; comfortably average value for its tier at the time. For context, current pricing in 2025 would be about $200.
https://shop.klwines … ucts/details/1642143
Score: B+

Glendronach Cask Strength, Batch 12, 58.2%
Ah, Glendronach — I wax poetic about your whisky on a regular basis. Let’s review another from the Cask Strength series, this time Batch #12. As always, it’s aged in sherry casks — both Oloroso and PX — and bottled at, surprise, cask strength. The nose is sweet: maple syrup, dried plums, and apricots. The palate shows prominent oak, sugars, and an almost surprising level of sweetness — mocha, chocolate, and those same dried fruits — before wrapping up with toasted oak spice. The sweetness nearly overwhelms, throwing the balance off a bit. A pleasant aftertaste lingers, peppery and warm, once the sugar rush fades. Overall: an odd one in the Cask Strength lineup; not bad by any means, but it leans toward an off-profile spiced stone-fruit pie rather than the classical balance of older batches. I don’t dislike it, but I don’t love it nearly as much as past ones. Value: this bottle came from a friend, but at an MSRP of around $100, it’s still a solid deal these days.
Score: B

Glenlivet 16, Total Wine SP, Signatory Vintage, 64%
A 2006 Glenlivet aged 16 years in a 1st-fill sherry butt, selected as a single cask for Total Wine by Signatory Vintage (Cask #900793). The nose hits with a deep “wood mastic paste” note from my childhood — woody, slightly sulfuric, toasted-wax vibes — along with a noticeable punch of ABV. The palate is a fairly standard sherried Speyside: dark fruits, toasted wood, and cask spices in good balance, but the proof is intense and comes across a bit hot when neat. A touch of water opens it up nicely, reveals more spice in the secondary notes, and the finish mirrors the palate with the same wood-and-spice character. Overall: doesn’t break new ground, but what it does, it does well — water strongly recommended to bring the proof to a comfortable range. Value: I recall this being around $130 at Total Wine; not cheap, but not unreasonable in today’s market for a 16-year single cask from a major Speyside malt.
Score: B (w/ water)

Glenturret 14, Gordon & MacPhail, 52.8%
A single cask from 2005, part of Gordon & MacPhail’s Connoisseur’s Choice line, aged 14 years in a 1st-fill sherry hogshead and bottled in 2019. Right on the nose this screams “quality cask”: spicy old-school sherry notes without sulfur, like chocolate milk with raisins — rich but not cloyingly sweet. The palate follows through with balanced sherry richness, more chocolate-and-raisin character, plenty of toasted oak spice, and the finish carries toasted wood, cask spice, and roasted almonds. Overall: this is an extremely well-done bottle — superb malt-and-sherry integration and a cask that feels like one of the high-quality, old-style sherry barrels rather than modern rushed seasoning. It may be a bit what-you-see-is-what-you-get and lacking some deeper subtleties that more age might reveal, yet it’s still a very good one. If I didn’t already own too many bottles, I should have bought two. Value: an absolute bargain at $99, especially since it resurfaced at a local shop at pre-2025 pricing.
Score: A-

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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown

If you’re noticing that my reviews are coming out further apart, it’s not a coincidence. The amount of ‘new’ things to review have slowed down and I swear, this is becoming more and more of a chore. I’m basically coming to the point where I’m just almost willing to write ‘this is a good/bad whiskey’ and not elaborate further.

First, a couple of armagnacs!

What — Notes — Score

Pellehaut 18, 2005-2025, 50% — This is a single Cask but I don’t know from where. Punchier than the proof suggests. Somewhat subtle nose suggests safety, it lies. Toasty, woody vanilla and sichuan spice from the palate onwards. Extremely consistent beginning to end on notes. Highly enjoyable for its liveliness — Score: Yay
Domaine de Jean Bon 32, 1992, SiB, 48.5% — Spice creme brulee nose. Heavily toasted, but not burnt, wood dominates. Strong vanilla extract vibes. Well balanced, woody, toasty, sweet palate. Lots of complex spices in a lingering aftertaste. OOoh I like this one. — Score: Yay+

Gold Spot 9, 51.4%
A limited release by the “Spot” producer Mitchell & Son, this whiskey was bottled in 2022 to celebrate their 135th anniversary. It is a pot still Irish whiskey, so as typical, it features a blend of grain and malt. The nose is somewhat woody, complex, vanilla-forward, and sweet. The palate is a bit thin in texture with the expected grain notes, yet it delivers a surprisingly complex range of flavors. There’s a lot happening here: baking spices, toasted sugars, soda pop rocks, and dried orchard fruits, with red apples and strawberry notes leading the way. The finish lingers, reminiscent of a heavily spiced custard tart. Overall, it’s very enjoyable and reminds me of Blue Spot’s mature, well-behaved cousin that aims to please—if you don’t mind a touch of grain in the glass. Value-wise, at $109 it’s about $10 higher than it should be, but still a fair price for what you get.
Score: B+

Port Dundas 15 Single Grain, K&L SP, SigVin, 62.3%
A K&L store pick, this Port Dundas comes from a refill oloroso sherry butt by Signatory Vintage, set in late 2024 and originally distilled in 2008, cask number 585849. The color is straw. The nose is unapologetically pungent with grain, vanilla, and a touch of oloroso sherry funk. The palate is clearly grain-driven and somewhat thin, yet it surprises with Sichuan peppers and baking spices layered over an absolute vanilla bomb. The medium-length finish leans toasted, woody, and heavy on vanilla. Overall, the nose is arguably the weak point, but the palate delivers enough flavor to make it reasonably enjoyable—though hot with both proof and spice. While I stand by my earlier resolution that sub-20-year-old single grains are best avoided, this one isn’t bad. It wouldn’t be my first choice to pour, but it’s far from a drain pour. Value: at $50, I’m fine with the price.
Score: C

Compass Box, Myths & Legends II (Glen Elgin), 46%
Version two of the Myths and Legends series from Compass Box is 100% Glen Elgin in origin, while version one (previously reviewed) was 100% Balblair. As before, this is a demonstration of the art of blending a single malt, though I’m somewhat incredulous about the premise since it generally just makes it… well… a single malt. According to the internet, this is intentional mislabeling due to quirks of UK labeling laws and to contradict the perception that blends are bad. The nose is orchard fruits, honeyed pears, some tropical fruits as well, but those that resemble their temperate counterparts. The palate is very bourbon oak–dominated without being overwhelming, with a velvet texture and mouthfeel, potpourri, vanilla, baking spices, and some numbing pepperiness. The finish lingers more or less like the palate, gently fading. Overall: Enjoyable Speyside-driven ex-bourbon “blend” that fits perfectly into my shelf spot reserved for this exact profile—an excellent performer that doesn’t break new ground but doesn’t fall behind. Value: MSRP was reportedly $150, which is quite premium, though I got mine at a bargain; notable since Glen Elgin original bottlings aren’t available in the U.S.
Score: B+

Ben Nevis 10, Signatory Vintage, 56.9%
Ben Nevis 10, Signatory Vintage, aged in an Oloroso sherry butt, is a curious little number that punches above its modest age. This is specifically the K&L Exclusive. The sherry influence is upfront but not suffocating—dark dried fruits, raisins, and cocoa mingle with some leather notes and malt while keeping everything in a semblance of balance. On the palate it’s oily and textured, with leather, baking spices, and a gentle nuttiness rounding out the sherry sweetness; there’s a tiny bite of pepper that keeps it from getting too cozy. The finish lingers pleasantly, warming the chest without overstaying its welcome. Overall: a solid, flavorful 10-year sherry-forward Ben Nevis—well-balanced and satisfying. It’s somewhat difficult to truly find a malt character here, or at least separate the cask from the liquor, yet I’m not complaining: the result is vibrant, agile, somewhat sweet, and reminiscent of boozy walnut and cranberry rye bread from Costco. Value: I spent $60 on this… yeah, it’s well worth it. In a pleasant surprise, it punches well above its label weight.
This: https://shop.klwines … ucts/details/1753469
Score: B+

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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown