MrWizard's Ramblings

Secret Speyside 2008, 15 years old, Faultline/K&L SP, 55%
Faultline is K&L’s private label. This is a 15-year-old Speyside Scotch. As per the website, it’s mentioned that it’s either Glenrothes or Macallan (or not, or a mix of the two—who knows). The cask is almost guaranteed to be ex-bourbon, with the color of fresh straw. The nose is very typical of the Speyside style: orchard fruits. The palate is gentle despite the proof—dried biscuits, toasted grains, perhaps some walnut skins, burnt honey. The aftertaste is mellow malt, a touch of near-bitter barrel char, and baking spices that linger for quite a while.
Overall: Surprisingly enjoyable. A good blend of malt and cask that’s not overwhelming, yet brings a good amount of character into the glass. It is not mind-blowing, yet very enjoyable at the end of the day.
Value: At 50!? For 15-year-old malt? YES!
This: https://shop.klwines … ucts/details/1840739
Score: B+

Cameronbridge 12, SigVin/K&L SP, Single Grain Scotch 62.9%
SigVin stands for Signatory Vintage, of course. Aged for 12 years in a 1st fill bourbon barrel. This is potent from the bottle. The nose is a mix of cask spices and rubbing alcohol, reminding me somewhat of a light cologne or a fancy aftershave. After some time in the glass, some ripe bananas and tropical fruit notes show up… but it doesn’t become any less potent. The palate starts sweet, then quickly swings into fairly intense and somewhat funky young distillate, toasted oak notes, then changes again into intense chili peppers and baking spices backed by strong alcohol. The finish is medium-short and mostly a combination of sweetness and those chili peppers fading away. Some water relieves the intensity but amplifies that somewhat yeasty funk. Water is recommended—but with caution.
Overall: An oxymoronic cask that, by all accounts, should never have been tasting as good as it is. It’s got its shortcomings for sure, but it’s a fun one.
Value: At $40, this was still a gamble… but even then, it’s hard to lament such a low price.
This: https://shop.klwines … ucts/details/1789691
Score: B-

Courage & Conviction 6, Fino Sherry, K&L SP, 60.5%
An American malt here, picked by Brendan P, cask #1718, aged its entire life in a fino sherry cask. If you’re not familiar, fino sherry is a very dry sherry—rather than the typical sweetness one would expect from other sherry examples. A side note: I’m a little sad they either stopped including neck ribbons, or my particular bottle didn’t get one. Let’s dig in! The nose has strong alcohol, herbal notes, and dry toasted wood dominating, backed by some sort of dried fruit leather. The palate is quite dry and oddly gentle, coming in from a reasonably rough nose. We’ve got almond nuttiness, herbs, some chili spices, and burnt vanilla that’s not too sweet. The aftertaste lingers with drying herb notes and more chili almonds—more specifically, drying, toasted almond skins.
Overall: Fans of very good sherry bombs that aren’t too sweet should apply. This gives some of the best (heavily sherried) Scotch a run for its money. Dry, punchy, malty, herbaceous, nutty—it’s got it all. Very good one for sure. Do note that it does need a moment to open up in the glass, and to be fair, that nose… is a touch disjointed from the rest.
Value: Ooooh boy… I picked it up on clearance for 25% off the original. Though I’d been watching it like a hawk for a while, I snagged it as soon as it went on sale. Somewhat of a break-even compared to its competition at the original MSRP of $100—if there are plenty of bottles in the backlog, definite buy on discount.
This: https://shop.klwines … ucts/details/1719095
Score: B+

A side-by-side:
Balvenie 15, Original Bottling, Single Cask #1570, 47.8%
Did I mention I like my Balvenie? This is a single cask from the distillery, dated 28/01/98 – 08/11/13, and aged in a bourbon cask. Okay, look, it’s an older Balvenie from when the quality was simply stellar. Toasted vanilla honey on the nose, very slightly metallic with dried red apple skins. The palate is somewhat gentle, offering more of those toasted almond skins, maltiness, cereal notes, orange rind, some vanilla, and a velvety texture. Surprisingly not too sweet or fruity for a Speyside malt—this one leans more into a toasted, roasted grains profile. A long aftertaste turns into prominent cask spices and finishes with a touch of chili cinnamon.
Overall: Extremely enjoyable, if a touch spicy for a casual drinker bottling. I wouldn’t describe this as a “smooth” drink, but more of a spicy snack. Though, add a little touch of water and it smooths out into a stunningly approachable pour for anyone.
Value: N/A due to being a legacy bottle.
Score: B+
vs
The Huntley (Balvenie) 25, K&L SP, Faultline, 51.2%
An oddball side-by-side, considering the 10 years of aging difference here. This is an independently bottled 25-year-old single cask from 1998, aged in a sherry hogshead. I’ll note that this isn’t super dark—almost matching the ex-bourbon cask above—so very likely a refill or second-fill cask. The nose has dried oranges dominating orchard apple-pears, with the alcohol giving it all a warm hug. The palate starts out sherry-sweet but very quickly veers into prominent dry baking spices and chili peppers, somewhat spoiling the enjoyment by overwhelming the palate. There’s some sort of jam and herbaceousness to this experience that lingers for a while in the aftertaste too. Water thankfully takes some of the edge off and brings in rather notable orange oil notes, allowing the toasted wood to let its presence be known after hiding well—considering the age.
Overall: This is a multilayered, highly complex, spicy, and interesting bottle. I feel it benefits from a few drops of water to tone down the intensity that fights with the complexity.
Value: Priced at $250, I’ve not bought it myself—because I’m poor—but it’s certainly no slouch on the “reasonable” value side, especially considering how much comparable Balvenie OBs go for.
This: https://shop.klwines … ucts/details/1840740
Score: A-
So, the sherried Balvenie OB won… But, also, come on! It’s a sherried Balvenie 25! Jokes aside, it may not have been a truly fair side by side due to cask types and age, but I’ll call myself the winner cause I got to try both. Ultimately, one is somewhat casually enjoyable pour for a lighter weather and the other one is more complex and contemplative for deep thoughts in front of a fireplace.
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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown

Here we go again!

What — Notes — Score

Catador Itinerante EU Malts:

Four European (not scotch) Malts… that are a little different. Slyrs is from Germany and Broger is from Austria. Consider the grades to be separate from the typical scotch grading.

Catador Itinerante Slyrs 9 Years Pineau des Charentes Finish, 55.9% — Red fruits on the nose. Cherry pie? Ooooh… spiced cherry pie, in a good way. Clean and consistent experience of malt in a wine cask. No water needed. — Score: B
Catador Itinerante Slyrs 7 Years Sauternes Finish, 55.4% — Fruity-sweet nose, baked apples, toasted honey. Chili pepper and simple syrup. Secondary flavors and aftertaste complexity fall somewhat short. Water makes it more consistent front-to-back, but weakens the flavors — Score: B-
Catador Itinerante Broger 10 Years Smoked Oloroso Sherry, 71.6% — Smoked coffee notes on the nose. Multilayered palate with old oak and good oloroso cask influence. Drinks under its proof. Darkly herbal and medicinal, balanced by proof and sweetness. Not-quite-tannic, yet deeply toasted and oaky, somewhat smoky aftertaste. — Score: B
Catador Itinerante Broger 13 Years French Oak Madeira Finish, 62.1% — Coffee liqueur nose! Dark chocolate liquor palate. Dark and sweet espresso with date syrup concentrate. Sticks around forever on the aftertaste. After-dinner dessert, herbal and somewhat drying — Score: B+

Rums:

Guyana 13 (Diamond), Hamilton SP, Port Mourant PMP, 55.7% — Somewhat funky vanilla, minty, tropical, heavy on flavor, light on cask char. Basically vanilla, chili spices, light mintiness throughout. Falls somewhere in-between on the funky-to-tropical scale of Guyanese rums — Score: B+
Jamaica Hampden Pagos, 52% — Somewhat funky, yet balanced vanilla, lots of sherry cask influence. Surprisingly balanced sweetness with toasted notes and cask spices. Very enjoyable for those that like this sort of funky, wood varnish, sweet and slightly bitter profile — Score: A-
1992 Cuba 31, Wu Dram Clan SP, 50.7% — A bit of a treat for myself. It’s *dark*. It’s very vanilla forward. It’s sweet. It’s almost like a creme puff in my mouth or spiced vanilla custard. It’s somewhat straightforward, but there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s good stuff for vanilla sugar rum enthusiasts. Also Cuba, so I shared some with my dad who loved it — Score: A-
Mount Gay 1703. 6 years old. Madeira Cask. 55% — Wood, alcohol heat, some madeira influence. Did i mention lots of heat here? Sweetness of rum mixes well with cask spice and wood notes and gives it an illusion that it’s older than it is. Oddly, reminds me of Foursquare ex-bourbon bottlings. Plenty of flavor but not a lot of depth here, relying on cask to make up for age — Score: B+
Privateer Convergence #132, 7 years. Queen’s Share Yankee, Ex-bourbon Cask, 59.6% — Heck of a name to type out and that’s not even all the info from the label. The nose is young and booze-forward, opening into honey and some grassy sugars with time. It’s basically hot vanilla sugar. More sugar, some grain and vanilla on the palate. Dusting of clove in the aftertaste notes. Kinda reminds me of single grain scotch. It’s probably better used as a mixer — Score: C-
Privateer Echelon #130, 7 years. Queen’s Share Yankee, American Oak, 62.7% — Close markee but notably better than it’s counterpart above. Now actually balanced on flavors. The cask offsets alcohol nicely bringing restrained wood to the hot vanilla sugar, thus balancing it. Still somewhat light and sweet overall, this is much better package overall. Still somewhat single grain scotch-y… but much better version this time — Score: B
Privateer Fulcrum #131, 7 years, New England, New Oak, 59.4% — Now we’re talking! Toasted vanilla wood. Nice balance between spirit and cask influence. Peppermint, caramel, vanilla pancake. A little young and lively but nearing the sweet spot — Score: B+
2000 Chairman’s Reserve 21, St Lucia. Fred Minnick/Seebach’s, 63% — John Dore 1 Still. Glorious wood bomb! Eucalyptus oil, vanilla, not super thick or overpowering. This is fantastic. Not overly funky or medicine-forward, while still retaining a very strong character of that herbal apothecary shop full of dried herbs and essential oils. Easy score here — Score: A-
1998 Chairman’s Reserve 21, St Lucia. Fred Minnick/Seebach’s, 67.7% — John Dore 1 Still. Somehow darker and more concentrated than the above, but it drinks softer. Holy cow, this is good one indeed. Repeat all the notes from above, but make it better balanced by sweet vanilla and toasted oak. — Score: A

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

Bourbon samples? Bourbon samples!

Baker’s 13, bottled in 2020, 53.5%
Obviously, this is Beam. The series is bottled from a slew of different casks, all bottled at 107 proof. So Beam, 2020, 13 years old, single cask, no idea what cask this came out of from. The nose is very classical oaky beam, sour cherries, some sorts of fruits in general, dash of musty summer shed. Lots of cinnamon and toasted barrel spices, vanilla, more fruits from the nose, something sweet and toasted too, surprisingly intense wood for the proof. Aftertaste is sort of a gentle fall with more of the same from the palate that lingers for a bit, slightly drying. Overall: Enjoyable on it’s own and somewhat reminding me of a softer KC2001… Value: About $100 was the msrp at the time… maybe okay for the pretty bottle and shelf presence? But still mostly overpriced as majority of ‘premium’ bourbons.
Score: B+

Found North 17 year old, Batch 006, 64.1%
This is most likely mostly a bourbon with 87% corn, 12% rye, 1% barley. This is in fact blended canadian whiskey so good chance it didn’t meet bourbon definition due to casks. Batch 6, lets go! Strong vanilla notes on the nose, lively with fresh oak-forward notes. Lots of hungarian oak on the palate which is yet again surprisingly spicy for such a low rye content. Aftertaste is slightly disappointing and fades way quicker than i’d prefer into somewhat of a malty sweetness, yet again surprising, due to very low malt contents. Water does good here to soften the impact. With about 20 minutes of resting in a glass, if you got the time, the rye bite softens into something much more integrated, and mouth-coating, and very delicious, and it gets better the longer it sits in the glass. Overall: Blindly, without rest, I’d say it was a rye. It sure drinks like a rye. A very very good rye. With rest… it’s sweet and spicy and quite possibly amazing. Value: Seen that its smrp was around $125… I’ll not going to say it’s too expensive for the quality, but it’s not cheap either.
Score: B+ (A- with long rest in glass)

Found North 18 Canadian Rye, Second Summit, 64.9%
Looks like this is specifically a second release of batch 006 Found North rye, this one finished in PX casks. I do wonder what motivated that decision. Either way, thanks friend Christian L for this sample! The nose is sweet pine candy dusted with peppermint. The palate is more sweet pine candy, dusted with mint, some sort of berry reduction, french toast drowning in syrup. Medium-long aftertaste brings in more peppermint, cinnamon, hot chili, baking spices and some oak. Surprisingly mount-watering instead of drying. Overall: Some sort of spicy, outdoorsy, minty cake with berry jam all over it. Rather too sweet for me to be honest… think spicy and very sweet midwinter’s night dram as a rough approximation. Value: Priced at 140-160 at the time… it’s a pass for me personally, be sure to try it at a bar!
Score: B+

Maker’s Mark Lost Recipe 24-01 (Mocha), 55.95%
This is arguably ‘exclusive’ costco recipe of the Maker’s stave profile of 13060 formula, notably with roasted french mocha staves vs newer ones. The nose is very pleasant and falls somewhere between perfume and sweet cologne. The palate starts flowery, fruity and warm at the beginning and then descends into fiery barrel spice… Thankfully it doesn’t get too overwhelming on the spices. Sweet and somewhat drying oak follows in the medium-long aftertaste. Overall: This doesn’t quite evoke mocha for me… but it is a VERY enjoyable pour from Maker’s which is a lot. There’s almost none of their bottles I’ve truly enjoyed. Of the recent bottlings this falls somewhere between hearts and cellar-aged on the ‘i like this’ ratings for me, so take that as you will. Value: Priced at 59 in costco this is a very solid deal. The cask strength is cheaper but is basically a mixer and cellar aged is not even remotely in the price range i would consider paying.
Score: B

A bunch of Old Carters thanks for my friend Vadim!

Old Carter Bourbon, Batch 4, 58.4%
The nose is somewhat restrained for the proof and it takes an effort to tease anything out of it initially. On the other side, there are some pretty epic legs on the glass as I swish it around, getting me excited. Candied corn, butterscotch candy, oak, spices, not too rye-forward, well-balanced palate. Aftertaste is somewhat uninspiring but the baking spices linger in the back of the palate for a while, lightly bitter and oaky. Overall: A very drinkable bourbon that’s well balanced and well blended, this offers something for everyone, and works really hard to not be offensive to anyone. The downside being that it also doesn’t stand out in a meaningful way beyond being a ‘good bourbon’. In short, “I am enjoying it today”, and that statement can be said about most good bourbon bottles. I’ll re-iterate that this is an absolute monster in the balance department; so the blender did an amazing job here. Value: Oh, hell no… Originally priced at $200+. No.
Score: B+

Old Carter American Whiskey, Batch 3, 69.05%
I’ve reviewed this before… But let’s revisit even if briefly. High proof nose, with oak and mint. Sweet, well balanced palate with plenty of spices, butterscotch, toasted oak, vanilla (and yet again some mint). This leans towards lighter medium of the bourbon palate with nutmeg and cinnamon instead of cherry and deep oak. Think of Barton and not Buffalo Trace. Medium-length aftertaste that mostly follows what was on the palate. Water easily throws the palate out of balance, so be cautious about adding a ‘random’ amount. Overall: This is an excellent bottle of booze. Perhaps not for everyone, but it’s up my alley. As seems to be the norm with Caters… Excellent blending! Value: It’s Old Carter… There is are bargains to be found here.
Score: A-
vs
Old Carter American Whiskey, Batch 4, 69.8%
A follow up review on the one above… I’m going to save myself some time instead of repeating everything above I’ll summarize. This is very similar to the one above… with two notable differences. One: instead of mint note, there’s a dried apricot note in the mix somewhere. Secondly, it’s spicier and a touch rougher around the edges, with alcohol being much more prominent. Some water snaps the balance back, surprisingly. Overall: While the composition is unknown, this drinks like a high-rye whiskey that’s somewhat unbalanced right out of the bottle. Few drops of water are recommended. Value: It’s Old Carter… There are no bargains to be found here.
Score: B (A- /w water)

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

Did i mention it’s big backlog of rums yet? And few others…

What — Notes — Score

Brandy

1985 Domaine de Baraillon 38 Year Old Armagnac, K&L SP, 47% — Fruits and oak and everything nice. This is *really good*. Really-really good — Score: A
1990 Domaine du Cardinat 32 Year Old Bar-Armagnac, 56% — Dark fruits and lots of wood. Spices, wood varnish, light mint. Fans of oak-forward brandies are welcome — Score: A-
1975 Marcillac 38 Year Old Armagnac, 42% — Lots of wood here, dark fruits and spices, strong tannins even at low proof. Somewhat drying, tannic palate and aftertaste — Score: B
1973 Bhakta 49 Year Old Armagnac, 50.3% — Sweet dried dark fruits, oak forward but not tannic. Well balanced, dark and woody armagnac. — Score: A-

Mezcal

2022 Real Minero: Espadin, Largo, Batch DRMM2-15 50.1% — Extremely clean, little sweet and mineral-forward, slightly smoky with notable cigarette tobacco notes — Score: B+

Rum

Flor De Cana 20 Years Old, 130th anniversary, Nicaragua, 45% — Dark color; caramel and deep wood notes on the nose. Oak, dark fruits, a bit of spice on the palate. Well balanced and sippable but not a standout for me. Perhaps a touch too much oak for perfect balance. — Score: B-
2007 Jamaica ITP 15, Long Pond, Holmes Cay, 56% — Viscous, minty, woody, sweet, vanilla, ripe tropical fruits, lightly funky. ITP is ‘low ether mark’. Ridiculous flavor bomb, bordering on ‘too much’. Drinks hotter than it should be, oddly enough. Really-really good. — Score: A-
2012 Guyana 10, Smuggler’s Cove SP, Holmes Cay, 55% — Tropical custard full of light fruits, nicely spiced in a liquid form. Deliciously tropical pineapple and chili cake. — Score: A-
2012 Australia 10, Rapid Liquors SP, Beenleigh, Holmes Cay, 61% — Somewhat yeasty nose, funky, vanilla-forward, sweet, with very light mint on the palate. Well balanced and excellent experience nose-to-aftertaste. — Score: B+
2009 Holmes Cay Foursquare, Premier Crue, 55% — Less wine-y than I expected. More of toasted cask spice. Fairly typical, lighter version of foursquare profile somewhat reminding me of 2004 with warming chili heat. — Score: A-
2004 Foursquare 11, ECS 3, 59% — Light foursquare profile, none of the dark ex-bourbon stuff compared to more recent vintages. A touch of ginger or chili spice in the aftertaste. Excellent, even if somewhat ‘light’ compared to later versions. — Score: B+
Foursquare Criterion, ECS 5, 56% — Ex-bourbon + madeira casks. Rum and wine. Dark fruits and rum. Surprisingly gentle on alcohol, but somewhat wine-forward and spicy. Sweet mulled wine is a good summary here. This one is wildly experimental in a good way. — Score: B+
Foursquare Sovereignty, ECS 19, 62% — Ex-bourbon + sherry cask. A much more modern foursquare now. Again, typical foursquare profile, sweeter and woodier due to sherry. Drinks like a very sweet, very sherried malt. Quite oaky and borderline too sweet to balance that out. — Score: B+
Foursquare Nobiliary, ECS 12, 62% — Ex-bourbon foursquare here. Still typical wood and oak and sweet vanilla notes, but this one leans a slightly hot & funky in an odd twist. Somewhat of an interesting bridge between 2004 (ECS 3) and modern ECS bottles. — Score: B+

More to come!

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

Timorous Beastie 24, Sherried Edition 46.8%
A Douglas Laing production of the Highland blended malts no less than 24 years old, this one was aged in sherry. Components unknown but are all from Highland as per the theme. The nose is black currant berry, some alcohol, dark tea. Palate is sweet, cocoa-forward, yet not overwhelming and surprisingly thin in texture. Some cinnamon and orange peel round off the palate. The aftertaste is medium long with more or less whatever was in the palate rounded off and finished by the sweet vanilla and a malt hug with an absolute miniscule touch of ashy smoke in the very tail end. Overall: Enjoyable and mouth-watering, this is an imminently-consumable pour that is deceptively complex, but at the same time doesn’t quite evoke my need to dissect its layers that are perhaps too jammed together to be dissectable. It’s enjoyable for what it is nonetheless. Value: Picked up at $109… I’ll say yes, value’s there for the age for sure
Score: B+

Benrinnes 12, Mahler-Besse, Rum Cask 56.2%
A plantation rum cask bottling of Benrinnes… Color-wise is very pale straw which suggests the cask was at least once refilled. Likely ex-bourbon to age rum, then this. The nose is very sweet apples and tropical fruit compote with a note of apple brandy weaving through. WIth a bit of time the palate settles down yet still keeps few notes around the edges. The palate got marzipan, vanilla cake, surprising amount of chili heat and baking spices leaning towards peppers and chilies. Aftertaste is more enjoyable than the palate for me, with orchard and tropic fruits again and gently fading heat. Overall: For a 12 year old in rum cask this is by no mean a slouch on the flavor department but it doesn’t quite move a needle on the ‘remarkable’ or ‘must have’ sort of bottling. Value: Acquired at 80… Not a bad value for the price.
Score: B

Compass Box Myths and Legends 1, Balblair, 46%
The nose got some light honey and orchard fruits, with a touch of melons in the mix, quite floral. The palate isn’t very complicated. Light vanilla, toasted grain, good dollop of white pepper. The same light flowers and melon notes underpin the palate experience. Aftertaste lingers for a while with light oak, more peppers and rounded maltiness. A touch of savoriness rounds off the experience. No water needed here. Overall: Efficiently executed, this draws unfortunate comparisons to balblair 2005 i have on the shelf as they are very similar to each other. Functional, drinkable, enjoyable, if a touch too green-wood oak forward in the blending this a quality pour for a casual conversation. Value: ~150 msrp when it got released originally … Pretty bottle but overpriced.
Score: B+

Craigellachie 15, Old Malt Cask, K&L SP, 52.2%
Cask #HL20936, Old Malt Cask. Hunter Laing, distilled in 2009 and bottled in 2024 for K&L wines, refill sherry hogshead. Sherried speysider? Yup! Dark chocolate and very toasty caramel on the nose. Palate is very clearly chocolate covered raisins, and perhaps some other dark berries covered in chocolate, blueberries perhaps while dusted on top with chili powder. Medium length aftertaste that’s both pleasant yet lacking any distinct character from the aforementioned notes. The dark chocolate berry notes fade first, then the chili and baking spices. Overall: A competent and a confident bottling with all the earmarks of the modern whiskey profile, this doesn’t disappoint across the board by lacking flavor or having bad notes in it. This isn’t a subtle pour that hides in the layers, but an impact on the palate. At the same time, I’m feeling that it lacks some of the complexity to elevate it beyond that. That being said, it’s just fine, an enjoyable sherried, generic, speysider at cask proof with nothing to really complain about. Value: Sold at $109 from K&L it’s a reasonable value these days to fill a spot for sherried malt in your collection.
Score: B+

Talisker 18, 45.8%
An original Talisker bottling… Thank you friend Mark. If I’m reading the laser code right it’s from ‘22. Smoked red fruits on the nose, cherries, and perhaps a touch of prune, a note of tobacco. The peat isn’t overwhelming the palate with lots of fruits still showing through. It alternates between sweet and nutty to somewhat smoky and drying depending on the sip and timing. The palate flip-flop always pulls towards the other side of the spectrum from where it started on a particular sip. Notes of pepper and a salty-sweet composition round off the experience. The long aftertaste with slightly numbing pepperiness follows without being too spicy. Couple of drops of water make it slightly sweeter to round off the somewhat salty peat and peppery character. This is very welcome as I was wishing it was just a touch less dry out of the bottle. Overall: A classy and somewhat old-school dram, this is akin to being on an average-ish old time sailboat. There’s nothing wrong with a classic but there are better options that offer more. Value: $180 at total wine. I’m not paying it. Get it at a bar if the price is right.
Score: B

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