MrWizard's Ramblings

I’ll cover tea-spooning super quickly here by linking to a good summary and taking first two paragraphs from here: https://thecasks.com … -14-year-old-review/ as it explains the deal quite well.

Basically, teaspooning consists of adding a little bit of another distillery’s whisky to a cask of single malt whisky. Ostensibly this is done so the cask cannot be sold or bottled as single malt whisky because it now contains single malts from two distilleries. So…for example, say a big company, let’s call it Grant Wilma & Daughters, owns two distilleries – Glen Helheim and Inexorable Park. Throughout the warehouses of these two distilleries, there’s bound to be a few casks that just did work out. The whisky is perhaps not bad, but it strays too far from the house style and is too anomalous for the company to use or to want to slap the distillery’s name on it. Then let’s say an independent bottler comes to Glen Helheim looking to buy casks. They’re not necessarily worried about selling a distillery name, they’re more concerned with selling a unique whisky, or possibly creating a special blend. They decide to buy a teaspooned cask, an oddball Glen Helheim which has a bit of Inexorable Park added to it, thereby nullifying it as a Glen Helheim single malt. The independent bottler might pay a lower price for a cask like this than they would for a certified 12 year old Glen Helheim, but they also do not have the built-in distillery name recognition that might help with sales.

Dalmore 13, Cromarty’s Firth, 53.6%
A first of many Hepburn’s Choice ‘blended’ (spooned) malts to come, this 13 year old Dalmore has been cut with a tiny bit of Teaninich to make it a blended malt. Aged in refill hogshead and bottled exclusively for K&L Wines the bottle notes say lively, grassy, vanilla. Nose is malty vanilla with some grass minerality. More minerality is present on the palate, with loads of ginger spice, yet again malt and so much vanilla. The texture is slightly viscous which is surprising for low age and not super active cask. WIth repeated tastes more sugars come to the fore adding few notes of white raisins to the mix. Considering the rarity of independent unsherried full proof Dalmore this is somewhat of a treat to taste the distillery profile in its full glory. More minerality in the aftertaste as vanilla and sugars fade first leaving it a bit of a dusty feeling. Absolute treat to distillery fans, this may be slightly rough around the corners to be a true treat. With age really making a true difference in refill-aged spirits this is a tiny bit too young to truly have settled down, it is right on the cusp of greatness. Well worth trying but a tough sell for a full bottle of quality value out of this unless it’s the style one truly enjoys. That being said, adding few drops of water removes most of the rough edges making it much more enjoyable but perhaps less ‘unique’…
Product Page: https://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1511212
Score: B

Aberlour A’Bunadh Alba, Batch 1, 57.1%
An ex-bourbon counterpart to the regular A’Bunadh which is sherry cask aged. No age statement but full proof and I’d expect full flavor. Tropical fruit and spices on the nose with good amount of malt and cereal notes, some honey emerges after a while. Concentrated, sweet, baked apples and a bit of spice on the palate with additional lighter fruits appearing as time progresses. Palate fades with more tropical notes appearing, like a mango vanilla mousse cake. Very much a flavor bomb for ex-bourbon cask style of maturation (vs regular A’Bunadh sherry bomb) quite pleasant, concentrated and very flavorful offering. It’s an excellent example of a style… that’s frankly saturated in excellent examples so while by no means a bad choice, the field is quite crowded in good choices at that price point.
Score: B

Fettercairn 21, Old Particular, K&L Sp, 55.3%
A 21 year old Old Particular Bottling. The nose is shortbread cookies and cereal. The palate is… mouth-watering and mouth-coating, full of malt, dollop of cereal sugars, tropical fruits, vanilla and just enough spice to tie it all together. Creamy, bready texture. Just fantastic. The aftertaste is long full of more cereal notes, super gentle spices, vanilla and creme. Little bits of tobacco or char come up in the very back to put the cherry on top of the whole experience. It’s rare that a pour works so well beginning to end and this is one of the rare ones. It is even rarer that it works well with ex-bourbon casks. The wave of Old Particular bottlings and specifically a bunch that came though around 2017-18 though K&L got outstanding level of value and quality… but this was ages ago in whiskey years. Regardless of me reminiscing, this is fantastic stuff.
Product Page: https://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1298485
Score: A

Glen Moray 10, Chardonnay Cask, 40%
No particular expectations on this low proof 10 year old young one. High minerality and malt, citrus and melons, rich and slightly buttery on the nose. I wonder where the citrus and melons come from? Oh yeah… the wine… On the palate… light, fruity and slightly peppery. A distinct lack of secondary palate is clearly evident there though, after the initial bold flavors fade, there’s a very pronounced ‘emptiness’ on the palate before the aftertaste kicks on. On the aftertaste, more pepper, some light wood finally shows itself. Butter, melons and yellow citrus as the nose promised. Extremely light smoke or tobacco in the tail end of the aftertaste rounds it off. This is a summer shandy (50/50 beer to lemonade) of scotch. Very summery and quite light, this feels like something I would enjoy chilled in the summer evening or with similar food that Chardonnay wine would pair with. Lack of mid palate makes it not worth contemplating upon and this is best paired with a good conversation or food. A solid minus though for being exactly 40% abv.
Score: B-

Glenlivet Nadurra 16, Bourbon cask, 111.5 proof
A discontinued bottling as of few years back when Glenlivet replaced all the Nadurra line with NAS expressions. This of course a is loss, but not surprising in the current market where the stocks are dwindling and demand is rising. Nose is malt, sweet cereal grains, slight baking spice, little bits of alcohol and wood but what a fantastic balance there. More wood and spice than would (see what I did here?) be expected based on reasonably pale color. Fantastic balance of flavors and a great example of what ex-bourbon single malt should be. Primary aftertaste flavors quickly fade leaving little tingle in the back of the tongue for quite a while. I’ll summarize here… “It’s real good”… Certainly different balance and style to Fettercairn above which tries to be a fantastic and smooth experience throughout, the Glenlivet Nadurra line does not pull its punches. This is like watching a champion boxer in a match: folks get hurt but it’s an amazing experience nonetheless. Spicy, sweet, malty the flavors are all wound together for quite a literal palate punch that’s beautiful to experience. Still stings a tad though, but not as much as finding my glass empty.
Score: A-

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

Yet, again we are in this predicament with more bourbon samples. Some unique, some not so much.

Weller 12, 90 proof
As today is Wednesday… Lets appropriately start with a Weller 12. This is the same wheated BT mash bill as all the other Wellers (and Pappy) aged at least 12 years and batched among some barrels for consistency. MSRP is around 39.99, secondary is 199.99 (oof!). Nose is… fairly typical Weller/BT faire with sour cherries and fair amount of wood. The wheated mash bill is felt a little bit on the nose making it more subtle and more of a refined sugar smell vs typical charred caramel that bourbons tend towards. Palate is soft, velvety smooth, slightly woody and well balanced with the sweetness. Neither overwhelms or under-represented here. The aftertaste is gently with wood and spice coming to dominance yet still in a gentle way. The whole experience feel like a gentle blanket that makes me go for more… yet it’s not really compelling enough to truly shine. I get a feeling it’s trying to be too… gentle of an experience with nothing for me to latch on to say ‘THIS is what I want in my glass’. The proof is also unfortunately underwhelming… can this be higher proof PLEASE… oh wait.. that’s basically pappy or William Larue Weller (BTAC) then. A fantastic bottle up to double MSRP, but not worth the hype train or the secondary pricing at near $200. An excellent, pleasurable, yet un-inspiring pour.
Score: B+

Willett Bourbon, Ledger’s SP #4795, 129.6 proof
A 6 year old single cask picked by Ledger’s in Berkley. A little rye and eucalyptus forward nose with tons of live spices in it, very lively and a bit proofy, considering the abv. The nose has a bit of a sour apple note so it is very pleasant to say the least. Palate is hard to describe, rye spices, heavy roasted nut (NOT peanuts) presence, quite bitey from the proof but not overwhelmingly so. Very unique palate, not that sweet, bordering on savory, herbal, nutty, and nearly bitter, but not quite ever entering unpleasant territory for me. The palate continues the crazy concert from the palate with spices dominating. Absolutely unique and unlike anything I’ve tried before this is a wow stunner. It’s a shame it doesn’t quite fit my preferred, sweeter, drinking palate as it such an interesting pick and is certainly an experience to be had. In some ways it reminds me of the kaleidoscope of flavors I’ve had out of malted Old Potrero rye single casks, while this leans towards bourbon, it retains some of that herbal eucalyptus whimsical play onto the senses. Of course this is something long gone and considering the Willett 6’s year bourbon pricing, I’d think twice before paying for this bottle in the first place, so this is certainly in the ‘beg your rich friend that has it for a pour’ category.
An interesting similar sentiment from Mark and Michael here: https://the-right-sp … -bourbon-store-pick/
Score: A-

Jefferson’s Reserve Very Old, 90.2 proof
I saw this at a store priced same as regular Jefferson’s Reserve and couldn’t pass up. Looks like the bottle was produced towards the end of 2014. Real age of contents: unknown but some sort of a mix between 8 and 18 year old bourbons, mash bill is also unknown, but leans towards wheated profile. Nose is typical rye forward whiskey and little more alcohol than the proof may suggest but mostly just tells me that this is a ‘bourbon’. Some sweet vanilla, alcohol burn, and few dark fruits are also present. Palate is fruity with citrus notes, vanilla of course and caramel. The wood offers a bit of a burnt toffee or coffee note in the background without being too present. Mouth texture is pleasant and slightly viscous. The finish is warm and warming with more of the notes from the palate. Unfortunately it’s too low proof and too watery on the flavors to be of any real interest and if proofed up this would be too bitter and way unbalanced into the charred wood bitterness (not toasted, charred). Certainly get a taste at a bar, as this is inoffensive, but skip buying this as a bottle. Plenty of other things out there that are much more interesting. @work this would probably be a good one or at least will be done fast as it is an easy drinker that doesn’t require any thoughts behind it and instead requires something to fill the void, be that conversation or some kind of different activity. I’m not regretting drinking this, yet I’m also not excited to have more of it either. This is a completely neutral start of the night and leaves no last impression, making this a solid…
Score: C-

Willett 6 year old SiB
No other info provided. Assuming it around 120 proof as with other Willett single casks.
Nose is fairly intense alcohol, vanilla, spun caramel sugar, citrus and orchard fruits. Palate is all about grapefruits with slight bitterness being well pronounced. Eucalyptus notes come up in the palate after some time. The usual sugar and caramel flavors are there too. Not quite typical MGP profile, it’s somewhat pointing in that general direction. The aftertaste fades slowly into sweet and gentle spices. This takes water like a champ and cuts the alcohol bite, becoming rather pleasantly relaxed and sippable even if staying on the lighter side of the spectrum.
Score: B+

Bardstown Discovery Series Batch 3, 110 proof
A blend of: 45% 13 years old bourbon from MGP, 32% 13 years old bourbon from Barton and 23% 10 years old bourbon from Wild Turkey (though it could be JB) the distilleries aren’t stated, only mash bills which are open to infererence. Super quick taste suggests Turkey, not Beam. Intense wood caramel and MGP+Turkey spices on the nose, basically sweet and spicy and woody, really enjoyable. On the palate… it’s like MGP and Wild Turkey had a beautiful pheonix of a baby. Dusty cherries, sweet oak and spices, some chocolate, bit of licorice. Yum! It’s fantastically integrated and exceptionally multilayered. The aftertaste continues the multilayered avalanche of flavors from the palate while substantially potent it’s only about average length with tingling sensation afterwards. In short: it is very, very good stuff. The MGP spices compliment WT well with barton balancing it out fantastically makes this quite an enjoyable sipper. While this doesn’t quite make me go ‘wow’ while drinking it, it is an excellence in blending of different mashbills that shines though. This is essentially 13 year old MGP blended with Russell’s Reserve and balanced off by 1792… and it is real good. The price is a little… questionable for me as none of the components are really expensive per-se so I’ll leave it up to the reader to establish their valuation.
Score: A-

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

So, I happen to have a number of Jos. A Magnus samples from different single cask bottlings that I have acquired over the course of months. So I figured a quick side by side would be of my own interest. Majority of these should be MGP but it’s not a 100% guarantee I’m able to make. The usual single casks being different disclaimer applies for this entire post… Their additional bottlings have been previously covered here: https://www.aerin.org/?x=entry:entry200627-145031

Joseph Magnus. Wine and Whiskey Cellars SP. #1374, 106 proof
A private bottling that I could find very little about of online, other than this is for sure 13 year old MGP, single cask store pick.
Nose: Woody MGP spice, with a touch woody varnish and dark caramel. Little on the intense side.
Palate: Maybe it is my palate tonight, but tastes slightly soapy. For the most part it is a fit to MGP profile. Like a very woody SAOS 5 year old. The intense flavors continue… Notably not too sweet, but everything else is dialed rather up there including wood which makes for a somewhat bitter sip.
Aftertaste: Mostly same as the plate with wood fading last with a tiny bit of charry bitterness in the very end.
Overall: A little too woody and a little too bitter for my taste. Not offensive by any means but not my first pick of the night for sure. Certainly a take on a less sweet and woodier MGP but for me it leaves it unbalanced. With water opens up a bit, but nothing too major happens other than becoming easier to swallow. Definitely try it, and if you like that char-forward wood, it will be up your alley! For ~$99 this is a very hard bottle sell for me.
Score: B-

Joseph Magnus, K&L Wines SP, #1384, 103 proof
Here’s a link to the product page: https://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1449232. Another 13 year old Magnus Pick and only fitting to have it side by side with its sister cask.
Nose: The wood on the nose seems better balanced, and spices and caramel are coming through nicely.
Palate: Burnt caramel and wood but much MUCH better balanced than the #1374 above as far as wood-to-spice-to-sweet goes.
Aftertaste: Genly and predictably fades from the palate. Still slightly charry in the very back but not overwhelmingly so.
Overall: A good example what a difference cask makes on balance and overall enjoyment. Pretty solidly enjoyable… Yet not much more than a B in my book. Just not my style of a bourbon here. I wish it was a little bit sweeter and then it’d be awesome.
Score: B

Joseph Magnus, Nasa Liquors. “Tiramisu”, 115 proof
Nasa Liquors is in Houston Texas. Some info here: http://flightclubict … ection-announcement/. Little proofier than it’s sisters. Seems like an 11-some year old MGP. Let’s see how it compares.
Nose: Almost perfume-like. The proof, surprisingly, helps itself out here. Still mostly same general flavors, but this one seems to be lightest in wood of the 3, but it could simply be the proof talking. Solidly tasty on the nose at least. Slightly singe-y but not terribly so.
Palate: Yes! Finally a sweeter version of the Magnus. Wood is now offset by the sugar and it’s great. Strong and proofy and punchy but great.
Aftertaste: Still very slight bitterness at the very back but it doesn’t distract too much from enjoyment as sugar continuously offsets the wood notes. The proof is solid and very present through the experience.
Overall: Of the three I’ve tried so far, this is the one I liked the most. After not too long of a contemplation, it’s the balance of sugar to wood on the palate and the aftertaste. WIth a few drops of water it opens up into a fantastic drink by scaling the wood char slightly down without losing sugar. It’s not perfect, but it is near close to it. I’d be pretty happy to nip at a bottle of this. Many thumbs up on the selection, there’s not much to fault here.
Score: A-

Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend, Batch 28, 122 proof
This is a blend of bourbon barrels ranging from 12 to 20 years in age, finished in cognac, sherry & armagnac casks. Batch 28 is notably a combination between Batches #24-26 and those are a secret blend of ratios of mentioned cask types. In short, this is a blend of blends.
Nose: Mix between sherry sweetness and MGP spice and wood. Pleasantly deep and slightly musty.
Palate: Nice sherried and sweet but a tad too woody to be subtle so a lot of fruit from brandy is lost under the spice and the wood primary flavors.
Aftertaste: Continued from the palate into a gently fading but yet still too woody aftertaste that lasts for quite a while and FINALLY more subtle flavors appear at the very end.
Overall: For near-$200 price tag I’ve expected something more ‘amazing’… What i got is certainly tasty but not worth the price and the hype in my opinion. Very complicated and multilayered to say the least but perhaps too astringent of the batch which throws it off balance. The sherry and cognac definitely help it though and an argument could be made that this would be awesome with a cigar. I don’t smoke though. I do keep sniffing the glass and as I do like sherry finished bourbons and want to like it, but as is the balance is just a tiny bit off. If you like woody MGP and got some money that need to be spent in your pocket then by all means you’re not going to be dissapointed. It is what sherry finished bourbon should taste like with the fine example of MGP profile and works well enough.
Score: B+ (possibly higher)

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

Friend of mine keeps on telling me that I’m missing out by not trying rums. I shall indulge him. Foursquare rum distillery is fairly famous among the rum drinkers. I know nothing but feel free to read all about it via google… https://punchdrink.c … barbados-distillery/ and https://altamarbrand … uare-rum-distillery/… So with the disclaimer that I’m coming into this without having ANY palate for rums and will be judging it mostly compared to whiskey and scoring primarily how much I enjoy drinking it… Let’s get into it.

The info on the cask and age makeup is somewhat shamelessly copied from https://thefatrumpirate.com/, credit to him for the info and if you like rum reviews it seems to be the site to visit/bookmark. Give it a read.

Foursquare Sagacity, 48%
From quick sleuthing: “We have a blend of Pot and Coffey Column distilled rums aged for 12 years. A portion of the rum in this blend is aged for the full 12 years in ex-Bourbon casks the other in ex-Madeira casks.” The nose is very sugar caramel and bananas, quite as expected out of rum honestly. Little woody, spicy, bourbon baking spices but different sweetness profile, more sugar, less corn. Again as expected out of rum. Some red wine asserts itself but wine is more of a notable influence on the finish. Very slightly rough around the edges on the spice profile which pleasantly offset the sweetness. Enjoyable? Yes… Tropical? Yes. Tiny bit too bitter and could use some tropical fruit as a chaser? Yes. Would I drink at the beach? Sure. Would I buy a bottle? No. This is a good rum that tastes like a rum.
Score: ? B+ /RUM

Foursquare Empery 56%
This is a blend of Pot/Column distilled rum aged for 14 years in ex-bourbon casks and a portion of Pot Column distilled rum which was aged for 10 years in ex-bourbon casks and then matured for a further 4 years in ex-sherry casks. Sherry Sherry… baby! Surprisingly sherried notes in the nose. If I didn’t know better, I’d be willing to guess this being a grain whiskey as it lacks the malty notes for obvious reasons. Oh this I like! Little spicy but very sherried on the palate, nice sweet backbone through the whole experience. More sherry and a little bit of spice on the aftertaste. Very tiny bit metallic on some of the secondary flavors but it’s minor and fades after some time in the glass. Real good stuff. Very VERY drinkable.
Score: ? A- /RUM

Foursquare Exceptional Cask Series 2008, 60%
This happens to be a blend of Pot and Column distilled rum which has been blended and aged for the full 12 years of maturation in Barbados. Tropically Aged Rum. The barrels used in the ageing process they are 1st, 2nd and 3rd fill ex-Bourbon barrels. With this rum Foursquare also advise that there in no added colour, sugar, additives and its non chill filtered. The nose on this is great. I been smelling it all evening and I’m not getting tired of it. Sweet, spicy and quite delicious on the palate this reminds of a very strong grain whiskey or perhaps lighter bourbon variety with tropical fruits, some raspberry, and bourbon spice. Strong and quite viscous sugar streak goes though the experience. The aftertaste continues wonderfully from the palate. This is certainly not sherried compared to Empery above (ex bourbon maturation), but no less enjoyable. Surprisingly drinkable even at full proof.
Score: ? A /RUM

You know.. Foursquare rums ain’t so bad. I’ll not be chasing these down but I also shouldn’t scoff at rums either. There are plenty good ones if one knows where and what to look for.
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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown

I’ve participated in Glenglassaugh Distillery tasting the other day where we paired 4 different expressions from the distillery with some scottish baked goods from Scottish Tea Shoppe. Glenglassaugh itself got reasonably colorful history of being open/closed and open again. Feel free to read it on the Wiki: https://en.wikipedia … glassaugh_distillery. Since they were reopened in 2008 all the newer expressions from the distillery (aside from Single Casks) are NAS and are reasonably young.

Revival, 46%
Facts: Ex-Bourbon, Ex-Red Wine, Ex-Sherry Casks. ~ 7-8 years old in the current batch (this varies). Pairing: Seasalt Caramel
N: Fresh grapes, orchard fruit, some red wine and sherry notes. Orange oil.
P: Tannic spice, some sherry. wood. full body. Almost a little bitter.
A: More of the same from the palate, gently fading with malty flavors….
Thoughts: A little too bitter for me. Bitterness fades after a while but still a bit too rough and tannic from red wine.
Score: B-

Evolution, 50%
Facts: Ex-Tennessee Barrel. Pairing: Scottish tablet
N: Funky distillery note. Light tropical fruits. Pineapples.
P: Very full, buttery body… more of the light fruits from the nose. Reminds me slightly of chardonnay wine but in whiskey form.
A: Consistent with malty mouth-wrapping feeling of the palate.
Thoughts: A little too young and relying on inherent distillery profile to compensate for the age… Enjoyable, but somewhat on the thinner side of flavor while having a thick-ish mouth texture. Very much chardonnay with a kick.
Score: B

Torfa, 50%
Facts: Peated, Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry. Pairing: Mint shortbread. Disclaimer: I do not like peat.
N: Medium salty peat. Not quite islay and not quite highland. Something in between.
P: This is middle of the pack peated whiskey. Roughly comparable to Lagavulin perhaps.
A: Fairly thin aftertaste with some slowly fading peat. Too young to carry interesting complex peat or aftertaste notes, but not too overwhelming to be bad. On the good side, the mouth texture mostly carries it. On the bad side… there’s not much interesting in there. I imagine peat fans will generally like it.
Thoughts: Can really benefit from a pairing on this one to amp up the buttery notes…. Trying it with the mint shortbread that assessment is 100% on-point. Butter and sugar brings to the spirit what it’s missing. Overall, it’s a peated scotch. It’s not winning many awards but it certainly isn’t a drain pour either. Basically, it’s peated evolution.
Score C (Peat!)

Single Cask, Hi-Times SP, 57.3%
Facts: Port Cask #685, Aged 9 years. Pairing: Dark chocolate fudge.
N: Dark and dry sherry-like, even though it’s port. Some wood and spice. Distillery character funk. Noticeable alcohol due to abv. Woody spice.
P: Sweet dessert on the palate. The proof is on the high side, but for the most part the palate can handle it with the reasonably-typical thick texture and malt backbone. The high proof is a little bit overwhelming though and it can really benefit from a bit of water. Some spice and bitterness is present but restrained, compared to the Revival levels.
A: Gently fading wood spices with some sweetness. Unfortunately, bitterness comes to dominate towards the end.
Thoughts: Proofing it down with a bit of water snaps pieces into place and makes it a much more enjoyable. The youth is shows in lack of prominent secondary flavors but what there is pretty solid.
Score: B+ (/w Water)

Overall:
I can see why distillery old stocks are quite sought after and won bunch of awards around 2010 when they reopened. I’m looking forward to what they’ll come up with in about 10 years or so as I believe this distillery got some solid potential, yet the current spirit is simply too young to be truly interesting. Aka: “Not too bad, kid. Come back when you’re few years older”.

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