MrWizard's Ramblings

Samples provided by friends Jeremy, Michael, and Meghan (again)… Or perhaps i simply split the samples from them into rye and bourbon piles to review. It’s a mystery… *jazz hands*

Hirsch SFWSBB SiB, 66.5%
Another SF whiskey group pick?! Say it ain’t so!? Actually they’ve been on a roll lately, actively picking up some decent or not so decent bottlings but the preferences in the palate of the beholder on this. This is a Hirsch reserve single cask (Yellow label) which is btw an MGP sourced product that Hotaling Inc has purchased the brand rights for. It’s not the SAOS mash bill but still MGP stills… (See what I did there?). Nose is quite intensely woody, perfumed and cinnamon forward; an odd whiff of rye mint is also present. Quite creamy palate consistency… this is MGP high rye bill isn’t it? Quite hot on the palate, almost quite unbearably so for me. Warm cinnamon, baking spices, and wood aftertaste that last a long time. A bit of water drops it down into palatable range on the alcohol yet rye notes become more prominent. Overall: Creamy sweet and quite spicy this is a rye-forward whiskey may please those that are looking for a burn, but honestly it’s rather generic. Worth trying at a bar… or friends BBQ… or fishing trip. Still quite overwhelming and fundamentally it’s also 100% not memorable… Value: This was like $80 or $90 and came bundled with Hirsch Horizon (blue label) bottle. Not a great deal honestly.
Score: B-

Russell’s Reserve 13, Cask Proof, 57.4%
The super highly in-demand Russell’s Reserve 13 years old that’s high proof and non-chillfiltered (as opposed to the 55% 10 year old ‘regular’ single cask). Obviously this is from Wild Turkey stills. Very cologne-forward nose, wood, flowers of some sort of dark and broody variety… Basically Russell’s Reserve but more concentrated on the nose, not boring at all. Flowery, woody, caramel peanuts on the palate, thankfully the roasted nuts mostly fade with repeated sips. Baking spices and vanilla on the medium-length aftertaste. Overall: Wow if I didn’t know any better I’d almost guess this was a very good Dickel, or a Dickel blend. It’s truly very good, the flower notes are both complex and not overpowering individually, there’s clearly balance between front/back/nose… Yet… It’s like drinking cologne-Dickel blend sometimes and I should note that while associate peanuts with that distillery… I’ve had bottles when it was similarly perfumed but not peanutty. Value: K&L Lists this at $70 MSRP… Extremely solid value as is with most high proof turkey products. Secondary is ~$600 (we don’t talk about secondary)…
Score: B+

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection #17 (Woodford Malt Whiskey apparently), 45.2%
This is the Five Malt Stouted Mash edition. This comes from the five malts used in the mash bill for this whiskey—Distillers Malt, Wheat Malt, Pale Chocolate Malt, Carafa 1 Malt and Kiln Coffee Malt. While the proportions are not revealed, Woodford reps say the percentages of these malts range from 70 percent to just over one percent in the mash bill. Lots of chocolate and some coffee on the nose. They really weren’t kidding about the whole ’stouted’ mash bill. This is quite beer-like whiskey a very strong on alcohol stout. Some wood, but mostly sweetness and roasted notes of coffee and more bitter chocolate. Quite not very sweet, but balanced. Aftertaste is yet again more of that high proof light stout notes, rather than whiskey or malt or wood. Overall: This tastes like a solid light coffee stout which is quite possibly what the whiskey maker was going for here. Worth a bar pour but it’s really more of a novelty. Effectively a stout-flavored malt. Value: I seen this in Total Wine for $120… perhaps for an interesting checkbox it’s something but honestly don’t do it unless you like whiskey AND beer together. Basically if you like a Boilermaker with stout… this is premixed for you before you swallow.
Score: B

Four Gate; Kelvin Collab #3, 61.85%
This is a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, finished in PX and Rum casks. Nose is quite corn forward, though with a very slight sweetness undertone from sherry. I’m guessing Barton source at this. Fairly typical, if a little sweeter barton full proof palate. Oak, fruit leather, coffee, figs it’s all tight on the palate. The sherry and rum notes are quite subdued really compared to the spirit. Long aftertaste that’s sweet and quite smooth unlike typical barton. Some pepper spice comes out towards the end for an interesting peppery sensation. Overall: This is quite interesting Barton full proof that’s honestly tastier than the regular version. May be not a quintessential bourbon for me but a quintessential Barton. Value: This is MSRP at ~$200 holy cow! That’s bad value.
Score: A-

Elijah Craig Private Barrel, Royal Liquors’s SP, 71.05%
Oh a fiery one indeed. Hazmat! Nose is corny Heaven Hill nose, not quite as woody as ECBP but pretty close. If i recall this this 10 year old barrel. The palate is real hot yet still drinks under the proof. Probably first 140+ that I can swallow and not cringe. Woody, typical Heaven Hill profile. Quite a bit of wood in-fact that’s balancing the sweetness making it a little bit bitter-sweet like a very dark chocolate bar. Fairly long aftertaste with more wood, chocolate, sweetness, bitterness, some spice. Overall: There’s a reason most folks, including me, enjoy Elijah Craig Barrell Proof and this proves to be no exception. Blindly this really does taste like a ECBP. This is slightly concentrated and ‘unique’ due to single cask version of that. Is it ‘better’? I don’t know. Is it good? Yes. Value: This was $99… for the novelty and the proof… maybe? Honestly though ECBP is a solid value and this is slightly under that valuation.
Score: B+

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

Let’s get through rye samples. Provided by Jeremy and Meghan.

Kentucky Owl Rye, Batch 2, 50.59%
A blend of Kentucky-distilled rye that’s at 11 years old at least in the bottle. Dill and licorice and very ‘rye’ nose with plenty of wood and even a bit of an alcohol kick in there, add some vanilla custard and baking spices. Extremely pleasant palate, this is surprisingly good drinking for me and I’ve made no secret of my dislike to ryes. Lots of wood, nearly bitterly-burnt sugar, vanilla galore, dark toffee. Almost no dill or off-putting notes here. Extremely pleasant aftertaste with more toasted vanilla, rye bread crust and a bit of a dill note that brings back that rye experience. Overall: Fantastic drinker with hardly anything to fault here on the trifecta of nose-palate-aftertaste. This is a small sample and today my palate may be having an off day, but I really like it. Value: Circa $200 in 2018 this is just utterly awful price… I’ve almost choked on my drink when i looked it up.
Score: B+

Barrell Seagrass, 69.97%
Finally a somewhat solid review of Barrell Seagrass, which I briefly tried before and quickly poured down the drain as at the time my palate was just not there for it. At its core it is a blend of American and Canadian rye whiskeys, with each ingredient finished separately in Martinique Rhum, Madeira & apricot brandy barrels. Other than this is super punchy on the alcohol side for the nose… I can certainly smell the apricots here. The palate is pure velvety sweet apricot juice with some rye bitterness notes. The aftertaste is more apricot sweet compote and little bit of mint in the back of my throat. Overall: I was certain it wasn’t really my thing and two times I’ve tried this before this tasted completely awful, bitter and horrible. Yet today it tastes quite fruity and tasty and sweet. Value: This is findable for $90 or less so I’d say decent value for what you get here assuming you like the cask finish, apricots, and rye dill notes.
Score: C+ (Your experience may vary)

– Side-by-Side now between two single casks of malted rye. … Why am I even reviewing these when I said I don’t do repeated reviews… Oh well, a showdown between semi-legendary Old Potrero single cask ryes. I absolutely love Old Potrero malted ryes and even have one bottle squirreled away for a special occasion. Two samples… one from K&L and one from Bitters and Bottles. I’m too lazy to look up the age on these, though in the bottles the B&B sample looked quite darker, not that it really an indicator. The notes below will sometimes be comparing and contrasting each other as opposed to regular one-off reviews. A disclaimer that I like malted ryes from old potrero so I’m certainly biased. Either of these would also be AMAZING if mixed with some good tonic water.

Old Potrero, K&L SiB #9, 61.57
Nose: Red hot bubble gum on the nose. So much intense cinnamon vanilla bubble gum here.
Palate: Malted rye, eucalyptus, burnt rye bread crust. Alcohol punch into the palate. It’s all there.
Aftertaste: Medium. Slightly tartly medicinal with mouth numbing mint mouthwash note… numbs and then numbness fades over time.
Overall: A little too light and a little too cinnamon-forward here. Arguably better of the two… but it’s a tough call that’s based on personal preference.
Score: B (NOT for everyone)

Old Potrero, Bitters & Bottles SiB #22, 64.45%
Nose: Dark caramel dusted with cinnamon on the nose. Quite woody and some intense vanilla notes show up too.
Palate: So. Much. Wood. Bordering on too much, nearly bitter palate. Pine needles galore.
Aftertaste: Dry char on the long aftertaste balanced by malted rye sweetness, spice and more pine notes.
Overall: Rather Pine-y and slightly too bitter, I’d want to argue that this may have spent a little too long in the cask… Yet I still cannot help but enjoy it in it’s own way… Still, imperfections around bittern notes abound.
Score: B- (NOT for everyone)

Old Potrero, Blend of the two above… ~63%
On a lark, I’ve mixed the leftovers of the two above… And… It’s fantastic! The lightness of one balances the bitterness of the other. This is approaching the greatness that is K&L cask #13. https://www.aerin.or … y:entry201115-213721… It’s just great stuff, what a way to wrap up a friday night for me!
Score: A (NOT for everyone)

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Old Pepper Rye, Ledger’s / Hard Water Store Pick, Finished in PX, 51.35%
A joint venture between Berkley Ledger’s store and Hard Water restaurant pre-pandemic that ended up in the store because everyone was sitting in place. This sourced (it’s MGP) rye was finished in PX casks and is Barrel #080917-12. You know… I’m being lazy today… Nose is stewed dried figs… Palate is dried stewed figs… Aftertaste is more dried figs with some rye dill notes but the rye is very much on the lighter side. Overall: This is basically fortified Pedro Ximenez sherry with tiny bit of a dill aftertaste. Otherwise it’s basically pure sherry. Solid drinker if you like your rye to taste syrupy-sweet and not like a rye at all. It’s basically a digestive dessert. Value: This was $56 about a year ago when it was still available. No complaining for this particular one, but overall ~$60 for a NAS Old Pepper Rye with zero transparency is about average value.
Score: B-

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

More samples to deal with before I drown in little bottles! Samples have been generously provided by friends,Michael, Jeremy, Logan…

Dalmore Cigar Malt, 44%
Ah general release Balmore. You’re terribly priced and terribly proofed for most of the regular releases. I wonder what does Cigar Malt version offer… For context this is supposed to be paired up with a cigar, if it wasn’t obvious from the name. At least it’s 44% abv for a change. Assuming that this is the new Cigar Malt reserve, and not the discontinued more than a decade ago original edition. Dalmore uses a slightly older base stock of Dalmore whisky and age it in previously used American bourbon casks, Matusalem sherry (which is an enriched 30-year-aged sherry) casks, and the new addition of cabernet sauvignon casks. The spirits are matured independently, and then blended in a 20% / 70% / 10% proportion respectively to make up the Cigar Malt Reserve we see here today. Sherry funk and concentrated flavors on the nose; old leather and wood, some dark dried fruits, prunes, cranberries and cherries are there. The palate falls somewhat flat from that luxurious nose, with mostly wood, bourbon spices, and some savoriness. Medium length aftertaste with baking spice and little charred wood lingering in the back. Overall: One-sided and drinkable neat but perhaps does pair better with a cigar. Value: At $150 in total wine… No, just no.
Score: B+

Convalmore 22, Distilled in 1984 Gordon & MacPhail 52.2%
“Convalmore 1984 22 Year Old Cask #1538 is the official title”. An old bottling of Convalmore by G & M. intense old ex-bourbon nose, though likely a refill cask as it seems a little on the thinner side on the color, with tons of green apples and pears. Slightly nutty palate with orchard fruits and a bit of spice catching up. Medium aftertaste with lightly pears lightly dusted with pepper dominating. Overall: I’ve expected more. This is basically an Old Malt Cask that is tasty and above the average for the peers, not a standout. Value: No clue on the price, but findable only on auction.
Score: B+

Balvenie 12, SiB # 5310, 47.8%
This is in-fact Balvenie 12 Yr Single Barrel Old First Fill Bourbon Cask. Looks like ex-bourbon from the color. Intense and quite spicy green pear arugula and almond salad on the nose dusted with parmesan cheese. The palate is quite subtle comparably, malted butter cookies, hold the sugar. The aftertaste comes back with more white pepper and is quite long if somewhat subtle. Overall: Enjoyable in its subtle-ness, and I like Balvenie usually, but this one is just too young and not a good cask in my opinion. Value: Listed in Total Wine at $84.99, with cask quality variable it’s still an average value. Any more and it’d be a bad value.
Score: B-

Kilkerran 8 Cask Strength 2017 Limited, Ex-Bourbon, 56.2%
Kilkerran is a Springbank’s experimental facility so all sorts of interesting things come out of it. I’ve reviewed a sherried one a bit ago, quite favorably. https://www.aerin.or … y:entry210627-201643 Anyways, this is ex-bourbon variation, released in 2017 or so. Light sweet peat smoke, intense orchard fruits with typical green apple-pear nose. Sweet and savory with good kick of sweet smoke and spice. It’s like smoked crunchy bits from Texas BBQ. The aftertaste is more of the palate slowly fading. Overall: This is great, even if peat isn’t my thing. Somehow this manages to be flavorful enough and not overpowered by the smoke, yet the smoke is still there in spades. This bottle is legit. Value: This was ridiculously priced in 2017 at 45 Euro… That’s… amazing value. Anywhere sub $90 is a good price for this.
Score: A-

Ohishi 7, SCWC / K&L Pick, 41.5%
A Southern California Whiskey Club and K&L Store pick single cask this is a 7 year old rice whiskey finished in Madeira Cask. By the way this is basically a soju/shochu, not a malted barley whiskey but at least this is a single cask. Strong madeira wine notes on the nose. More wine on the palate that’s quite lacking on the secondary flavors. Wine finish all the way down. Yet again noting, this is a rice whiskey so this automatically makes any secondary notes quite light. Overall: Quite solid amount of flavor for the proof and is rather good blend of Madeira notes from likely a good madeira cask. Unfortunate lack of malt makes me think of neutral alcohol with wine influence. Top pick at a bar, combine this with plenty of food and this is a winner. Solo contemplative drink this isn’t… unless you really like fortified madeira. Value: At $80… this is an confusing proposition for a rice whiskey… but considering the pedigree, the finish and the fact this is a single cask this is probably a passable value for the checkbox.
Original Listing: https://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1595456
Score: B+

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

I’ve asked for interesting samples from friend Charu… I got interesting samples from friend Charu. This time tons of random rum. Not the bottom shelf kind either. As with most Malternative reviews, my palate is not trained for it so I’m mostly judging it compared to whiskey. Previously from friend Charu: https://www.aerin.or … y:entry210317-202914

Foursquare Plenipotenziario 12, Velier Bottled 60%
A 12 year old blend from Foursquare, bottled by Velier. That nose is just dark molasses, and near-burnt sugar. So good, so deep, almost wood stain funky. Quite hot on the palate with 60% abv, tons of wood, sugars, leather, more of that toasted sugar bitter note too. Long aftertaste slightly bitter with deliciously burnt sugar and tons of toasted vanilla with baking spices playing the 3r fiddle here. Overall: Really quite tasty if one likes heavily toasted sugar-vanilla mix. Basically creme brulee top layer in liquid form. Possibly, ever so tiny bit too much bitterness on the palate. Value: N/A, though these are rather expensive even at MSRP.
This guy: https://www.masterof … -year-old-2007-wine/
Score: A- /RUM

Foursquare Redoubtable 61%
Another named release from Foursquare. Another blend of column and pot still rums from Foursquare. Typical burnt creme brulee sugar top on the nose. Quite sweet on the palate, with toasted, but not burnt sugar and vanilla notes. The aftertaste is yet again a typical Foursquare with toasted sugar vanilla blend, wood, some baking spices that finishes light and dry. Overall: Sweet and almost light, this drinks under it’s proof, yet just a tad too sweet for me without few darker bitter chocolate notes to back it up. Just a few would do, not enough to reach the bitterness of Plenipotenziario above, but perhaps a mix of the two would hit the right spot for my palate. Value: Circa $100, it’s probably alright considering how highly in demand Foursquare stuff is.
Score: A- /RUM

Stolen Overproof 6 Year Old Rum, Jamaican Rum, 61.5%
A 6 year old product from Hampden estate stills. Another funky nose with almost rubbery notes balanced by sugared vanilla. Nutty sweet palate with more burnt sugars, tons of spice and nearly tropical drink (don’t forget the bitters) quality. The aftertaste finishes with menthols and almost medicinal though a little bit short. Overall: As K&L Folks have mentioned this is a fantastic mixer for tropical drinks though very drinkable on its own if a little ‘funky’ for my palate. This reminds me of some sort of medicine with menthol notes towards the end. Still I’d probably drink this straight at a tropical resort. Or Mai Tai’ed the heck out of it. Value: This is $40? Pretty darn good overall.
Almost Certainly this: https://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1302807
Score: B /RUM

St Lucia 9 years, 2011 Bitters & Bottles SP, 60.3%
Bitters and Bottles store bottle , distilled in 2011 and 9 years old. Cask number 89308 (if I’m reading the label correctly). CHAIRMAN’S RESERVE 9 YEAR SINGLE CASK 100% SUGARCANE POT STILL RUM is the title. Funky menthol and rubber notes on the nose. Oh, I hope this isn’t another medicinal one. Tons of menthol, alcohol burn, licorice notes galore, this is almost like a bitey metholy rye in rum form. A little bit of water cuts down the burn and makes it a little more palatable. This is still pine resin, tons of menthol and some eucalyptus through and through the palate and the aftertaste. Overall: Not my thing, though I’ve glad I’ve tried it. Few drops of water is heavily recommended. Value: $138.50 I have no clue how to judge it but I’ll for, a little bit on the expensive side.
While it lasts: https://www.bittersa … arcane-pot-still-rum
Score: C- /RUM

St Lucia 11 years, Bitters & Bottles SP, 57.9%
Another Bitters and Bottle store bottle, this time cask number: 5150608 and as of 11 years old. A nice balance of wood, burnt sugar notes and spices. Something dark and tropical appears in between the sniffs on the nose. Still slightly medicinal notes remain. The palate is ginger-cinnamon toasted sugar candy, with some alcohol of course. Little bit of mint comes through but mostly whatever was on the palate continues into the medium length aftertaste. Overall: I am quite enjoying this contrary to the 9 years old one above. It’s got some funk and mint/eucalyptus going on but by no means it’s unpleasant to drink. Kinda like an enjoyable rye whiskey for me, I don’t usually like rye but sometimes the balance is there. Value: At $52.50 this is super solid deal.
This is the link: https://www.bittersa … on-cask-strength-rum
Score: B+ /RUM

Subtle Spirits, Tempest Rum, St Lucia 62.7%
Joshua Thinnes’s single cask pick, 9 year old, 100% Sugarcane, single cask #797082011 by Chairman’s Reserve stills. Lots and lots of wood on the palate, torched sugar, prunes, black raisins. Sweet and almost salty palate, alcoholic dried fruit compote, vanilla-sugar mix torched into bitterness, almost like oversteeped black tea, lots of wood notes with pine needles. Reasonably short but pleasant aftertaste with more dried fruit notes lingering around. Overall: Good but not my thing to be honest. I’ve got some mediocre associations with dried fruit compotes back from my childhood so it’s certainly working against me. As much as I want to like it… it’s not my thing. Honest disclaimer is I’m not too much into St Lucia’s palate balance. Water snaps things together nicely and changes the balance towards good notes. Few drops are highly recommended. Value: This is expensive. No.
Original listing: https://www.subtlesp … com/blog/the-tempest
Score: B (B+ with water) /RUM

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

I’ve reviewed non-scotch whiskeys before… So why stop now….

Penderyn 6, RoCo SP, Cognac Cask 61.9%
Hailing from a Welsh distillery, this is one of 430 bottles selected by ROCO spirits near Sacramento a Penderyn 6 year old malt that’s been in ex-cognac casks and selected for “The 200 club”. Nose is green apple skins, ripe bananas, green grass, some peach notes, some grapefruit peel, pepper and alcohol. Very sweet, bordering on honeyed tea notes, vanilla, white pepper and it’s also quite ‘breathtaking’… as in I couldn’t breathe for a bit after sipping my first sip. Becomes much more palatable after that on the experience, yet still quite warming on the throat due to untamed alcohol. ‘Creamy vanilla custard rum flambe’ is good description of the aftertaste. Overall: Oh I wish this was few years older to give alcohol a chance to calm down. This got amazing flavors but it’s also got untamed fury. Like being beaten up in a brawl by an attractive bodybuilder, great to look at, but it does still hurt. Fantastic young malt but it’s still young and after adding water everything falls apart into grassy raw notes suspended in light sugar syrup. Value: Looks like it was ~$99 which isn’t actually terrible for an uncommon distillery single cask. It’s not much of a value compared to it’s Scottish brethren but in context this gets a pass for the checkbox sake.
Score: C+

Port Dundas 14, Single Grain Scotch, Old Particular SiB, 48.4%
I’ve tried Port Dundas before and the one I’m thinking about was frankly, amazing… This bottle was fantastic: https://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1192854 and I’ve also made no secret in the past that young single grain is a mess. So I’m clearly biased. Digging into this: the nose keeps on changing from vanilla rubbing alcohol to… grassy agricole rum, with a side of a screen wipe smell. Sweet vanilla cake that becomes a carnival of szechuan peppers on the palate. Reasonably long, gentle and very sweet aftertaste… Also like a vanilla cake. Overall: This needs another 20 years in a cask and it’d be amazing… As it is, it’s a curiosity but not much more. Don’t do young single grain kids, it’s not worth it. The dissolution of Port Dundas distillery is a shame but if you can get your grabby hands onto some old stock of theirs… It’s probably great . This, on the other hand, is barely passable. “Vodka (vanilla) cereal.” Value: N/A, not going to guess. If this is from auction and shipped to US… real bad. If sold locally… single grain bottles are pretty cheap comparably to their malt brethren. Still, don’t do single grains younger than 25 year old or so.
Score: C-

Samuel Gelston’s 25, Single Malt Irish Whiskey, 52.4
A blend of Bushmills casks… This is quite… interesting… from friend Logan. The nose is leathery dry peaches and apricots with more tropical fruits, mangos, papaia etc. That nose is ultra tropical with a tinge of smoke, but really more of a sundried smell. Velvet-smooth palate at the first moment, then intense wood and baking spices kick in. Smoked cinnamon mango on the long aftertaste. This really does tastes somewhat smokey even if it’s not supposed to be smoked or peated, but it’s so well integrated, it’s great! Overall: This starts yum, and finishes little bit on the bitter wood side on the second part of the palate. Perhaps just a tad overaged. I want to spend time in the nose… but palate is sort of a mess somewhat muddling the experience once I sip. Value: Very sold out but I’ve seen this between 300 and 400 and that doesn’t lay well for me. As usual, for that price the value is low, especially with Bushmills stocks.
Score: B+

Teeling (Cooley) Vintage Reserve 23, Irish Single Malt 58.9%
Yet another interesting sample from friend Logan. To be clear there’s no such thing as a Teeling 23 year old single malt as teeling isn’t even 23 years old as of this writing. So this is another Cooley… Dried fruit compote on the nose, dried apricots, prunes, some tropical notes are in the background. There’s probably some sherry cask involves in this considering it’s not a single cask bottling. Definitely getting a little bit of varnish on the nose too. Woody, sweet, more dark dried fruits, licorice on the palate, super interesting and very complex. Long aftertaste with warmth and more licorice notes that finishes almost drying with tannins. It’s like a tasty fruity root beer cocktail. Overall: Real enjoyable, Cooley works great in ex-bourbon, but this blend with some sherry involved and is no slouch. Definitely recommended to at least try since finding these bottles are nigh impossible. This particular one is apparently from Japan market. Value: As with just about anything from Logan, not going to bother guessing… this is not a cheap bottle even when it was released in 2015.
Almost certainly this: https://www.whiskyba … /teeling-23-year-old
Score: A-

Cooley 17 Single Malt, @SFWBSS Pick SiB, 58.07%
Another Cooley, this time a 17 year old from 2003, ex-bourbon cask, picked by local whiskey group and I got a little sample via a bottle split. I’ve written about Cooley before here: https://www.aerin.or … y:entry210914-215238 so no need to reiterate, they’re a legendary Irish distiller that preceded Teeling. Intensely tropical nose, with leche fruits, peaches, mangos mingling together into a light tropical fruit concoction. Delicious and rather sweet palate with more tropical fruit punch flavors going on. Mango-coconut notes are the standouts. More coconut mango on the medium length aftertaste together with some baking spices and ginger notes. Overall: I’m quite enjoying this. It’s super sugary, almost agave syrup or cream-soda like, with tropical flavors and bourbon cask spices. But something in there is missing for me. Perhaps it’s so sweet that it evokes fruit punch and spoils my mental image? Almost too much on the senses out of the bottle… With water… most everything snaps into place. Yes! That was it, just add water! Value: Eeeeeeh. It’s $200 for 700ml… not a fan of that value to be honest… yet I still paid for part of the bottle to try it. If you’re a fan of Cooley malt it’s probably worth it considering current market… but honestly, it’s rather bad value especially if buying blind.
Score: A-

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