MrWizard's Ramblings

ONGOING!!!!! Oh, not another one!?

Another local group I’m part of is doing a Christmas Calendar of blind samples. There are 19 samples with 19 guesses and 19 blind reviews. Organized by friend Ian this time who apparently doesn’t like scotch :) as per rules. The bottles are supposed to be $80+ whiskey, no scotch. I’ll be updating this as I go! Previous year’s events are here:
https://www.aerin.or … y:entry231203-180411
https://www.aerin.or … y:entry221204-210258
https://www.aerin.or … y:entry241206-234357

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

1. IT — Proofy. Peppery. Flowery. Bourbony. Lots of wood through. Not corny. Perhaps a touch too intense for me. Kentucky hug. Something familiar here, very woody though. — Guess: Four Roses. Lark guess: Russell’s 15. — Yay — Reveal: Frey Ranch Bourbon Cask Proof, Golden Gate SP, 63.8%
2. JF — Spicy. Sweet! Cinnamon and wood. Not too weak not too strong. Lots of cinnamon in the aftertaste. — Guess: MGP (Remus?, but could be any number of independents that bottle or bottled it) — Yay — Reveal: AWS Fiddler (MGP) Heartwood, Unwind SP, 59%
3. Gino — Nuts?… Bitter Nuts! Light, flowery soapiness (as best as i can describe it). Well integrated. Sweetness on the aftertaste. High proof. — Guess: Old Forester SiB. Brown Forman something. Four Roses due to SbS? — Yay- — Reveal: Four Roses BS OESO ‘22, Total Wine SP, 55.3%
4. ChrisJ — Cologne. Reasonably light nose. Very proofy and hot on the palate. Flowery. Sweet, light cinnamon. Apparently SbS with the one above. I don’t quite see similarities. — Guess: Four Roses. MGP (Murray Hill). Old Forester BS — Yay- — Reveal: Four Roses BS OESQ ‘22, Jackson’s SP, 58.6%
5. GN — Honey roasted nuts on the nose. Sweet, peanutty, little spicy, flowery. Touch of cinnamon and good balance with wood. Fairly typical of higher age bottles from this distillery, though higher proof than commonly found. — Guess: N/A (That’s mine) — Meh+ — Reveal: Sweeten’s Cove “Specialty Release 2021” (Dickel), 56.48%
6. MJ — Nuts! Spices! High proof. Lots of roasted nuts, though not quite peanuts here. Still feels bourbony. Nice amount of lingering aftertaste after the high proof palate. — Guess: Tennessee style. Uncle Nearest. Something Dickel or Beam. — Meh+ — Reveal: Bookers 2021-02 “Tagalong Batch”, 63.95%
7. NS — Another one with nuts and spices. This one leans very sweet and woody. While i still suspect it’s a bourbon this doesn’t have a clear profile to me. Blend of somethings. — Guess: Barrell or MGP, Redwood Empire? — Yay- — Reveal: Old Scout 6, Healthy Spirits SP (Jordan’s Barrel), 58.8%
8. JJS MTZ — Looks dark. Smells good. Wood Varnish in a good way here. Not high proof (comparably)… Soft, good balance, leaning towards toasted wood notes, lots of gentle pepperiness in the back. Something wheated? — Guess: Weller Full Proof (BT Stills). — Yay — Reveal: Michter’s Rye ‘22, Barrel Strength Toasted Finish, 54.4%
9. DK — Hot. Woody. Walnuts! My palate hits an odd wall once primary flavors end. Touch ethanol forward. Little spicy, but not quite full rye to me, so let’s go with high rye. Grain-forward in a good way. — Guess: Four roses. Heaven Hill (Grain to Glass). — Yay- — Reveal:
10. CF — WHAT IS THIS. This makes me happy. I don’t think it’s whiskey at all. Tons of sweetness, wood, vanilla, gentle hot peppers in the secondaries. Way too sweet for grain alcohol — Guess: Rum, Foursquare something? Possible alternative (covering my bases): malt. Glenglassaugh Single Cask Sherry something — Yay — Reveal:
11. JS — Second one on in a row that makes me happy. This is supposed to be SbS with the one above. It does taste like this one is unfinished (unsherried?) version of the above. Still not whiskey though. Less wood and burnt sugars, more of the vanilla. Same heat, sugars and pepperiness on the aftertaste — Guess: Same distillery but different cask combo. Still tastes a *lot* like a Rum. Possible alternative (covering my bases): malt. Glenglassaugh Sandend — Yay+ — Reveal:
12. Acme — Familiar beats here. Kentucky likely. Very proof. Lots of wood. Lots of sweetness. Deeply toasted sugars and vanilla. Long aftertaste that’s same notes start to finish. Consistency is the name of the game. — Guess: ECBP/SP — Yay- — Reveal:
13. GZ — Final SbS of the set with below… *Very* Cologne-forward, though opens up to some wood and anice notes after a time in a glass. Spicy, but doesn’t seem like a rye, it’s wood and alcohol instead leaning towards unbalanced. Feels wheated. — Guess: Redwood Empire CS. Maker’s Stave Recipe. — Meh — Reveal:
14. JK — Light cologne on the nose here but mostly wood, making it more typical nosing experience. Extremely spicy palate. Same underpinnings as above, but much spicier. Really not my thing. Bordering on rye in spicy department. Very high rye mash. — Guess: Redwood Empire another CS. Maker’s Stave Recipe — Nay+ — Reveal:
15. MC — Smells great. Fantastic warming palate. Just keeps me warm all the way down. Very VERY enjoyable. Seems like a bourbon. I finished this before i could even make a guess. Can I have more please? — Guess: Weller Full Proof. No idea currently. — Yay+ — Reveal:
16. JAX — Pencil shavings and flowers on the nose. Another good one. Typical bourbon palate of sweet sugar wood vanilla in excellent balance. Cinnamon in the aftertaste that lingers forever. Not super proofy but well sugared and woody. — Guess: MGP something (Remus guess like i always do, but more likely NBC) — Yay- — Reveal:
17. MQ — Nutty nose, sweet palate, but falls flat on the palate past the primary flavors. Very odd, hollow, experience front to back. Light chili heat that lingers for long time on the aftertaste. Some nuttiness comes in later on… Doesn’t taste uber strong. Likely under 115 — Guess: Widow Jane. Peerless. Still Austin? Some oddball from Jack? — Meh- — Reveal:
18. PC — Strong roasted nuts here… but lowish proof. What?! Lots of wood. Flowers. Soft and gentle. — Guess: Dickel of appropriate MSRP. Beam is a maybe but nothing specific comes to mind. Jack or Uncle Nearest are also possible due to flavor — Meh+ — Reveal:
19. KK — Last one, let’s make it good. Higher proof, not overwhelming. Roasted, toasted caramel, wood, vanilla. Lots of cinnamon and some heat, but balanced by other things and not super sweet. Chili heat lingers for a while afterwards. — Guess: Turkey (Russell’s 13). Stagg. — Yay — Reveal:

—

Happy Holidays!

A local group I’m part of is doing a Christmas Calendar of blind samples. There are 19 samples with 19 guesses and 19 blind reviews. This is organized by friend Chris, thus the title. The bottles are supposed to be $80+ which both limits the choices and makes it much harder to guess. I’ll be updating this as I go! Previous year’s events are here:
https://www.aerin.or … y:entry231203-180411
https://www.aerin.or … y:entry221204-210258

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

1. KTHI — This is hot. The nose seems typical toasted vanilla, wood, burnt sugar of heaven hill. The palate is hot, lots of wood, hot chili peppers, more burnt sugars. Not overly complex so perhaps not very old. About 8 years. — Guess: Elijah Craig Private Barrel Store Pick — Yay- — Reveal: Four Roses Royal Liquors SP OBSF, 54.5%
2. TVO — Similar notes to the above. Toasted Vanilla, wood and burnt sugar. Notably less hot and spicy and much better balanced. Rather epic and notable runners in the glass here. Probably about 12 years old judging by better balance and integration of flavors and more subtle flavors being present. — Guess: Still likely to be something from Heaven Hill. Could be Rare Character Exceptional cask series bourbon — Yay — Reveal: Four Roses Bevmo SP, OBSV, 52.9%
3. DW — Very clean nose. Seems bourbony. Sweet and pleasant palate with wood and sugars. Not very high proof, but still a kick. Sweet yet somewhat unremarkable aftertaste. I wish it lasted longer, but it sorta falls flat at the end — Guess: Stumped. Wilderness Trail? Subtle Spirits? Michter’s Something? — Yay — Reveal: Elmer T. Lee, 45%
4. GN (That’s me!) — Nose is nutty and a little floral with dark wood notes. More deep-roasted nut notes on the palate. Good balance of flavors and baking spices, lots of cinnamon sugar in tasting notes that continue into aftertaste. Very enjoyable if somewhat typical of the distillery profile, this falls somewhere in the middle on proof — Guess: N/A — Yay- — Reveal: Jack Daniels 150th Anniversary, 50%
5. IT — Eye-wateringly proofy. Fragrant cologne on the nose. Palate brings notes of toasted honey, nuts, coffee, tobacco and alcohol. Sweet cinnamon on the palate and aftertaste. Enjoyable but feels little young and very hot — Guess: Beam. Probably Bookers of some sorts. Could be one of the oddly blended Little Books — Yay- — Reveal: Old Ravenholdt Rye 10 (Beam), 60.5%
6. MC — Nutty nose, not overpowering proof. Baking spices, hot chile, toasted wood. Mellow, almost malty in the aftertaste. A dollop of well aged toasted wood flows through this, yet still nutty. — Guess: Another Beam. Knob Creek 15, 100 proof? Elijah Craig 18? — Yay — Reveal: Elijah Craig Ryder Cup 2023 Edition, 47%
7. KJF — Oooh, a truly well balanced cologne on the nose here. This is *very* spicy on the palate. Likely a rye. High proof too. Gamut of flavors from eucalyptus to juniper. Delicious — Guess: Redwood Empire Cask Proof. Second guess: Templeton 10 year CS Rye. — Yay+ — Reveal: Barrell Whiskey, Total Wine SP, AJ60, 63.05%
8. JeremyL — Flowery and gentle on the nose. High proof and punchy on the palate. MALT! It’s malt! Super creamy texture. Sweet with coffee notes. — Guess: Westland Single Cask, quad malt. Tastes just like an American Malt. — Yay — Reveal: Aberlour A’Bunadh, Batch 79, 60.5%
9. KK — Toasted wood and vanilla showcase. High proof. Roasted pecans covered in cinnamon and cayenne. Little rough around the edges with the proof. Big booze hug at the end. — Guess: Come on! Is it Bookers, finally? — Yay- — Reveal: Old Forester Bourbon SBBP, Bevmo SP 2021, 64.05%
10. Admins Pick — Spicy, very spicy. Feels like a rye at first but then mellows out into more of a bourbon. Roasted corn, full-flavored wood and burnt sugar notes. Typical bourbon palate. Falls somewhat flat in the aftertaste that cuts off abruptly. — Guess: Hirsh Single Cask — Yay- — Reveal: Old Forester Bourbon SBBP, NDA/QBB SP, 64.05%
11. JDK — Younger bourbon nose that opens nicely into anise and tobacco character. Reasonably high proof, lots of spices and chili peppers especially in the aftertaste. Feels spicy, but not quite rye not quite bourbon. — Guess: Palate suggests MGP. — Yay- — Reveal: Four Roses OBSF, Royal Liquors SP, 54.5%
12. MH — Bitter nut oil nose, walnuts. Spicy, slightly bitter palate with light ginger tingle. The texture is thin but the palate is flavorful. A weird oddball. My palate was broken or something that evening. — Guess: Hancock’s Reserve? — Nay! — Reveal: Baby Jane Bourbon, Batch 11, 45.5%
13. MBA — Young distillate on the nose. Slightly nutty in a good way. Sweet, not over-proofed but still punchy. Bourbon palate. Somewhat bitter lingering aftertaste. — Guess: Redemption Rum Cask. Bardstown. — Meh+ — Reveal: Kentucky Owl Bourbon, St Patrick’s Edition, 50%
14. VS — Burnt sugar hard candy nose. Oh that is flavorful. Lots of sugars and oak. Cologne and flowers in the aftertaste notes but mostly punchy, almost burnt, oak sugars. Tastes like something actually good. — Guess: Stagg. Frey Ranch. RC Exceptional Cask — Yay+ — Reveal: Weller Full Proof, Single Store Pick, 57%
15. KM — Smells like a good rye. Tastes like a good rye. Spices, pine, wood, vanilla, sugars. Excellent if a little youngish, lacking clear secondary flavors — Guess: Frey Ranch (Rye) — Yay- — Reveal: Smoke Wagon Bourbon 7 (MGP), Single Cask, 57.92%
16. SR — Peated scotch. Very sweet, smoky, high proof. Touch of salty iodine quality. Drying ash on the aftertaste. This is going to be polarizing for many due to peat. — Guess: Laphroaig Cairdeas (possibly white port) — Yay — Reveal: Lagavulin 12, Special Edition 2022, 57.3%
17. CB — Pine. Toasted wood. Grains. About 100 proof. Not too strong, not too weak — Guess: Whistle Pig Rye. Could be Frey Ranch Rye. Wildcard: Smoke Wagon Malted Rye — Yay (rye) — Reveal: Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye, 61.6%
18. The Josh — Coffee Coffee and more coffee. Plus a touch of caramel. Tastes very much like a coffee liquor. I think it’s malt… it’s too gentle. Absolutely wild stuff. Was it finished in coffee cask? Or or or… STOUT casked something — Wild guess: Dragon’s milk origin. 2nd guess: Westland/Westward just in case. — Meh+ — Reveal: Alley 6 Batch No. 3 Black Barley Single Malt, 43%
19. Venk — Oak and caramel on the nose. High-ish proof. Very sweet and caramel forward on the palate. Almost syrupy. Nuts, peppers, baking spice. Lots of wood all the way through. — Guess: ECBP — Yay- — Reveal: Stagg Jr, Batch 15, 65.55%

—

Happy Holidays!

Balcones Cataleja Single Malt, 59%
A Texas single malt from Balcones, again. This is their 15th anniversary release of a malt that’s been aged in ex-bourbon casks and then finished in just about every sherry cask under the sun, or specifically “Moscatel Dorado, Amontillado Dulce, Ororoso & Palo Cortado”. The nose is very sweet sherry-forward and surprisingly malt-restrained considering the proof. The palate is full of sweet sherry, figs, cream, dark chocolate and some ginger spice. It’s very flavorful, yet drinks below the proof. The aftertaste is more figs, dark raisins and dates, raisins and dark chili chocolate. Overall: Surprisingly excellent drinker this is sweet and hot and chocolatey all around that drinks deceptively under proofed. Yet, it is full of strong and well-rounded flavors. Value: N/A, it was a present from friend Mark… Supposedly, MSRP was 120… that’s 20 over what I’d consider a good value here. Don’t let me stop you though… It’s tasty!
Score: B+

Balblair 10, 2005, 46%
A bottle of Highland single malt, this is a Balblair core release. This batch was distilled in 2005, bottled in 2015 and is labeled 1st release. Visually, it is clean ex-bourbon faire. Nose’s got tons of malt and heavy influence from white orchard fruits, apples and pears with some light notes of honeydew and melons. The palate is appropriately punchy, vanilla-creamy and malty as well as sweet-savory in its character. The aftertaste is somewhat more of the same from the palate, with addition of prominent, yet well-balanced, pepperiness as is common with good ex-bourbon casks. Overall: Super enjoyable, easy-drinking malt that’s not light on flavor. It’s excellent, flavorful and straightforward. The main downside here is lack of substantial secondary flavors. The primaries work well together but there’s nothing subtle or layered here; what is there in the primaries is pure in its clarity. Value: I picked up this on clearance for $30 which is a huge value, original price is $80 being an alright for value overall.
Score: B+

Amrut 9, Ex-port Pipe, Prestige-Ledroit SP, 60%
Amrut exclusively bottled for Prestige-Ledroit distributors after 9 years in ex-port cask, this is cask number 3882. Very purple bottle theme and a hot pink tube. More importantly this is quarter peated scottish barley, something like 80% unpeated and 20% peated and bottled in 2023. The nose is intense, very sherry-like, slightly smoky and spicy with juicy dollop of toasted wood. Amrut apparently has access to some spectacular port casks as this smells amazing. This tastes amazing too. Best sort of light cigar smoke, sundried dark fruits, rich baking spices in perfect harmony. Aftertaste stick around for a while with light campfire smoke aftertaste and just all the best notes from the palate. Overall: Essentially, a flawless bottle in its execution. One of the easiest ones to score in a while. Value: I got it for under 100 from friend David on clearance. A steal!
Score: A

Secret Orkney (Highland Park) 19, “Signatory”, K&L SP, 55.2%
Wrapping this set with a good one. A sample from friend Mark of a 2005 Highland Park #DRU 17/A63 #28 aged for 19 years in first fill oloroso sherry by Signatory Vintage. The nose is funky-sweet oloroso leather, wood and wet tobacco mix. It also feels hotter than it really should be for the proof. The plate is hot with sherry surprisingly restrained, we’ve got sweet dark fruits backed by oloroso leather notes and rounded off by just a touch of smoke, which is at best an accent here rather than a centerpiece. Hot chili aftertaste aftertaste with some bitter dark chocolate. With water: the chili note is now now in the background and the whole experience is notably sweeter tasting and much better balanced with sugar and some wood smoke notes taking the front. Overall: At original proof it is too hot and chili-forward. Much more enjoyable with water, but at a loss of some potency. Possibly higher with-water grade if the amount of water is perfectly measured. Value: Priced at $179 and 20 over the preorder price, it’s definitely out of my comfort zone, thought the $159 pre-order tag may have been tolerable?
This: https://shop.klwines.com/products/details/1789500
Score: B- (B+ with water)

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