All You Need Is Love, Blind Tastings, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Rick’s Mystery Dram series – Week 3 of 10 – Sample #3

Rick’s Mystery Dram series – Week 3 of 10 – Sample #3

I have been having a load of fun with this series and I hope you have as well.  I urge you good folks out there to try a blind tasting with your friends/society, etc…  For me, this mystery dram series has and is helping to open my nose, sharpen my taste buds.  Allowing me not be hindered by brand names, ABV markings, ages, price tags, etc…  It really is worth it to try a blind tasting!

For previous “Rick’s Mystery Dram” entries :

Here’s Mystery Dram #1 (which ended up being Parker’s Heritage First Edition)

Here’s Mystery Dram #2 (which ended up being Parker’s Heritage Golden Anniversary)

On to the review:

On the nose — Rick, you really like the Americano whiskeys, eh?  Big spicy/fruity nose, orange and cloves, fabulous oak (I can smell the toasty charred goodness!), something nutty (like the taste of raw, freshly cut and uncooked pumpkin) – very easy to nose.

On the mouth — A bit subdued and insanely smooth (though the mouthfeel is gentler, as opposed to the #2 mystery dram, this is like holding velvet, melting chocolate or a lady’s silken undergarment in your mouth), quite coating on the tongue and now spiciness from the nose returns, fresh garden veggies – this was an unexpected yet welcome twist; it works quite well.  It’s all about the mouth feel with this one – sumptuous.  Not overly sweet like many bourbons.

Finish — The finish grows into something very beautiful.  Big, climactic, juicy and spicy.

In sum — As I think about this whiskey, eyes closed, I imagine a perfect sound wave – up/down/up; endless.  So well composed.

My guess is the ABV is closer to 45-50% though, it’s a bit tough to figure out.  I honestly have no idea as to who made this bourbon but who ever did should be very, very proud.

Clues —

  • Fruity yet nutty nose with some spiced notes and quite a lot of oak.
  • Velvety mouth feel that is not overly sweet.  Some vegetal notes pop up.
  • Bigger finish, a return to the spiciness of the nose.
  • My guess is the ABV is closer to 45-50%.

JMSWS antes up!

For those who attempt to guess – each week I will be sending out one mystery dram (a small 5cl bottle) and the first person guesses correctly wins the dram.  Actually, if there are no correct guesses for the week then a winner will be chosen at random.  You win whether your right or not!

So again, I will be awarding a free whisk(e)y sample every week to one lucky winner (whether you guess correctly or not).

How do I enter to win you ask?

Easy, comment on this post with what you think the mystery dram of the week may be.  It’s that simple.

I will let you choose the type of mystery dram — Scotch or American Whiskey (though that’s all you’ll know about it).  And if you’d like, you can send me your tasting notes and I’ll post them for my readers to guess at.  If you’d prefer the blind tasting to be between just you and me… that’s cool too.