Tag Archives: Sweet

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Autumn, Cold Winter, Elijah Craig, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

A bourbon break – Elijah Craig 18yr single barrel

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 45%ABV – 750ml bottle – $40-45 | £46 | €54

Man-o-Maneschewitz do I LOVE scotch whisky!  I do, I really do.  In case you couldn’t tell, I’m quite passionate about it.  But even things you have a passion for, you need to take a break from, right?  So, I decided to take a little break from Scotch whisky and go for some American whiskey.

Note: notice the addition of the “e” in American whiskey?  Ever wonder what that was all about?  Check out John Hansell’s, of Malt Advocate & WhiskyFest fame, explanation right here – it’s toward the center of the article which, overall, is a great read.

The good folks over at Master of Malt also have an explanation as to the differences between “Whisky” and “Whiskey” – this is a fine read.

Elijah Craig boasts their having the oldest single barrel bourbon in the whole world.  Well now!  That is saying something.  Come to find out, many bourbons don’t stay in a barrel for more than 10yrs and few at all are single barrel like this one.

Actually, here is exactly what the folks at Heaven Hill have to say about the Elijah Craig 18yr Single Barrel bourbon:

“Elijah Craig 18-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon is bottled solely from one barrel hand-selected by Master Distillers Parker and Craig Beam, not from the mingling of many barrels, which is the practice for standard and Small Batch Bourbons.

Elijah Craig 18-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon is the oldest Single Barrel Bourbon available in the world. Only a handful of the millions of barrels of Bourbon aging in Kentucky have been allowed to mature this long.

The brand carries the name of Rev. Elijah Craig, the man who discovered the method of making true Kentucky Bourbon when he stored his wares in barrels that had been charred in a fire.”

Alright, are you ready for the review?  I’m ready to taste.  Let’s do this.

On the nose — Off the bat – #2 lead pencil & pencil shavings (get ready for a test later folks!), oak and buttered popcorn, fresh corn and caramel covered apples.

This is a no-holds-barred nose, in your face, great stuff!  Again, going back to bourbons, I am always a bit surprised (and not sure why I should be) as to how “in-your-face” everything is.  Nothing extremely subtle but yet, it all works.

On the mouth — Like a bee, you sting me right on my tongue.  Creme brulee with extra burny parts, sweet and spicy (amazed as to how spicy it is being that it matured in a single cask for 18yrs!), chewy mouth feel,  caramel and vanilla ice cream – who needs desert, just drink this!

Finish — Lingering, like the perfect cuddle after “baby-makin'” sex.  This is a finely balanced whiskey and a well chosen barrel.  Thank you Mr. Beam!

In sum — When I went to Whisky Live this past April, I had the good fortune to meet Craig Beam – Master Distiller at Heaven Hill who owns the Elijah Craig whiskey line.  I had such a good time talking with him and his brand ambassador Rob H.  It was VERY apparent that Mr. Beam is proud of his whiskeys and I can see why.  This is quite a nice bourbon and at the price — an 18yr single barrel/cask whiskey… can you go wrong?  No, me thinks.

A World of Discovery, Angry, Autumn, Cold Winter, George T Stagg

George T Stagg 2008 70.9% ABV – Hot damn!

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 70.9%ABV – 750ml bottle – $55-90 for the 2009 release | £95 | €107

There’s an old saying I once heard…  a saying that has stuck with me throughout most of my young adult and current years.  We all have these, right?  A saying or phrase; something that, in certain situations just comes to you right off the bat because when you first heard it, it struck a chord.  These sayings become a part of you for good or for ill.  That’s just how it is.

When I first sipped this bourbon, at 70.9% alcohol, without water, all I could say… all that would come forth from my mouth was:

“That’s hotter than a whore in heat!!”

And Man-o-Maneschewitz, if this stuff did not burn the top layer of skin off of the roof of my mouth – Whooo-eeee!

A quick summary as to what it was like without water (then I will continue my review with the addition of water, trying to bring it down to about 55% (a big thank you to Jeff, the Scotch Hobbyist, for his ABV calculator iPhone app!))

To nose it was like sniffing a sugar fire or perhaps a small burning pile of spiced gum drops.  To taste it was a bit different.  Yes, it burned like all hell but it was so lip smacking and sweet; quite spicy too – made me pucker.  Like a delicious cinnamon bun sitting atop a burning stern-o can.  The finish was L.O.N.G. Long! But full of ripe bananas (flambe perhaps??) and sugared vanilla and oak.

OK, now I must go on with the 55%ABV review.  It’s just way too hot to drink without water (go ahead, call me chicken, I don’t care).

On the nose — Pipe tobacco and fresh grass, nutmeg, cinnamon and pizza spices (think oregano – so odd!), banana peel comes though, much easier to nose at this ABV.  I don’t want to stop nosing.  It’s both inspiring and imposing, pleasant and brash.

On the mouth — Still hot.  Much hotter than the nose.  The palate flavors are a near mirror image of what I got on the nose.  How cool is that!?  There’s an addition of some citrus notes though and the banana is more prominent here.

Finish — Lingering, all burny and stuff… lots of spice and the oregano comes back but it’s very sweet, not so savory.

In sum — Holy Frijoles!  This is some good stuff that makes you slap your leg and say wow!  This is such an American drink.  In your face and unapologetic.  If I could put a name or personality to this drink it would be Eminem.  

This bourbon whiskey just doesn’t give a rat’s ass.  It is what it is.  If you like it, cool, then you get it and love it.  If it’s not up your alley, this whiskey will give you the finger and tell you to F### off.

Sorry for all the potty-words but, try this whiskey and you’ll see that you too will be swearing like the dickens and calling your mother names! (Mom, if you’re reading this, I never called you any bad names.  Promise.)

A special thanks goes out to JH for the sample!!

Lastly, in up-coming news —

I will have two field trip posts going up with in the next two to three days!  One for Whisky Live NYC which I attended last week.  Another for a tour of a newer boutique whiskey distillery!!  Stay tuned!!

A World of Discovery, Cold Winter, Need To Bundle Up, Refreshed, Suntory - Yamazaki, Takin' It Easy

Yamazaki Sherry Cask

Japan – 48%ABV – 700ml –  Not Available through US stores | £56 | €55

So, apparently, “Lust” is one of the seven deadly sins.  In Judaism, lust can be attributed to ones’ Yetzer Hara, or basically, ones Evil Inclination.  The Jewish point of view is that all people have good inclinations (Yetzer Tov) and bad ones (Yetzer Hara) and that when one “sins” it’s more like you’ve “missed the mark” or not lived up to your potential.

You must be asking yourself at this point in time — “What in the blue F$%k is this guy talking about!?”

Well, I’ll tell you.  The very second I saw the picture of this bottle of Yamazaki Sherry Cask, I fell in lust.  Yes, I like Yamazaki well enough (I actually like it a lot and you can read my review of their 12yr expression here) but the very second I caught a glimpse of the color of the fluid contained within the bottle well, let’s just say my mouth watered.  A lot.  And I had to get a bottle good and quick.  Does this make me evil?  G-d, I hope not.

Actually, for as much as I “lusted” after it, I got the bottle during Passover and did not open it.  For those of you who do not know, Jews who keep “Kosher for Passover”, we will not drink any whisk(e)y (or have any foods with grains such as wheat, barley, corn, rye, etc…).  While perhaps my Yetzer Hara, or bad inclinations, made me buy this bottle; on the flip side of the coin, my Yetzer Tov, or Good Inclinations, told me to hold off on drinking any until Passover is done and be a good Jew.  If you want to know more about the ins-and-outs of Passover, check it here.  It’s actually a pretty interesting read.

Getting to the point

Anyway, let’s get a bit to the point here: WHISKY!  and a damn good Japanese one at that!  The Yamazaki Sherry Cask was one of my “You did it, you made it through Passover and now you can taste whisky” whiskies and it made me say WOW.  The other was the Springbank 12yr Cask Strength and then on Wednesday April 7th I went to Whisky Live in NYC (the review of that event to coming in the next week).  Ok, back again to my point, Yamazaki Sherry Cask.  Let’s review it now before I ramble on more:

The Yamazaki Sherry does not have an age statement on it but reading around I found that it was matured in first fill Oloroso Sherry butts (tee-hee) for 12-15yrs.  That’s a lot of time sitting in a first fill sherry butts!  I guess that explains the gorgeous deep caramel/rusty blood color.

Initial whiff – Very lush and sweet.  Stewed prunes with a side of Cafe Americano, deep chocolate notes and sweet corn (¿¿ is that the bourbony quality that I found in their 12yr expression ??), cinnamon and spice, lots of dried fruits and they run the gammut.

On the mouth – Chocolate covered tannins, back to the prunes (something sort of slivovitzy here…plums?), lush mouth feel, big sherry but not extremely “winey”, sweet and back to that bourbon quality I got on the nose.  This is like a heavily sherried bourbon!!

Finish – This one stays with you and you’re thankful for it.  Chocolates and a bit of leather, dried fruits and a touch of espresso.

In sum — Can I have some more??  Such a nice after dinner type dram.  While it’ll warm you up if you need it to, those bourbon-type notes will work pretty hard to refresh you in ways you would not expect.  Also, it’s a very easy going-down type whisky, smooth and quite approachable (even at 48%ABV).  This is limited stuff too, only 16,000 bottles and, based on how incredible this is, I think this will go quick.  Get it while it’s hot!

So, Japan, thank you once more!  You never cease to amaze me.  I think I’m turning Japanese.  I really think so.

A World of Discovery, Bruichladdich, Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Bruichladdich 18yr (not 2nd edition)

Islay region – 46%ABV – 750ml bottle – $101 and up | £50 | €61 (prices shown are for the 2nd edition)

I feel somewhat bad that my first review of the Bruichladdich line was a bad review. But hey, it was what it was and looking at the big picture, I had to post an uncomplimentary post at some point or another.

I suppose, however, what I should have done is review the ‘laddie 18yr expression first as, after all, the 18yr was the very first ‘laddich I’ve every had and it made me come back for more. Also, I received this bottle as a gift (free scotch! who could ask for anything more??). Happy birthday to me!

Bruichladdich (a distillery from the Islay region of Scotland) is known for having a *very* expansive line of whisky expressions. They do a lot with special wood finishes and currently have the peatiest malt on the market today (The Octomore); they have both unpeated & lightly peated malts as well. The 18yr has little if any traces of peat, this is a sweeter one as you’ll soon read.

This beauty was matured in ex-bourbons casks then transferred to Pinot casks for finishing. Pinot is known to be a very soft, silky tasting wine, almost buttery (at least the ones I’ve had). I knew the make up of the scotch before I opened the bottle and was really looking forward to tasting!

Initial whiffs – Fresh fruits (think nectarine and maybe… pear??), vanilla with perhaps some cinnamon, some oak comes through, and a tad bit of citrus. This is what Bruichladdich is known for – even with their peaty expressions, the fruit really comes through and shines.

Palate – Very sweet, the wine-y-ness comes through here (slightly tannic, very slight though), almonds (maybe marzipan but without the bite that you can get from the marzipan), orange syrup, great mouth feel

Finish — Long and fruity, some nuttiness comes back in the end – oh, a something sort of earthy now too, grassy almost?

In sum — I love the bottle style, very cool & swanky. Well worth the money paid for it (thanks birthday gifters! You know who you are). This is one I’d revisit again, and again, and again… Quite complex and worth waiting for warmer weather to enjoy. This is not an easy drinking whisky though – this is one to “taste”, not “drink”

All You Need Is Love, Autumn, Cold Winter, Highland Park, Need To Bundle Up, Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Highland Park 18yr – The best dram I’ve tasted in 2009!

Islands – 43%ABV – 750ml bottle – $75-99 | £55 | €64

I’ve read so many reviews on the HP18 (Highland Park, not Harry Potter, come on people!!) I figured, enough is enough – I had to try just to see what all the hoop-a-lah was about.

Back in October of 2009 I went to The Scottish Arms in St. Louis Missouri. If you’ve never been, go. Now. More than 150 drams (Scottish, Japanese, American, you name it) on their whisky menu – amazing! Well, while I was there I tried the HP18 and all I could say was…”eh…, so what”

PLEASE READ ON

I realized the reason the whisky was so sub-stellar was just because of the type of glass they used (should have brought my own Glencairn) and the fact that I had food getting in the way of the tasting. Note to self: only taste when you’re either A) done with food or B) haven’t had food yet (though on an empty stomach… that can be…ummmm…fun?!).

So, after many people telling me that I must be crazy for thinking the Highland Park 18 was no more than a big yawn, a little while later, I decided to shut them up and lay down the casheesh to buy a bottle.  I actually got the bottle for much less than what is shown but, it was an eBay buy so I won’t post that price.  Let’s just say, I got it for about the price of the standard 12yr bottle of Highland Park!!

Around this time I was reading that many people do their whisky tasting in the morning time so I decided to conduct my tasting during that time myself.  What a way to start the day!!  The following notes, by the way, were written in October, 2009:

Nose (almost 3 full whiffs!!) — Not as smokey as I had anticipated. Very sweet smelling, almost juicy with an underlying smokiness to it. Second whiff: More of the same, this time a little more smoke but now the oak came out a bit and something almost tropical – overripe banana perhaps? I couldn’t wait for the 3rd whiff…

Palate — Absolutely one of the most succulent drops I’ve ever had! The smoke was underlying but kept peaking it’s head out and was balanced so well by the sweetness. Sherry notes but thankfully not overly so. The age came out a bit, long vanilla oak notes and more sweet smoke. G-d damn, I’m in heaven!

Finish — Soft and silky, warming (which is much needed as it was 33deg F this morning!), smokey and long.

In sum — Those who know me now I am a devoted fan of the Glenmorangie line but I have to say, with the exception of the D’or (which remains to be my dram of choice), this has knocked all of the other Glenmos out of the way! Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s because I had it in the morning, I don’t know. I can tell you that I think I’m in love.