Tag Archives: Vanilla

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, George T Stagg, Let's celebrate!

2012 George T Stagg – An absolutely stunning whiskey.

 

Kentucky – 71.4% ABV – $79 (good luck finding a bottle, folks.  You’ll likely find more four leaf clovers than bottles of this juice)

The 2012 Buffalo Trace collection has been released and I was lucky enough to win a lotto from Julio’s Liquors in Westborough, MA to get a bottle.

Let me be clear, winning the lotto gave me that opportunity to buy the bottle.  I didn’t win the bottle.

This hooch is highly allocated and I count myself as one of the lucky ones to have actually gotten my hands on a bottle.

George T Stagg is one of five whiskies Buffalo Trace releases as part of their yearly “Antique Collection.”  And it is, by far, the most sought after one in the group.  (The other five bottles being: Eagle Rare 17yo, Sazerac Rye 18yo, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye and William Larue Weller Bourbon).

At 71.4% alcohol content, this is the highest-octane stuff released this year by Buffalo Trace.

On the nose — For 71.4% I’m not finding this too hot to handle on the nose.  The heat is quite easily transformed in to a good deal of black pepper.

Some burn cranberries and heavily toasted hearty wheat breads become obvious.  So far, an inspiring nose!

Heavily peppered molasses and salted meat and burnt pencil shavings.

Brown spices (an old bourbon stand-by note) but there are also some lighter fruits in here including white seedless grapes, as an example.

This is one of those whiskeys that you could nose for a good, long time.  I see why people go so nuts for it every year.

On the mouth — For the uninitiated, this is some hot juice, no doubt.  However, please reward yourself and press on!  Take a smaller sip.  Here we go again (are you ready?)…

Yeah, that’s the stuff!

Cranberry relish, black pepper, orange zest, vanilla pods… this is BURSTING with flavor.  It’s about as moreish as a whiskey gets.

Lovely mouth feel — both zippy and oily at the same time.  Speaking of oil, getting a little gun oil here.

On top of this, heavy wood spice and a good whack of everything that makes lebkuchen.  It’s basically lebkuchen and Christmas cakes in a glass.

Wow.

Finish — Drying, spicy and near endless…

In sum — Quite possibly the best bourbon I’ve had in 2012.  Actually, this is easily the best bourbon I’ve had this year.  Kudos to the distillers.  In a word: amazing.

Happy birthday to me.  This was my gift to myself this year.  A fine purchase.  One of the best I made this year.

Angel's Envy, Autumn, Kosher spirits, Takin' It Easy, Whiskies

Angel’s Envy Kentucky Bourbon – the OU Kosher certified version!

Kentucky Bourbon finished in OU Kosher certified Port casks from the Kedem Winery – $48

Well, after what was a fine celebration of Rosh Hashanah 5773 (for you gentle Gentile readers out there, Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year and according to how the rabbis count the years, it’s year 5773), I decided to take a look at what I should review and I personally thought that the OU (Orthodox Union) certified version of Angel’s Envy would be a good candidate.  Truthfully, I reviewed this a a short time ago but am just now posting my thoughts to you, the whisk(e)y hungry public.

As I write this, I decided to revisit this whiskey and am so happy that i did!  It truly is a fine one and one that is quite different from what you might come to know as a bourbon. The port cask finishing makes for such a difference!

This version of Angel’s Envy is different from the Angel’s Evny I previously reviewed, the initial launch of the product.  What’s different?  Well, the good folks from Angel’s Envy decided to use OU certified port casks to finish this version.  Also, being that this whiskey is from different stock/different casks, one should expect it to taste a slightly different anyway.

Let’s have a taste, shall we?

On the nose — Intensely sweet.  It actually almost noses like some 1st fill/fresh bourbon casks of single malt Scotch whiskies I’ve had (thinking Arran or Aberlour here – both distilleries seems to use some very active casks, at least in my experience).

Loads of butterscotch combined with a rock candy sweetness.

Sweet pepper relish.

Some wood spice and pencil shavings as well as unsalted corn nuts (this was a difficult one to pull out based on the sweetness of this whisky).

This is whacky, just whacky whiskey.  (Whacky good, that is!)

On the mouth — Much softer and shy than expected (given the somewhat aggressive and flamboyant qualities on the nose).

Still quite sweet with a focus on creamed corn topped with Rainier cherries.

Now some of the more bourbon-standard notes kick in. (nutmeg, vanilla, pencil shavings, etc…).

A soft cereal influence here, too.  All the flavors are playing quite nicely together.

Finish — A medium butterscotched finish.

In sum —  The nose showed amazing promise mainly as, for a bourbon, it revealed true character and individuality in the bourbon category.

While still interesting and highly enjoyable to taste, I wonder if a slightly higher ABV would have given it the kick I was expecting/hoping for; it ended up being a bit more shy and soft than expected.

While I do prefer the initial launch of Angel’s Envy, I enjoyed this greatly and find it just amazing that a bourbon bottler that cares enough to pay attention to the kosher keepers out there that they made a special bottling just for them.  Kudos and thank you!!

Special thanks to WH for the ample sample!

Autumn, Cold Winter, High West, Interviews, Takin' It Easy

An interview with David Perkins, the man behind High West Whiskey – part II of II

 

Video interview with David Perkins of High West – Part II of II: wherein David continues to take us through his new whiskey “Campfire” (my review of Campfire can be found beneath the videos) we discuss peat, blending and he then gives us a virtual tour of High West’s Distillery and award winning restaurant.

You can see Part I of this interview here.

I think the above intro basically tells all.  I hope you enjoy the balance of this interview as much as I enjoyed interviewing David:

And now the fourth and final video:

And finally, my review of High West’s Campfire whiskey – a blend of Bourbon, Rye whiskey and peated Scotch whisky:

High West Campfire – 46%ABV – $50

On the nose –  Spicy and bright nose. Hints of pine resin and toasted rye bread.  Brown spices and a touch of shoe leather.  Honey and chai.  Approachable/easy.  Joyful.

New charred-oak & subtle spice, jasmine & sandalwood.  Some citrus spice laced with just a hint of smoke as a backbone.

Given the name of the whiskey, not as much smoke on the nose as you’d expect.

On the mouth – Forceful attack with big spice upfront.  A nice mouthfeel.   Toast and blueberry jam (notes I love to find with heavier toasted barrels).

Nutmeg, cinnamon and some orange zest.  Floral with citrus spice, like a rye IPA.

Smoke all around the edges, like burning twigs mayhaps…

Wonderful toasty and vanilla spice (chai) on the sides of the tongue.

Finish – Long and spicy (with the spice staying toward the back of the tongue).

In sum — A warmer upper for sure.  This is a whiskey with a very “American” attitude however the addition of the Scotch whisky to the blend offers depth and dimension that many bourbons can’t provide.

Kudos to David Perkins for putting in some extra sweat equity in creating a truly different whisk(e)y experience.

Thanks, too, for the sample!

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Lagavulin, Let's celebrate!

Islay distilleries explained thru Rock and Roll comparisons – Part 7 – Lagavulin and my review of their 30yo expression

Islay distilleries and their whiskies explained through Rock and Roll – Part VII (of VIII)

One of life’s true treats – Lagavulin Islay single malt whisky!

Lagavulin was actually my gateway whisky.  G-d bless him, one of my synagogue’s congregants (recently turned rabbi and now leads his own congregation) used to take whisky bottles to services quite a lot – usually for our “Kabbalat Shabbat” Friday evening service for our post-worship “oneg.”

Well, one night he brought a bottle of Lagavulin 16yo and damn, if I didn’t fall in love straight away!  The sweet smoke, the campfire… I loved it and, wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am, that set me off on my whisky adventure and I never looked back.

I was going to hold this review as the final Islay/Rock review but decided to do it now because, well, it’s my blog and I decide to make an executive decision.  Also, I reviewed the below whisky nearly a year and a half ago and I should have posted it… a year and a half ago!

We’re nearly there.  Six down and today is the seventh Islay/Rock review and then only one more to go (can you guess which one that is?).  Here’s what’s been reviewed in this series to date:

  1. Part one:Bruichladdich as The Sex Pistols
  2. Part two: Ardbeg as Slayer
  3. Part three: Caol Ila as The 80′s (They get their very own decade!)
  4. Part four:Bowmore as David Bowie
  5. Part five: Kilchoman as the Jackson Five (somewhat fitting, in retrospect, with them both bearing the number five).
  6. Part six: Bunnahabhain as R.E.M.

Today we’re reviewing:

Lagavulin 30yo bottled at 52.6% ABV – You can find a bottle here at The Whisky Exchange for £1295 or here for €499 (now sold out at the €499 price).

On the nose — Well, I smelled the stuff from two feet away (I ordered this whisky at a bar in Seattle – can’t remember the name of the bar, sorry).

Jamming my nose into it further and yup, no doubt about it, it’s Lagavulin!

Floral, smoky and even fruity.

Notes of peach and rhubarb.

Salted caramels and a touch waxy.

Fragrant oils.  The smell of a well used wood panel study.

Rolos – chocolatey.

Less campfire smoke than what I’m used to with the 16yr.

On the Mouth — Hot fire-fueled fruits.

Think golden raisin and apricots.  Golden fruits abound.

Waxiness from the nose translated to the taste however, the mouth feel is not as supple as the standard 16yo expression.

Light & fresh green herbs and lightly honeyed.

The wood is well integrated adding layered notes of vanilla and coconut.

Finish — A wild flower field on fire.  More coconut and lasting vanilla.

In sum — The Balance is superb!  Not what I expected (of course, I was expecting some sherry influence as with the 16yr but then again, I knew *nothing* about this whisky before it was put in front of me).  However, it was just plain lovely.  Well worth the $$ I shelled out for the ample dram.

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Lagavulin – The Band!

Is it any surprise that Lagavulin is the Led Zeppelin of Islay whisky?  The rock band powerhouse is the Islay powerhouse.

Like Led Zeppelin (the “Coda” album and the song “The Bridge” excepted), I can not think of one release that didn’t wow me in some way.

Think of the very successful Distiller’s Edition (some of which are legendary) and their great, 12yo cask strength yearly release.  Again, cracking stuff!  Lagavulin rocks and seems to have hit after hit after hit.

Is it the quality spirit, the cask choices… both?  Who knows.  But, like Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham, when you mix the spirit of Lagavulin and mature it in their chosen casks, it’s pure magic.

Good work, Lagavulin.  Like the unparalleled Led Zeppelin, there is no whisky like you!

A bit of a let down..., Caol Ila, Need To Bundle Up

Islay distilleries explained thru Rock and Roll comparisons – Part 3 – Caol Ila & my review of their 2007 Distillery Bottling

Islay distilleries and their whiskies explained through Rock and Roll – Part III (of VIII)

I started this series just two weeks ago and I can say with pure delight that it has, so far, given me my two most trafficked posts (Part one: Bruichladdich as The Sex Pistols, Part two: Ardbeg as Slayer) since I started this blog.  Thanks for tuning and chiming in, y’all!   I really appreciate it.

My two previous posts in this series started off with the whisky review first then the Rock band comparison just after.  I’ll run this one the same way.  Why buck the trend, right?

Caol Ila 2007 Distillery Only bottling 58.4% – £65 at the distillery and they still have some as of August 2011 (when I got my bottle)

On the nose — Smoky, sooty, rusty pipe water…

Hmmm, I’m afraid I might have summed this one up in only 3 words and described it as something you probably don’t want to drink… Let me come back to this one…

One week later and minus my bad mood (seriously)…

While the rusty pipe water is still here, I’m getting some nice oak notes I wasn’t getting before.

Lots of vanilla in here too.  Big unripened peach and pear.

Very industrial smoke – city construction.

On the mouth — Highly medicinal, Listerine (original “flavor) and a boat load of smoke.

Vanilla is huge here too – not to be ignored.

Lots of burnt pie crust and notes of melon along the sides of the tongue (thankfully).

Finish — Lasting and oozing with smoke.

In sum —  Not the most complex whisky and, truth be told, I just don’t really like it so much.  The melon notes aside, it’s got too much of a one track mind: Smoke and vanilla – vanilla and smoke.

While I wouldn’t kick this whisky out of bed for getting cracker crumbs in the sheets, I wouldn’t reach for it either…

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Caol Ila – The Decade! — Caol Ila, you are the 80’s!!  Wait, wait… Let me explain.

Let’s think about it for a second…

Caol Ila is the largest distillery on Islay and it produces over 5 million liters of spirit per year.  Functioning 7 days a week, 95% of the whisky that comes out of Caol Ila is used for Diageo blends.  (Can you say Johnnie Walker?)

Only 5% of Caol Ila whiskies are saved for single malt expressions: 12yo, 18yo and an occasional unpeated, cask strength whisky.

There is also a yearly distillers edition plus a bit of an oddity, a whisky called “Moch” that seems fairly hard to come by.

So, what-in-the-what-in-the-how is Caol Ila the 80’s?  Think about it.  The 80’s was basically a decade where record labels were signing and releasing band after band after band with little, if any dissimilarities.

The 80’s Juggernaut that we know and love churned out hair band after hair band: Trixter, Slaughter, Cinderella, Poison, Great White, Winger, etc…  All of these bands were so very similar, they all added to the “Hair Band Blend.”

What about the various bands that made up the “New Wave Blend” – Flock of Seagulls, The Style Council, Wang Chung, Men Without Hats, Men at Work, etc…

Furthermore, like Caol Ila with their single malts, the 80’s did an amazing job of churning our some fine, fine bands:  The Cure, The Smiths, The The, Violent Femmes, Minor Threat, Fugazi, Rites of Spring, The Pretenders, Polysics, XTC, Joy Division, that one song from Ah-ha, Talking Heads, Suzanne Vega, The Psychedelic Furs, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, U2, Guns and Roses (damn, I hate to admit that I like these guys now), Blondie, etc…

So while I like the 80’s as a decade (and Johnnie Walker as a set of high quality blends), I love the 80’s for it’s true shining stars.

Thank you the 80’s and, THANK YOU, Caol Ila!