Cask strength, 55.2% abv. Non chill filtered, not coloured or flavoured. From Goa India, $130 Australian dollars (700ml).

Tasted multiple times, in a Glencairn glass first without water, then with a few drops.

Without water:

Nose: The ethanol is so overpowering that it's difficult to pinpoint individual scents. There's charred old oak, musty leather, salted red meat, perhaps some old dusty linen too.

Palate: Strong and spicy, way too hot at 55.2% this needs a little water.

With a few drops:

Nose: Much more pleasant, salty sea air, toasted wood, old oak furniture, leather and perhaps some faint citrus?

Palate: It arrives spicy, hot chillies, white pepper, paprika and cloves. As it mellows into the mid-palate there's lemon peel, vinegar, more citrus and herbs... Basil perhaps?

5 minutes in the glass and it changes again. More sweetness, liquorice, candied orange and even some coconut.

Overall: This is one of the most complex and interesting whiskies I've tasted in years. It's complexity on steroids! Bursting with flavour, it changes every few minutes. Absolutely wonderful stuff! 94/100

Redbreast 12

12 Years Old

40% abv

~1/2 full

Neat, Rocks Glass

Background - Happy St. Patty's Day! Well, belated. I'm doing the review on 3/17, but I don't post reviews the same day I write them. Anyways - Redbreast 12 is one of the quintessential whiskies. If one wanted to introduce someone else to Irish Whiskey, this is what most people would offer up. It's not super affordable - I don't think there is such a thing as a cheap good Irish - but it can be found for a reasonable price. But, at only 40% abv, can it stand-up to other top tier whiskies? Let's find out!

Nose - Moderately complex. A nice combination of roasted almonds, vanilla, and honey (which I seem to get in all Irish whiskies). Underneath, a bit of oak, a bit of cinnamon. Good stuff. It's definitely more subdued than other similar whiskies I've tasted, but some digging finds plenty to offer. The more I smell, the more I pick out and find this to be a really pleasant nose. I'll criticize it for not being as potent as I'd like, but there's lots of good stuff here.

Palate - On the thinner side, but not water-thin. The first thing I notice is a strong sherry influence - red grapes, raspberries, the like. There's also your typical honey and vanilla. There's also a good bit of oak and spice, much like the nose. Here, it's more prominent, and plays well with the deep sweetness. Overall, it's really good. Could be thicker, could pop more flavor. But what's here is great stuff, even if you have to work a bit to get everything out of it.

Finish - Smooth, with a nice warmth that dissipates relatively quickly. Not a ton of flavor sticks around, but I do get a feeling similar to drinking a nice blanc vermouth.

Thoughts - This is really good stuff. It lacks oomph overall, but it's rewarding to unpack with plenty of diverse yet complimentary flavors to offer. It's smooth, but challenging to enjoy all it has to offer. I think something that both enthusiasts and beginners will enjoy thoroughly. Great whiskey.

Rating - 3.5/5

1 - Mixing-Only

2 - Decent

3 - Above Average

4 - Very Good

5 - Exceptional

Obligatory cocktail aside. This works fantastic in a classic-style old fashioned, where you build in a glass with a sugar cube (I prefer a demerara sugar cube). A stirred style Old Fashioned gets a little too diluted for my taste, so using a pre-chilled glass with good clear ice minimizes the dilution, and building in the glass really lets the whiskey shine. I do add a little more than usual since there's less body in the form of syrup and water dilution.

I'm taking a vacation to Dublin this week. I've already booked a tasting at the Jameson Bow Street location which I'm looking forward to. I wanted recommendations on what I should keep an eye out to try just while out and about, at restaurants or bars. Not looking for the most expensive stuff, but stuff that's less available or far more expensive in the US.

I haven't had too much Irish whiskey yet so I can't say too much about my preferences. I had Sexton once and enjoyed it. I like ryes (recent favorite is Law's), scotch (Bunnahabhain 12, Oban 14), and bourbon (bulleit, four roses, elijah craig). But I want to expand my horizons!

A whisky I'm quite certain nobody else has reviewed before, from quite a niche country. Review in comments!

Limited release from Archie Rose's own website. There doesn't seem to be any resellers/retailers for this bottle.

Archie Rose Single Malt Whisky, extra aged in 3 different types of casks used to make triple Molasses rum.

Bottled at Cask strength (58%), un-chill filtered and un-coloured or flavoured.

Nose: Loads of sticky caramel and sweet syrupy toffee. Some rich dried fruit notes.

Palate: Sticky date pudding topped with pecan nuts and ice cream. Stewed figs drowned in sweet spiced rum. Hazelnuts, pecan nuts and a mellow hint of double cream.

Finish: Short but intense. More nutty and woody, with a slightly earthy tone which may be the oak finally peeking through.

Overall: For only $150aud this is punching well above it's weight. It's not refined, but it's big, bold and fun. 91/100 - Superb

Paul John Peated Cask Select:

Paul John is really putting out some great whiskies, and im really excited to try this peated expression!

Color: 1.2 Chestnut Oloroso Sherry

Nose: Beautifully aromatic, with loads of tropical fruits, like banana, dried banana, mango, rich spices of nutmeg, cinnamon, and combined wonderfully with soft and sweet peat smoke.

Palate: Thick and chewy mouth feel, and very smooth for 55.5% ABV. Incredible sweet tropical fruits of mango, banana, pineapple and caramel and vanilla, all incredibly balanced with sweet, soft peat smoke, brine and mild spices.

Finish: Medium to long, sweetness slowly fading away as the peat smoke and salinity linger.

Full Tasting Video Here 👇🏻

https://youtu.be/b1B_UxhdmQY?si=dYV8ghz2fvdIkdux

Taste: 81 ABV: 55.5% Price: CAD ~$140 Value: 8.25/10

Nagahama Single Malt:

My first tasting of this peated Japanese whisky aged in Mizunara casks, excited to see what we get.

Color: 1.0 Deep Copper

Nose: Beautiful and aromatic bursting with tropical fruit, sweet vanilla and mild smoke and chat notes. There's a hint of honey and soft spice.

Palate: Nice oily mouth feel, starting with smokiness, even 10 minutes after opening it, the smoke has elevated, charcoal, combined with beautiful tropical fruit notes of lychee, banana, melon and a hint of pomegranate. Soft honey and spices tie it together nicely.

Finish: Nice and long and the smokiness continues to build as sweet fruit notes fade and spices start to tingle.

Full Tasting Video Here 👇🏻

https://youtu.be/_LQyDpR7vSQ?si=HaghFV9L_QYK8zfd

Taste: 82 ABV: 51.1% Price: CAD ~$450 Value: 6.5/10

Looking to treat myself to a nice bottle of whisky not sure what to get.

Over the last couple of years I’ve had in my collection Red Spot, Blue Spot, EH Taylor, Balvinie 16, Blantons.

I’ve been leaning towards a Japanese whisky but not exactly sure.

Any recommendations on $300 price point?

Cheers!

Stranahan's Experimental Series, Ex-Bourbon/Maple Syrup

9 Years Old

113.33 pf

~1/3 Full

Neat, rocks glass

Background - I'm very fortunate to live about 20 minutes from the Stranahan's distillery. If you're a whiskey fan, it's an absolute must to stop there (and enjoy the beautiful Denver mountains while you're at it). The distillery itself always offers a handful of 375mL bottles from their experimental series. These can range from fermentation tweaks, creative finishes, and even straight up liquers made out of their malt whiskey. It's really interesting, it's really cool. Here, I have a single malt whiskey that was aged five years in new white oak and then held a whopping four years in barrels that previously held bourbon, and maple syrup before that. Nine years total aging, bottled at cask strength. It'll have to be a powerful spirit to hold up to such a rich barrel. Time to dive in!

Nose - Not complex. Lots of malt syrup. If you've ever made bagels, you might know what I'm talking about. It's like a warm yeasty bread mixed with molasses. I do fear that the cask influence is masking what the spirit has to offer, and I can't even really tell it's whiskey I'm smelling. And with a nine year cask strength american single malt, that's a little didapointing.

Palate - Moderately thick mouthfeel. Here, I am glad to say I can taste the whiskey. Again, it feels like I'm in a bagel shop, with lots of baked and malted sweetness. I really appreciate the uniqueness here. They didn't just crank out something that tastes like boozy maple syrup. There's plenty of maple, of course, but there's also a lot of chocolate, nutmeg, a bit of orange. It's quite good.

Finish - Somewhat harsh. The ~55% abv makes itself known, and brings with it plenty of maple sweetness and oak. The “bourbon-washing” of the maple barrel seems to have mellowed the syrup influence, so this still tastes like whiskey.

Thoughts - I was worried at the nose that this was going to just be another crappy whiskey masked by the finish and marketed for a buck. But, the palate and the finish provided something really unique and really tasty. that's not to say it's all sunshine in rainbows. The nose is not flattering, and the taste while delcious and unique doesn't present much of a challenge, even if it is unique. It's fun to sip on, and something I'd love to share with a burgeoning appreciator of whiskey. This shows what can happen with creative but thoughtful finishing. Bravo, Stranahan's.

Rating - 3/5

Scale

1 - Mixing-Only

2 - Decent

3 - Above Average

4 - Very Good

5 - Exceptional

Quick aside - Use your spare orange peels for an oleo saccharum, make a quick orange syrup. Mix with this whiskey. Have an absolutely amazing Old Fashioned. Thank me later

Brenne Single Malt Estate Cask:

A french single malt, and my first attempt at a tasting of this whisky, interested to see what I get.

Color: 0.5 Old Gold

Nose: Very unique, and really sweet. Getting some menthol notes, double bubble bubble gum, granulated sugar, mild light tropical fruit and a bit buttery and caramel.

Palate: Very intersting and unique, not sure it even tastes like whisky to me. Extremely sweet with candy, candycane, bubble gum, a bit of lemon meringue and light spices.

Finish: Medium length, as sweetness fades and you're left with a somewhat bitter and odd aftertaste. Not a good finish.

Total flop for me, couldn't even finish it.

Full Tasting Video Here 👇🏻

https://youtu.be/G_jK2Eh1B5w?si=3jF8112IswvGkIs3

Taste: 45 ABV: 40% Price: CAD $100 Value: 4/10

The price seems like a steal for this one. Anyone has experience with this and how is it compared to Hakushu 12yo ?

Hi everyone, Not sure if I should be here or /r/whisky but I'll be heading to Taiwan (from the USA) for a brief stopover and noticed that they had some Kavalan Whisky for sale on their duty free shop on EVA airline. There's currently a deal to buy 3 items and have 20% off. I'm thinking of grabbing a few bottles for my friends (I'm not a huge drinker). Price wise, 1 USD ~ 31TWD

I believe these are the current selections:

KAVALAN Solist Vinho Barrique Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky

TWD 3,080, Around 98 USD

KAVALAN Solist Fino Sherry Cask Single Malt Whisky

TWD 5,930, ~188 USD

KAVALAN Solist Port Single Cask Single Malt Whisky

TWD 2,990, ~95USD

KAVALAN Solist Moscatel Sherry Cask Single Malt Whisky

TWD 6,800, ~ 216 USD

KAVALAN Solist ex-Bourbon Single Malt Whisky

TWD 2,570, ~82 USD

Just wondering if there's a good overall ranking to get? Overpriced? Underpriced?

Thanks!