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Paul John “Mithuna” Single Malt Whisky

January 19, 2023 India

Name: Paul John “Mithuna” Single Malt Whisky

Color: Copper

Nose: Malt, honey, tropical fruit, mango passion, cedar wood

Taste: Malt, fruits, oak, spices, vanilla

Mithuna Single Malt Whisky is one of Paul John’s newer expressions on the market and is part of the Zodiac series. The name translates to “Mother India” and is one of the months in India’s solar calendar. First release was “Kanya” but now, there is not much left that expression. This mini bottle was a gift from Devin Vilardi a brand ambassador at the time for Paul John for virtual tasting in 2021. This is the 3^rd item sent to me for review since I started four years ago. Slow and steady wins the race in the review world I guess.

The whisky is distilled from 6 row barley, natural colored, aged five years in American virgin oak and one year in ex-bourbon barrels at a char-3 level. Bottled at 58% abv it is a little hot so a touch of water is needed to open it up and bring out the flavors.

Mithuna has a very nice flavor and balance. It has a blend of tropical/exotic fruits and Scottish malt flavors. It is not trying to be one or the other, just a blend of both styles. It is the best whisky I have sampled from Paul John, but it comes at a high price.

Priced around $300 and worth it if you like the flavor profile and fits your budget. If you haven’t tried Indian Whisky I recommend you start with the more affordable Paul John expressions such as Brilliance or Edited Single Malt.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Hudson Whiskey NY – Bright Lights, Big Bourbon

January 12, 2023 NYC

Name: Hudson Whiskey NY – Bright Lights, Big Bourbon

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Corn, vanilla, oak

Taste: Corn, oak, vanilla, dark fruits

Bright Lights, Big Bourbon is from Tuthilltown Spirts Distillery in Gardiner, New York. The distillery was founded in 2003 and was acquired by William Grant & Sons in 2010. The acquisition brought in an influx of cash and changes to the brand from its previous name, bottle style, price, and flavor.

The name of this whiskey sounded familiar to me when I first noticed a marketing push in the NYC area. This expression was previously titled “Baby Bourbon” and the “Manhattan Rye” is now “Do the Rye Thing”. The label colors are based off the NYC Subway lines and is probably designed to stand out on the store shelf. The bright colors should help with the marketing push, but not so much when it comes to the flavor profile.

The mash bill is 95% corn and 5% malted barley. It is aged 3 years in new charred American oak barrels and bottled at 46% abv. On my first taste I was not impressed. It is a very basic corn bourbon that is young and harsh. On my second taste it was less harsh, but I was even less impressed.

Priced around $50 and overpriced for the taste profile. I remember the previous version tasting better. If you want a mixer at this price I recommend FEW or Sagamore.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Black Dirt Straight Rye

January 5, 2023 NYC

Name: Black Dirt Straight Rye

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Rye, wood, pepper notes

Taste: Rye, honey, malt, spices, white pepper

I visited the Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery in Warwick, NY in the Fall of 2021 to pick apples and enjoy the fresh country air as I do each year. Warwick produces several different types of spirits such as; single barrel bourbon, crown maple bourbon, apple jack brandy, gin, wine, cider, and dessert wines. On the shelf I noticed the Black Dirt Rye and thought I got to give this a try.

The Black Dirt Straight Rye Batch No. 003 mash bill is 90% rye and 10% malted barley. It is aged 3-1/2 years in new charred American oak barrels and bottled at 50% abv. The name “Black Dirt” refers to the fertile soil in the farming area and local rye is used in the distilling process.

The flavor profile is good and well balanced. This rye expression is not too spicy or too light and has a smoother finish.I am not a fan of drinking rye whiskey neat or on the rocks. I like it in cocktails and this one would be even better if it had slightly higher percentage of abv.

Priced around $50 and good valve for the money and supporting local farming.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Talisker 25 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

December 25, 2022 Scotland

Name: Talisker 25 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Color: Light gold

Nose: Malt, honey, sandalwood/oak, bake spices/cinnamon

Taste: Malt, warm honey cream, spice, flowers, light seagrass

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good dram!!! See you all again with new reviews in 2023!

Talisker Single Malt Whisky is a well-known and classic Scotch Whisky. The distillery was found in 1830 and is located in Carbost, Isle of Skye. I was in Glasgow a few months ago and I made my required trip to The Pot Still for a dram. On this trip I decided to treat myself to something nice. It was a toss up between Octomore or Talisker 25. Since they were both around the same price I decided to continue on my Talisker tasting experience. The price per dram was 25 GBP, approximately $40 USD.

The 25 year old is bottled at 45.8% and seemed a little hotter and less smooth than the 18 year old. However, it has been a few years since I have had the 18 so my memory might be a little off. I added a few drops of water and it opened up nicely. It was very smooth, but it was a little too smooth. The whisky lacked the bite on the tongue that I enjoy in my single malts. That rough taste that some people do not enjoy is what I enjoy the most about scotch. It is an excellent expression and a very enjoyable whisky, but for a price versus value of taste vs your budget, the 18 is the better value at $200+

Me at the Potstill 2022

Other expressions are: 10, 18, 25, 30-year-old, Storm, Skye, Dark Storm, Distiller Edition, 75 North, Port Ruighe, and Neist Pint. The 25 year old is on the upper level of the expressions.

Price ranging from $600-$800 and worth the money if you like the softer flavor profile or you have a lot extra money laying around.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Tomintoul 16-Year-Old

December 22, 2022 Scotland

Name: Tomintoul 16-Year-Old

Color: Light copper

Nose: Malt, wood, vanilla cream, citrus, hazelnut

Taste: Malt, nuts, spices, root beer/peat

3 Days until Christmas! Do you have your bottles ready for the Holiday Season?!

Tomintoul 16-Year-Old is a single malt from Speyside region in Scotland. It is pronounced “Tom-in-t’owl” and means “Hillock of the Barn” and is named after a village of the same name in Moray. The distillery was founded in 1964 and is now partnered with Glenlivet and operates under the name the Tomintoul-Glenlivet Distillery.

The nose is a bit strange and took a few tries to figure out get a read on it. I mainly detected hazelnut and Christmas spices and the baseline of Glenlivet 12. It has a very good balance, medium body, and is very smooth. Bottled at 40% abv and aged 16 years, there is no statement of what barrels are used so I will assume ex-bourbon barrels.

Other expressions produced: 10, 12, 14, 16, 21, and 33-year-old.

This whiskey is very nice and would work well as a Fall or Winter dram. It tastes different than the Glenlivet 12, Glenlivet 14, and Glenlivet 15 but made a nice addition to my bar.

Priced around $60-70 and is worth a try.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Sagamore Double Oak Rye

December 21, 2022 America

Name: Sagamore Double Oak Rye

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Light wood, vanilla, caramel, light spice/nuts

Taste: Sweet, oak, spice caramel

4 Days until Christmas! Do you have your bottles ready for the Holiday Season?!

Sagamore Spirit Whiskey originates from Baltimore, Maryland and is owned by the owner Under Armor clothing. The marketing claims that Maryland produced rye whiskey before Bourbon was created in Kentucky. This makes sense when you look at how America’s colonies and states developed, however, I can now smell a Mad Men marketing a mile away before I taste a whiskey.

Sagamore Double Oak Rye is bottled at 96 proof and aged 4-5 years in two oak barrels that have grooved cuts and are char’d to level 1. At the time of my tasting (March 2020) it had not be released and any release was going to be limited. The bottle design is six sided to represent a diamond to show quality. Ok, and again, more fucking marketing. Perhaps, and I am just guessing, it was designed to stand out on a shelf. Humans base first thoughts and actions on sight above all other senses.

This rye has a nice balance, but the rye notes are slightly masked by the sweet oak taste. It is very good, but I prefer the Sagamore Cask Strength over the Double Oak. I also find these better as high-end mixers than straight drinker.

Priced around $60 and worth the money.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Clyde’s May – Original Alabama Whiskey

December 15, 2022 America

Name: Clyde’s May Original Alabama Whiskey

Color: Copper Brown

Nose: Corn, rye, and malt blend, citrus, pepper, wood

Taste: Malted blend with corn, dry cedar, vanilla, lemon

10 Days until Christmas! Do you have your bottles ready for the Holiday Season?!

Clyde May is named after a moonshiner from Alabama with a long history of backwoods whiskey production. Clyde passed away in 1990 and his son took over the business and made it legal. The whiskey is sourced from Indiana and/or Kentucky and bottled in Florida. As of January 2022, they have broken ground with a distillery in Troy, Alabama. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2023 and first releases in 2027. The history of the May Family is one of good old fashion American grit, which I appreciate. Most new distilleries are just kids playing with daddy’s money or bored rich guys.

Unfortunately, the old fashion “grit” does not translate into quality. The first and second tastes of the Alabama Whiskey are just basic. This is their baseline expression and is a mixed bag in taste and with the nose. The taste profile has that blended corn, malt, and rye thing going on. The nose is softer than the Straight Bourbon and the color is darker than some of the other expressions. The abv is not strong enough to last in a cocktail and would be watered down too quickly. I find it hard to believe that they won any awards.

Other expressions: Straight Rye, Straight Bourbon, Alabama Style Whiskey, Clyde May’s Cask Strength, Alabama Style Whiskey, and Clyde May’s Special Reserve Alabama Style Whiskey.

Priced around $40 and drinkable. Good for cheap slugging or cocktails.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

New Riff Rye

December 14, 2022 America

Name: New Riff Rye

Color: Light brown

Nose: Rye, cream, vanilla

Taste: Rye, orange, wood, white pepper

11 Days until Christmas! Do you have your bottles ready for the Holiday Season?!

New Riff Rye is produced by New Riff Distilling and is located in Newport, KY. The distillery was founded by Ken Lewis who used to own The Party Source Store in the same plaza. It is my understanding that you cannot produce and distribute in Kentucky, so he sold the store to start the distillery.

The mash bill is 95% rye, 5% malted rye, and is bottled at 50% abv.. The whiskey is aged for 4 years in new charred barrels, and is non-chilled filtered. The malted rye adds a different flavor profile which is very nice. It has a good balance, not too spicy, and a sweeter finish than I expected. I did not get to try it in a cocktail, but I am sure it would it would work very well.However, for a rye I prefer Sagamore Cask Strength for the spicy flavor for a few dollars more.

The current expressions produced: Bourbon, Single Barrel Bourbon, Rye, Single Barrel Rye, Red Turkey Wheat, Wild Gin, and Bourbon Barreled Gin.

Price around $50 and is good valve for the price.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Coppersea Single Barrel

December 8, 2022 NYC

Name: Coppersea Single Barrel (Batch No. 415)

Color: Copper

Nose: Green malt, spices, orange, wood, dry sherry

Taste: Malt and rye, sherry, vanilla, cream oranges, almond

17 Days until Christmas! Do you have your bottles ready for the Holiday Season?!

Coppersea Single Barrel is produced by Coppersea Distilling, in New Platz, New York. Founded in 2011 and derives its name from an old saying that there was a “Sea of Copper stills along the Hudson River Valley in the 1800’s…” Today there is only a few distilleries in the Hudson Valley area.

The Single Barrel expression is a straight rye whisky, aged 3 years finished in Amontillado cask and bottled at 49.4% abv. The mash bill is 60% rye, 20% malted barley, and 20% corn. The flavor profile on this expression is very good to borderline excellent. It is well balanced, very flavorful and not too hot for such a high proof. I get a little of the Angus Green Malt on the finish but that is my personal note. There is a wonderful balance of flavors going on with this whisky.

Single Barrel one is the best expression they produce, and I am sure the Spanish sherry cask helps push this whisky to the #1 position. I purchased this for my friend in Kentucky as a thank you for letting me drink all is good bourbon up every year when I visit. He was very impressed with Coppersea as he knows his bourbons.

Other expressions: Bonticou Crag Straight Rye Malt & Bottled In-Bond Rye Malt, Excelsior Bottled In-Bond Rye Straight Bourbon, Big Angus Green Malt, Pedro Ximénez Cask Single Barrel Rye, Amontillado Cask Single Barrel Rye, and Sauternes Cask Single Barrel Rye.

Priced around $125+ and worth the money and a drive up to visit the distillery.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

West Cork 12-Year-Old Sherry Cask

December 2, 2022 Ireland

Name: West Cork 12-Year-Old Sherry Cask

Color: Gold

Nose: Malt, honey, vanilla, flowers

Taste: Malt, honey, vanilla sherry, dried fruit, cream

23 Days until Christmas! Do you have your bottles ready for the Holiday Season?!

The West Cork Distillery was founded in 2003 in Skibbereen, Ireland. The whiskey is 100% malted barley, aged 12 years in first fill bourbon casks, finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, and bottled at 43% abv. I have seen this whiskey on social media and in a few bars, but I had not sampled it until dropped by the Dead Rabbit in NYC for a dram. I was planning to sample a Jameson expression, but they were having supply chain issues so West Cork was the next choice.

I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor profile of West Cork 12 Sherry Cask. The balance is good and smooth for an Irish Whiskey. It has a Jameson/Glenlivet type body but a far better flavor profile. As I mentioned every March in my reviews, I am not a big fan of Irish Whiskey due to the cream finish. It’s not a bad thing, just not my preferred flavor profile. I have met Irishmen who cannot enjoy Scotch and Scotsmen who cannot drink bourbon. It is all a matter of opinion, and I don’t think St. Patrick really cares.

Other expressions available are: Black Cask, Single Malt, Cask Strength, Peated Charred Cask, Bog Oak Charred Cask, IPA Cask, Stout Cask, Rum Cask, Calvados Cask, Virgin Oak Cask, and Port Cask.

Priced around $65 (or $18 a glass) and very nice stuff. I look forward more in the future.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

christopher.dias.nyc@gmail.com

Paul John “Mithuna” Single Malt Whisky

Hudson Whiskey NY – Bright Lights, Big Bourbon

Black Dirt Straight Rye

Talisker 25 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Tomintoul 16-Year-Old

Sagamore Double Oak Rye

Clyde’s May – Original Alabama Whiskey

New Riff Rye

Coppersea Single Barrel

West Cork 12-Year-Old Sherry Cask

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