Chris | Page 21 | NYC Whiskey Review

christopher.dias.nyc@gmail.com

The BenRiach 10-Year-Old

November 3, 2022 Scotland

Name: The BenRiach 10-Year-Old

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Malt, lemon, white fruit, light oak

Taste: Malt, apple/pear, lemon

The BenRiach 10-Year-old is a Speyside single malt whisky from Morayshire, Scotland. The distiller was established in 1898 and has changed ownership a few times over the years. The whisky is bottled at 43% abv, aged 10 years, and finished in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It is a nice medium bodied fresh tasting whisky and has a good balance of flavors. It is a good whisky for a non-scotch drinker and would work well as a summer or a winter dram.

Having no knowledge or experience with this whisky I bought this bottle on a gamble for the price. I was pleasantly surprise at the taste and quality. I look forward to trying more expressions, but I have not seen much of BenRiach on the shelf around the NYC area. I will have to sample some on my next trip to Scotland.

Other expressions: Smoky 10 & 12,16, 20,21, 25, 30, 1996 Vestige, Casks, Peated Quarter Cask, and Triple Distilled. There are also numerous “Archive” expressions with various finishes.

Priced around $50 and worth money for the price and the baseline expression.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Bardstown – The Prisoner #2

November 2, 2022 America

Name: Bardstown – The Prisoner #2

Color: Brown

Nose: Corn, vanilla, citrus, root beer, dry wood (amber wood)

Taste: Earthy, dirt, honey, vanilla

Bardstown Bourbon Company is from Bardstown, Kentucky and it is a relatively new company compared with others from the region. I learned they are “a new blend of bourbon makers pushing the boundaries through innovation” and “a modern Napa Valley styled facility with food paring…on the new 1,000-acre property…combo of distillery, visitor center, rickhouses, and active farm”. I visited the distillery in April 2021 and it is impressive. It makes some other visitor centers feel tiny in comparison. The company states $25 million was spent on the property, but it appears they spent much more. I hoped to sample some of the expensive expressions, but they were only available for purchase.

The Prisoner #2 has a dryer nose/taste than any other expression I have sampled from the distillery. It has a very flat and earthy dirt flavor that heavily masks the other flavors. I do not know if it is the Tennessee corn that I am not enjoying, but this was not that enjoyable for me.

As stated on the bottle label:

Origin = Tennessee
Age = 10 years
Mash Bill = 84% Corn, 8% Rye, 8% Malted Barley
50%abv / 100 proof

I was overall unimpressed with this expression, especially at the price. The bartender at the distillery told me they were “selling out of this amazing whiskey”. I thought to myself, “This kinda smells like bullshit”. I would have loved to go into the back room or warehouse to see how many cases they had left. A tip for you on my experience on anything a seller is running out of, don’t believe them. You will know when someone is running out of something when the price goes up significantly or you can’t find it on the self.

Priced around $125+ and not enjoyable due to the flavor profile.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Paul John – Brilliance

October 27, 2022 India

Name: Paul John – Brilliance

Color: Copper

Nose: Apples, malt, sweetness

Taste: Malt, grassy, toffee

Paul John Brilliance is another expression from Paul John Distilleries in Goa, India. Unlike its sister Edited, it is a bit plainer with mainly a malt/grass taste. There is no peat or exotic fruit in the flavor profile. This not a bad thing, I just was not expecting it.

The whisky is non-chilled filtered and is made with 6-row barley. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a member of the grass family and there are 2 or 6 row types of barley. The two and six row barley each have pros and cons, but I won’t get too deep into that subject. The main pros of six row barley are that is has a higher protein levels and more enzymes for converting starch into sugar. Getting sugar from the starch is a very big part of the distilling process. As for as the taste, could not tell you the difference, but I can say that Brilliance is very malty and grassy. I struggled to taste much else, which made it a bit dull. Brilliance is non-peated, so it is more of a summer drink that a cold winter dram. Personally, I need my peat and smoke in my whisky when the snow falls.

Priced around $50 and worth the money, just not my preferred flavor profile.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Opinions Vary: Neat or on the Rocks

October 26, 2022 America

Opinions Vary: Neat or on the Rocks

Following up on my Opinions Vary: Cask Strength I wanted to give my thoughts on enjoying whiskey “Neat” or “On the Rocks”.

On the Rocks makes sense to most people as it is on ice. The term “neat” comes from somewhere at sometime and has a history that I can’t figure out, but it sounds cool when you say it in a bar ordering your whiskey.

I believe that a good whiskey, which is subject your opinion, needs nothing more than a glass. I have found that ice can really ruin the enjoyment of a good whiskey. If you are drinking whiskey over 18 years old (and sometimes younger), it usually has been created with care and balanced very well for taste. Why ruin it with ice?

With many whiskeys it can be a crap shoot. A whiskey on ice may be nice, but the ice melts and waters down the whiskey. It affects the taste, weakens it, and makes it easier to drink. I find this a problem when drinking bourbon on the rocks. The sweetness of the corn mash becomes easier to consume and you end up drinking too much too quickly.

Many years ago watched Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations drinking his favorite whiskey on the rocks. From what I remember, he was in Brooklyn and he was drinking Pappy Van Winkle 23-Year-Old in some hipster bar. He spoke about how you can drink whiskey any way you want, which is true, but you need to consider a few things. One thing to consider is the TV show was paying for it, another was he did well for himself finically so he could have bathed in Pappy for all I care. For most of us, budgets are a controlling factor in our whiskey experience.

My advice, order whiskey neat, with ice on the side. Start with one or two cubes and take it from there.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Bardstown Bourbon Company – Fusion Series #1

October 20, 2022 America

Name: Bardstown Bourbon Company – Fusion Series #1

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Corn, vanilla, dark fruit, wood

Taste: Corn, cherry, oak, caramel, pepper

Fusion Series #1 is very good. It is well balanced, well made, has a smooth flavor profile, and has just the right amount of kick to it. Stated on the bottle is the following:

40% Kentucky Bourbon 11.7 years, 74% corn, 18% rye, 8% malted barley
18% Bardstown Bourbon 2.3 years, 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley
42% Bardstown Bourbon 2.1 years, 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley
NAS, non-chilled filtered, 49.45% abv

I purchased this bottled at a charity auction for Brett Ferencz, aka “Scotch Trooper” to support his fight against cancer. Sadly, Brett lost his battle with cancer on February 11^th, 2021. I would like to note that if you can afford expensive whiskey please consider donating money to families, friends, neighbors, or strangers that are fighting cancer. Cancer just doesn’t devastate a ones health and family’s emotional state, it does massive damages to their finances.

The Series #5 is available for around $60. Series #1,2,3,4 are now listed as “Previous Releases” so I am not sure if you will be able to find them, nor do I know the price. The bourbon and distillery are worth your money and your time.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

Ardbeg An Oa

October 19, 2022 Scotland

Name: Ardbeg An Oa

Color: Brown gold

Nose: Malt, peat, wood, earthy, medium iodine

Taste: Malt, smokey peat, light oak, seagrass

Ardbeg is a Highland scotch from the Islay region in Scotland that I like to put into a category I call “Big Boy Scotch”. Ardbeg is considered by some people in the whisky world to be the peatiest of all the scotches. I can think of a few other scotches out there that can compete for that title but with heavily peated scotch is truly a matter of individual taste. The name “Ardbeg” is Scottish Gaelic for a “small promontory”. A promontory is defined as “a point of high land that juts out into a large body of water”.

Ardbeg “An Oa” is named after the cliffs (The Oa) that protect the southwest portion of Islay. The whisky is aged in sherry casks and virgin oak, is non-chilled filtered, and bottled at 46.6% abv.

An Oa is smoother and better tasting than the 10-Year-Old and has a richer flavor profile than of the Wee Beastie expression. The taste is heavier and more complex but well balanced. is a little warm on finish with a spicy finish. The richer taste seems to come from the choices to age the whisky.

Ardbeg whisky is a solid performer but be aware their expressions really vary in taste and price so I recommend getting sampler packs or trying in bars before you commit to a full bottle.

Priced around $65 and worth the money if you like the flavor profile.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Glenmorangie 12 – Lasanta

October 13, 2022 Scotland

Name: Glenmorangie 12 – Lasanta

Color: Copper

Nose: Sherry, malt, orange, light cedar wood

Taste: Malt, sweet caramel, sherry, citrus/orange

Glenmorangie is a Highland Whisky from Tain, Scotland. The distillery was founded around 1703 and has had various owners over the centuries. The name is Scottish Gaelic and is believed to translate to “vale of tranquility” or “vale of big meadows”.

The Lasanta is bottled at 43% abv and aged for 12 years. It is first matured in bourbon casks and the is finished in Oloroso & Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. This expression would make a nice summer scotch or after dinner drink, but I could not see having more than one dram. It is nice whisky, but a little on the dry side and I do not think it would go well with ice or in a cocktail. It has a strong sherry nose and along with being dry it is also a wee bit too sweet for my taste. The more I sample sherry finished whisky’s the more I feel the distilleries walk a fine line of creating a gimmick of sweetness to get people to buy bottles as opposed to a interesting finish on a quality product.

Other expressions are: Original, Quinta Ruban, Nectar D’Or, 18, 19, 25, Signet, Pride 1981, Pride 1978, Pride 1974, and Grand Vintage Malt 1990, Sonnalta PX, Finealta, Artein, Ealanta, Companta, Tùsail, Milsean, Bacalta, Spios, Allta, Tarlogan, Tayne, Duthac, Dornoc, Cadboll, Astar, A Midwinter Night’s Dram, Cadboll Estate, and Taghta.

Priced around $70 and worth the money if you like this style of whisky, but a little overpriced for me.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon

October 12, 2022 America

Name: Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Corn, vanilla, oranges, dry wood

Taste: Same but rough

Clyde May’s is named after a man and 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 (or possibly Kentucky) and is bottled in Florida. As of January 2022, they have broken ground in Troy, Alabama with construction to complete in 2023 and first released production expected in 2027.

The Straight Bourbon is young, rough, and has not real sense of style. It is a not mixed bag of flavors like the Alabama Style Whiskey. The first and second tastes of this whiskey are the same, which is shit. The good news is the second taste is less shit because your mouth adjusted to the first taste of shit stuck on your tongue.

Other expressions (hopefully less shitty): 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 it is just a quickly produced low level whiskey.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Glenmorangie 12 – Quinta Ruban

September 29, 2022 Scotland

Name: Glenmorangie 12 – Quinta Ruban

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Malt, sweet rum notes, green grass

Taste: Malt, sugar cane, flowers, berries

Glenmorangie is a Highland whisky from Tain, Scotland and was founded around 1703 with various ownerships over the year. The name is Scottish Gaelic and is believed to translate to “vale of tranquility” or “vale of big meadows”.

Glenmorangie 12 Quinta Ruban expression is bottled at 46% abv and is age for 10 years in American white oak cask and then finished in Quintas port pipes to age further for flavor. Port pipes are the largest casks available.

Nice balance with the port finish but the sweetness tasted more like rum and sugar cane to me. A better tasting whisky for the overall flavor profile than the sister expression Lasanta, plus it has a higher proof, so more bang for the buck. However, it is just a little too sugary tasting for my preference when it comes to a scotch.

Other expressions are: Original, Lasanta, Nectar D’Or, 18, 19, 25, Signet, Pride 1981, Pride 1978, Pride 1974, and Grand Vintage Malt 1990, Sonnalta PX, Finealta, Artein, Ealanta, Companta, Tùsail, Milsean, Bacalta, Spios, Allta, Tarlogan, Tayne, Duthac, Dornoc, Cadboll, Astar, A Midwinter Night’s Dram, Cadboll Estate, and Taghta.

Priced around $60-70 and worth money if you like the taste profile and feel a 12 year is worth the price of a 14- to 16-year-old scotch

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

The Botanist Islay Dry Gin

September 15, 2022 Scotland

Name: The Botanist Islay Dry Gin

Color: Clear

Nose: Juniper and fresh green earth notes

Taste: Similar to nose, no burn on the finish

The Botanist Islay Dry Gin 22 is produced by the Bruichladdich Distillery in Islay, Scotland. Since it is the clear liquid cousin of a very good scotch producer it was worth a try and review. Before I was into whisky I was Gin & Tonic drinker but one trip to Kentucky changed all that in 2008. I do not know why Bruichladdich decided to make this gin, but I am glad they did.

The Botanist Gin is a London dry styled gin that is bottled at 46% abv, made from 22 hand-forged botanicals on Islay, and contains 9 core aromatics. You can look them up as there is a lot

Upon first nosing the gin I found aromas all over the place. I could not really determine any specific notes. The taste is sweet with earthy greens and it was very easy to drink neat which was a surprise. A martini straight up with a twist of lemon was then created for assurance of quality. It was excellent.

Priced around $45 and worth the money if you enjoy gin or want to add a bottle to your bar.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

christopher.dias.nyc@gmail.com

The BenRiach 10-Year-Old

Bardstown – The Prisoner #2

Paul John – Brilliance

Opinions Vary: Neat or on the Rocks

Bardstown Bourbon Company – Fusion Series #1

Ardbeg An Oa

Glenmorangie 12 – Lasanta

Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon

Glenmorangie 12 – Quinta Ruban

The Botanist Islay Dry Gin

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