Chris | Page 22 | NYC Whiskey Review

christopher.dias.nyc@gmail.com

Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

August 25, 2022 America

Name: Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Cream, corn, vanilla

Taste: Cream, corn, vanilla, little burn finish

The history of Wild Turkey Bourbon dates back to 1891 and the names is said to have come from an executive by the name of Austin Nichols who enjoyed some samples of a bourbon distilled in Tyrone, Kentucky on a turkey hunting trip in 1940. By 1942 he was bottling Wild Turkey and continue for the next 30 years as he built up his business. Much of the whiskey was purchased from Ripys/Gould Distillery in Tyrone unit he purchased the distillery and changed the name to Wild Turkey Distillery. Since 1980 the distillery has changed ownership a few times and is currently owned by the Campari Group.

This bourbon is an American Institution is there every is one. Even if you don’t drink whiskey you have probably heard the name. Bottle at 50.5% abv (101 proof), hence the name it’s got some kick but a very basic taste. Its basic and good, but not my preferred flavor profile. It mass produced and lacks any deep flavor profile. The Russel Reserve 10 is one of Wild Turkey’s expression and is better for a few dollars more.

Other expressions include 81,81 Rye, Rare Breed, Kentucky Spirit, Longbrach, Masters Keep: 17, Decades, Revival, Russel’s Reserve: 10, Rye 6, Single Barrel Rye, Singel Barrel, and American Honey and Honey Sting.

Priced around $40 and a must try if you drink whisky. Your call if it is a must buy or drink regularly.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Amrut Single Malt – Cask Strength

August 18, 2022 India

Name: Amrut Single Malt – Cask Strength

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Malt, tropical fruits, wood

Taste: Malt, white fruits, mango, oak

The Amrut Distillery is headquartered in the Rajajinagar neighborhood of Bangalore, India and was founded in 1947 as a laboratory and became a distillery in 1948 when liquor laws changed. The distillery is mainly known for producing brandy, rum, vodka, and gin. In the beginning of their whiskey production they had trouble breaking into the market as they aged product fast and the quality of their product was questioned. Also, it did not help that most people thought India could not produce a good whiskey. In 2005 Jim Murray gave a high rating to their whiskey which brought worldwide attention to their expressions.

Amrut Cask Strength is 100% malted barley, aged 4+ years in ex-bourbon and new charred oak barrels, and bottled at 61.8% abv. It is non-chilled filtered, natural colored, and “Amrut” is a Sanskrit word which means “nectar of the gods”. It is a very Scotland malt tasting whiskey and needs a little water to open due to the cask strength. It is very good and different than the few Paul John expressions that I have sampled. I am sure their methods and regions in India have a role in the taste difference, but I have only previously experience Paul John so I will need to learn more.

Other expressions are: MaQ Scotch, MaQintosh, Prestige Fine Whisky, Prestige Blended Malt Whisky, Prestige Rare Whisky, Single Malt Whisky 46%, Peated Indian Single Malt Whisky 46%, Fusion Indian Single Malt Whisky 50%, Cask Strength, Peated Indian Single Malt Whisky Cask Strength, Intermediate Sherry, Two Continents Single Malt Whisky, Portonova, Kadambham, Single Cask, and Amrut 100.

Priced around $75 and very good and I recommend you try it. I look forward to sampling more expressions in the future.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Seagram’s 7 Crown American Whiskey

August 11, 2022 America

Name: Seagram’s 7 Crown American Whiskey

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Barley, light oak, other

Taste: Malt, light dark fruits, candy notes

Seagram’s 7 Crown American Whiskey is a classic blended whiskey and bottled at 40% abv. This whiskey was very popular in the 1970’s but lost popularity in the 1980’s & 1990’s when people switched to rum and vodka drinks.

This is an old school whiskey that you would see at your grandparents’ home or a older bar or country club. The nose and taste are not very impressive and there really is not much there. It is basically a mixer that goes with soda water. It is most well known when it is ordered as a “7 and 7” which is Seagram’s 7 and 7 Up Soda. The last time I heard this drink mentioned out loud was in the movie Bridesmaids. I have not heard it ordered in a bar yet.

Nothing special about this whiskey other than it has a low production. Maybe bring it to a 70’s themed party with a six pack of 7 Up or Tab Cola if you can find it.

Priced around $35 and not that good, unless you want to go back in time.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

The Glenlivet 14 Cognac Cask Selection

August 4, 2022 Scotland

Name: The Glenlivet 14 Cognac Cask Selection

Color: Brown

Nose: Malt, flowers, citrus, earth/cognac notes, spice

Taste: Light malt, oranges, cognac, earth, light wood, light spice

The Glenlivet 14-Year-Old Cognac Cask Selection is a Speyside whisky from Moray, Scotland and is one of the big “Glen’s” in the whiskey world. Found in 1824, it is the oldest and continuously most operated distillery and is currently owned by Pernod Ricard. The distillery produces approximately 19 different expressions with prices ranging from affordable to “Holy Shit, how much?”. See last month’s review for the Glenlivet 12 for the baseline of the expressions.

The Cognac Cask expression is bottled at 40% abv, aged 14 years, and is finished in first fill ex-bourbon and ex-sherry cask and then finally finished in “select cognac barrels”. No shit, you “selected” them? Gotta love the marketing…..Who did you partner with? Nah…nevermind, that could not be important.

This expression from Glenlivet is a nice and smooth whisky, but for me it has too much cognac favor when drank neat. I would rather have a Cognac, Armagnac, or a Brandy. When I added a very small ice cube to the scotch the flavors open up nicely and the overall taste softens up. I enjoyed the more subtle flavors as it opened up with the cool water.

Priced around $75 and is good but a bit on the expensive side for 14 year old that has a cognac finish. I’d rather have a cognac.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Willet Bourbon Whiskey

July 21, 2022 America

Name: Willet Bourbon Whiskey

Color: Copper Brown

Nose: Corn, oak, citrus

Taste: Corn, vanilla, charred oak, pepper

Review:

Willet Bourbon Whiskey is produced by the Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) in Bardstown, Kentucky. The distiller was originally named the “Willet Distilling Company” until it underwent a name change in the 1980’s. The Willet Family has been in producing whiskey since the late 1800’s and KBD produces familiar expressions such as: Noah’s Mill, Rowan’s Creek, and Willet Rye (along with many more).

Willet Bourbon is aged in new white oak casks, is non-aged stated, and bottled at 94 proof in Willet’s signature tall pot still style bottle. I look at the bottle as more of a marketing product to offset the average tasting bourbon. The tall bottle is pretty cool but I think taking it home in NYC or putting on a bar cart would be a pain in the ass due to its size. The bottled I sampled was Small Batch No. 16022 and I was surprised that it a little rough on the tongue. I was expecting it to be more smooth on the finish and that is how the bottle tricks you in the store. I have tasted Willet Rye and Noah’s Creek and they are a much higher quality spirit. This one tasted ok, but I think it is more of a marketing gimmick with the bottle.

Priced around $60 and good, but not amazing. The bottle would make a good gift for the right person.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

The Glenlivet 12

July 7, 2022 Scotland

Name: The Glenlivet 12

Color: Copper

Nose: Malt, light oak, honey, caramel

Taste: Malt, lemon honey, flowers, light wood

Review:

The Glenlivet 12-Year-Old is a Speyside Scotch from Moray, Scotland and is one of the big “Glen’s” in the whiskey world. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and continuously most operated distillery in Scotland and is currently owned by Pernod Ricard. The distillery produces approximately 19 different expressions with prices ranging from affordable to “Holy Shit, how much!?”.

The 12-Year-Old is the baseline expression and is a light and fresh tasting scotch. It is not complex or overbearing. The whisky is matured in double oak casks and bottled at 40% abv (80 proof) so it is an easy drinker at the proof level.

Light, fresh, and easy to drink is the best way to describe this Glenlivet 12. It is great summer scotch or a light scotch for someone with a lighter taste preference. I do not recommend drinking on ice as it waters down too fast and you lose the flavors in the water. If you use this as a mixer in cocktails, we need to have a “wee” chat.

Priced around $55 and good for the baseline and for a summer scotch by the pool.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Coppersea Big Angus Green Malt

June 30, 2022 NYC

Name: Coppersea Big Angus Green Malt

Color: Copper brown

Nose: Malt, green grass, light wood, honey-wheat/hay

Taste: Cucumber, wood, lemon grass, green pepper

Big Angus Green Malt 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.

I sampled this this expression at the distillery and the unique taste caught my attention immediately. The barley, green flavors, hay, and lemongrass notes are something that I had not yet experienced. The taste of green and the mix of warm heat of the whiskey is unique and for good reason. The whiskey’s mash bill is 100% un-kilned sprouting green barley malt. The barley is floor malted, hand raked, and is not stored for future use. Upon sprouting it is mashed, fermented in a open top fermenter, distilled twice, and then bottled at 48% abv.

Big Angus Green Malt is named after the founding Master Distiller Angus MacDonald. The method is a very old way to making whiskey to avoid taxes. Back in the day, Scotsmen avoided the Crown’s Tax Man coming to collect their money by not drying the malt with burning peat smoke. They could skip a step, hide the whiskey making process, and still make a decent scotch. If this is hard to understand, just think about what Walter and Jesse had to do in season one of Breaking Bad with the RV.

Priced is $75 for a 375ml bottle and is a little expensive for the total volume but a lot of effort and love that went into the making of this whiskey. If you are wondering more about Big Angus, take ride up to New Platz for the day and try all the expressions!

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Bourbon

June 16, 2022 America

Name: Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Bourbon

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Corn, green grass, light wood

Taste: Corn, green grass, light wood

Jim Beam Devil’s Cut is a “creative expression” from the Jim Beam Distillery. The nose and taste are the same (never a good sign) and it is a little hot on the taste. The mash is 76% corn, 12% rye, 10% malt, and estimated to be aged 4+ years but is a NAS bourbon.

The marketing tells you that “The Devil’s Cut” is the proprietary method of extracting the bourbon trapped in the wood staves of the barrel. So I guess they squeeze the shit out of the wood and filter out the booze and blend it with the regular Jim Beam. The counterpart to the “Devil’s Cut” is the “Angels Share“. It is the expression for the evaporation through a barrel in colder climates. It is also the name of a good movie about scotch.

Devil’s Cut reminds me of Crown Royal vs. Crown Royal Black. The Crown Black is just a richer tasting expression whiskey compared to it’s baseline expression. Devil’s Cut tastes a little richer than regular Jim Beam Bourbon.

Priced around $50 and is ok. If you like to drink Jim Beam, try it for yourself, but I was not impressed at the price.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Loch Lomond 12

June 15, 2022 Scotland

Name: Loch Lomond 12

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Malt, lemon citrus, light oak, vanilla, flowers

Taste: Malt, wood, citrus/lemon, honey finish

Loch Lomond 12-year-old is a sourced whiskey that some puts a label on to make it seem like it is a distillery. I am skipping the usual history lesson on the expression and just getting to the point.

It is a recommendation from Disco Stu for taste and price and I think he got this one right on the nose! It is a decent tasting and has a nice balance for the price. It reminds me a of a cross between Johnnie Walker and Bruichladdich. It has a medium body taste with some fruit and sweetness on it.

Aged 12 years and bottled at 46% abv and has a madeira sherry finish. Overall, a nice taste and well valued. Give it a try. Works well as a summer scotch on the rocks or a warm Fall weather drink served neat.

Priced around $40-50 and worth the money for the taste profile.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15-Year-Old

June 9, 2022 Scotland

Name: The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15-Year-Old

Color: Yellow

Nose: Malt, flowers, lemon, wood

Taste: Malt, lemon, sherry sweet, almonds, oak

The Balvenie Distillery is a Speyside scotch from Dufftown, Scotland. It was founded in 1886 by William Grant & Sons and I have not had a bad experience with any Balvenie, but, you have to pay for the pleasure of Balvenie’s company in your glass. The Core Expressions are the ones you would regularly see on the shelf are DoubleWood 12, Caribbean Cask 14, DoubleWood 17, and PortWood 21. Other expressions or “ranges” are numerous and include Stories, Connoisseur, Rare & Precious, Travel Retail, Limited, and Vintage. There are too many to list in this review and prices range from $60 to $50,000.

This Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15-Year-Old Scotch comes from Cask #15636 and is bottle #690 of 800 bottles that originate per barrel and is bottled at 47.8% abv. The bottles are hand labeled and no two casks are the same, but I bet they all taste similar at the end of the day.

This scotch is very clean tasting with good, sweeter sherry notes, but not that candy sweet taste that a lot of scotches have been releasing over the last few years. The oak taste is not to over powerful, and the overall balance is soft with nice flavor notes. The color of the scotch looks natural, but I could not confirm if it is or not. I wonder if they made this for the less experience scotch drinker who likes a sweeter dram, but, I doubt that at the cost.

Priced around $150+ and worth the money, but if you are not experience with The Balvenie start with the DoubleWood 12 to save a few dollars. A big thanks to Barry for letting me sample this one!

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

christopher.dias.nyc@gmail.com

Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

Amrut Single Malt – Cask Strength

Seagram’s 7 Crown American Whiskey

The Glenlivet 14 Cognac Cask Selection

Willet Bourbon Whiskey

The Glenlivet 12

Coppersea Big Angus Green Malt

Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Bourbon

Loch Lomond 12

The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15-Year-Old

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