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Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon

November 18, 2020 America

Name: Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon

Color: Brown

Nose: Caramel sweet, corn, light wood

Taste: Wheat, wood, caramel, strong alcohol

Review:

Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon is another in a growing line of expressions from Maker’s Distillery in Kentucky, USA. The mash bill is 70% corn, 16% Red Winter Wheat, and 15% Malted Barley. The bourbon is aged 5-3/4 to 7 years in a limestone cellar which is not really impressive since most of Kentucky is limestone. Private Select is bottled non-aged stated and ranges from 54% to 57% abv (108-114 proof). In this expression ten custom wood staves are added to each barrel to create a unique flavor profile. The combination of the 10 different staves and can be customized with 5 different flavor profiles with a retail partner to produce a desired taste. After the barrel is finished, and some creative math is calculated, it gives 1,001 flavor combinations with this expression. I guess they did carry the “1”.

So in summary, it is Maker’s Mark high proof bourbon with special pieces of wood for flavor that is bottled with less water in it. I know this because the price difference is scaled with proof and label.

Scale in % abv versus price:

Maker’s Mark: 45% abv = $35
Maker’s 46: 47% abv = $45
Maker’s Cask Strength: 55+% abv = $65
Maker’s Private Select: 54-57% abv = $75

Maker’s Cask Strength Bourbon with special wood to create something different is different, but is still kind of the same stuff. The secret about Maker’s Mark (besides the wheat) is the is amount of water and marketing. Less water means higher proof and a little Mad Men Marketing and there ya go! You can drink Maker’s Cask Strength for less and the high proof will make it difficult to determine the flavor profile without water to cut it for the average drinker. This is the kind of bourbon I like to make my high-quality cocktails with.

Priced around $75 and worth the money if you got it the money or want to give “more specialer” gift to someone.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

The Balvenie Peat Week 14 Year Old

November 17, 2020 Scotland

Name: The Balvenie Peat Week 14 Year Old

Color: Light brown

Nose: Peat, sea salt, smoke, wood, malt barely

Taste: Smoke, oak, ocean, slight honey

Review:

The Balvenie Peat Week 14-Year-Old is one of the many expressions produced by the Balvenie Distillery. To this day, I have not yet sampled a bad Balvenie. I do not think they make one.

The Balvenie Distillery was found in 1892 in Dufftown which is in the Speyside region of Scotland. It has been making whisky for 127 years and has three groups of expressions which are Core, Triple Cask, and Limited Expressions.

Core Expressions:

12, 17, Signature 12, Cuba Selection 14, Caribbean Cask 14, Single Barrel 12 & 15, Portwood 21, Single Barrel 34, 30, 40, 50, and 50-year-old Single Cask.

Triple Cask Expressions:

12, 16, and 25.

Limited Edition (age varies):

Golden Cask, Islay Cask, New Wood, New Oak, Sherry Oak, Rum Cask, Madeira Cask, Peated Cask, Craftsman Reserve No.1, Portwood (1989, 1991, 1993), and Tun (1401, 1858,1509).

Peat Week was distilled in 2003 and was created with peat/smoke profile which is not Balvenie’s main component or method of distilling. It is 100% peated barley, 48.3% abv, aged in American Oak for 14 years, and is non-chilled filtered. The balance of the flavors is very well done. Not too soft and not too overpowering.

Price around $110 and very good and well worth the money if you like the flavor profile. If you need more peat stick with Laphroaig or Lagavulin.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

The Peat Monster

November 12, 2020 Scotland

Name: The Peat Monster

Color: Light gold

Nose: Smoke, lighter wood, sea salt

Taste: Smoke, wood, sea salt (add a splash or ice cube)

Review:

Winter is coming…. The cold weather sends me to the big boy whisky’s on my bar that warm me up so I decide put The Peat Monster on my shelf. I was surprised, not much of a “monster” if you ask me. It is good, but I was expecting something stronger.

The Peat Monster is a blended malt whisky, non-chilled filtered, and naturally colored. It is not too heavy, smoky or peaty. Compass Box does not distill whisky, they buy it from other distilleries and then blend it. This is good for them and good for your budget, but does not give the most complex or rich flavors. From my research Compass Box is supplied by; Laphroaig, Ledaig, Caol Ila, Ardmore, Clynelish, Teaninich, and Dailuaine. When I opened the bottle, I could immediately smell Laphroaig as the base blend.

Many whisky producers buy product from distilleries and use it to make their own spirit. It is not something to look down upon just something to realize. Not everyone has the money to build a distillery from scratch and then spend years storing whisky in casks before they can legally sell it. This is why most craft distilleries start with gin and vodka before producing whisky. Whisky takes time to mature and has laws that require its aging.

Price around $55 and worth the price if you like peat. I will be heading to the Islay for my favorites this winter.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Edradour 10-Year-Old

October 28, 2020 Scotland

Name: Edradour 10-Year-Old

Color: Dark Brown

Nose: Malt, caramel, almonds, citrus peach, vanilla

Taste: Malt, cream, nuts, sherry sweetness

Review:

Edradour hails from Pitlochry in the Southern Highlands and was established in 1825 by a cooperative of farmers and is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland. On the bottle it states “…makes as much whiskey in a year that most distilleries make in a week.”. The name is Scottish Gaelic, “Eadar Dha Dhobhar” and means “between two rivers”.

The scotch is bottled at 43% abv, the mash bill is 100% malted barley, natural colored, and aged in Oloroso Sherry and bourbon casks.

I have seen this scotch before online and occasionally in the store, but this was my first purchase. I found it to be smooth and nice with a touch of sweetness. The flavor profile is very nice. The price is very fair for a 10-year-old scotch and it was a gamble that paid off. I will look forward to trying another expression from Edradour.

More of a summer scotch with the sweetness but you could drink it in any season neat or on the rocks. It would also make a good gift to a scotch drinker.

Priced around $60 and well worth the money if you like the flavor profile.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Johnnie Walker-Platinum Label

October 22, 2020 Scotland

Name: Johnnie Walker – Platinum Label

Color: Amber brown

Nose: Sweet caramel, vanilla with a richness to them with a little smoke

Taste: Sweet cream with oats, vanilla, and cinnamon

Review:

Private blend aged 18 years and designed to replace the Gold in certain markets around the world. I give it the same review as Gold with respect to general thoughts. Taste is definitely different than Gold. Prices range from $120 to $150 and I find that to be too much for what you are getting. There are numerous other whiskeys out there for same price or less that have a more interesting, complex, stronger, unique, etc. flavor. I believe the price reflects the marketing of this whisky but you be the judge!

Note: See Johnnie Walker 4 Pack Review for a smaller taste of Platinum.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

J&B Scotch

October 21, 2020 Scotland

Name: J&B Scotch

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Malt, lemon, wood

Taste: Malt, citrus, honey, vanilla

Review:

J&B Blended Scotch Whisky is the 5th best selling scotch in the world and has a long history dating back to the 19th century. What it lacks in a complex flavor profile it makes up for in lightness, history, movie marketing placement, and old school charm.

The origin of this scotch dates back to the 1880’s in London when two wine merchants (Giamcomo Justerini & Alfred Brooks) started making whisky as it got more acceptable to drink in high society. They shipped their scotch over to the USA after prohibition ended and it developed a following and peaked in the 1960’s in popularity. It also became a very big seller in Spain in the 1970’s and was popular in Southern European markets. I imagine this scotch would go well with mixers in warm weather.

This bottle was a gift to my father and had been sitting in the bottom of a kitchen cabinet since the mid 1990’s. I remember when my father received it as a gift. I thought “He doesn’t drink scotch, what is he going to do with that?” Now, I know. He let it sit for twenty years until I got older and thirsty.

I am not sure if the receipt has changed, but I assume it has in the last 25 years. I should have done a side by side taste test with a new bottle. It has a Famous Grouse like quality to it. It is not complex, nor does it have deep notes or flavor, but it is very drinkable. If the bottle looks familiar you might have seen it in the following shows: The Thing, Scarface, Moonstruck, Goodfellas, and M.A.S.H, the Sopranos, Mad Men, and many more. I think in John Carpenter’s The Thing it saw the most screen time of any movie or tv show.

Priced around $30 and it will do in a pinch, hot weather, The Thing viewing party, or just an old school bottle on the bar.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old

October 20, 2020 Scotland

Name: Glenfiddich 12 Year Old

Color: Light Gold

Nose: Flower, malt and honey

Taste: Sweet with oak slightly sharper finish on the tongue

Review:

A solid Speyside whisky at a great price for a 12 year old single malt and the right one for a Friday after a long week at work. I find the finish a bit sharp on the tongue but a little splash of water or some ice cuts it nicely. It also comes in a container shell, which makes it appear like a fancier bottle and is good for transporting.

Price ranges $40-50 and is worth the price.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Kilchoman Sanaig

October 15, 2020 Scotland

Name: Kilchoman Sanaig

Color: Light brown

Nose: Peat, vanilla, white fruit

Taste: Peat, sweet caramel, citrus, earth

Review:

Kilchoman Sanaig is a new whisky for me that I have seen it on the store shelf before but had never tried it. I bought it blind and I was very impressed but as I sampled it I wondered what market it was create to serve. Sometimes whisky have that taste profile of “put together” and some have the taste of true craftsmanship.

The Kilchoman Distillery produces single malt whiskies on Islay on the Inner Hebrides. It is the first distillery built on the Island of Islay in 124 years and began production in December 2005. The name “Sanaig” comes from one of the inlets on the coast. Mature in sherry and bourbon barrels.

The flavor profile is very nice with the good balance of peat and sweetness on the tongue. I was correct in my tasting notes about why it was created. Kilchoman Sanaig was original created for the French market but is now available worldwide. If I had to guess it is probably the earth notes which give you more of a cognac taste and finish to it. See my French Whisky section for more reviews. All the French Whiskeys I have tired seem to have an earthy taste profile.

Kilchoman has other expressions which are the following; Machir Bay, Loch Gorm, and 100% Islay. I look forward to sampling them all in the future.

Price around $70 and good for the flavor and price but not a big boy peat scotch just a nice blend of sweetness and peat.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Jack Daniels Fire

October 14, 2020 America

Name: Jack Daniels Fire

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Cinnamon, chemicals, red hot candy

Taste: Same as nose

Review:

Jack Daniels Fire is a red-hot candy cinnamon shit. This shit is worse than Fire Ball Whiskey and Jack Daniels should be embarrassed they created this stuff. You can not even taste the classic Jack Daniels whiskey flavor.

I would not drink this stuff.

Priced around “fuck me and holy shit balls, I would rather drink turpentine” aka $30.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Laphroaig Triple Wood

October 13, 2020 Scotland

Name: Laphroaig Triple Wood

Color: Dark gold

Nose: Smells like Laphroaig (peat, wood, iodine) with a hint of sweetness

Taste: Taste like Laphroaig on steroids (PEAT, WOOD, IODINE!!!)

Review:

Triple Wood is the biggest big boy scotch from Laphroaig that I have tried to date. I like it, but, I cannot drink it without cutting it with ice or a decent splash of water. Maybe if I was in the Highlands and just came into a lodge from the freezing cold rain after trudging through a peat bog I could drink it neat, maybe. Since that probably will never happen, I opt to add one big ice cube.

The title “Triple Wood” comes from the 3 barrels Laphroaig uses to mature the whisky.

Barrels are as follows:

Wood 1 – Ex bourbon Barrels

Wood 2 – Special made quarter casks (secret stuff)

Wood 3 – Sherry Butts (butts equal to approx 126 gallons)

This is “big boy whisky with extra peat”, but is very strong and only designed for people who like Laphroaig. If you do not drink strong peat/wood whisky then this not for you.

The priced around $80 and it a little high, but I believe it is worth it if you like this style of scotch.

If you like it, drink it!

christopher.dias.nyc@gmail.com

Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon

The Balvenie Peat Week 14 Year Old

The Peat Monster

Edradour 10-Year-Old

Johnnie Walker-Platinum Label

J&B Scotch

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old

Kilchoman Sanaig

Jack Daniels Fire

Laphroaig Triple Wood

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