Chris | Page 37 | NYC Whiskey Review

christopher.dias.nyc@gmail.com

Tin Cup American Whiskey

May 12, 2020 America

Name: Tin Cup American Whiskey

Color: Brown

Nose: Spices, white fruits, citrus, honey

Taste: Spice, rye, apple fruit, caramel

Review:

Tin Cup American Whiskey originates from Denver, Colorado and is a nice whiskey that I got a small taste of recently while helping on a tasting panel and I just picked up a bottle at Shoprite in Hoboken.

Tin Cup is a sourced whiskey a blend of high rye bourbon from Indiana and Colorado single malt whiskey that is cut with Rocky Mountain water. The mash bill is corn, rye and malted barley and is aged 4 years in American white oak barrels with number 3 char. Rocky mountain water may seem special but take it from me (engineer), any type of water can be recreated now with modern technology. Hard water, software, mineral based, salted, etc. can be made by scientist/engineer in a warehouse with the right equipment. Coors Light is made from Rocky Mountain water and tastes like shit, so I do not buy into that sales pitch.

Tin Cup is made by Jess Graber who co-founded Stranahan’s and similar to Stranahan’s there is a jigger on the top. I think that is a nice touch to keep you from drinking straight from the bottle. I like to joke that the jigger on Stranahan’s bottles must be $30 of the price of the bottle because their whisky is not cheap. Due to the taste, I am taking an educated guess that the single malt whiskey that is used is Stranahan’s because this whiskey is nice stuff!

This whisky is surprisingly good for the price (and you can see I am enjoying it). It works neat or on the rocks and I am sure it works well in a cocktail. It has been a while since I have been impressed with a whiskey in this price range. (See Tomatin 12)

Price around $35 and well worth the price.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight Rye

May 7, 2020 America

Name: Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight Rye Color: Light gold Nose: Floral, vanilla, oak Taste: Vanilla, oak, lemon, and caramel Review: I tried Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight Rye last week when I was in Cincinnati at Lackman Bar in the Over the Rhine (ORT) District. If you are in Cincinnati in the future I recommend a visit the ORT. The area has been revamped over the years and there are a lot of nice bars and restaurants of various styles and flavors. I have seen this whiskey on social media a lot in the last few months so I thought I would give it a try. A pour was $15 in Ohio dollars so that means it is probably $23-25 in NYC dollars. I was pleasantly surprised at the taste and enjoyed it. My friend was shocked at what I spent but I had to laugh as he has forgotten the cost of drinks on his last trip to NYC. E.H. Taylor comes from Buffalo Trace Distillery, who also supplies Bulleit for most of their products. If you are not familiar with Buffalo Trace, it is a solid whiskey and a main stop on the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky. Buffalo Trace is also popular overseas in the United Kingdom and Europe. I see it on almost every bar shelf from London to Glasgow and from Munich to Madrid. The bottle is a bit tall and long so if you have a short shelf keep that in mind. I do like the look and label of the bottle. I feel if you are displaying bottles on your bar at home you need to have a few colorful ones in the crowd. Quick lesson; “Bottle in Bond” means the whiskey is a product of one distillery in one distillation season by one distiller. It is matured in a Federally Bonded warehouse for 4 years. In short, you are not drinking poison, you are drinking whiskey made by the letter of the law. Priced around $65 I will be looking to pick up a bottle soon.

If you like it, drink it!

Kikori Whiskey

May 5, 2020 Japan

Name: Kikori Whiskey

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Soft, flowers, grass

Taste: Grainy, sweetness, flowers

Review:

I stopped by the Astor Wine Store to try Kikori Whiskey a few weeks ago at one of their “one and done” Friday night whiskey tastings. Kikori is made with rice and it was my first time trying a whiskey created from rice so I was very interested to experience the flavor.

Kikori is from Japan and is aged in American, French and ex-sherry oak barrels for three years. It is distilled with rice and water from Kumamoto and is bottled at 82 proof. Kumamoto is best known for its oysters and the Grand Central Oyster Bar has them on the menu. However, it is noted that the oysters are sourced from Oregon and Baja, Mexico so they appear to be farmed raised.

A usual, all whiskey today needs a story. On the side of the bottle the romantic marketing write up tells source of inspiration for Kikori. It is a folk tale about a woodsman wandering the forest seeking balance and harmony. I am going to guess that company did not wander the woods to find the balance but paid a marketing agency for this romantic tale (insert eye roll here).

The taste of the whiskey is different than most I have tried due to the rice. It stands out, but when it comes to the flavor profile, Kikori tastes exactly as it is written on the side of the bottle. This is ok, but it does not allow much for the drinker to discover. Kikori is a nice whiskey, but it is more of mixing whiskey for creating craft cocktails. It is not really a whiskey I could drink neat or on the rocks.

Price around $50 and has a different taste and would be good for mixer.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Auchentoshan – American Oak

April 30, 2020 Scotland

Name: Auchentoshan American Oak

Color: Light yellow

Nose: Citrus, sweetness, light oak

Taste: Sweet, toffee, spice, lemon fruit

Review:

Auchentoshan Single Malt Scotch “American Oak” expression was introduced around 2014 to replace the “Classic” expression. I have been to the distillery outside of Glasgow and I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. The Highland distilleries look nice, but they are long trip from Glasgow or Edinburgh.

American Oak is a non-complex, easy drinking scotch. I believe the name is self-evident of where they source the wood. I find most of the expressions from Auchentoshan to be easy to drink and a good in the warmer weather on ice. Lowland whisky is not known to be as rich, robust, or peaty as the Highland scotches. From my experience this whisky is a good one for occasional whisky drinkers and older people who don’t like too much flavor on their tongues. It is also good for anyone who drinks cheap whisky. The people who drink the cheap shit will think this scotch is amazingly good. You will save lots of money if they start sucking it down.

Priced around $35 and worth the money for an easy drinker.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Dalmore 15-Year-Old

April 28, 2020 Scotland

Name: Dalmore 15 Year Old

Color: Brown

Nose: Sherry, fruit, orange

Taste: Sherry sweet, spice, orange, chocolate

Review:

The Dalmore 15-Year-Old in this photo is from my balcony when I lived in Florida. Did I ever tell you I used to live across the street from the beach for $850 a month? Then I moved to NYC.

Dalmore Distillery is located in Alness, Scotland which is 20 miles North of Inverness on the East coast in the Highlands. Launched in 2007, the Dalmore 15 is a 100% barley single malt scotch whisky. The scotch spends 12 years in American white oak and ex-bourbon barrels. After the first aging process of 12 years, the whisky spends 3 more years three different casks. These casks are Matusalem (rum), Apostoles (sherry), and Amoroso (sherry). Each of casks imparts various flavors to the scotch which lead to the sweeter finish. In layman’s terms, Dalmore 15-year-old is basically the 12-year-old with three more years of aging.

The body is medium with a sweetness that is smooth and well balanced. It is 80 proof so it is not too harsh on the tongue and is a sweeter scotch due to the final aging process.

Priced around $135, it is a little expensive for the age and proof, but it is very good. Dalmore is one of those scotches that stand out in the crowd of bottles so you cannot go wrong with a Dalmore bottle on your bar.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Heavily Peated Whisky

April 16, 2020 Scotland

Name: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Heavily Peated Whisky

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Clean, fresh, barley peat, smoky wood

Taste: Barley, citrus, lemon-green grass

Review:

The Bruichladdich Port Charlotte is a Scottish Highland heavily peated single malt from Islay. I purchased this expression after tasting it at the Robert Burns Tasting at the Astor Center. It may be titled “heavily” but I did not find it that heavy. It has a clean and fresh taste on the tongue and finish with a nice amount of peat. It base flavor is similar to the Classic, but it is not peat forward like Lagavulin 16 or Laphroaig 10. It has a nice balance and is a good alternative to the big boy peaters. I found it to be a medium winter scotch and definitely not a summer drinker.

The distillery states “ingredients matter”. The barley is 100% Scottish, the water is sourced from a local spring on the island, and it is finished in ex-bourbon casks. The whisky is non-chilled filtered and has no coloring added. It has the natural color, hence the lighter appearance in the bottle.

The scotch is named after the village of Port Charlotte which is on Loch (Lake) Indaal two miles south of the Bruichladdich Distillery. The name Bruichladdich, which translates to, “brae (hillside) by the shore” is not the easiest name to pronounce so you can look it up online. I do like that fact it is difficult to pronounce. It makes you look cooler when you order it in a bar or serve it home. You won’t look King of Cool Steve McQueen cool, but you might impress a few people along the way. If have not tried any of the expressions yet I recommend you do so, you might impress yourself as well!

Priced around $65 and worth the money.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

New Riff Bourbon 4 Year Old

April 14, 2020 America

Name: New Riff Bourbon 4 Year Old Color: Orange Brown Nose: Vanilla, caramel, oak, spice Taste: Vanilla, caramel, rye spice, dark berries, and orange Review: A few weeks ago I enjoyed some and perhaps, a little too much New Riff Bourbon in my friends back yard on my annual trip to Kentucky for the Fall horse races. New Riff Bourbon is produced by the New Riff Distiller that located in Newport, KY on the Ohio River adjacent to Cincinnati. New Riff was founded by Ken Lewis who used to own The Party Source next door in the same plaza. It is my understanding that you can’t produce and distribute in Kentucky so he sold the store to start the distillery. New Riff Bourbon is a bottle and bonded bourbon and distilled at 100 proof with 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley (all non GMO) and non-chilled filtered. The water is sources from the Ohio River Aquifer below the distillery. The bottle and bonded means it is aged for four years and quality measures have been followed. Sales have started in August 2018 and there was/is a limit of 6 bottles per customer but I am seeing online in some bars here in NYC. New Riff Distillery has multiple spirits for purchase which are bourbon, rye, and gin. They also have tours which vary from $10-$35 a ticket and the times vary. They have a reception area, small bar for cocktails, and merchandise. The distillery is located at 24 Distillery Way, Newport, KY and is in the same plaza with the The Party Source which has plenty of drinks, cigars and supplies. Price around $50 in Kentucky, not sure of the price here but it is worth the money. If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

The Famous Grouse

April 9, 2020 Scotland

Name: The Famous Grouse

Color: Light yellow

Nose: Barley, honey, vanilla, heather flowers

Taste: Carmel, floral, malted barely

Review:

The Famous Grouse is a well-known and popular Scotch Whisky that you see in all the bars in Scotland and most liquor stores in America. Founded by Matthew Gloag and his son William Gloag they created The Famous Grouse in 1896 and have become a cornerstone of the scotch whisky industry in Scotland.

The distiller (now owned by another company), produces other expressions such as; Smoky Black, Alpha Edition, Mellow Gold, Snow, 16-Year-Old Vic Lee, and a few other expressions. A few years ago the comedian Ron White had a comedy bit about drinking Black Grouse. Today, he owns a tequila company so doubt he will be doing scotch jokes. The Famous Grouse is also the official whiskey of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and I will be reviewing a special edition of Grouse 1986 in the coming weeks.

A few weeks ago, on a trip to see the family in Scotland, I took Virgin Train from London Euston to Glasgow Central Station. I decide to treat myself and purchased the 1st Class ticket. When you go 1^st class you get free Wi-Fi, food, drink and access to the lounges at the stations. On the train they were serving The Famous Grouse so I drank it, and I liked it. The scotch and the beautiful scenery out the window made the trip very relaxing. If you have not travel from London to Scotland by train, I highly recommend it. You get the scenery, affordable cost, and general time saving compared to a flight.

Priced around $25-35 and very affordably Scottish. It is fine a for a slugging whisky, mixer, or a train ride.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

Jefferson’s Ocean Bourbon

April 7, 2020 America

Name: Jefferson’s Ocean Bourbon

Color: Brown

Nose: Caramel, vanilla

Taste: Rye spice, citrus, vanilla, light pepper

Review:

Jefferson’s Ocean bourbon first came to my attention when I saw printed advertisements on the subway here in NYC. When I read “Aged at Sea….” I thought to myself “That looks interesting….and a bit gimmicky”. My gut reaction was right. It is gimmicky.

On my previous review of Jefferson’s Small Batch, I noted they source their bourbon rather than distill their own whiskey. As I have learned, and maybe some people do not realize, anyone who sources their whiskey and does not have a long history of distilling needs marketing to sell their product. Calling Mr. Draper! Calling Mr. Don Draper of Madison Ave. for a new method of creation and a romantic story. See below to summarize advertisement and marketing.

Jefferson states that the air, temperature and movement at sea creates a more unique flavor to the bourbon. For a bourbon that spends months at sea I did not get much of a marine, salt, or brine taste. Unlike Old Putney that has a sea/salt taste to it and Penderyn Madeira that has a wow factor, Jefferson’s Ocean had neither. To be honest, I am glad I did not get a sea salt taste. I have serious doubts about sea salt taste in a Kentucky Bourbon.

Jefferson’s Ocean is a nice, rich tasting bourbon but it is nothing mind blowing. In the end, you are paying for the price of the ship storage at sea and the gimmicky marketing.

Price around $75 and it is overpriced for the flavor profile.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Michter’s Unblended American Whiskey

March 31, 2020 America

Name: Michter’s Unblended American Whiskey

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Candy sweet, spice, and vanilla

Taste: Caramel, vanilla, fruits and butterscotch

Review:

This whisky is titled “Unblended American” rather than “Bourbon” because it is aged in bourbon-soaked barrels instead of new charred American white oak, therefore, it cannot be called Bourbon. (Just a little whisky knowledge for you)

I first tried this whisky at Maysville in the Flatiron District of NYC while having a drink with Robin Robinson and I was very surprised at how nice it tasted. Michter’s has done a great job creating this whisky. It has a butterscotch finish, which may sound too sweet, but is soft and lovely on the tongue. I have since added this bottle to my bar and handed samples out to people that do not drink whisky. I have learned that non-whisky drinkers enjoy the taste even if they opt not to have a full pour.

This whisky to me is more of a summer whisky on the rocks than a Winter whisky served neat. Priced around $45.00 it is a great value.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

christopher.dias.nyc@gmail.com

Tin Cup American Whiskey

Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight Rye

Kikori Whiskey

Auchentoshan – American Oak

Dalmore 15-Year-Old

Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Heavily Peated Whisky

New Riff Bourbon 4 Year Old

The Famous Grouse

Jefferson’s Ocean Bourbon

Michter’s Unblended American Whiskey

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