Cask & Crew Whiskey is a ginger spiced fruit flavored whiskey. It is a blend of Kentucky Whiskey and Canadian Rye that is aged for 3 years and bottled around 35% abv.
It smells cheap and tastes sweet and spicy. I could barely drink it neat and it was not much better on ice. It is one of those whiskeys made for holiday cocktails.
I am not going to spend any more time writing a review. If you like a ginger flavor and not spending money, go buy a bottle.
Priced around $25 and I am not a fan of ginger with my whiskey.
Taste: Dry fruits, spices, tobacco, coffee, and burn finish
Review:
Kavalan Sherry Cask Single Malt is full bodied, beefy type whisky with just enough sweetness to round it out. It has a strong “in your face taste” that would make for a good pre-steak dinner drink or relaxing with a cigar. The whisky is not too heavy with wood or peat so you would be able to enjoy the smoke from your cigar, but please, do not smoke a cheap stick.
Kavalan Sherry Cask is similar to other cask strength whisky’s; you will want to cut it with some water or ice to open it up. At 57.1% abv (114.2 proof) it is a big hit on the palate. I am not huge fan of cask strength whisky’s. I find that they sometimes go straight to my head so I always cut it with ice. It can be annoying sometimes that I have to continue blending the whisky in my glass, but when the whisky is good I do not complain. So, add some water or ice to lighten the load on your palate. If you opted for ice, use the small 1“x1″ cubes to start and add more if needed.
With many types of whiskies from many countries you may be in a situation here in NYC where you need to stand out among your co-drinkers or on a date. I would recommend you order Kavalan. When people ask you what you ordered you can Steve McQueen the response, “Single malt from Taiwan” and leave it at that. Sit back and watch everyone be impressed.
Priced around $200 and rising. It might be hard to fine but it is very good.
Compass Box Peat Monster is a blended scotch from the Compass Box Company. It is not as peaty as some other heavily peated whiskies like Lagavulin, Laphroaig, or Peat Week. If you have seen Compass Box on the shelf but do not know much about it, here is the break down. They are a producer and bottlers of a bunch of blended scotch whiskies. The company was founded by John Glaser who was a former marketing director of Johnnie Walker and he is an American. Toasted French oak and American oak for the second round of maturations. Buy whiskies and blend them to make everything.
This method was under security with the Scotch Whiskey Association (SWA) for not being in compliance back in 2005. Since then they have resolved this matter and nobody seems to give a shit including me. I only add this in case someone smart ass comments on my leaving it out. I have sampled Peat Monster before and it is ok for the price vs. taste. It is definitely a good starter peat whisky if you need to ease into the world of peaty scotches.
Compass Box have a signature range which consists of the following: The Spice Tree, The Peat Monster, The Spaniard, Oak Cross, Asyla, Hedonism. They also have a range blended scotch whiskies called “The Great King Street” which have the following; Artist Blend and Glasgow Blend. They also have Limited Editions which consist of the following: Hedonism, Maximus, Flaming Heart, Optimism, Morpheus, Canto Cask and Orangerie.
Priced around $55 and worth the money if you like light peat or want to start drinking peated whisky.
My first reaction to this whisky was “Holy shit this stuff is good!” and as it should be, it was rated “Best Whiskey in the World 2015”. The opportunity to sample this whisky was a surprise at the end of a Japanese tasting hosted by Dominic Roskrow at Union Square Wines in NYC. I recommend his books and tastings at the store if you are interested and live in the area.
I could tell you all about the history and process of making this whisky and explain the rating it received, but there are plenty of articles about it so I will not waste your time. I will be discussing the price as this is the most expensive whisky I have every tasted and is well out of my price range. Whisky’s like this have a simple economic problem that drives the price. There is a limited amount created, everyone wants it, bottles are drunk, supply runs low, and the price goes up. Is it worth it? Yes, but can you afford it? Most of us cannot since we are not part of the 1% crowd. It is more likely the person who buys this whisky will charter Blade for a private helicopter ride to the Hamptons this summer than a ticket on the Jitney bus. For those not in the NYC area, that means you need cash to burn.
I cannot imagine every buying a bottle that cost 2x my first car (1979 Jeep CJ7). If you enjoy a sherry finish to you whisky, I would suggest the following whisky’s that are more affordable:
I have read that the A’Bunadh is comparable to the Yamazaki, but I have a bottle at home and I have to disagree. It is very good and has some similarities but when you compare Japanese whisky to Scotch, you are comparing apples to oranges.
This whisky is amazing and worth trying or buying, but it is currently $3,500 to $4,000 a bottle and increasing.
If you can find it, if you can afford it, you should drink it!
Taste: Malt, light oak, little honey/vanilla, strong burn finish
Review:
Kilkerran Cask Strength 8-year-old whisky is from Mitchell’s Glengyle Distillery located in Campbeltown Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1872, closed in 1925, and reopened in 2004 after no production for 75 years.
The whisky is cask strength and bottled at 56.5%, 8-year-old single malt, natural color, and is non-chill filtered. The taste profile is good, but not very complex. As expected, it has a very strong alcohol taste and burn finish and needs to be cut with ice or water.
The name “Kilkerran” is derived from Gaelic words “Ceann Loch Cille Chiarain” which is the name of the original settlement where Saint Kieran was located. Saint Kieran was one of the 12 Apostles of Ireland and was considered the first Saint born in Ireland. Not sure if I would have chosen a Saint’s name in 2004. It was a bit too close to when The Boston Globe had broken the story on the Catholic Church in 2002. Just a thought.
I received the Kilkerran 8 as a gift from my cousin’s husband on a recent trip to Scotland. I enjoyed as much of it as I could but unfortunately I could not travel with it in my carry-on bag. I hope my uncle holds it for me until I return next year!
Price around $55 and good but and strong for the price. Not sure where you would find it here in NYC.
Compass Box Spice Tree is a blended scotch whisky from the Compass Box Company which is headquartered in England. You may have seen Compass Box expressions in the store but do not know much about them. I recently purchases a 3 pack sampler and Spice Tree was the first whisky I sampled.
Compass Box 3 Pack – $25
Compass Box is a producer and bottler of several blended scotch whiskies. The company was founded by John Glaser who is the former marketing director of Johnnie Walker. The Spice Tree is matured in toasted French oak and American oak barrels. This method of maturing in two casks was under scrutiny by the Scotch Whiskey Association (SWA) in 2005 for not being in compliance with their regulations. Compass Tree has resolved this matter and since then nobody seems to give a shit, including me. I only add this in case some someone comments on my leaving it out.
The Spice Tree has a nice taste profile and has a good balance. It is a non-age stated whisky and is bottled at 46% abv. With a few drops of water, the whisky opens up very nicely. I feel with an ice cube it would water down too fast. I see this as a light winter or semi-heavy summer scotch and it would be better enjoyed neat.
They have a signature range of scotches which are the following: The Spice Tree, The Peat Monster, The Spaniard, Oak Cross, Asyla, Hedonism. They also have a range blended scotch whiskies called “The Great King Street” which are following; Artist Blend and Glasgow Blend. There is also the Limited Editions which are following: Hedonism, Maximus, Flaming Heart, Optimism, Morpheus, Canto Cask, and Orangerie.
Price around $55 and has a nice taste and balance and is good for the price.
Nose: Toasted grains with sweet taste, spices and apples
Taste: Oat and grain woody taste with apples and spices
Review:
This is a unique American Whiskey from Chicago that I tried at a cigar night in midtown recently. Now, to be honest, there were eight of us smoking cigars and we consumed 1-1/2 bottles whisky before we ran dry which I took as a sign that it was the end of the night. I was ready to pack it in until the two married guys with new born babies left the table and ran across the street to get a fresh bottle to keep the party going. They returned with Koval Whiskey -Oat. Upon tasting it (even in my whiskey-cigar zen state) I found the flavor profile to be very different due to this whiskey being 100% Oat and matured in Minnesota American Oak Barrels. Koval also has designs their products to be Organic and Kosher which is great for those that prefer organic food and/or follow Jewish Law regarding food practices.
Priced around $50.00 and has that something different about it that is enjoyable and makes for good conversations and debate.
Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon is a 6 to 7-year-old bourbon that is 90 proof and has a been created from multiple recipes. On the label of Small Batch, it states that is it is made from four bourbons. From my research, 250 barrels make one batch and it is made from two mash bills and multiple yeast strains. The two mash bills are;
75% corn, 20% rye and 5% malted barley
60% corn, 35% rye and 5% malted barley
I do not put a lot of faith in this information that I have found online. I do not believe any business ever gives away the “secret sauce”. I think it is a combination of truth and marketing and we all know what I think of marketing.
Small Batch is a very good and well balanced bourbon. I was pleasantly surprised with this one and enjoyed in on the rocks and in my cocktails. The sweet caramel taste has the right amount of orange, spice and vanilla oak. It finishes with a light cream taste which is very nice. I originally bought Small Batch to fill my bourbon decanter but it never made it in. (IW Harper did).
Price around $45 and worth the money. It is somewhere between a mixer and a sipper.
Name: Rozelieures Smoked Single Malt French Whisky
Color: Gold Brown
Nose: Malt, wood, sherry, caramel, earthy
Taste: Smoke, peat, sweet, earthy, rich, wood
Review:
Rozelieures Smoke Single Malt Whisky is a surprising whisky that comes across on the nose of being a Highland single malt. It is very peaty and full bodied and really surprised me when I tasted it. I got the opportunity to try this whisky recently at one of Robin Robinson’s Whisky Smack Down classes at the Astor Center in NYC. If you haven’t take one of his classes, I highly recommend them. They are 6 pours of whisky, a cocktail and a lot of education.
The Grallet Family whose distillery is in Lorraine, France has been producing spirits since 1890. In 2000 they entered the whisky business. The distillery emphasizes using 100% local sourced products and being very green when making their whisky. The whisky is matured in 100% sherry casks for a minimum of 7 years.
The world is a big place, but it gets smaller each year when it comes to whisky. More and more countries are moving into the world of brown spirits and France is no exception. As you know, they are known for making pretty decent wine and cognac so whisky would not be a stretch for them. This is one of those whisky’s that anyone could ramble on the stats, facts, and make sound sexy in a review. I will close with the following; I really enjoyed it and it is worth picking up a bottle in you like this style of whisky.
Nose: Medium strong nose, sweet corn but alcohol is the main smell
Taste: Corn sweet with strong alcohol. Tastes similar to the smell and vice versa
Review:
I have only tried one South African Whisky and this I the one and I found it rough to drink. It tastes as it is supposed to taste for the price. I am sure there are good South African spirits out there but I don’t care for this one too much. The price can be considered good or bad depending on your taste but when you think of the cost to produce, ship, market, and currency exchange rate between South Africa and the USA the price around $30 makes me question the quality (along with the taste). However, if you get a chance to try it, drink it and make your own decision. I think this whiskey is more for mixing than drinking.
If you like it, drink it! – Christopher
ChrisBain’s Cape Mountain Whisky – South Africa Whisky
