Chris | Page 8 | NYC Whiskey Review

christopher.dias.nyc@gmail.com

Glen Scotia – Victoriana

July 10, 2024 Scotland

Name: Glen Scotia – Victoriana

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Malt, flowers, oak, caramel

Taste: Malt, flowers, oak, sugar-spices

Glen Scotia – Victoriana is a Campbeltown malt aged in ex-bourbon casks, then a 1/3 of it goes into Pedro Ximenez cask with the remaining 2/3 finished in heavily charred American Oak. It is then brought back together and bottled. It is non aged stated, natural colored, non-chilled filtered, and is 54.2 abv%

This proof is significantly higher than most Scotches. With the high proof it has a strong nose and hot taste. I added four drops of water and it opened up nicely. The best way I could describe such a strong whisky is rich and elegant. It is very good and well balanced. I am going to get a bottle and try a “home pour” on a big cube of ice.

Expressions: Double Rum Cask, Harbor, Double Cask, Victoriana, 15-, 18-, & 25-year-old.

Priced around $100 and I was pleasantly surprised. I recommend this expression.

If you like it, drink it! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

Jefferson “Very Small Batch” Bourbon

July 4, 2024 America

Name: Jefferson Small Batch Bourbon

Color: Light brown

Nose: Vanilla, spice, citrus, caramel

Taste: Dark fruit, spice, caramel

Jefferson Very Small Batch Bourbon is a great way to celebrate the 4^th of July and will be drinking some today. Jefferson was first released by Castle Brands from Kentucky in 1997.

The Castle Brand does not distill their own whiskey. They acquire it from sources and blend and adjust it as they see fit. They are honest about this which is a good way to be in the whiskey world. Other companies (not going to mention any names) make efforts to hide the fact they source the raw product. I look at it this way, if you bottle a good whiskey, why do I give a shit you did not distill it yourself? Some people think the whisky has to be distilled by the company directly to be a whiskey. These people need to be reminded that building and operating a distillery takes tens of millions of dollars to start up. Even after the startup costs you spend years developing your whiskey before you sell it.

Jefferson Very Small Batch is not bad, not good, it is just a decent bourbon. It is fine to drink on the rocks or on in a cocktail. Since this is the week of vacations and BBQ’s a bottle of this bourbon is a good one at a good price to get shit faced to celebrate the birth of our Nation.

Price around $40 it is a decent bourbon. Happy 4^th of July and don’t drink and drive!

If you like it, drink it! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

Deanston – Kentucky Cask Matured

July 3, 2024 Scotland

Name: Deanston – Kentucky Cask Matured

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Malt, honey, apple/citrus, vanilla, light oak

Taste: Malt, oak, apple, spices

The Deanston Distillery is located on the River Teith, about eight miles from Sterling, Scotland (near Edinburgh) and was founded in 1965. The Distell Group Limited owns Deanston and also owns Bunnahabhain, Isle of Islay, Tobermory, and Isle of Mull whisky. The name “Deanston” is named after the Dean of Dunblane. Dean was connected to the Gaelic term “toun” meaning farm/settlement to make the name “Deanston”.

I saw this whisky on the bar at the Potstill in Glasgow this year and I thought I would give it a try. Deanston Kentucky Cask Matured (Deanston KY) is non age stated, matured in first and second filled bourbon barrels, soft filtered, and bottled at 40% abv. The fancy words of “soft filtration” probably means “kinda less non-chilled filtration” and “Kentucky Cask Matured” means aged in ex-bourbon barrels. Calling Don Draper. Call Mr. Don Draper in the Deanston marketing meeting!

Deanston KY has a nice over flavor profile and it is light with a little spice on the finish. The light taste melts away on your palate very quickly. If this was served on ice, it would have almost no flavor at all. I am a fan of Deanston and I do not see enough of their expressions in America, but this is far too light for my taste. I imagine this was created to market to a American Bourbon drinker (aka St. Matthew B.)

Priced around $30 a bottle online, but not seen in the stores. I do not recommend this one as it is far too light of a whisky to really enjoy.

If you like it, drink it! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

The Glenlivet 18

June 27, 2024 Scotland

Name: The Glenlivet 18

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Cereal, butter, cinnamon, oak

Taste: Light oak, spice, flowers/heather, nuts, vanilla

Glenlivet distillery is in Ballindalloch in Moray, Scotland. It was founded in 1824 and only closed during World War II. Glenlivet is listed as one of the biggest, if not the biggest seller of single malt whisky in America. The Glenlivet 18-Year-Old Single Malt is bottled at 43 abv and is aged in American and European oak casks.

18-Year-Old Single Malts are never really bad, just some are better than others. The age and the title are almost a brand name label to place on a whisky. When you get to 18 years you should be getting high quality whisky.

Glenlivet 18 is not the best tasting 18-year-old I have had but is very good. I find it a bit too light for my preference, but I would not turn down a glass. I prefer Glenfiddich18 at this price range or Talisker 18 if I want to spend more money.

Other expressions are the following:
Core Range: Founder’s Reserve,12-Year-Old, 15-Year-Old French Oak Reserve, Nàdurra 16-Year-Old, Archive 21-Year-Old, and 25 Year Old.

Limited Release: The Glenlivet Cellar Collection 1972 Cask Strength, 1959 Cask Strength, 1964 Cask Strength, 1967, French Oak Finish 1983 and American Oak Finish 30-Year-Old.

Travel Retail: 12-Year-Old First Fill and 15-Year-old.

Priced around $125 and worth the money if you like Glenlivet.

If you like it, drink it! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

The Singleton 12 Cocktail Series #3 – Scotch 75

June 26, 2024 Scotland

The Singleton 12-Year-Old is a Speyside Scotch with a lighter taste profile of malt, lemon, honey, heather, and light oak. It is 40% abv, chilled filtered, color adjusted, and aged for 12 years in ex bourbon and sherry casks. For me, it is a summer scotch.

It is a lighter tasting Scotch, and, on their website, they present numerous cocktail receipts. I am generally not a fan of cocktails made from Scotch so this series will be an experiment to broaden my horizons and educate you as the reader.

Singleton Cocktail Series #3 – Scotch 75

1.25 oz Singleton
0.5 oz Lemon Juice
0.5 oz Simple Syrup
0.5 oz Vanilla Extract
Shake in strainer
Pour in wine glass
Top with sparkling wine
Garnish with a lemon twist

This cocktail is very brown in appearance but decent in taste. I However, I was generally surprised how drinkable this cocktail ended up being. The lemon, simple syrup and vanilla was blend. I think with a dryer champagne and higher quality vanilla extract it would have been very good. It was a little sweet for my taste but I could drink it.

In conclusion, it is nice drink but I would either drink a lighter whisky on the rocks or champagne straight. The Scotch 75 would be worth serving at a party to non-scotch drinkers.

If you like it, drink it! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

New Riff “Red Turkey Wheat” Bourbon

June 20, 2024 America

Name: New Riff “Red Turkey Wheat” Bourbon

Color: Copper

Nose: Corn, unique wheat, vanilla, caramel-orange

Taste: Toasted malted blend, caramel, vanilla, white fruits

New Riff Bourbon Single Barrel Bourbon is produced by the New Riff Distillery which is 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 cannot produce and distribute whiskey in Kentucky so he sold the store to start the distillery.

On my last visit to Kentucky, I stopped by the bar to see if they had anything new. The bartender presented me the New Riff Red Turkey Wheat for a tasting. I was pleasantly surprised. The mash bill is 70% corn, 25% red turkey wheat, 5% malted barley, aged “at “least five years. It is a bottle and bonded, non-chilled filtered whiskey that is bottled at 50% abv. The Red turkey wheat uses heirloom seed that have been passed down over 50 years from crops and unlike modern seeds they are not a hybrid mix. This type of wheat creates a different flavor profile that I had not experience before and it is very enjoyable.

Red Turkey Wheat it is very good whiskey, well balanced, and can be drank neat. At 100 proof I would add some water or make a high-quality cocktail.

Priced around $50 and worth the money. Not sure if you are going to find it in the stores up in the NYC area as this is limited production run.

If you like it, drink it! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

Davidoff Churchill

June 19, 2024 Cigars

Name: Davidoff Churchill

Size/Gauge: 6-7/8” / 47

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: Mexico

Filler: Dominican Republic / Nicaragua

The Davidoff Churchill cigar is the longest one of the box set and with good reason. The story goes that Winston Churchill smoked five cigars a day and his doctor told him to cut back to three a day. He agreed and the next day told his cigar maker to create the same cigar but longer. Problem solved and thanks to Winston for his wise thinking!

This cigar is a medium-light smoke with easy tobacco. It is not too strong and it is a little on the sweet side in flavor. It has notes of spices, chocolate and wood but they are very subtle. I started with a bullet cut and it worked nicely with the gauge but after 15 minutes I switched to a V-cut to get more the flavor from the smoke. The cigar lasted around 45 minutes. I can see this cigar pairing well with a peaty whisky or a Speyside Single Malt.

Priced around $25 and good, but for the price I would prefer a more robust tasting cigar.

If you like it, drink it (or smoke it)! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

Springbank Single Malt – 10 Year Old

June 13, 2024 Scotland

Name: Springbank Single Malt – 10 Year Old

Color: Brown

Nose: Peat, smoke, white fruit, earthy

Taste: Cereal malt, oily wood, peat, slight sweetness

Established in 1828 Springbank is located in Campbelltown, Scotland, which is on the Kintyre Peninsula the West Coast (Lowlands). Campbelltown was once the whisky capital of the world with over 30 active distilleries. Today, only three distilleries remain; Springbank, Glen Scotia, and Glengyle. When it comes to making whisky, Springbank does everything in house from start to finish. They malt (floor malted), distill, mature, and bottle on site which is rare these days due to operational costs.

What is “Floor Malted?”

Grains of barley are what is used make malt whisky and are basically small packets of starch. The barley is steeped in water over two days to start germination to eventfully release sugar to be converted to alcohol. After steeping the barley is called green malt and is laid over a heated floor (up 2 feet deep) to stop the growth. Kilns below heat the green malt through the floor and workers use wooden shovels to turn it regularly. This is labor intensive and most distilleries use automated drums to save time and money. After the floor malting is complete the distiller proceeds to the milling, mashing, fermentation, and finally the distillation process.

Long story short, floor malting is a lot of work.

Many feel that this traditional step in the process makes for better whisky. That can be true, but many distilleries do not floor malt and they make excellent whiskies. Some distilleries embrace the older methods and some only use modern technology. I am not saying floor malting is better but in my opinion if a distillery is going the extra mile you are going to get a better product. That extra mile may be floor malting or using technology, it all varies.

Priced around $65 and well worth the money for a 10 year old. If you are not familiar with Springbank and you like Scotch, I suggest you get familiar with it tonight over a dram or two.

If you like it, drink it! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

Auchentoshan Sauvignon Blanc Finish

June 12, 2024 Scotland

Name: Auchentoshan Sauvignon Blanc Finish

Color: Yellow

Nose: Malt, heather, white wine, oak wood

Taste: Malt, honey, citrus, sav blanc notes

Auchentoshan Sauvignon Blanc Finish is a limited edition that was released in 2019. It is aged five years in ex-bourbon casks and five months in Sauvignon Blanc casks from Bordeaux. It is bottled at 47% abv.

This expression is a little strange. Upon tasting it, I immediately thought this must be an experimental expression or a marketing gimmick. It has an odd snappy flavor and a “stingy” finish as my sister described it. It reminds me a little of Badsons Beer that was finished in chardonnay casks. You can drink it, it’s not disgusting, but it is not that enjoyable. From my research the distillery marketing states, “served chilled from the refrigerator or from an ice bucket…..use in Highballs and Spritzer”. I did not try it chilled so perhaps it would taste better, but I doubt it. This is just a marketing campaign for whisky as a mixer to move product. The snappy taste and stingy finish must come from the Bordeaux wine casks. White with from Bordeaux can lean towards being harsher tasting in my experience. I am glad I tried it, but I cannot recommend it. If you have not experienced Auchentoshan I recommend you start with American Oak.

Priced around $70 and I am not impressed.

If you like it, drink it! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

Glen Scotia 15 Year Old

June 6, 2024 Scotland

Name: Glen Scotia 15-Year-Old

Color: Brown

Nose: Malted barley, flowers, citrus, honey, apple, dark fruit/berries

Taste: Dark fruit, flowers, malted barley finish

Glen Scotia 15-Year-Old Single Malt is a scotch that I had not yet tried so it was a new experience for me. I had heard of Glen Scotia and seen it on the store shelves but had not sampled it until now. As I like to do, when Astor Wines had a 15% off sale I buy the whiskies I have not tried that are over 14 years old and/or over $70. And notes to the readers, I self-fund this operation. No free samples for me, not yet at least.

Glen Scotia is distilled in Campbeltown, Scotland which is one of the five whisky producing regions in Scotland. At one time Campbeltown had thirty distilleries but today there is only three. The three distilleries are Glen Scotia, Glengyle, and Springbank. The 15-year-old is bottled at 46% abv and has a great flavor but more importantly has a very good balance and smoothness to go along with the flavor. The taste is light with a medium body and very little burn from the alcohol on the finish.

I enjoyed the Glen Scotia 15-Year-Old neat. In my opinion this particular scotch does not need water or ice but you drink it how you like it. I cannot say much more other than it is very good and well-priced for the age, taste, and price.

Priced around $75 and definitely worth the money for the flavor profile.

If you like it, drink it! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

christopher.dias.nyc@gmail.com

Glen Scotia – Victoriana

Jefferson “Very Small Batch” Bourbon

Deanston – Kentucky Cask Matured

The Glenlivet 18

The Singleton 12 Cocktail Series #3 – Scotch 75

New Riff “Red Turkey Wheat” Bourbon

Davidoff Churchill

Springbank Single Malt – 10 Year Old

Auchentoshan Sauvignon Blanc Finish

Glen Scotia 15 Year Old

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