Category — Liquor Reviews

I recently had the opportunity to try the new single malt offering from The Balvenie, one of Scotland’s famed Speyside distilleries.  The limited edition 17-year-old Balvenie Madeira Cask was aged in traditional American oak whiskey casks before being transferred to barrels that previously held fortified Madeira wine.

This isn’t the first Balvenie expression that matures in fortified wine barrels.  The 12-Year DoubleWood matures in sherry casks, while the 21-Year PortWood finishes, as the name implies, in port casks.  Being a fan of the latter, and anticipating a tasty harmony of fruit and spice, I was eager to try The Balvenie Madeira Cask.

Nose
Rich, deep and complex. Warm spice, including cinnamon and nutmeg, with hints of vanilla and soft dried fruit.

Taste
The first sip is oaky, sweet vanilla that gives way to deep spices and raisin, along with more dried fruit flavors.

Finish
Very long, somewhat soft finish that continues the pleasantly balanced trend of fruit and spice with a bit of sweetness.

All in all, The Balvenie 17-Year Madeira Cask is an exceptionally balanced expression rich in spice and dried fruit, with subtle notes of sweet, honeyed vanilla.  You can taste it’s maturation process, moving from American oak (sweet vanilla) to Madeira casks (spice, dried fruit), and neither overpowers the other.  At $120 a bottle, it’s not an everyday whiskey, but you could sure drink it like one.

Stats:
- 43% Alcohol by Volume
- $120

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The Auchentoshan Distillery was founded in 1800 and is located just north of Glascow, Scotland.  It is one of only three active distilleries that remains in the Lowlands region, with Bladnoch and Glenkinchie being the others.

Auchentoshan features a line of single malt whiskies aged 10 to 21 years, plus no age statement offerings that include its Classic, Three Wood and Select options.  Auchentoshan’s Three Wood is a triple distilled scotch whisky matured in American bourbon oak barrels and finished in Spanish Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.

On the Nose

On the nose the different casks come into play, with the clear presence of sherry and some underlying notes from the American oak.  The Three Wood reveals malt and dried fruits, plus a hint of zesty orange and some vanilla.

The Taste

Drank neat, you’ll find lots of sherry oak, with toffee, malt and a bit of acidity. The finish is long and gentle, with plenty of fruit and some oaky sweetness.

Mixing

While certain scotch cocktails like the Rusty Nail or Rob Roy certainly have their place, I usually drink my scotch neat.  But adding a couple ice cubes or a dash of water can really open up the spirit, either reinforcing flavors or introducing new ones to the mix.  With a bit of water, the Three Wood maintained roughly the same flavor profile, but its sherry oak flavors were softer and more subdued, while more sweet vanilla came to the front.

Overall

Auchentoshan Three Wood is a complex malt with lots of depth that derives much of its flavor and aroma from the sherry oak casks in which it finishes its maturation.  Fans of scotch and sherry alike should give this spirit a look, and though it’s certainly not a starter scotch, it’s a good foray into whiskies with sherry/port/Madeira finishes.

Stats

-43 percent Alcohol by Volume
-$55 for a 750ml bottle

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In October Japan’s Suntory Limited launched its Hibiki 12-year-old whiskey in the United States.  This is good news for U.S. drinkers.

Hibiki 12 Year is a blend of more than 30 handcrafted malt whiskies from the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries.  These malts are matched with grain whiskies of the same age that feature a touch of malt matured in Umeshu casks, which were used to age Japanese plum liqueur.  This blend is then topped with a vintage whiskey aged more than 30 years.

I recently sat down with a sample of the highly touted Hibiki 12 Year to test its mettle against other whiskies of the world.

On the Nose

The Hibiki opens with lots of fruit, including oranges and berries, plus a hint of plum, presumably imparted by the plum liqueur casks.  Oak and sweet vanilla follow.  The bouquet gives something new each time you hover over the glass for another sniff.

Taste

On the palate Hibiki is very soft and mellow with oak and delicate, sweet malt flavors, complemented by citrus and pineapple. A bit of spice comes out, but everything works very well together, with no flavor overpowering another.  The finish is very gentle and stays on the palate, with spice flavors intensifying toward the end.

Overall

At just 12 years old, Hibiki is well-rounded, smooth and downright quaffable.  And considering that its blend of more than 30 whiskies comes from just two malt distilleries, it’s a feat of whiskey engineering not to be overlooked by those loyal to Scotland.

Stats

-43 percent Alcohol by Volume
-$55-$60 for a 750ml bottle

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In appearance alone, Bulldog Gin, a newish premium offering out of London, offers something different.  Its charcoal gray bottle with purple hues is adorned with a spiked collar, which might be enough to entice your everyday purchaser of hooch.  But what really caught my attention is its interesting blend of 12 botanicals, including poppy, lotus leaves, lavender and dragon eye.

On the Nose

Despite its tough appearance, Bulldog’s bouquet offers a delicate fragrance of juniper with floral and citrus notes coming through.

The Taste

Drank straight, the taste is also gentler than expected with a subtle juniper flavor melding well with the many other botanicals.  Further tastes seem to unlock countless other notes, including poppy, lavender and a sweetness that I think can be attributed to the lychee-like flavor of dragon eye.  And among all these flavors, the juniper is never lost.

Mixing

Mixed into a martini (I used a 3:1 gin to vermouth ratio), Bulldog was a solid competitor.  It doesn’t quite stand up to Plymouth, my old martini standby, but with its unique blend of botanicals it makes for one hell of a flavorful, complex cocktail.

Overall

Bulldog is good stuff.  It offers a unique flavor profile without forgetting that at the end of the day, it’s a juniper-distilled spirit.  If you like gin, you’ll like Bulldog.  If you don’t like gin, this just might offer enough different flavor notes to change your mind, but I don’t see Bulldog reforming the “gin-tastes-like-pine-needles” vodka drinker.

Stats

-Quadruple distilled, triple filtered London Dry Gin
-40 percent Alcohol By Volume
-$30 for a 750ml bottle

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Last night I tried Crown Royal Cask No. 16 for the first time.  Admittedly, I was a bit hesitant, as I’m no fan of Crown Royal.  Sure it comes wrapped in purple velvet that feels great against my beard, but you can’t hide mediocre whiskey behind purple velvet.

Crown Royal Cask No. 16 keeps the velvet but trades purple for black and ups the flavor ante over its flagship friend.  Cask No. 16 is a blend of more than 50 whiskies aged in French oak cognac casks.  The oak casks impart some sweet vanilla and fruit notes that are pretty pleasant.  Drank neat it goes down very smoothly, but much of the rye bite you expect from a Canadian blend is lost.  Although, during the long finish it ditches some of that sweetness for a bit more rye.

All in all, I liked the stuff and might order a glass after a nice dinner, but I don’t plan on plunking down $100 for a bottle any time soon.  Call me old fashioned, but I like my whiskies to assert themselves and growl at me a bit as they go down.

Have you tried it?  Let me know your thoughts below.

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Created by Jim Beam descendant and late Beam master distiller Booker Noe, Booker’s is part elegant bourbon and part fire whiskey.

Wanting to bring bourbon back to the way it was crafted around the turn of the century (that’s the 19th century), Booker Noe produced this barrel-proof (bourbon goes into the barrel at about 125 proof), uncut, unfiltered monster of a bourbon that, under the watchful eye of Booker’s son, Fred Noe, now clocks in at a whopping 130.1 proof.

But despite it’s high alcohol content and unfiltered approach, which leaves the appearance a smoky amber color, Booker’s is surprisingly smooth.  It has intense aromas of smoky oak and vanilla, and a complex taste of fruit, oak, coffee and more vanilla.  The pleasant, lingering finish is clean oak and rye.

Final Thoughts
Booker’s is one of the finest bourbons I’ve ever tasted, but it’s not your every day kind of bourbon.  A strong, complex spirit, the real accomplishment is how Booker’s manages to retain so much flavor amidst all that alcoholic heat.  It’s definitely one worth trying, and for my money, it’s the best bourbon among Jim Beam’s small batch lineup.

Proof: 121 – 130.1, depending on the year it was bottled
Price: Approximately $50

For decades, the Don Q brand was only available in Puerto Rico. Luckily for American drinkers, Don Q established its USA headquarters in Dallas, TX in June 2009, making this tasty rum readily available in the states.

Don Q Grand Añejo, the jewel of the Don Q lineup, is a blend of premium rums aged between three and 12 years. The result is a smooth, flavorful spirit with plenty of flavor notes from the barrel aging.

The rum is deep copper in appearance with an initial aroma of molasses or brown sugar and a bit of oak.  Once settled in the glass for a few minutes, vanilla and more oak scents come through.

The taste is powerful, both sweet and spicy on the initial sip with some heat. The flavors subdue a bit on subsequent sips, with flavors ranging from creamy vanilla to molasses and maybe even some cinnamon.

This rum, like many aged spirits, is best enjoyed neat, but a dash of water or one ice cube can help bring out the aromas and flavors. With so many subtle complexities in flavor, Don Q Grand Añejo shows me a little something new each time I drink it.

Proof: 40 percent Alcohol by Volume
Price: $50 – $60, depending on location

I recently had the opportunity to taste four bottles of The Dalmore, a collection of single malt scotches distilled in Alness, Scotland since 1841. Somehow eluding me over the years, my first experience with The Dalmore was long overdue.

The Dalmore Single Highland Malt Whisky Collection is matured in a wide range of spirits and wine casks which, along with other factors like age and climate, contributes to the flavor of each malt. The Dalmore malt whiskies range in age from 12 years to the very exclusive 62 years. I tasted the 12-Year, Gran Reserva, 15-Year, and 1263 King Alexander III.

The Dalmore 12 Year Old
The signature flavor of this award-winning 12-year malt comes from marrying select whiskies matured in 50 percent American white oak and 50 percent Oloroso Sherry casks. The appearance is deep gold with aromas of citrus and almonds, plus a subtle hint of chocolate. The taste is a pleasant combination of citrus, sherry and spice, offering the most heat of the Dalmore lineup, as befitting the youngest malt. The finish is moderate in length and distinguished by subtle flavors of oaky vanilla.

Proof: 40 percent Alcohol by Volume
Price: $45

The Dalmore Gran Reserva
The Dalmore Gran Reserva is a lively expression of malt whisky derived from the combination of 60 percent sherry wood and 40 percent American white oak-aged malts ranging from 10 to 15 years of age. The appearance is soft gold to mahogany and the bouquet is primarily citrus. The flavors of malt, marmalade, roasted coffee and dark chocolate combine to create a distinctive, complex character. It finishes with citrus and a light touch of peat.

Proof: 40 percent Alcohol by Volume
Price: $65

The Dalmore 15 Year Old
A popular, award-winning malt, the 15 Year relies heavily on its wooden casks infused with three rare Sherries. The appearance is mahogany, with aromas of citrus and spice. The taste is well-balanced, with citrus flavors coming to the front and a long finish of Sherry wood, imparted from the casks.

Proof: 40 percent Alcohol by Volume
Price: $80

The Dalmore 1263 King Alexander III
This tasty scotch combines aged malts matured in a range of wooden casks, including French Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels, Kentucky bourbon barrels and port pipes. United by Master Distiller Richard Paterson, the result is a deep, rich spirit. The color is deep amber with reddish highlights. The aroma is complex with citrus, floral and oaky notes that evolve over time. The taste is even more complex, as each style of cask comes through in the flavor. Flavors include citrus, almonds, berries and vanilla, among others, and the finish is absurdly long.

Proof: 40 percent Alcohol by Volume
Price: $200

Final Thoughts
Overall, The Dalmore collection is surprisingly unintimidating and boasts a very inviting flavor profile. The range of malts should appeal to veteran scotch drinkers without alienating those new to the spirit. From the young 12 Year to the daring 1263 King Alexander III, each expression goes down smoothly while still offering plenty of oomph.

For anyone who’s ever downed a shot of tequila and thought, “this could use a dash of hot sauce,” then the new Tabasco brand Spicy Tequila might be for you. Per a licensing agreement between Heaven Hill Distilleries and McIlhenny Company, creator of Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce, Tabasco Spicy Tequila promises to “Heat up the night.”

The tequila has a clean, clear to light yellow appearance, and the unmistakable aroma of hot peppers. The first taste shows a slight tequila sweetness and decent hint of Tabasco flavor. The peppery burn coats the tongue and increases with time, lingering in the mouth for nearly a full minute. The pronounced pepper flavor dominates the palate, but its natural, non-chemical taste is balanced with enough tequila flavor to result in a very pleasant experience.

Final Thoughts
Overall, Tabasco Spicy Tequila is quite good, especially for flavored tequila—a category often marred by overly sweet creations that entirely mask the tequila flavor. This new spirit will likely be popular with young tequila drinkers looking for fun shots at the bar, but its versatility in cocktails is where its flavor really shines. It’s perfect in a Bloody Maria and adds a flavorful, spicy kick to margaritas.

Proof: 40 percent Alcohol by Volume
Price: $22 for 750ml bottle

Tabasco Spicy Tequila Cocktail Recipes

Bloody Maria

2 ounces Tabasco Spicy Tequila
4 ounces tomato juice or bloody mary mix
Dash of celery salt and black pepper
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of lemon juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and pour into highball glass. Garnish with lemon wedge and celery stalk.

Spicy Margarita

2 ounces Tabasco Spicy Tequila
1 ounce Triple Sec or Grand Marnier
½ ounce fresh lime juice
Salt

Dip rim of glass into salt. Shake ingredients with ice and strain over ice into margarita glass. Garnish with a lime.

As stated in the Good Book, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and then whiskey.” I think it goes something like that. I forget the particulars, but  whiskey is a powerful and storied beverage, fueling great political leaders, revolutions and even those dark days of prohibition. And generally, it’s my favorite spirit.

So it was with anticipation and some trepidation that I first tasted Jim Beam’s black cherry infused bourbon, Red Stag. As with other cherry flavored liquors, I was fearful of a syrupy medicinal sweetness overpowering the spirit.

On the nose, the natural cherry scent is most prominent with the bourbon scent lingering in the background. It tastes sweet but doesn’t completely mask the flavor and heat of the bourbon or the oak accents. I tried it straight, on the rocks, mixed with Coke and in a manhattan. Drank straight, the black cherry flavor was too powerful and sweet for my liking, but adding ice or a dash of cold water mellowed the flavor considerably. Mixed with Coke, it was sweet but somewhat refreshing, and in a manhattan I was fairly impressed, but I should note that I cut the sweet vermouth with ½ part dry vermouth to balance the use of a sweet, cherry flavored spirit.

Final Thoughts
Overall, Red Stag exceeded my low expectations and fared far better than many similar spirits. That said, however, on my liquor shelf it will stay toward the back. But try it for yourself. Bourbon purists will find it too sweet to drink straight, or to drink at all, but those with a sweet tooth who typically shy away from the bite of bourbon might just find Red Stag to be the gateway they need to enter the realm of whiskey drinkers.

Proof: 80 proof (40 percent Alcohol by Volume)
Price: $18-20 for a 750ml bottle