Nose: Milk toast, grassy, toasted almonds.
Palate: Almond turon, toffee, coffee grounds, cranberry leather concentrate – I know I have thanksgiving on the brain
Rating: 7 / 10 – this is surprisingly good.
Nose: Oak, with layer of oak on the oak, a underlayer of menthol, green grass, medical gauze
Palate: Big brown sugar hug, big oak, leather, a lick of menthol on the finish.
Rating: 6 / 10 – a delightful full bodied sipper, well rounded, big flavors, low proof. This would be the perfect concentrate in my banana bread. Sadly it is just one wooden big stiffie. I like a touch of character along with my wood.
Nose: Turnips, bear squeeze jar honey, green apple peel, hint of brown sugar
Palate: Concentrated punch of flavor, orange blossoms, cachou lajaunie, Physalis (aka golden berry) which are totally unrelated to syphilis despite the awkward overlap.
Rating: 6 / 10 – a pompous and thin fruity mint bomb.
Nose: Orange peel, or maybe banana peel, browned butter, sunflowers, hay, super crackled caramelized creme that was lightly burnt. A heavy lick of tannins, approach strong to oaked nose.
Palate: Generic fruit chews my parents bought from trader joes instead of the sweet awesome ones. Sweet cream. Tangerine. And then grapefruit peel. Old school Sarsaparilla beer. Dandelion greens. Then a heavy layer of oak, playing as tobacco lead. menthol and peppery.
Rating: 7 / 10 – a good older bourbon or rye. Fun, with character.
Nose: Julie’s orange rolls, dry wheaties. Decadent fatty notes, nearly fois gras. Which is a weird first note but I can’t shake it. Maybe it’s the whole thanksgiving vibe stuck in my brain after weeks of leftovers.
Palate: Orange fizz, luxardo cherry, cola syrup, carob malt balls, treacle, cardamom, edamame on the finish.
Rating: 7 / 10 – yum. A proper classic blend. Easy to sip with enough proof and character for my attention. I really like the mouthfeel.
Nose: Wheat grass shot, orange peel twist, maple syrup
Palate: Super sweet and syrupy. cherry tangerine kiss. Tastes like a chapstick flavor. Star of anise.
Rating: 6 / 10 – tastes like a cocktail. Sweet and fruity. The reveal surprised me. Noah’s Mill is the bottle that started my spirits journey well over a decade ago. I know it quite well and this was not how I envisioned it. That is the magic of blind tastings.
Nose: Coffee can, sawdust, big woodshop, cascara, dried goji berries, walking into the fruit bins in the health food shop, licorice sticks
Palate: Biltong, coffee, dark cocoa, tart acidic note on the vinegar brick road to the emerald city, long aged balsamic
Rating: 8 / 10 – beautiful and complex and potent yet still smooth and approachable. What the fuck. How can you be both funky, broody and so seductive. I’ve never been one for the bad boys, but there you have it. It’s got that clint eastwood vibe.
Nose: Acai tea, milk nose funk, sour milk
Palate: Wood tannin, vague cherry pitts, pears
Rating: 4 / 10 – a very mild easy sipper. Completely ambivalent.
Nose: Pear skin, vanilla granola.
Palate: Light and bright. Pear and yogurt. Drizzle Wildflower honey. Sweet white wine vibe.
Rating: 5 / 10 – a perfectly acceptable whisky.
Nose: Cherry wood sawdust, gingerbread spice, rose water
Palate: Sour cherries, roasted almonds ginger, black peppercorn, quite thin and yet a good tartness.
Rating: 5 / 10 – a bit more character but lacks oomph
Nose: Chocolate turron with rice krispies, nougat, cocoa pod flesh, dried cherries
Palate: Leathery, chocolatey, delicious.
Rating: 7 / 10 – big delicious simple sherry bomb.
Nose: Chocolate covered espresso bean, tobacco leaf
Palate: Grapefruit peel, red wine vinegar, ginger, peach and black tea
Rating: 6 / 10 – fun and complex. But brighter than I wanted.
Nose: Butterscotch, cedar, touch of sulfur
Palate: Caramel, lemon peel, mongo white tea, sulfur.
Rating: 5 / 10 – too dirty sulfur for me but it’s an exciting pour.
Nose: As a kid you couldn’t force me, but somehow in my 40s I’ve finally acquired the taste for well crisped fat. Especially with the charred caramelized bits. Rich decadence off the charts. I’ve had cassis on the brain all week. Stained glass purple tinted fingertips. Blackberries from the warm side of the train tracks, ultra ripe sticky deep red figs, veering into vieille prune. Old saddle tack and grandpa’s pipe tobacco. Black shoe polish, restrained, deep, elegant.
Palate: A full suitcase of gentle flavors. Sorry sir, that won’t fit into the overhead bin, would you like us to check this for you? You don’t look to be in a rush. A sweet dustiness, with hints of polish. Boom. Warm, wood embrace, which for me is good but won’t suit everyone. I blew my nose after a big sip and could see the quercus vapors curling out of my nostrils like puff the magic dragon. Sweet and dry tones of a well-tuned fruit leather. I’m back into running long distances after a 5 year break and was praying the industry had shifted from sickly fruit flavored energy sources to anything less sweet. No luck, but the natural fruit jellies have come a long way. I really enjoyed the green banana, ginger and cardamom chews. Add a bit of oak extract, and you are on point.
Rating: 7 / 10 – What a nose. And the palate is no slouch, if you can really slow down and give it space. I love this level of wood, but my instinct is that they waited too long. Would have loved to try it at 30 years in cask.
Nose: Little Debbies oatmeal creme pie / vanilla It’s It oatmeal ice cream sandwich. Ripe juicy red plum and cassis. Kir royal vibes. Ripe fruit, which sounds amazing except I hate biting into them. Freaking ruins my clothes. I’m on the firm fruit band wagon. Keep your mushy bananas and soft peaches in your underwear. Creamy and sweet. Tangerine + strawberries and cream with shredded mint.
Palate: Sip 1. Oh yeah. Pour more of the sample. Peach popsicle. Tangerine trees and marmalade skies. Loads of dried citrus peel, takes you on a bitter path. I’ve always been quite partial to a solid wood whallop and this is just right, which means it’s almost overwhelming for Ryan. Xmasmas is coming and for me that means the gingerbread aisle… pfeffernusse for the win. Honey, white pepper and ginger ahoy.
Rating: 7 / 10 – an excellent core line bottle from Echlinville, hunt any remaining down.
Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Press Esc to cancel.
