Rating 7/ 10
Killowen Cuige Poitin Duff
Nose: Apple vinegar, citrus notes, granny apple peel
Palate: Ooohhh sparkly in my mouth, nigiri sake, oatmeal cookies.
Rating: 7 / 10
Category: Whisky
Rating 7/ 10
Balcones ~Single~ Double Cask Nation 64.15%
Nose: Brown sugar, slightly floral, brine, honey.
Palate: Leather, oak, pond water, very peppery, licking envelope, nice toasted note on the finish
Rating: 7 (Shane) 5 (Ryan) / 10 – simple and pleasant
Rating 5/ 10
Simply Whisky BIG Balcones 65.7%
Nose: Sweet corn bread, apricots, vanilla ice cream, sugar cookies, honey blossom, polvito uruguayo, white tea
Palate: Hint of a nice sweet note followed quickly by suuuper strong wood, chlorine, bitter
Rating: 5 (Shane) 4 (Ryan) / 10 – nose is layered, rich and interesting but the palate falls short
Rating 6/ 10
New Riff #17/1462 Bourbon 52%
Nose: Milk chocolate, caramel rice crispy treat, subtle orange peel, warm leather
Palate: Tootsie roll, strong spirit but gentle flavor profile, nice wood integration, black/green peppercorn or hint of green bell pepper, black tea, whisps of apricot, hint of wintergreen.
Rating: 5 (Ryan) 6 (Shane) / 10 – high rye, 65 corn, 5% malted barley, 30% rye.
Rating 4/ 10
New Riff Rye N10 Jay’s Pick #19251 55.65%
Nose: Sweet cream, this actually smells sweeter than their bourbons – go figure, fresh cedar.
Palate: Woo hot, def has that rye bite and spice right out of the gates, intense cloves, cedar, bright and woody, hint of anise, cinnamint breathmint
Rating: 4 / 10 – 95% rye
Rating 7/ 10
New Riff Bourbon #3917 53.3%
Nose: Flat leaf parsley, pie crust, tangerine, juicyfruit gum, sour cherries
Palate: Orange peel, black tea, cherry now n laters, country cherry pie, pluots
Rating: 5 (Ryan) 7 (Shane) / 10 – this is delicious 65% corn 30% rye and 5%
Rating 8/ 10
New Riff Rye #16/2653 52.7%
Nose: Lovely sweetness on the nose, juicy fruit, pot de creme, nutmeg and cloves.
Palate: Rye bread with sweet butter, juicy fruit, green tea, red vines
Rating: 8 (Ryan) 7 (Shane) / 10 – absolutely delicious
Rating 6/ 10
New Riff Rye #3402 55.75%
Nose: Guava & lemon grass, coriander, lime leaf, hint of cured meats – maybe cecina.
Palate: Sweet pillows, catnip, sage, hints of chocolate
Rating: 6 / 10 – nice but more minty than I usually like
Rating 6/ 10
New Riff Bourbon #8135 N10 SB Pick 52.85%
Nose: Red plums, grapefruit peel
Palate: Juicy and minty and chocolatey
Rating: 6 / 10 – fine these notes are loosing steam but its a lot of new riff in one night.. and they are all tasty.
Rating 8/ 10
Balcones Brimstone 10th 2018 62.2%
Nose: Dates
Palate: Dark chocolate, cherry cola, leather, super subtle bbq notes, menthol, phenols
Rating: 8 / 10 – this is such an exceptional brimstone. I usually struggle with this spirit, but this cask is just amazeballs.
Rating 4/ 10
Balcones Brimstone 2019 53%
Nose: Packing tape. Really don’t like this nose but going to tuck in. I used to avoid brimstone like the plague when I started into balcones, but after years of inlay whisky, I’m going to give it another try.
Palate: Licking envelopes, strong wood, slightly bitter and tannic, very little smoke here as compared to the OG version
Rating: 3 (Shane) 4 (Ryan) / 10 – and nope. Still don’t like it. So far away from the 10th anniversary or the sherry cask one that Chip gave Ryan.
Rating 3/ 10
Balcones Brimstone 2013 53%
Nose: Buttercream frosting, stone fruit, camphor, betadine, clove / clove cigarettes, menthol.
Palate: Ashtray, kissing a smoker who chewed some wrigleys to cover it up, hardcore on the clove
Rating: 3 / 10 – missing the bbq vibe I was wishing for. Reminds me of a coal ila. Did not hold up to Ryan’s memory.
Rating 2/ 10
Hunters Choice (Kenyan whisky)
Nose: Latex, baby powder, vague sweet
Palate: Asparagus, with a touch of ambiguous light sweetness.
Rating: 2 / 10 – pretty bland teetering towards truly terrible.
Rating 7/ 10
Barrell Tramp 18506 American Single Malt Finished Peach Brandy ABV 57.3%
Nose: Pina colada, peaches, apricots
Palate: Crazy fruity and floral
Rating: 7 / 10 – this is so overwhelming and fascinating and weird. This lightly peated single malt was found hiding away after 5 years in a cask that held peated malt on two occasions before holding golden promise Single Malt for a bit over a year. Playing with light heather and sweet peach, we doubled down and clobbered it with an additional 2 months in a Peach Brandy Cask.
Rating 6/ 10
Killowen FOB Barantuil 3 Years KD219 59.4%
Nose: Caramel, twinkies, sultanas.
Palate: Peated, maritime, dates, dark brown bread, gingerbread, ham, dried pineapple, fruit tobacco
Rating: 6 / 10 – intense. Peated. Quarter 120L PX cask.