Nose: maple, oak, tons of licorice, linen, pear and butter.
Palate: apple skins, licorice and raspberry jam.
Rating: 4 / 10 – The finish is bitter lemon and juniper. I expected more rancio, but while this didn’t taste young, it had most of the boring components of aging and few of the exciting ones. I didn’t find anything wrong necessarily, but neither does it have much to recommend it.
Nose: Initial impression, a wisp of sulfur laden miracle whip…mmm…caramelized figs, sultanas, spiced boiled apples. In the canary islands, they make great wine. But when you go through a long aging process, often over 25 years, sometimes a barrel turns to vinegar. Why let top shelf vinegar go to waste? They drizzle Vinaigre Macho on fish or meats or use it in cocktails to add that sweet cloying funk. A fun potato salad.
Palate: Gentle and subtle. Tobacco leaf and cardboard. Finish is dark roasted coffee. I even went back for a second dip and didn’t find much more.
Rating: 4 / 10 – the nose and palate weave a very different narrative and while the palate is gentle, it lacks complexity and depth. I had high expectations after the first 1996 Longmorn was such a heavy hitter, and we find myself a wee bit disappointed here.
Nose: Peaches and nectarines. Mango. Garden roses. We had a nest of swallows right above the rosebush in front of the house Serenity was born in. I loved sitting with my book in the huge picture window watching the babies swoop, and poop, in the fading light. They made for the most robust roses, and brought a slightly grassy mineral smell to accompany the bright fragrance of the flower. Very mild white cheese with a touch of salt.
Palate: Stone fruit and cherries. I’m definitely not a fan of west coast IPAs. The bitterness and hops is enticing for a second but I rarely enjoy a second sip. For all the fruit on this palate, it’s got a dry edge paired with an odd artificial sweetness. Big league chew might have the most fucked up candy every as an adult looking back, but it was so much fun as a kid to pack that shit into your lip, chew and then shit it out without looking. Until you hit your mom’s good heels and she grounded me for a good part of the summer.
Rating: 4 / 10 – Nose is nice, and there are plenty of fun moments, but the palate just doesn’t do much for me. I was hoping the extra 6% would give it a nice kickstart, but not much of a difference.
Nose: Creamy nuttiness. Nutella.. Toasted hazelnuts or chestnuts. Maybe even spanish peanuts, the reddish ones with the skin still on. A creamy baked brie, still gooey from the oven with a sweet onion balsamic jam. The nose gets a touch funky and vegatative. Soquel Creek, where my kids were born, stops flowing in summer. The sand builds and eventually it becomes the ultimate place to paddleboard among the lily pads right through Capitola village. You can smell the food cooking at Shadowbrook restaurants mingling with the wet moss and stagnant water as the baby ducks nibble on your paddle. Layer on the sweet begonias on the shore as they turn from fresh to tomorrow’s seeds.
Palate: Walnuts. Drop biscuits, a hint of buttery sweet with the mouthful of baking soda. I’ve still never managed to nail a good drop biscuit. So this reference isn’t for some masterful buttery goodness, but my own endless failed attempts to make something delicious. Like brushing your teeth with Arm & Hammer. With a touch of nutmeg. The finish is tart, white tea and green mango, even the slightest hint of aspirin.
Rating: 4 / 10 – While the nose is intriguing, the palate is pretty much off-putting tonight. Not into this form of tart bitterness. I tried this as part of a blind split organized by Lucasz and was a bit surprised at the reveal. I’ve always loved the 12 year and never cared for the 15 year Redbreast. But I didn’t expect to feel so ambivalent. That is the power of blind tastings. The name can’t bias you.
Nose: Sugar plums, latex gloves, hints of oaky vanilla and some earthy wet wood. The latex is the strongest note.
Palate: Hmm, immediate disappointment here. Very bitter, and little in the way of sweetness to balance it out. The latex phenols are back too, but it is kinda bland. If I dig around I find some grapes and caramel under there but they are way in the background. Finish is quite long… but I am not sure I want to spend a lot more time with this flavor combo.
Rating: 4 / 10 – This has been described as the worst LP ever. But considering the usual high quality of their casks, I was still excited to try this one. Sadly, rumors are true.
Nose: Varnish, Shortbread biscuits, Werther’s original butterscotch. Unripe cantaloupe melon. I let it rest another 40 minutes to see if it would soften, but still smells like young stuff.
Palate: a young gun but has some nice elements to the palate. Makes my mouth full on salivate in a fun way – like after eating poprocks or sour patch kids. Sweetness of creme brûlée. The lightest amount of toasted chestnuts. A bitter element to the finish like unripe loquat or cactus fruit or quinine / tonic water. Drops of water really help it a lot.
Rating: 4 / 10 – Tried blind. Promising but needs to calm the fuck down and take some Ritalyn (or just age another 5 years). But with a couple drops of water it gets better
Nose: Tastings sometimes happen under the strangest circumstances. I sat down with my sample only to have my wife immediately tell me it is my turn to hang with the kid while he does his daily ablutions. These can take a while. So here I am, sitting cross legged on the floor of the bathroom, laptop perched on one leg, and a copita of newmake rum in my right hand wondering.. does this actually smell earthy or is it just my kid? To make it up to me, Sojourn volunteered to help me with the notes. First note from him… “OUCH. That hurts my nose dad. Way too strong. Oooouuuch ouch ouch. Forget it, I’m out. But you can write cherries in your notes.” Kid has an amazing nose but this defeated him. For me, trying this blind, I would have guessed a poire williams brandy. Quite fruity. Crisp pear, unripe bananas and a bit of salinity. The lightest pastry vibe but hard to appreciate it with the potent alcohol wafting off this. Resting did not help.
Palate: Yup, this is hot. Damascus in summer type of hot. And yet, oddly gentle in flavors once you crawl past it. A savory licorice vibe paired with bosc pears. Hints of pineapple. It’s yum. Then it gets oddly mineral and a touch coppery. That salt from the nose shows up as green olive, more the brine than the flesh. I like all the individual elements, and can see more evolving as it sits, but it is time to take my parents out to a fancy dinner. So peace.
Rating: 4 / 10 – I’d either need more concentrated flavors to stand up to this heat, or dial it back a notch. This has great potential but I would not reach for it regularly. That said, I’m curious to try more Privateer as this has all the elements I like in a complex rum.
Nose: Smoked artichoke heart with dijon vinaigrette. Geraniums. Seared greens on a copper pan. Lime zest.
Palate: Burnt toast with leeks. Old cigarette butts. While one of my fondest triathlon memories is the escape from alcatraz, I’ll never forget the taste. Boat oil from a swim in the san francisco bay is memorable. And no pour should ever take me back there.
Rating: 3 (Shane) Ryan (4) / 10 – while the nose has a fun acidity and great promise, the palate is just dirty smoke thin layers. And for me, basically unappealing.
We’re pretty darn new to Sotol, so the ratings are based upon pure enjoyment and aren’t really a fair measurement of this spirit within the genre.
Nose: The sweet side of a big sherry blast. Strawberry mentos and grape jelly. Black tea & ginger root. Downy fresh laundry pod. The alcohol burns like sniffing white pepper.
Palate: My favorite salsa at Planet Fresh was a hot sweet chili Mexican style. Like a fresh tomato pico de gallo has a love child with Thai sweet chili sauce. Except while that merger was delicious, this pour kinda hurts me not so good. Nutty with a big tannin wallop.
Rating: 4 / 10 – This should be tastier than it is… I started a 5, but can’t seem to enjoy it.
Nose: Sniff. Nadah. So I waited. And finally recruited my daughter. Serenity smells hints of anise, apricot and honey. I kinda see the apricot. I smell an indiscriminate sweet warmth, like when the pacific company cookie factory would make snickerdoodles during a strong wind, and you could smell something baking from across town.
Palate: A slightly funky pecan snicker doodle indeed. The palate is far more robust than I expected for the ABV. Not complex, but rich and a touch too sweet for me. Caramelized bananas and vanilla extract.
Rating: 4 / 10 – Seems like a great intro pour to real rum for someone who has only ever had Captain Morgan’s. Although for me, with the overwhelming sweetness, it’s right between a 4 and a 5. Was a hard call.
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