Nose: Butterscotch, fresh goatsmilk, cornbread with a dollop of butter.
Palate: Nice touch of sweetness on this that compliments the wood, cedar, cinnamon life cereal. Leather on the finish. Scotch tape.
Rating: 6 (Ryan) 5 (Shane) / 10 – somehow manages to be both quite drinkable and yet someone ubiquitous, the nose is more enticing than the palate.
Nose: Kumquat marmalade, endives, cointreau flambeed crepes or creme brulee, honey, rose petal hand lotion, sandalwood.
Palate: Orange cream soda, bitters, nutmeg, cedar, sandalwood, the ultra heavy dark ryle sourdough I got in germany, that nearly outweighs a brick, leather.
Rating: 6 / 10 – reminds me of the irishman brown ale finished whisky with its dark breadiness.
Nose: Smoked oysters with blackberry vinegar, burnt ends, dark cherry
Palate: Smokey salted pecans, dried raspberries, tobacco leaf, dates
Rating: 7 / 10 – for a core line bottle this is really excellent
Nose: Toasted hazelnuts, raspberry going redvines, ash and dry soil.
Palate: Hot on the first sip, feels like a young spirit, but the long finish really comes to life, milk chocolate with hazlenut, vanilla, leather
Rating: 5 / 10 – a blend of different texas whiskies, 3 balcones casks making up 53%, Manatawny Still Works Distillery (Closed), crowded barrel single malt and a 15yr light whiskey.
Nose: Tangerine peel, pink grapefruit juice.
Palate: Tangerine all the way, white tea, cloves pushed into an orange, pink peppercorn, the finish goes a hint tanic along the path of lemon pith … yet so damn juicy
Rating: 7 / 10 – Such a good pick. It’s a touch hot and puckering on the finish, and dang the juiciness is amazing.
Nose: From the moment I poured into my glass, my office exploded with a peatiness I still don’t habitually associate with Ireland. I know that the newschool is changing that and bringing turf back to the forefront. I personally welcome our new smo(k)verlords. We had a massive eucalyptus in our front yard growing up. Couldn’t walk barefoot anywhere as the cones they drop are basically natures caltrops. That tree is a full on area of denial attack. Somehow the rich earthy peat and vibrant sherry notes combine on the nose to give me something lightly methylated with freshly sawed wood notes. The sherry somehow stays demure, more on the marzipan wavelength than fruits or funk.
Palate: Peat. But not a ciggie or tar, more mushrooms and forest moss. Flash fried padron peppers and leafy bitterness that comes from celery and kale. The sherry notes are present towards the finish, giving it a warmth with a touch of nuttyness and red fruits. Some backbone and the slightest ghost of sweetness. Definitely peat driven from start to finish.
Rating: 6 / 10 – fun pour. For a first release it’s eminently drinkable, has a nice body and doesn’t come off as a young spirit in the slightest. Go team.
Nose: Metallic, floral, berries, celeriac, cornichons and pickling brine.
Palate: Packing tape, that bitter/vegetal balcones dna, mirepoix
Rating: 5 / 10
Nose: Coriander, verbena / mintyness you get with rye, white pepper, pine, pumpernickel, vanilla, chestnuts, a strange avian quality I get from wild birds… is it fowl? And an herbal tea vibe, hints of mulled wine – lemon peel.
Palate: There is a really nice toasted quality that comes across in the rye, lemon notes, varnish, pomegranate. Cardboard. Finish is super milk chocolate.
Rating: 6 (Ryan) 5 (Shane) / 10 – this is really weird and complex and uncomfortable. I would never buy a bottle (Shane) but it’s an adventure.
Nose: Fig sap, grassy, lemon grass, honey, that nice little sour note from a bourbon barrel, camphor.
Palate: In line with the nose, ends on the sour grassy oaky note, bell peppers.
Rating: 5 / 10 – want to love it more than we do, but it doesn’t stand out, meh. I used to love this bottle… but palates change with time.
Nose: Boiled peanuts, barley sweets, caramel cream puddings sojourn has before judo, charred matches after they burn out, subtle elderflower
Palate: Salinity of good salted roasted peanuts, rich mouthfeel, barley sweeties, strong oak.
Rating: 7 (Shane) 6 (Ryan) / 10 – this is quite nice. I’d drink it again with bells on. Its too much oak for Ryan.
Nose: Orange peel, lime zest, apple, light cloves and cinnamon, creme brulee with raspberries on it, fennel bulb, lightest touch of dill
Palate: Pink peppercorn, medjool dates, leather, cinnamon, toasted sesame, turmeric.
Rating: 5 (Ryan) 7 (Shane) / 10 – a great interwoven and oaky complex pour. Love it.
Nose: Chardonnay grapes, unripe white peaches, honeycomb, cinnamon simple syrup, copper, penny, rye, tonic
Palate: Ginger chews, quinine, white peach tea, grapes
Rating: 6 / 10 – a really simple lovely pour. Nice balance of fruit and spice.
Nose: I sniffed. And then leaned back. Dang. legit. The oak layer meshes so gracefully with rich ale. I miss spending time with dad in the woodshop. It was magic taking planks we sawed from felled cherry trees on the back of the acreage and planing them until you saw raw gorgeous grain emerge. Mom has a softspot for burls, which makes for some sick swirls. All that sawdust mixed with the smell of the leather gloves and toolbelt. And yet it’s so freaking graceful and sweet. I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for rice krispie treats. If you aren’t familiar, melt marshmallows and add rice krispie cereal. Julie loved it when we tossed in a shake of Nesquik – the smell is distinctive.
Palate: OMG. this is better than the nose. Ridiculous. Rich and creamy. Freeze dried cherry and espresso coffee beans coated in milk chocolate. Big oak and leather notes without a hint of tannins. Gentle soothing oats, approaching oatmilk.
Rating: 8 / 10 – this is so good. That is what was written on the bottle. Which frankly had me worried because it’s setting a mighty high bar. But OMG THIS IS SO GOOD. I almost never go back and pour the rest of a sample this size.. But fuckit.
Nose: Leathery and dusty, tannins, dried date nuggets, chestnuts, dried grass in piles, loquat, plum syrupiness, green wood, fig newtons.
Palate: Chocolate bitters, luxardo cherries, subtle and delicate peat, bowmore soap, tobacco leaf and leather, the dried dates, plums, and fig newtons are present. Tree bark and green wood, cinnamon, Frankly this gets much better with a big mouthful, but I had such a small sample.
Rating: 5 (Shane) 6 (Ryan) / 10 – Intriguing and shockingly gentle for the abv. It’s delicate and nuanced and very interesting. It’s hard to rate this with such a small sample as this would likely benefit from a much bigger mouthful to truly appreciate. Shane struggles with the core DNA that is Bowmore’s profile which presents for him as soapy. A legendary pour and fun to drink, however neither of us was blown away…what is in a name?
Nose: Honey ham, cucumber, melon pear (cucumber)
Palate: Honeydew melon, milk candies, brine, smoked eggplant
Rating: 6 / 10 – a nice sweet smoke, with a good rounded character. Wish it wasn’t watered but still lovely.
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