Age 20 Years Archives - The Distillates

Tag: Age 20 Years

Glendronach 1993 20 Year Sherry Butt #3 52.9%

Nose: Gooey dried prunes, bazooka joe’s grape bubblegum, black tea, apricot jam, black licorice.

Palate: Cranberry-raspberry fruit leather, takes an herbal / ricola bent, and then nice finish of leather, chocolate covered espresso beans, prunes. I used to make an orange juice, worcestershire, red wine, garlic and ginger reduction, which I would then baste and BBQ my salmon with. Mic drop.

Rating: 6 (Ryan) 7 (Shane) / 10 – this is damn delicious although the herbal note on a big sip is a doozie. Might be a love hate thing.

Tasting Note

Glendronach 1993 20 Year Oloroso Sherry Butt #491 54.2%

Nose: Milk chocolate fudge, dark dates, carmelized figs, subtle nods to Dr. Pepper, slightly nutty almonds/walnuts, balsamic vinegar.

Palate: Strong black pepper, worstershire, cracked pepper crusted steak, goes herbal almost veering into bitter, notes from the nose on a big sip, hint of industrial rubber

Rating: 6 (Shane) 5 (Ryan) / 10 – weird but fun.

Tasting Note

Shane

Bruichladdich 20 Years 2003 Micro Provenance Port Hogshead (2nd Fill) Cask 1293 54.4% for “Mary McGregor”

Nose: Mexican hot chocolate, pipe tobacco, puer, cascara

Palate: Slightly salty and umami. The weird sour funk of Umeboshi. Limestone. Potting soil. Black forest cherry cake.

Rating: 7 / 10 – a big complex profound full metal pour. Raise your glass.

Tasting Note

Shane

Appleton Estate 20 Years 2002/2022 Rum Hearts Collection 63%

Nose: Pencil shavings, coconut water, beach driftwood cement glue, tahini, sf bay water, touch of tropical fruit punch notes, mango and tajin.

Palate: Juicy fruit bubblegum, cinnamon, mango, yellow peach, fun citrus notes deep in the yuzu vibe, just lovely tropical notes, super pronounced cedar element, aniseseed in the indian restaurants, touch of funk, all super well balanced

Rating: 8 / 10 – what a fabulous palate. Mad mad props to Joy and her skills. This drinks like a super elegant and refined Caroni, minus some of the dirt. The nose isn’t quite up to the palate.

Tasting Note

Shane

Velier Rhum Saint-James 1998 20 year Martinique 47%

Nose: Spoiled banana peel, older calvados, violets, orange blossom water, cedar, rose infused candy drops, caramel, biscotti, dill

Palate: Wet perfumed wood. Intensely floral. Rotten banana. Dried ground cinnamon and cloves, marsala

Rating: 5 / 10 – powerful, perfumy and challenging. But not delicious.

Tasting Note

Irish
Whisky

Shane

Dunville’s 2000 20 Year Oloroso Sherry Cask #162 54% for Belfast Whisky Week 2022

Nose: Redvines, dried prunes, ginger bread, peppermint

Palate: Halls strawberry cough drop, dried cherry, port reduction on cherry ice cream, a big ol mouthfeel

Rating: 7 / 10 – such a huge palate. Super fruity and intense.

Tasting Note

Port Charlotte 2002, first fill Bourbon Barrel – Dramfool Release 49 Feis Ile Festival release 2022 – 20 year old, 57.9% one of only 188 bottles

Nose: Smoked ham and cheese hot pockets, smoked caviar, meringue, wood smoked eggplant, fresh chopped chives.

Palate: Roasted peppers (bell & poblano), okra, browned butter, pan roasted spam, braggs amino acids. grilled and smoked head of lettuce with crisped anchovies. Freeze dried strawberries and a drizzle of sweet cream with sea salt

Rating: 6 (Ryan) 7 (Shane) / 10 – OH YUM YUM. This is great.

Tasting Note

Port Charlotte 2002, first fill Bourbon Barrel (16 years), Oloroso sherry (4 years) – Dramfool Release 50 Feis Ile Festival release 2022 – 20 year old, 58.4

Nose: Prosciutto wrapped around cantaloupe, cedar chips, cotton candy, rose hips, orange peel, the tiniest brush of cloves, almost cola vibe

Palate: Bunch of peat well integrated with the other flavors, surprising for an older cask. The combo of barrels does wonders here. Very blackberry/raspberry, licorice. Wool socks. [Ryan]: Damn, I don’t tend to love the more heavily smoked, peaty side of the spectrum these days, but this is delicious.

Rating: 6 / 10 – when compared to the pure bourbon sister cask, it comes short, but on its own, a very nice pour.

Tasting Note

Shane

Wee Mongrel Batch 1 20 year blended malt 52.3% by Little Brown Dog Spirits

Nose: Slightly funky. blackberries.

Palate: Jelly blackberry candies, cedar box, cinnamon

Rating: 6 / 10 – a nice blend with a hint of character

Tasting Note

Bruichladdich 2002 20 year First Fill Bourbon 59% For Dramfool’s

Nose: Plain milk chocolate m&m’s, snack pack chocolate pudding cups, stale vanilla wafers you pick up at the costa rican gas station on the way to a company meeting… nearly a tradition. Graham crackers / circus animals, werther’s originals, tangerine flan with a well balanced layer of smoke.

Palate: Tangerine cut in half and plopped on the grill with a sprig of rosemary. Grapefruit peel. Wildflower honey. Sour grass.

Rating: 5 (Ryan) 7 (Shane) / 10 – a fun mix but surprised too

Tasting Note

Shane

Aberlour 1997/2018 20 Year 1st Fill Sherry Cask #9057 59.1%

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.

Tasting Note

Imperial 20 Year 1995 #50226 / #50227 46% for Signatory Vintage

Nose: Warm cedar, sandalwood, vanilla caramels, cantaloupe.

Palate: Rose hips, marshmallow, creme brûlée, caramel, nabisco vanilla wafers, coffee

Rating: 7 (Ryan) 8 (Shane) / 10 – sweets shop notes, time for a sweater and cup of something warm.

Tasting Note

Glendronach 20 Year 1993 Oloroso Sherry Butt #1626 54.6% for Taiwan Exclusive

Nose: Date nuggets, hoisin sauce, cloves. espresso chocolate-coated bean.

Palate: Plums, salt, acidity, umami, toasted figs … wow wow

Rating: 8 / 10 – this is exceptional… it’s so damn close to a 9, if only the finish held a touch more of the syrupiness.

Tasting Note

Grappa di Barolo 20 Years 50%

Nose: Passion flowers, vanilla, wood shop, champagne vinegar, well balanced sauternes dessert wine, peach shrub, plump golden raisins.

Palate: Starts off with a lovely peach centric note and then a huge burst of crushed vanilla pods, old school vanilla ice cream, rich and decadent.

Rating: 6 (Shane) 7 (Ryan) / 10 – The quality of this spirit is not in question in looking at our ratings. It has purely come down to personal palate preference, and this spirit is a big winner if you love intense vanilla in yo face. Another really fun, interesting, and ultimately quality spirit.