Nose: Rum cake, toasted pineapple, state fair kettle corn, deep fried everything, australian style strawberry licorice.
Palate: Farm funky, past their prime tropical fruits, phases into eucalyptus menthol and strawberries and soft tropical fruits. Tangerine peel, Fun ride.
Rating: 8 / 10 – so damn good
Nose: Incredibly aromatic, prunes, dates, fresh snap peas, mom’s greenhouse with distinct tomato plant. old oak. Loads of sugars.
Palate: The oak is strong yet not too drying. potent “green” vegetal floral note as well (dandelion greens, tomato vines), bit of honey, prunes and figs
Rating: 7 (Shane) 5 (Ryan) / 10 – this does not drink like an old rhum at first. I would swear up and down it’s an old cognac. Elegant. Floral. Then the green fresh notes and wood blossom. This gets much better with a large sip. A truly special pour. It’s a Salma Hayek of pours – absolutely gorgeous and yet doesn’t hold Ryan’s interest. He is broken.
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.
Nose: I miss tangerines. The whole orange family to be truthful… being allergic isn’t all bad, but given that fresh squeezed oj is basically all they serve for breakfast in Spain, it’s a shame. The nose kicks off vibrant citrus and then gets hints at something more lucious, going all creamsicle orange soda. Touches of nuttyness and caramelization. Bittle? A very light fudge? But when I drew deep I gasped. Intensely astringent under the candy shop. Wondering if this is an Audry II situation.
Palate: Sweet off the scale and then sharp. Right along with the nose. Tangerine juice with white tea notes. Crisp yellow peaches. Dang this would make a lovely simple syrup. The burn, which almost comes across as metallic notes which underlie the sweetness are actually working for me. Not quite copper penny and not quite aspirin.Oysters with mignonette sauce. Cilantro. Don’t let those last two freak you out. It’s quite well balanced.
Rating: 5 / 10 – this is fun. Not something I’d reach for often, but enjoyed it. I have a hard time reconciling the vibrant fruitiness with a rum cask.
Nose: Some barnyard funk, green olive, epoxy resin from making plane models with dad, fresh cut grass, tropical fruits (mango, pineapple).
Palate: Fleeting notes of the barnyard funk and tropical fruits, rubber industrial bent, old tires, swimming in a small harbor with diesel boats, overripe mango
Rating: 4 (Ryan) 5 (Shane) / 10 – wonderful engaging nose. The more I sip this the more I like it, and the fruit comes out, but it is an industrial start.
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.
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.
Nose: Barnyard funk, touch of sulfur, hints of prime rib, sweet treats, lot of delightful things here dancing around on the nose. Maple candies. Frosting.
Palate: Chocolate, leather, heather, smoke, vanilla salt water taffy, salted cod.
Rating: 5 (Shane) 6 (Ryan) / 10
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
Nose: Fresh leather, menthol, subtle lychee
Palate: Strong menthol, chicory coffee, dark chocolate covered espresso bean, and dandelion greens. Medical tape and gauze. Very woody, mouthfeel is tannic. A sulfur vibe I need to revisit once my sinuses are 100%
Rating: 4 (Ryan) 5 (Shane) / 10 – yup… sulfur. Ouch.
Nose: Like listening to vivaldi drum and base. Decadent, elegant with kick. Maple syrup, super ripe cantaloupe, browned butter, seared and caramelized peaches, touch of funk
Palate: Salty, warm maple syrup, brown sugar, caramel, flan… decadent without being heavily oaked.
Rating: 7 / 10 – what a lovely pour.
Nose: An earthy apricot or persimmon, creme brûlée, something mildly astringent
Palate: Peach white tea, raw almonds, wafers, white pepper
Rating: 5 / 10 – a super interesting pour but not something I would seek out
Nose: Dark dank potting soil, artichoke dip dusted with cotija, fresh cut leather, walnuts in dark chocolate, cement glue, patacones with ripe plantains or sweet potato shoestring fries, mango in chili. Slight whiffs of celery. Muscovado sugar and packing tape. With lots of time in the glass breathing, a neat note of cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and toffee.
Palate: There is something insanely masculine to this pour. Unarguably sweet, but only as a backdrop to bold base notes and powerful farm funk. Tobacco, dark chocolate espresso beans, cecina or biltong, quite gamey with such a vibrant saltiness, bourbon cherries, grilled watermelon rinds, portobello mushrooms. And a dark brown sugar to wrap. So earthy.
Rating: 7 (Shane) 6 (Ryan) / 10 Is this the sugarcane juice talking, yet with a Spanish hand at the wheel? Or perhaps aging for 20 years on a cliff overlooking a roiling ocean. You could feel the salt spray where this cask sits, right at the door of the warehouse. Unctuous and funky. Dear lord I hope we all agree and I can convince Jose to sell it.
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