tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47404530279613708972024-03-14T12:01:08.671-04:00KCM Spirit ReviewsKCM Spirit Reviews is a site dedicated to providing reviews to viewers on a consistent basis. We are committed to learning more about the craft of alcohols. KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-56993487255707412162014-10-09T17:37:00.000-04:002015-06-29T17:38:17.307-04:00Review 223: Yamazaki 12 Year<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_uuQ3ypEeuyGKZi0Zp1ronOQ-lE_K4-4mwgZcosmIga71YUPlFIszpCuCUDknuPfaTvYTYQE-IJM8GpvW6m5B69FCBusWrLxVOsUuKUk-wVmMvdkSdnVo_0Z6zCiT9O0X7LERNlzJsY/s1600/Yamazaki+12+Year.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_uuQ3ypEeuyGKZi0Zp1ronOQ-lE_K4-4mwgZcosmIga71YUPlFIszpCuCUDknuPfaTvYTYQE-IJM8GpvW6m5B69FCBusWrLxVOsUuKUk-wVmMvdkSdnVo_0Z6zCiT9O0X7LERNlzJsY/s320/Yamazaki+12+Year.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
223<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">10/9/2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Yamazaki
12 Year: 43% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">See
Yamazaki, the flagship product of Japanese powerhouse distiller, Suntory.
Suntory happens to be the Japanese company that owns just about everything,
including your dog. Suntory also happens to produce Hakushu and Hibiki, but
we’re not talking about that today. Today, we talk about the 12 Year Japanese
Single Malt from Yamazaki. What makes Japanese Single Malt different from
Scottish Single Malt? Where it comes from, effectively. Does that influence
taste? Absolutely, it does. Welcome, then, to the pinnacle of fashionable
contemporary whiskies that probably could run a Toyota Prius. You notice how
I’m not writing about the barrel it was aged in, or the colorant, or any of
that jazz? That’s because Suntory didn’t tell me any of that. So I had to talk
about Toyotas…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> So what does Japanese whisky smell like? Well,
as a Single Malt, it certainly contains a strong presence of malt, candy
sweetness, and dominant vanilla as well. The fruitiness is prevalent in the
nose, with honeydew melon, cherry, orange, and banana. There is also subtle
pear and green apple notes contributing to nose, with hints of tartness and
mild sweetness, mixed with drier flavors as well. There is a bit of oak, and
even a suggestion of coconut on the nose as well. Dig a little deeper into the
whisky, and you’ll find a little bit of saltiness present as well, although
slight and very recessive. This nose also has a tinge of earthiness to it, not
terribly noticeable, and frankly hard to describe, but at a minimum present. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts off with a good amount of spiciness, maltiness, and saltiness.
There is a mild sweetness in the arrival, with some allspice. There is some
oakiness to the whisky in the arrival. There is some sugar water sweetness as
well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The body contains a significant amount of oakiness, fruitiness, and
maltiness. There is a bit of banana, oak, and earthiness. There is mild amounts
of orange and sugar sweetness in the body as well. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The maltiness kind of dominates the whisky in the finish. There is some
saltiness, smokiness, and earthiness in the finish, which is fairly definitive.
There is some black pepper to be found in the finish, with slight notes of tea
leaves and tobacco. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There
is slightly more vanilla on the nose. The citrus is much more noticeable on the
nose as well. There is some notes of cinnamon and apples. There is a suggestion
of molasses on the nose as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The arrival, after adding water, tends to show off a little bit of sugar,
malt and fruit sweetness. In general, the heat in the whisky is not as dominant
in the arrival, and a little bit more of the character is available to
evaluate. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> There
is a little bit of earthiness in the body, with oak, spicy heat, and the malt
tends to be still very noticeable in the whisky. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> In a
weird fashion, there is more heat in the finish now than there was prior to the
whisky without water. There isn’t as much flavor in the finish as there was
before, but cinnamon heat and a little bit of alcohol burn are still present.
There is still a light tobacco that shows up in the finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Well
if you like Toyotas, you may also find this to be an appealing whisky. Despite
this being the first serious contender in world markets for Japanese Single
Malts, it doesn’t seem to be representing its comrades very well. It is not a
BAD whisky from the strictest definition. It is, however, hugely underwhelming.
You might hold credence in that all the rave about World Whiskies is for a
reason, but KCM isn’t here to tell you about widely accepted opinions. We’re
here to show you that in general, this whisky lacks in complexity, balance and
quality, and doesn’t save itself with stark uniqueness either. This doesn’t
mean good Japanese whiskies don’t exist. It means that if you’re planning on
spending $65 on Single Malt, spend your money elsewhere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> For
better fuel economy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You feel
that value per dollar is an important metric, and you’re willing to wait for
Japan to send over its serious contenders before you jump on the bandwagon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 7.25/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-23308309991895626492014-09-19T20:39:00.000-04:002014-11-18T20:44:27.111-05:00Review 222: GlenDronach 17 Year PX Sherry Single Cask<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJpkic2KEdcL0KaFHjOeLYHclCVzjU62PyTgIE1NQLjH7oReTfvMeDXVtmXMmtzrLHSFTclrYUl3YzyrA-n4cL7Cq2lAcIP3tWjaD5Ogly273MT2mIlSXsqV0XEY3Uf8u6sXzVwX-7BQ/s1600/GlenDronach+17+Year+PX+Sherry+Single+Cask.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJpkic2KEdcL0KaFHjOeLYHclCVzjU62PyTgIE1NQLjH7oReTfvMeDXVtmXMmtzrLHSFTclrYUl3YzyrA-n4cL7Cq2lAcIP3tWjaD5Ogly273MT2mIlSXsqV0XEY3Uf8u6sXzVwX-7BQ/s1600/GlenDronach+17+Year+PX+Sherry+Single+Cask.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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222<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">GlenDronach
17 Year PX Sherry Single Cask: 53.2% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Have we
been on a sherried Scotch kick, or what? Well here we are, with a single cask
review of Glendronach. We are very compelled by these whiskies, because Glendronach
prices their Single Cask variants more competitively than their standard
offerings, and it begs some really interesting questions. For example, this 17
Year was about $130, while the 18 Year standard runs as high as $150, is 5%
lower in alcohol, and is only a year older. So is it really worth the money to
buy the more expensive whisky? Well, let’s take a look at this one. This is a
Pedro Ximenez Sherry whisky, with all the right figures. It is as dark as
whisky gets, but offers up a natural color statement to put our worries to bed.
PX sherry tends to be incredibly rich and sweet, and like always, there is the
concern that this whisky will be unbalanced and overtly sweet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> There is a lot of malt and molasses right off
the bat, with some aromas of prominent nuttiness and vanilla bean. To go along
with sweet vanilla bean is a custardy smell that is coupled with a rich,
homemade caramel, brown sugar, and honey sweetness. To add to your grocery list
of desserts, cut back to find some fudgy quality in the whisky. Succulent black
currents, dates, raisons, and dark grape are all blended into the nose. There
is some light cloves on the nose, but they aren’t terribly dominant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts syrupy, with molasses, brown sugar and other rich flavors. There
is some maltiness and raison-like sherry in the arrival as well. There is some
noticeable oak in the arrival, which creeps into the body. Honey is also
noticeable in the arrival, but it is masked slightly by a light green tea
flavor in the arrival. There is a brief dark fruit flavor on the arrival, but
it is hard to distinguish what is there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The body brings out notes of malt, with some enjoyable tangy citrus. There
is molasses and complex fruit notes, but the character is dry and quick. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The finish has some dark flavors, with lush sherry notes and a
compelling, fading tobacco note. The finish has some fruity cherry, slight
mintiness, and herbal notes as well. The finish has a dry character, with black
pepper, hot cinnamon, and allspice. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
nose brings out the sweetness in the malt a lot more. There is a more
noticeable presence of oak in the nose, with a much more enjoyable balance. There
is a little bit of red apple that comes out, with honey and caramel being very
pronounced. There is a little more earthiness to the whisky as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The arrival has an excellent balance of malt, honey, molasses, and
earthiness. There is a hint of savory notes, with some gingerbread and sweet
spice complimenting the sweetness. The blast of fruits is much improved from
before. There is a lot of nuttiness in the whisky now. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
nuttiness is big in the body, with brown sugar, oak, sherry and marmalade. The
body is more definitive now, with a little bit more fruit flavor, citrus, and
longevity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish still has the oak and tobacco notes from previously, with the citrus
lasting beyond the body and keeping the succulent fruits in the finish. The
dryness is less extreme now, and there is a wonderful spiciness that lasts
through the finish. The maltiness and a slight vegetal flavor is also present
through the end of the whisky. There is an earthiness that couples with the
whisky and makes the finish last. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Things
did transform with this whisky over time. Besides having much more sweetness
when the bottle was first opened, the whisky also had very different
complexities. This isn’t a bottle of whisky you invest in if you’ll looking for
next day dividends in satisfaction. This is a whisky you invest in for slow
savoring. Despite this “conditionality” to the whisky, it is a fantastic
statement of sherried complexity, and breaks the mundane pattern of Oloroso
this and Oloroso that. It still lacks in complexity in certain areas, and it is
highly recommended that water be put into this whisky to get any sort of
appreciable experience. This is a whisky worth it’s dollar amount. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> You
are looking for something that evolves, changes metaphorical colors, and offers
up an engaging drinking experience with a sherry flavor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
first time you open up a bottle is the last judgment you make on a whisky. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 9.25/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-28011408674977405022014-09-16T20:37:00.000-04:002014-11-18T20:39:07.815-05:00Review 221: GlenDronach 18 Year Allardice<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-GHLQ33ESXYkkqQ1amnGZ-5J5UXDlPcegNqPzKLjlWKthEdW18kvmucsA7SxbpTDS9h-rfrFTYdGHtvHS4cjHzLd4NUwvXNRzunLCJtD884nGR2D2w7X4F-qa7NPyWOhcJUnwiu09rg/s1600/GlenDronach+18+Year+Allardice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-GHLQ33ESXYkkqQ1amnGZ-5J5UXDlPcegNqPzKLjlWKthEdW18kvmucsA7SxbpTDS9h-rfrFTYdGHtvHS4cjHzLd4NUwvXNRzunLCJtD884nGR2D2w7X4F-qa7NPyWOhcJUnwiu09rg/s1600/GlenDronach+18+Year+Allardice.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
221<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">9/16/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">GlenDronach
18 Year Allardice: 46% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Here we
are, back at GlenDronach distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. After the 12
and 15 Year core offerings is the 18 Year Allardice. The 18 Year is non-chill
filtered, natural color, and bottled at a perfectly respectable 46% abv. It is
aged in exclusively Oloroso Sherry butts. GlenDronach then, is giving you
another option in the world of sherry malts, which seems to be growing in accessibility.
The challenge is, can producers like GlenDronach keep up with the demand for
sherry whiskies without the ability to obtain good sherry casks due to the
reduction in demand for sherry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> In comes the sherry storm, with a torrent of
deep, rich fruit aroma that overwhelms the senses. Red grape, raison and
vanilla are big players in the nose right off the bat. Small spurts of malt
smell become noticeable, but are really dominated by the other flavors. Dried
fruits and cranberry are detectable in the nose, with the sense of old oak and
floral notes of garden flowers. As the whisky starts to open up, more
complexity of sweet honey, apples, and even slight amounts of caramel are
present. The nose is definitely rich, but the initial alcohol intensity in the
nose tempers down to a less brutish, complex blend of rich sherry malt flavors.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> As
expected, sweet, syrupy arrival takes on the malt. The arrival doesn’t tend to
last a long time, with some spiciness, malt, and sweet grapes noticeable.
Sweet, candy like (maybe even bubblegum) sweetness is also ever present in the
arrival, which makes for a bizarre transition into the intense palate of the
whisky. There is an ample amount of vanilla in the arrival. In general, this
arrival seems like it lacks the complexity expected, and could be described as
sort of flat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Similar to the 15 Year, the 18 does have a nice, spicy body. The finish
is fairly long and enjoyable. A quick dash of heat, with red wine and grapes
makes the</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> body more
unique. There is something savory about the body, and despite its relative
intensity, the fruit flavors are not as pronounced as we’d like. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Conclude
with that semi-savory, scrumptious malty finish. Bitter, burnt oak will become
noticeable as you sip on this whisky more. You’ll find a hot, almost thin grapy
flavor that comes into the finish, almost in an artificial nature. There is
more oak complexity, some slight pine-like flavors coming out in the finish,
and just a tinge of cough medicine like flavor. You could argue there is a bit
of saltiness in the finish as well, but it doesn’t at all define the whisky. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
nose is demonstrating much more floral and somewhat maltier. The sherry has
subsided substantially, but some of the complexities are also not as prominent
as before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The arrival shows off more complex, well rounded fruitiness, with apple
and pear present. There is some soft spices and vegetal notes present. There is
a dry woody flavor in the arrival that translates into the body. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> After
adding water, a much more noticeable, succulent fruitiness is coming forward in
the whisky. It isn’t hard to spot the tannins and grape sour flavor coming out
of the body, plus allspice and nutmeg, but there is a strained emptiness
halfway through the body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> There
are much more manageable spices in this whisky now, with heavy tannins and
bittersweet green tea notes. Unripened, tart fruit notes are easily found in
the finish, which is sort of unique, but in some ways it actually detracts from
the overall flavor of the whisky. There is still soft maltiness and some
confectionary notes here. The finish ends up shorter and somewhat less
pronounced than before, but does offer up more complexity with better flavors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This
is one interesting whisky. It seems to be battling to get the right things
across, but never quite succeeds in doing it. I’m not sure exactly what holds
this whisky back, but it just doesn’t have the complexity and balance it needs
to be a true winner. The price doesn’t help the equation either. It is evident
that there should be better flavors with better quality going on. It doesn’t
make this bad by any means, but it does miss on a couple of key components. It
seems as if better casks would make this a better whisky, but chances are that
won’t be happening. There is something that makes this whisky really suffer,
but I’m not sure what it is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> You’re
a patron of Glendronach<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You can
get their Single Cask whiskies for less, and with better quality and a higher proof.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 8.25/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-26278087463595505182014-09-07T17:03:00.000-04:002014-10-18T17:05:16.471-04:00Review 220: Duthies Islay Blended Malt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-XSpU748fy8cuRmc0pX6GWGITcCa30UujGr9hy1M6EqhPE5DdbqcyRr6FX-w0alZpO5yRLBW3ePp7UQSY1Kv04kxth8hAe-5i5XfEMOJUQJSZXYvAqNgb-9nhYXFPS5qmtZV4Gm7Ht5A/s1600/Duthies+Islay+Malt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-XSpU748fy8cuRmc0pX6GWGITcCa30UujGr9hy1M6EqhPE5DdbqcyRr6FX-w0alZpO5yRLBW3ePp7UQSY1Kv04kxth8hAe-5i5XfEMOJUQJSZXYvAqNgb-9nhYXFPS5qmtZV4Gm7Ht5A/s1600/Duthies+Islay+Malt.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
220<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">9/7/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Duthies
Islay Blended Malt: 46% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This
will mark a very distinctive review. This will be the first time reviewing a
bottle that actually was born in Scotland. What’s that mean? That means we
haven’t seen it in the US and we’re lucky to have the opportunity to sit down
and review this one. So Duthies is part of Cadenhead’s, an independent bottler
that does 46%, non-chill filtered whiskies. Classic Cadenhead’s whiskies are
cask strength, so this is a little less big and bad. That being said, Cadenhead’s
doesn’t really do anything to tell us what’s in the whisky…or anything about
the barrel…really anything at all. They do tell us it is a natural color,
non-chill filtered, 46% Islay blend of single malts, and frankly, that’s good
enough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Well
the Islay branding doesn’t disappoint, because the classic peat aroma in the
nose is very prevalent. Don’t worry though, a balance of sweetness, fruitiness,
and delicate grains also contribute to a very equalized whisky. You will find
sweet apple and grapes on the nose, sugary by nature, and a good, rich malt to
balance it out. Some oil and leather also come out in the nose, with a rich
smoky wood smell in the foreground. Oddly enough, you’ll see that there is a
light smell of chlorine in the whisky, followed by a little bit of rubber. There
is definitely floral notes in the whisky too, with rose water being a major
factor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts off with a very oily, peaty blast of flavor. There is no end to
saltiness, brine, and thick smoke. The arrival starts off with a pretty tangy,
citrus lemon flavor, that transforms into a pretty bold orange flavor which
transfers into the body. There is a bulk of sweet barley and honey in the
arrival as well. Hot spices are also a big part of the arrival. The whisky has
a little bit of cane sugar that couples with the rest of the complexities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There
is a noticeable contribution of mint to the body of flavor. The body keeps the
malt and saltiness intact, with a beautiful smokiness that accentuates the
whisky. The cane sugar flavor sticks around for the body. There is a deep oak
flavor in the body and finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish is extremely dry, with sustained saltiness, bold spices, and a steady
dose of peat. The mint that was noticed before in the body is still present in
the finish. The finish is also relatively savory and has a hint of tobacco
smoke to it. Residual oak is noticeable as the finish subsides. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Some
black peppercorn and creaminess is actually opening up in the whisky now. The
smoke is definitely bigger in the nose. There is a bit of a candy-like smell
that the water is starting to bring out. There is a different kind of wood that
is coming through as well, potentially cedar, as well as a smell of fresh
sawdust. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The arrival is still a bit tart, with intense sweetness and fruitiness.
There is some definite citrus still in the arrival. The salt is still big, with
some bitter spices and mintiness. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
mint in the body is much bigger, with a lot of salt, and a subtly of pineapple
and other bitter fruits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Still
a salt monster, the finish gives off bitter oak and smokiness. It is very
similar to how it was before, with a bit of honey. The sweetness has dialed
down, and the smoke doesn’t last very long. The finish doesn’t sustain the same
way as it did before water. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Is
this worth your time should you run across it? Absolutely. The peated whisky
market is fashionable and booming right now, and because of that prices are
kind of getting a little bit scary. What this does as a result is allows for
somebody to buy a good quality blended malt whisky without any major branding
schemes or marketing nonsense inflating the price of the whiskies quality. This
won’t be the earthshattering, complex whisky you might find in other bottles,
but that’s okay. For the price, it is a good way of enjoy your liquid smoke
without having another mortgage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> You
like peat in classic fashion without needing to know who’s giving it to you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">NOTHING
is better than Lagavulin *adjusts monocle* <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 8.5/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-61553155943547227832014-09-03T19:06:00.000-04:002014-10-11T19:08:08.971-04:00Review 219: Glenmorangie Astar<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaaHkYusuoDz2nRGKuvVhzpyBTF5J_gw_Z7B0s1pZn4PI3jtZFv0r4Ybpo1vB-KIXYP6UpCHYgYrmA8-evCkqxgV9fmqFEvubZbiQVQTXqvCRvwQGZ-sLhkgBtJokp-T4DxY4kaVv02rI/s1600/Glenmorangie+Astar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaaHkYusuoDz2nRGKuvVhzpyBTF5J_gw_Z7B0s1pZn4PI3jtZFv0r4Ybpo1vB-KIXYP6UpCHYgYrmA8-evCkqxgV9fmqFEvubZbiQVQTXqvCRvwQGZ-sLhkgBtJokp-T4DxY4kaVv02rI/s1600/Glenmorangie+Astar.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
219<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">9/3/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Glenmorangie
Astar: 57.1% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Another
review of a Glenmorangie from the KCM crew. There has been a lot of buzz from
the Whisky Bible about Glenmorangie Ealanta, so why not do that? Well, because
this is what we bought, so this is what you get. The highlight of Astar, a cask
strength monster from the Highland distillery is the oak casks, that come from
the Ozarks of Missouri. This staves are then air dried for 24 months (or 2
years for the conversion-challenged among us), which is an extremely positive
mark on the cask quality. The assembled casks are heavily toasted, and
Tennessee whisky is aged in these casks for 4 years. Finally, Astar makes its
way into the cask and out spits a cask strength, natural color, non-chill
filtered beast. The only thing that Glenmorangie doesn’t tell you, to their
fault, is the age of this work. Rumor has it the whisky might be around 10
years old. So what now? Let’s figure out what this whisky is like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Right
off the bat, the first impression on the nose is heavy whiskey, like Jack
Daniels. Cream and vanilla are prevalent at first, with mild malt aromas coming
through subtly. There is some banana and coconut that pulls into the strong
nose. As the nose starts to open up, the oak is pretty strong on the nose. If
you really struggle, there is a bit of fall spices that can be smelled on the
whisky. The nose is relatively simple though. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts with a boozy Tennessee whiskey flavor, with sweet malt and corn
flavor. There is some bitter spice as well, but the flavor quickly dissipates
after this. There is a little bit of hot cinnamon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body introduces a savory flavor into the mix, still sustaining the Tennessee
whiskey flavor and strong hints of vanilla. There is bitter, sappy oak that is
dominating the flavor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish is hugely oaky, with American whiskey and vanilla up front. The finish
is hot and spicy, with bitter black peppercorn, cinnamon, and slight savory
notes. There is some dry vegetal notes, with a slight smokiness that is
reminiscent of burning tobacco. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
nose hasn’t opened up terribly well after adding water. The stubborn aromas
don’t seem to be breaking free from the whisky. Unfortunately, the complexity
is still lacking in this portion of the whisky. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The arrival has allowed the whisky to really present itself well.
Complexity is shy, but the Tennessee character is definitely well defined now.
The spices are more bold and prominent. In general, the arrival is
substantially more enjoyable. There is a bit of pear present now that wasn’t
detected before. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body actually reveals some interesting complexities that weren’t prevalent
before. There is a lot of herbal and vegetal notes, with blends of complex
fruits, including grapes, pear, and nectarines.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The finish is still intense and spicy, with
the toasted oak bursting through. The spices are huge, but not terribly
distinguishable. The vegetal notes in this whisky are more prominent than
before, with a malty aftertaste that reminds you you’re drinking a Scotch, and
not an American whiskey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> It
might look like you’ve seen a rushed review, but that’s not terribly true. This
is definitely a challenging whisky to deal with, but in a blind tasting, you
might mistake this for a bourbon or a Tennessee whiskey. Does that make this a
bad Scotch? Not nearly. But it does not give you the classic Glenmorangie
fruity, floral whisky experience you might expect. It also lacks severely in
complexity. That being said, this is a very quality whisky, and the recipe is
done pretty well right. It is also respectable that Glenmorangie provided a lot
of information on the whisky. Thus, you might struggle with whether or not to
buy a bottle of this gem. Our suggestion is to steer clear of this respectable
identity crisis unless you have nothing better to do with your money. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> It is
a bourbon-lover’s Scotch, and with water it is really an enjoyable catch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It
really doesn’t justify its pricetag by any stretch of the imagination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 8.0 /10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-18566788483231831612014-07-26T12:37:00.000-04:002014-10-11T19:02:14.016-04:00Review 218: G&M Glenburgie 10 Year<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-ITuL_3_8H7U6OZNvibpsTRZwqDUfF0uGe1coynoyP5RVi9Q3JRfEVp9Bf1nnH1rR86zHBseLkrdxr3b0AvvD1FyJ29OB14DyiEB77z3g70_-Ewct5KCq0fwgsmI8vHgXn6kRfis1GM/s1600/Glenburgie+10+Year.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-ITuL_3_8H7U6OZNvibpsTRZwqDUfF0uGe1coynoyP5RVi9Q3JRfEVp9Bf1nnH1rR86zHBseLkrdxr3b0AvvD1FyJ29OB14DyiEB77z3g70_-Ewct5KCq0fwgsmI8vHgXn6kRfis1GM/s1600/Glenburgie+10+Year.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
218<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">7/26/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Gordon
and MacPhail Glenburgie 10 Year: 43% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">What’s
there to say about Glenburgie? More than you’d think, actually. Here’s the
scoop. The Glenburgie distillery was founded in 1829, under the name of
Kilnflat. The distillery ceased production in 1870 and went through a series of
changes. Water has been a short commodity at Glenburgie, and they have
exchanged, on and off, a series of stills called Loch Lomond stills, which are
substantially different than the typical swan neck pot stills that are used in
most distilleries. Now, the Glenburgie whisky we’re drinking today is
interesting, because Gleburgie just built a new building in 2004, so this might
not be the same whisky you’ll be drinking tomorrow if you find a bottle. This
is a G&M bottling, an independent bottler that provides some killer
whiskies. G&M do tend to be pricier than their Signatory counterparts
though. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The nose starts off malty and creamy, having a
gentle bready aroma and full barley complexity. There is a good amount of lemon,
lime and vanilla in the nose, with tangerine citrus, along with bits of
pineapple and banana. There is some nuttiness as well, which counterbalances
the advertent sweetness, with salty water and green tea leaves adding some bitterness.
There is fresh green mint leaves, as well as other herbal green notes. The
smell is crisp, clean, and fresh. The nose is complex and presents some unique
aromas that are unusual in Scotch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts off with a nice blend of sweetness and zestiness. There is a
unique, but strong mintiness that comes out. There is some earthiness and maple
wood in the arrival, with a syrupy honey flavor as well. There is a vegetal
note, one of dewy grass, that is quite interesting. There is a bitter green tea
in the arrival, along with some spurts of pine. There are some hot spices in
the arrival, which carry into the body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body presents a full flavor of fresh, cooling mint. There is also a wonderful
fullness of cocoa. The body is woody and full of flavor. The body has some
sugar notes to it, but it still has some earthiness and spiciness in it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish is incredibly minty and refreshing. It is cool and has some botanical
flavor like the arrival. Cocoa is present in the finish, with citrus and wood
notes as prevalent contributors to flavor. There is a certain IPA-like flavor
as the finish carries through the whisky. Look hard enough, and you might find
a little bit of tobacco on the finish. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">After
adding water, there is a bit of brown sugar and floral notes that come through.
The balance in the nose is fairly good at this point, with the citrus notes
backing off and giving more play to the rest of the notes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The arrival comes off as much more spicy, with pronounced cinnamon and
nutmeg in the arrival. The flavors are more balanced, with spiciness. The
arrival loses some of the flavors from before, and replaces it with the
vegetal, mineral notes. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body displays mineral notes and spices, still sustaining some of its previous
character. The whisky is very peppery. The body presents some caramel notes
that weren’t present before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The finish is now more malty than before, but
displays some oily notes as well. It has a good blend of vegetal flavors and
spices. The caramel from the body is very dominant in the finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This
is a very excellent whisky. It provides a great balance, complexity, and an
extremely unique character that we haven’t seen in a lot of whiskies. Although
there are mixed reviews out there on Glenburgies, this is evidence that they
can put out a really great product that is approachable and compelling for
advanced drinkers and beginners. At 43%, this whisky presents itself as a46%
whisky at minimum, although we wouldn’t complain if they gave us the extra 3%.
It is important to realize, however, that despite this very positive review,
Independent bottlers don’t promise the kind of consistency that you will find
from the big companies. This is a major deterrent for some. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> You
are looking for something outside of your normal Glens and you’re willing to
take a gamble on an Independent Bottling<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You’re
a conservative drinker that doesn’t want to try something new and interesting,
and good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 9.5/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-53108879301338357262014-07-12T12:04:00.000-04:002014-09-20T12:36:24.695-04:00Review 217: Gentleman Jack<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXXtNDs6mPpWmv74c3_yTZDmbJwXt9QRrtm2vp7Fz9JrJVNXi1PRgbrrRNOZY-8itvg5MNTBgYawbCXggAccTWOFwRjDyGajsG_IOBevaPuLQFuEskBLNoBzlgTjXu4Zold043w-ZFFU/s1600/Gentleman+Jack.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXXtNDs6mPpWmv74c3_yTZDmbJwXt9QRrtm2vp7Fz9JrJVNXi1PRgbrrRNOZY-8itvg5MNTBgYawbCXggAccTWOFwRjDyGajsG_IOBevaPuLQFuEskBLNoBzlgTjXu4Zold043w-ZFFU/s1600/Gentleman+Jack.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
217<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">7/12/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Gentleman
Jack: 40% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Here we
go. Occasionally, the KCM crew likes to step back to the classics. We have
never done a Jack Daniels review and you shouldn’t expect many more, but this
is an instance where a bottle has been purchased and is ready for judgment.
Gentleman Jack is Jack Daniel’s attempt at making a middle-range bottling of
Jack Daniels to charge customers more for. Would you guess they would raise the
proof? Increase the age time? Do some unique finishing operation or change the
mash bill? You’d be wrong on all accounts. Gentleman Jack gets the Tennessee
treatment twice, instead of once. This
is charcoal filtering, and that allegedly makes Tennessee whiskey differentiable from Bourbon, which I won’t refute at this very moment. In an
“informative” video, a man in a Jack Daniels shirt informs us that short
finishes and lack of oak flavor in Gentleman are the staple qualities that set
this thing apart. It also sports a classically cheap 40% abv, and this man informs
us that often times it’s not </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">what</i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> we
taste, but </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">where</i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> we taste it that’s
important. I like to taste whiskey in my mouth. I’m sure by now we’re all
excited to try this velvety smooth masterpiece. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Yes,
this is sweet alright. They weren’t kidding with that. Instantly, smells of
anise, candied cherries, vanilla extract and white sugar pronounce themselves.
There is some confectionary aroma in this glass, with a very mild hint of
grains. This seems like a corn-heavy mash bill, and the sweetness makes the complexity difficult
to find. There is a distinctive alcohol smell that actually becomes more
pronounced as the whiskey opens up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts very candied, with sweet artificial fruit flavors. The candied
cherries are very dominant, and there is a sweet, syrupy flavor up front. It is
almost maple in flavor. There is some spice as well that is distinctive in the
arrival. There is some bitter fruit flavors in the arrival as well, such as
slight cranberry, but none of it stays for very long. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There
are suggestions of oak flavor in the body, and is pretty thin. Hints of anise
and hot spices come across in the body, but dissipate quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish leaves with a strong taste of sweetened corn and some wheat flavor.
There is some maraschino cherry juice in the finish, which is actually the most
eventful part of the whisky. Gentleman just seems to do a good job of lacking
substance. There seems to be an ashy, charry wood flavor that is retained
through the finish, which serves as the most interesting feature of the
whiskey. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Sorry,
sports fans. I tried adding water and unfortunately there is nothing to report.
So what is there to conclude. This is the pinnacle of gimmicky drinks. I guess
it isn’t too bad, but it lacks balance, it certainly lacks complexity, and the
most unique thing about it is it’s “smooth”. Folks, the fallacy that Jack is
trying to promote with this bottle is that complexity and ease of drinking are
mutually exclusive. Those things aren’t true. The idea that WHAT you taste
isn’t as important as WHERE you taste it is just madness. This isn’t worth the
money, it isn’t worth the bad marketing, and it isn’t worth the ignorance. It
is drinkable, and it is tolerable, but it doesn’t engage the drinker. Overall,
this isn’t worth buying, and Jack Daniels will find that our generation of
drinkers isn’t looking for something lacking in dynamics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You’re
a Jack drinker and you want to splurge on something more expensive, and just as
bad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">See
review.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 6.75/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-83721972536843589942014-07-01T13:03:00.000-04:002014-09-20T12:02:00.701-04:00Review 216: Ardbeg Ardbog<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TCYm3naqpXffr_NJV4fxabnuiAC-VovFYYU7QF3QNfm3euX4sn7eZZgRuPsyNrr0JSq_SBut2ot75vE-Po_-0NzwT7DBbWSdO0zHzo49Jc1DAGY0u92xw3n4AKGG_k05bFGCkVNmCa8/s1600/Ardbeg+Ardbog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TCYm3naqpXffr_NJV4fxabnuiAC-VovFYYU7QF3QNfm3euX4sn7eZZgRuPsyNrr0JSq_SBut2ot75vE-Po_-0NzwT7DBbWSdO0zHzo49Jc1DAGY0u92xw3n4AKGG_k05bFGCkVNmCa8/s1600/Ardbeg+Ardbog.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Review
216</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">7/1/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Ardbeg
Ardbog: 52.1% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Here’s
another Ardbeg for the peat lovers out there. Very lovingly named Ardbog, this
whisky is another statement from the Islay powerhouse that introduces a
different style into the mix. Oddly enough, although you won’t see it on the
front of the bottle, the back of the bottle drops a hint that this whisky is 10
years of age. Maybe the expensive tag on this bottle doesn’t sound 10
Year-like? Another unique thing about this whisky that sets it apart is that
all of those ten years are spent in ex-Manzanilla sherry casks. Although we
have tried a lot of sherried whiskies, Manzanilla is a sweeter, less frequently
used variant that has yet to find its way in one of our reviews. A theme of the
Ardbog is to emphasize the historical relevance of peat, which explains the
surplus of fossils and random artifacts presented on the packaging. Apparently,
if you drank Ardbeg during that History final, you might not have failed. In
any case, Ardbeg has been active in releasing limited edition variants and now
we have to find out if it’s worth your limited budget. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Although
the nose is initially pretty overbearing, there are some interesting notes that
come out without water. There is a grilling smoke smell that emanates from the
glass, with savory, meaty flavors present up front. This includes campfire wood
and sweet maple. This whisky is in essence completely reminiscent of a family
camping trip up north. There is some sweet apple on the nose, with brown sugar
and candied bacon also adding sweetness. The sherry presents itself on the nose
with a molasses-like, concentrated Cognac and rum smell. There is a tinge of
spice in the nose, but it is very subtle. There is also a light cigar aroma in
the whisky. Ultimately, the nose is very dense and rewarding, but it can be challenging
to extract flavors with the high alcohol. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival is spicy, syrupy, and doesn’t hold back on the peat. There is a really
concentrated peat and ash flavor, complimented by the subtle sweetness of the
Manzanilla sherry. The spice is close to clove and black pepper. There is some black
tea flavor that comes through as well, but it is hard to pick up too much due
to the high concentration of alcohol. There is some molasses in the arrival. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body carries the peaty, ashy flavor from before, but also takes on some salty,
briny character in the whisky which is very enjoyable. Salt water is present,
but there are also a high level of tannins as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish is fantastically peaty, with a strong, dry tobacco and ash finish. There
is a grainy character as well, but it is very limited. There is certainly
alcohol heat present, and drives a quick finish. The sweetness is not
substantial through the finish.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
nose certainly doesn’t become tame with a few drops of water. It is very lively
still, but reveals some desired complexity in maltiness, light cinnamon and
brown sugar, sea salt and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The arrival is more pleasant after adding water. Clove, nutmeg and
cinnamon become pretty dominant in the arrival, with tea leaves and dried nuts
also present. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There
is a lot more spice in the body after adding water. The wood is very dominant,
and there is dry vegetal notes that take place in the whisky. The peat is very
strong in the body, and it tends to be a bit more aggressive after adding
water, where the alcohol isn’t just covering the smokey character. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The finish still remains relatively bitter,
taking on the tobacco, tea leaves, slight sherry and woody notes to it. The
whisky is slightly leathery, and the vegetal notes from the body carry into the
finish. The finish offers up some complexity in tarry, medicinal notes. Some of
the phenolic character is very strongly present in the finish, and dwells. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Admittedly,
this is a very tough one for KCM. This whisky has challenging aspects to it,
and it presents itself as a very dense whisky, but I can’t seem to avoid the
fact that this is lacking in some complexity. When I compare this to Uigeadail,
it doesn’t really compare, in all honesty. It is a good whisky, and I really
enjoy drinking it. In fact, it grew on me. I was initially pretty disappointed
with it, admittedly, but it still lacks in some spark. I don’t believe a fan of
sherried peated Scotches would really frown on this bottle, but I just fail to
want to pick this over the standard offering. That being said, it wouldn’t hurt
somebody to try this whisky, and if you’re a fan of Ardbeg, this isn’t far
outside the range of accessible whiskies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
like the monster peat, high proof stuff, and Laphroaig isn’t your style.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Ardbeg
Uigeadail<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 8.5/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-69388434865177385972014-06-11T12:53:00.000-04:002014-09-01T13:04:46.142-04:00Review 215: Old Pulteney Navigator<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2JZKp_fohZR8RD0PPTVvlfmAZDCKWlB4Bz3qVju1QQudumNzByaWpbIVCw4knQ7RXPbdi4-Yb7KdH_ezxJvXbJFwRD-QCi2Xks33-qhWqpe5PkN7sLBHS0FmKCuPzcedrfDgvIbsAcc/s1600/Old+Pulteney+Navigator.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2JZKp_fohZR8RD0PPTVvlfmAZDCKWlB4Bz3qVju1QQudumNzByaWpbIVCw4knQ7RXPbdi4-Yb7KdH_ezxJvXbJFwRD-QCi2Xks33-qhWqpe5PkN7sLBHS0FmKCuPzcedrfDgvIbsAcc/s1600/Old+Pulteney+Navigator.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
215<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">6/11/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Old
Pulteney Navigator: 46% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Now and
again, our smaller distilleries will go out on a limb and release a limited
edition bottling. Old Pulteney, despite their size, actually does quite a bit
of this. Between their extensive travel range and the new releases (they just
announced a 35 Year offering), Old Pulteney is a very active distillery. One of
their most recent bottlings is the Navigator, a non-age statement whisky aged
in a mixture of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It totes an impressive 46% abv
and non-chill filtering, and I can confidently report that it also does not
appear to be artificially colored. So while Pulteney has held onto the “craft”
spirit of this limited edition bottling, it does raise some questions. Is this
just an excuse to introduce a younger whisky into the market? Does this fight
toe to toe with the 12 Year? Let’s pour a dram and dig into it more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> To
start, the nose illustrates a salty, intense flavor to this whisky. The
immediate impression is fresh maltiness, young and vibrant. There is some
floral, vegetal notes to the whisky, but it is more dominantly a buttery,
creamy vanilla smell that comes forward. The briny, sea salt flavor is
extremely assertive in the nose, and there is a presence of allspice as well.
There is some fruity, candy apple smell that starts to come through after a
little bit of time, with a slight sweet sherry note in there. The nose starts
to have a slightly sugary smell to it, with light hints of pear and marmalade.
Ultimately, the sweet, fruity notes combat with the intensely salty character
to the aroma. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival doesn’t start off sweet by any means, highlighting the salty, intensely
malty character of the whisky up front. There is a vegetal quality to the
arrival, with vanilla and oaky notes up front. That same creaminess found in
the nose is also fairly dominant in the arrival. With some sour barley grain
leading into the body. Refined spice notes of allspice and clove are also a
noticeable contribution to the initial flavor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Once
into the body, the introduction of spices and tart flavors becomes more
evident. This single malt retains the rich, barley flavor that eludes to how
youthful it is. There is also some cinnamon stick and gingerbread in the body,
which lasts into the finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish is a blast of malt, with salt and vegetal grain notes carrying through.
There is some sweetness from the sherry cask that becomes somewhat prevalent.
The finish seems to be well dominated by the spirit presence. There is a tinge of
sherry in the finish, but it is a weak note which tends to be washed over by
the other parts of the whisky. Subtleties of orange and lemon are present as
well, which adds some variety to the flavor profile. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">After
adding some water, some rich fruit flavors are coming out, with dark berries
and red grapes at the forefront. The whisky is also fairly jammy, while
presenting some orange marmalade on the nose. A powdery malt flavor is still
present, but the floral, fruity flavors are definitely more prominent now. As the Scotch opens up more, the orange is
becoming a more prevalent flavor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The salt and seawater is still present here, and in no lesser form than
before. There is more of a dry, malty presence now. The whole experience is
actually slightly more bitter now, with bitter black pepper notes being
relatively dominant. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body retains the bitter, dry notes from before. There is still some creamy,
vanilla notes to the whisky, but the bitterness is much more up front than
before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish has some intense spice to it now, but it lost some level of complexity
at this point. There is a grassy, green vegetable note that is coming through
in the finish now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Old
Pulteney is definitely a consistently good whisky, whether it be the 12, 17, or
21 Year offerings. This special edition is something of a conflicting story.
The quality of this spirit is good, and to some degree, the complexity and
uniqueness is also above average. That being said, this Scotch is undoubtedly
immature and there is no getting around
that. The harshness, bitterness, and unforgiving intensity is not
characteristic of Pulteney, although some of the flavors are. That being said,
this can easily be forgiven considering the price of the whisky, but it does
seem as if Navigator could have used a few more years of well-rounded aging to
bring it to that next level. In either case, this is not poor buy, and as long
as the 12 Year is protected from NAS bottling fate, this type of release is
certainly welcome. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You’d
like to try a young, vibrant Old Pulteney at a good price. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
demand the quality of Pulteney 17 in everything you drink. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 8.25/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-52465780562205302612014-06-02T21:34:00.000-04:002014-07-12T21:38:52.718-04:00Review 214: Glen Garioch 12 Year<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kAT8S8CqarDD-No0RUjN1mzsEXSOParQnzYHSxicgGz7eGRa4-ETWJ_hxvOU1XkjHNz5cHg2MU7HmNrhmdi862AFooEAgLYLRz2ICKB0MjgI_A7roHciXqVNFlH-1fj-vC4yU9Fjrf8/s1600/Glen+Garioch+12+Year.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kAT8S8CqarDD-No0RUjN1mzsEXSOParQnzYHSxicgGz7eGRa4-ETWJ_hxvOU1XkjHNz5cHg2MU7HmNrhmdi862AFooEAgLYLRz2ICKB0MjgI_A7roHciXqVNFlH-1fj-vC4yU9Fjrf8/s1600/Glen+Garioch+12+Year.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
214<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">6/2/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Glen
Garioch 12 Year: 48% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Welcome
to KCM Review 214. This review is evidently different, because it is an offsite
review of something I found in Montreal, Canada. Subsequently, I have no
intentions of bringing the bottle back, so I figured I’d squeeze out a quick
review before heading back. You might notice from the picture I’m drinking this
out of a tumbler, so the aromas might not be as comprehensive as I’d like, but
I’ll make due. Now onto the spirit. This is a Highland Single Malt Scotch, Glen
Garioch 12 Year, bottled at an impressive 48%, non chill-filtered, and aged in
a mixture of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. Glen Garioch only has a few
standard offerings, with this being one of them. So is it worth your time, and
at such a beefy proof? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> So of
course, I’m nosing this out of an improper glass, so bear with me. Despite the
tumbler, there is a huge aroma of sherry, barley grain, sweet malt, tons of
vanilla, and some caramel as well. The sherry is complimented by a sweet honey
flavor, but is contrasted by some slight vegetal and floral flavors as well.
There is a prominent oakiness to the whisky which becomes distinguishable as
the flavors open up. There is also a bit of apple fruitiness, giving a nice
caramel apple smell. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts off with a blend of nice maltiness, a beautiful caramel apple
sweetness, coupled by nice sherry and vanilla sweetness. There is some citrus
and pear in the arrival as well, giving a healthy blast of fruit flavors that
really drag out the arrival quite intensely. The sherry is light, and is closer
to a heather honey flavor than a raison flavor. There is actually a bit of
cocoa as well in the arrival, which comes and goes quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body shows off some powdered malt flavor, with a delicate graininess and the
same fruitiness that is found in the arrival. The sherry really comes forward
in the body, and there is some nice oak flavor as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish leaves you with a nice, crisp apple flavor, followed by long lasting
malt and slight citrus overtones. The caramel sticks around quite a bit, but is
overshadowed by some very strong vegetal notes. These are similar notes to what
we saw in the Founder’s Reserve, but they seem less aggressive in the 12 Year
version. Again, like the FR, the 12 Year ends dry and grainy, but has as very
prominent aftertaste. There is even a bit of fresh pine in the finish as well. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">With
this whisky, don’t be afraid to add a little bit of water. It really can take
it, and it doesn’t back down the flavor much at all. The nose is still really
beefy (not literally, of course) with a large collage of spices and vegetal
flavors up front, backing off from the sweeter notes. There is still a
pleasant, almost confectionary type of smell to the whisky, with cookie dough
and flour as aroma. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The arrival now shows off some brilliant spice notes, with cinnamon,
nutmeg, and ginger all playing into the whisky. The sweetness is still
prevalent, complemented by succulent berries and a beautiful array of sweet
fruits. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body retains the graininess from before, but balances it out with a more
refreshing, less dry palate. There is also berry sweetness in the body now,
with slightly less complexity than before. This is still really pleasant,
however. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The finish is now nicely blended with oak
flavors, sweet fruits, vanilla, caramel, and a lasting spiciness that was not
present before. The finish has a gentle, subtle linger to it, which coats the
mouth and only begs for a second round. Truly, this is a tantalizing Scotch
from beginning to end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Okay, so I like it. Is it because I’m in
Montreal? Not likely. Glen Garioch proved to us that they could produce a
Scotch which was complex at a young age, and that they didn’t need to follow
the regular rules of presentation (40%, 43%, 46%). I like Glen Garioch for
their ambition, and their quality of spirit. Does this take a step up from the
Founder’s Reserve? Yes, it does. This is a complex, enjoyable, and affordable
whisky which should be sold everywhere, so far as I’m concerned. It could be
more complex, and it could be more original, but it does so much where it is,
and for the price this is a new personal favorite. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You can
find it, and you want to support a brilliant distillery by enjoying their
brilliant product<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
live in Michigan and can’t find it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 9.25/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-60415008473366761252014-04-24T19:23:00.000-04:002014-07-01T19:30:03.502-04:00Review 211: Bowmore 12 Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLO_CQ3wR5sojIHYA2l_YMLRUfZ9FIUuwS-UzNgOTUDCCf8r_GjSTPf1l-EOW34x96XDadk6upI66j57jphALfgYs4xLjnu1SKGOiApt0rcwmKehZ7tOPsHWZy9CM28UO_RKre8GIq4vs/s1600/Bowmore+12+Year.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLO_CQ3wR5sojIHYA2l_YMLRUfZ9FIUuwS-UzNgOTUDCCf8r_GjSTPf1l-EOW34x96XDadk6upI66j57jphALfgYs4xLjnu1SKGOiApt0rcwmKehZ7tOPsHWZy9CM28UO_RKre8GIq4vs/s1600/Bowmore+12+Year.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
211<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">4/24/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Bowmore
12 Year: 40% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Welcome
back to Islay for another Single Malt Scotch review. KCM tends to stray away
from the 40% bottlings, but Bowmore is a distillery we haven’t yet visited, so
here’s our due diligence. Bowmore is actually the oldest licensed distillery on
Islay, and produces a significant amount of malted barley in house, which is
presently an uncommon occurrence. Bowmore also ages a good portion of their
whiskies in house. This being said, the Bowmore brand sits in the middle of the
peat spectrum, and lacks in the craft presentation that many of their competitors
have. Bowmore has a lot of potential for improvement from the get go, but where
do they stand in current quality?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> There
is a lot of interesting notes in this whisky. This whisky has an interesting
leathery note right off the nose. There is a slight peatiness which compliments
the leather notes, along with subtle notes of malt. There is a bit of wood
smoke that suggests itself to the senses, but not too . Floral lavender smell
is also present along with some perfume-like notes. There are some fruit notes,
including over ripened bananas and cherries. You also find some coastal, salty notes in the
whisky, characteristic of the Islay malts. KCM also found this close to the
smell of Worcestershire sauce. This is very original in smell, although
presumably unappealing to some. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts off mild, with some burnt sugar, sherry, malt and salty flavors.
There is a slightly medicinal character in the arrival, with some oak charcoal
flavor as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body has a strong cool mintiness. This mint is very much like mouthwash you
might buy at CVS. There is still some malt flavor in the whisky as well. In addition,
dark flavors of maple and molasses are both present in this whisky. There is a
grainy character in the body, somewhat pushing outside of the barley malt
traditional. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish sustains the mint and oak flavors, with a bit of malt and sea salt.
There is plenty of mineral notes, and a vegetal, peaty note to the finish as
well. There is a leathery, wood char note as well. Although the finish is
unique in flavor, there is no dynamics to the whisky. The finish ends on a
slightly flat note. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Bowmore
is an example of a good whisky with tons of potential. We really enjoyed the
unique flavor profile that Bowmore has to offer, and it sits in stark contrast
to many of the other Islay Scotches we experience. That being said, the low
proof and the presentation of the whisky detracts from the overall quality and
complexity. At the end of the day, this does not stay competitive for a lot of
reasons. Bowmore also edges on the pricier end for what they give you.
Ultimately, this is worth trying, but maybe more of a bar dram than a bottle to
own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
want an Islay with a different style. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
don’t buy things with minimum credentials. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 8.0/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-12559000121709814132014-04-18T19:32:00.000-04:002014-07-01T19:36:43.987-04:00Review 213: Highland Park Signatory 18 Year 1991/2010<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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213<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">4/18/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Highland
Park Signatory 18 Year 1991/2010: 46% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We’re
back at independent bottlings with a 18 year old Highland Park. Highland Park,
as a reminder, is an island distillery and holds the title of the most northern
distillery in Scotland. They have a pretty loyal fan base, and tend to produce
a wide variety of whiskies. This one sat in a sherry butt for 18 long years.
Sherry butts are 500 liter vessels, and they tend to be less common than
hogsheads. This Signatory bottling still has good presentation, having 46% abv,
natural color, and no chill filtration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The nose starts off with a good
mixture of citrus and grain, with malt being a predominant aroma up front.
There is a noticeable peat to the Scotch, with a considerable spiciness in the
nose as well. The spice includes nutmeg and gingerbread. There is some vanilla
and custard in the nose, with a smooth lemon and orange involved as well. There
is some white grape acidity and other light fruits as well. There is some old
leather and sawdust aroma, with the addition of light cocoa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The arrival starts off with soft,
creamy grain notes, and some definitive citrus notes. The arrival has the
smoothness of sweet grain, but doesn’t provide terribly complex flavors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The body really carries out the
citrus, with slight amounts of malt. There is a little bit of agave, with some
cinnamon and nutmeg in the body. There is a lot of lemon, lime, and orange in
the body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The finish introduces some
tobacco and peat into it, retaining the malt and citrus notes from the rest of
the whisky. There is some custard and spices in the finish as well, which add
to the smoky, peaty flavor. There is an introduction of grapefruit in the
finish as well. There is a salty coastal character in the finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The nose seems to be essentially
the same after adding water. One difference between this and before water is a
subtle raison smell that comes through.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The arrival is
more complex and citrusy than before water. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">There is a little more peat
flavor in the body, with intense citrus and coastal notes coming to the front
much more aggressively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">There
is some custard and vanilla in the finish, with a large peaty flavor and orange
citrus flavors dominating. The finish is still salty and coastal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This
whisky is an interesting one for sure, but it doesn’t deliver on all fronts.
Surprisingly, it is worth saying that the cask quality of this particular
whisky might be a little under par in comparison to many others we’ve had in
the past, especially for an 18 year old Scotch. Although the whisky does exert
some mature flavors, and a relatively decent complexity, it doesn’t seem to be
competitive with other bottlings from Highland Park or Signatory. That’s not to
say this is a bad whisky. It is still an affordable alternative with an
interesting personality, and it is not hard to sip and enjoy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You’re
a fan of Highland Park and want to see more dimensions of their whisky. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Your
expectation for a sherried whisky is in the realm of Glendronach<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 8.5/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-16240067878604995022014-04-13T21:25:00.000-04:002014-06-08T21:26:45.293-04:00Review 210: Old Pulteney 17 Year<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxW8F2Gxu_Ja7jpTwBAMDwBnWp12ynbD_Aw6URiqZ6XfmiJdBAVuFNmQhu7PivOj2ATN54K3iTlg4CtzbYqUpZ7K4pVeMu69YUCrKJL5RQiK0QtdAHHeYmOMfIQ_aTINptMWG2x9cY9go/s1600/Old+Pulteney+17+Year.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxW8F2Gxu_Ja7jpTwBAMDwBnWp12ynbD_Aw6URiqZ6XfmiJdBAVuFNmQhu7PivOj2ATN54K3iTlg4CtzbYqUpZ7K4pVeMu69YUCrKJL5RQiK0QtdAHHeYmOMfIQ_aTINptMWG2x9cY9go/s1600/Old+Pulteney+17+Year.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
210<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">4/13/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Old
Pulteney 17 Year: 46% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We’re
back to Old Pulteney. We released a podcast with Old Pulteney whiskies as a big
cameo. The 12 Year has been the KCM quality per dollar pick for quite a long
time; and by a long time, we reviewed that whisky back in November of 2012. But
what about a more premium, older Old Pulteney? Is that same quality from the 12
Year present in older expressions? It’s in the name, after all. The answer to
that question can be found by looking at the 17 Year, which is a single malt at
46% and un-chill filtered. Some fun facts about Old Pulteney: They are limited
to one wash still and one spirit still, contributing to a very limited
production of one million liters per year. Also, if you take a look at Old
Pulteney’s stills, they are very uniquely shaped, which might contribute to the
very unique flavor that their whiskies have. Now it’s time to put this more
expensive whisky to the test.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Well
this doesn’t disappoint the maritime coastal theme that Old Pulteney totes
about in their advertisements. The nose is instantly salty, with a fresh smell
of seawater. It is so prevalent in this whisky, I can’t think of anything else
like this. There is a rich maltiness that couples very nicely with a tropical
fruitiness. The tropical fruit notes include tangerine, mango, and melon. There
is also a slight vanilla note, which tends to take a back seat to the salt
blast. The oakiness from the cask is hard to depict in the nose, but there are
subtle layers of spices that come through evenly. There is also hints of floral
notes that surface occasionally. The balance in the nose is extremely
enjoyable, allowing for a full exploration of the flavors present. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts off with the tropical fruit notes and maltiness. There is a nice
presence of oakiness, along with a load of spiciness. The arrival is probably
the thinnest part of the whisky, still having plenty of complexity. It is a
little lighter, and hides some of the salty character of the whisky. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This is
where the salt really kicks into the whisky. Along with a very dominant note of
sea salt, orange marmalade and tropical fruit notes invade the senses here.
This is such a bombastic body in the whisky. There is some nice caramel,
vanilla, and beefy spices that come forward in the body. There is also some
sugarcane that shows up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish really drags out the saltiness, along with a nice fading of malt and
tangy fruit notes. There is a very vegetal aftertaste to this whisky, with a
slight hint of leather and sawdust as
well. There is plenty of cloves and allspice, with dashes of ginger and nutmeg
that also play into the finish. There is definitely reminiscence to a chai tea
when you get further into the finish. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The nose
has become much more floral, with more hints of vanilla and caramel coming
through up front. The whisky starts to smell slightly more alcoholic now, with
the tropical fruits and saltiness still being dominant notes. There is also a
slight instance of baking soda in the nose now, coupled with an older note of
leather polish. There is a strange note of over-ripened apples and even a bit
of perfume to the nose. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
arrival becomes more spicy and the tropical aspect of the fruit flavors is more
exaggerated. There is a more candied lemon flavor in the arrival now, with some
spicy oak moving into the body. The maltiness also comes out much more now than
it did before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
fruit flavor is huge here in the body now, bringing out a very tangy, tart,
delicious blend of tangerines, orange, and lemon. It is a truly amazing
experience. It doesn’t become so tart as to mask the coastal notes of this
whisky, but the flavors do pop in a beautiful fashion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The finish surprisingly takes an intensely
bitter, oaky turn after some water is exposed. It is by no means unpleasant,
but it does present a different edge to the Scotch. The tropical fruits are
still present, along with some other sweet and salty flavors, but the wood
really plays into the whisky now. The spiciness is still a strong component.
There is even hints of tobacco in the finish now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> So
this is a salty, coastal Highland malt that distinguishes itself from a lot of
its competitors. The 12 Year Old Pulteney made us interested in the distillery,
the 17 Year made us fall in love. It is an intense one and it isn’t for the
faint of heart, but if you want to get more adventurous, this is an all-time
KCM favorite. This whisky wins points for complexity, balance, and uniqueness,
and with just a bit of water the blasts of flavor just get better. I would go
so far as to say if I had to drink one whisky for the rest of my life, at this
point this would be the one. We highly recommend you give this a try if you get
the chance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Because
at this very moment, we’re telling you to. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
don’t want to try something with the intensity that this whisky has. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 9.75/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-85441604564082427112014-04-12T15:32:00.000-04:002014-04-13T15:36:20.135-04:00Review 209: Bunnahabhain 12 Year<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lIE_IIH16HZ_8a4d4byn_G_BXKqjyMBNqwIeuvsZSmvtkir2MIcbQ-mcX-w_OUa6AhxUmIOQld_LLN7aLirtqLMa7Sy8w6Y2b9_5ZBlYDGPdEtjZo4IAu0fEnvVTY_qej6Y9rj4OZCQ/s1600/Bunnahabhain+12+Year.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lIE_IIH16HZ_8a4d4byn_G_BXKqjyMBNqwIeuvsZSmvtkir2MIcbQ-mcX-w_OUa6AhxUmIOQld_LLN7aLirtqLMa7Sy8w6Y2b9_5ZBlYDGPdEtjZo4IAu0fEnvVTY_qej6Y9rj4OZCQ/s1600/Bunnahabhain+12+Year.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
209<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">4/12/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Bunnahabhain
12 Year: 46.3% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The KCM
crew has covered most of the distilleries on Islay, but we’ve left out a few.
Doing our full due diligence, a personal favorite on the list is Bunnahabhain.
The name is a little bit more intimidating looking than it is to say, as is the
case with many Scotch distilleries. Bunnahabhain was founded in 1881, and
reflects a much milder expression of Islay than Laphroaig and Ardbeg do. The 12
year Bunnahabhain competes on the same level as a Bruichladdich 12 Year would,
at a reasonable price. Very recently, Bunnahabhain switched from a 40% abv to a
46.3% abv expression, also explicitly stating that the whisky is non-chill
filtered. This makes the reasonably priced 12 Year old whisky an appealing
offering. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Although
Bunnahabhain doesn’t give you many details regarding this whisky, you get the
instant gratification of malt and sherry on the nose. There is a definite
feeling of coastal saltiness and seaweed that starts off. Sweet fruits and oak
spices lay over the top of the nose, but in general the nose is actually light
and lacking in complexity. The spiciness is rather light and hard to depict,
but the sherry comes through very clearly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Right
on the arrival, the hypothesis is confirmed. There is a very strong instance of
sweet, succulent sherry notes. It is a beautiful, enjoyable arrival, giving you
the clean, wonderful malt taste that you’d expect out of something like anCnoc.
There is definite caramel in the arrival, which raisons and slight spices. At
the end of the arrival, a little bit of seaweed and salt comes into play. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body takes over from here, grabbing the reigns and giving you the spicy side of
this whisky. The sherry is no less prevalent here, nor is the barley presence.
The caramel is very big in the body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish retains the big notes from before, primarily maltiness and sherry. That
being said, it also introduces a slightly smoky campfire bitterness, almost
indistinguishable, as well as giving the intense spiciness you’d hope for.
There is some vegetal aftertaste in the finish, with a brilliant earthy flavor
coating the tongue. There is still tons of caramel, in addition to a sharp
saltiness and alcohol heat. There is a slightly leathery character to the
finish as well. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
nose after adding water picks up some soft vegetal tones, dials down the sherry
notes, and pushes forward the salty essence of the whisky. This Bunnahabhain
becomes slightly more floral after adding water. There is some sweet cherry
juice layering on top of the nose. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
arrival becomes more balanced. The salt and spice notes are beautifully laid
out now. There is a much more characterful graininess in the arrival now,
representing a less fresh malt flavor, and a more mature oaky flavor. The
spiciness in the arrival is really good at grabbing your attention, with a good
white pepper and allspice flavor that tends to set this apart from other
sweeter malts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body brings forth some pleasant oaky notes after adding water. The vegetal
notes are much more prevalent in the body now, with a more vanilla-driven oak
flavor pushing into the finish. Grenadine becoming noticeable on the palate,
and clove spiciness is present in the body now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The finish is becoming more reminiscent of a bourbon-aged
whisky than a sherry-aged whisky, with some rich fruit notes reminding us that
there is still something retained from before. The finish isn’t terribly long,
but it does provide some complexity and a good balance of different flavors.
There is some vanilla bean and fresh grain flavor that is coming through as
well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This
might not be what you’d categorize as your traditional Islay malt, as it is lacking
some of those key features (ungodly amounts of peat flavor). That being said,
it is still an enjoyable Scotch and a good price. This whisky does a good job
of representing a completely different side of Islay without losing some of the
Islay essence. No, it doesn’t burn off your eyebrows with huge peat, but it is
presented at 46%, natural color, and it is non-chill filtered, not to mention
just tasting damn good. The complexity won’t knock your socks off by any
stretch of the imagination, but after a few drops of water, the balance is
worth appreciating. Can we tell you that this is a sherried whisky? After
trying the Bruichladdich 12 Year 2<sup>nd</sup> Edition, no we can’t. But it
sure tastes like it, and we’d by this over a Macallan 12 any day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A good
value-per-dollar Islay with a different attitude that won’t break your bank.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You are
a peat purist and believe every bottle of whisky that leaves Islay should be
filled with peat moss. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 8.5/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-58535851295752364132014-04-04T14:47:00.000-04:002014-04-05T14:48:06.254-04:00Review 208: Mount Gay Extra Old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8D6fYlEQ5HVn3NesEGDNSwvTXtF7dMfBzKfS5nC_KjM254_U8beEsMUIe5R362llyM7RkeQL6GxhMKsnyY_GpYRtL9sZtFflCH8yJZ-EhWSHG3xRhqC13BNe94DdTRdsseznRbKOeDM/s1600/Mount+Gay+Extra+Old.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8D6fYlEQ5HVn3NesEGDNSwvTXtF7dMfBzKfS5nC_KjM254_U8beEsMUIe5R362llyM7RkeQL6GxhMKsnyY_GpYRtL9sZtFflCH8yJZ-EhWSHG3xRhqC13BNe94DdTRdsseznRbKOeDM/s1600/Mount+Gay+Extra+Old.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
208<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">4/4/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Mount
Gay Extra Old Rum: 43% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> KCM has done multiple reviews on Mount Gay
Rum, a Barbados distillery which tends to produce great value-per-dollar rums
for the masses. Although Mount Gay Eclipse isn’t your sipping rum, the brand is
still reputable. So what happens when you go up in the range? Mount Gay Extra
Old is the middle range rum that offers a little bit more quality for a few
more dollars. Interestingly, Mount Gay is a double pot still distilled rum,
aged in ex-American whiskey white oak barrels. The Extra Old, in particular, is
a blend of 8 to 15 year old rums. Extra Old is proofed modestly, as most rums
are, but it is a slight improvement from the standard offering. Let’s look at
if this premium bottle warrants a premium price. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
nose shows off a more clearly balanced rum aroma than you would find in other
bottlings. A mixture of fragrant floral notes, strong maple, and a prevalent
molasses make this a beautiful nose. Vanilla bean and banana also add mellow
soft notes to the scent. There is a light spiciness to the rum, but it is
mostly lost to the sweetness. Ripe apple, strawberry, and a slight pomegranate
all add to the complexity of the nose, which continues to be a very pleasant
experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The arrival struggles to pull out a lot of
flavor. The molasses comes out strong the arrival, with a small hint of caramel
and apple as well. The arrival contains slight spiciness, and a little bit of
oakiness, but fails to make it noticeable. There is also a little bit of cookie
dough flavor in the arrival as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body really takes on notes of apple and caramel, as well as vanilla and doses
of cinnamon and nutmeg. The spice blend in the body is very intriguing and
enjoyable, coupled with a nice, balanced sweetness. This is where this rum
truly becomes enjoyable. The confectionary notes from the arrival carry into
the body as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
age in the rum starts to show a little more in the finish, with ripe fruit
notes, thick oak flavor, and a complex balance. The ripe banana comes through
very heavy in the finish, with ginger and cardamom being immediately noticeable
as well. There is no shortage of vanilla, with a little bit of a confectionary
flavor as well. The finish provides a slightly sugarcane-like vegetal note,
contributing sweetness and slight bitterness. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This
is a fantastic statement by Mount Gay. It does balance the sweetness of a rum
with some subtle complexity you would hope for. I would speculate that an extra
3% would throw this over the top in terms of flavor, but it still does a great
job of differentiating the brand’s range. This is a great sipping rum, and for
the reasonable price it offers, we would encourage this one. That beings said,
it doesn’t offer all of the complexity we would want, but it doesn’t
necessarily need to. The biggest accolade this rum has is the level of balance
it has. Worth a try. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This is
a good rum for a good price, and you’re looking for a sipper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You are
severely anti-gay, and the thought of buying a gay rum makes your bible cringe.
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 9.0/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-86942835829447906702014-03-31T18:55:00.000-04:002014-03-31T18:57:07.106-04:00KCM Spirit Reviews Podcast #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JSoAVRFdSrk7BGOu3RS8V9jRbvHl9-7nCKTrC25_DBraRk16CZl1mTNlqlBtXTui60VeDXcSoblsrDYG0K3zn1ecqSxlBNbCpTDehEct7fdp4QQrqNkgXxnobie6n-SX99a0jUBw5Is/s1600/Old+Pulteney+Collection.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JSoAVRFdSrk7BGOu3RS8V9jRbvHl9-7nCKTrC25_DBraRk16CZl1mTNlqlBtXTui60VeDXcSoblsrDYG0K3zn1ecqSxlBNbCpTDehEct7fdp4QQrqNkgXxnobie6n-SX99a0jUBw5Is/s1600/Old+Pulteney+Collection.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Check out the second KCM Spirit Reviews Podcast at:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="https://soundcloud.com/kcm-spirit-reviews/kcm-spirit-reviews-podcast-2-3">https://soundcloud.com/kcm-spirit-reviews/kcm-spirit-reviews-podcast-2-3</a></u></span>KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-54615923263840294512014-03-28T14:41:00.000-04:002014-04-05T14:48:21.338-04:00Review 207: Ardmore Traditional Cask<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpHsDDDnumIbsbd5IseZCt3lrurKrW6fLZtNAxnsSj6HMWYqvqQaPXklkyLeLaUuhayp2q__c8yBO85R-pHPqSxEsbSnTzE0Z8QQo0WdRdCC-0ItoY2j6OBXpffxeKwnuhSXAYvD70ko/s1600/Ardmore+Traditional+Cask.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpHsDDDnumIbsbd5IseZCt3lrurKrW6fLZtNAxnsSj6HMWYqvqQaPXklkyLeLaUuhayp2q__c8yBO85R-pHPqSxEsbSnTzE0Z8QQo0WdRdCC-0ItoY2j6OBXpffxeKwnuhSXAYvD70ko/s1600/Ardmore+Traditional+Cask.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
207<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">3/28/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Ardmore
Traditional Cask: 46% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Ardmore
is an interesting Highland Single Malt whisky. It does a lot of things to set
itself apart. Ardmore started in 1898 by William Teacher’s son, in an attempt
to bolster stocks for the Teacher’s Highland Cream blended Scotch.
Interestingly, Ardmore is still the key single malt in Teacher’s. The
“Traditional Cask” Ardmore is a very reasonably priced NAS whisky, but it also
tries to contend with the Islay malts by calling itself a peated whisky. Some
purists might raise the nose to the statement, but don’t get too indignant
before you try this one. Aged in quarter casks, it is fair to say that this is
not an old whisky, but it does get bottled at a nice 46%. The question we’re
always asking ourselves is: should this whisky be on my shelf? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> There
is no question that this Highland malt means business. If you think this can’t
shred with the Islay single malts, you’re sorely mistaken. The first sniff from
this glass will greet you with a powerful, thick smoke. It smells a lot like
smoked meats and burning fall leaves. The smoke is mossy and earthy, but a
little bit different than your traditional Islay peat smell. Along with the
smoke, there is a strong vanilla, malt, and some great dark fruit notes in
here. There is a subtlety of burning cigar tobacco in the nose as well. There
is some allspice and strong oakiness that starts to come out of the nose as
well. The nose is very dense and ashy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts off with a unique tartness, malt sourness, and some interesting
fruitiness. The vanilla and oak are very dominant in the beginning, and there
is almost a jammy fruit flavor up front. The arrival is quick, but blasts out
the introduction to this single malt effectively. There is a slight, subtle
smokiness to the arrival. The smoke basically acts as a good prelude of the
whisky to come. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body is very ashy, with a lot of dense flavor to boot. Dry spices jump into the
game as well, bringing out black peppercorn and cloves. More smokiness comes
out of the whisky here, but it is still modestly subdued. There is some
cinnamon and apple present in the body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish is where the whisky starts to bring out the peat the most. There is a
fresh tobacco flavor, with some woodiness and vanilla coming out as well. The maltiness
presides over the entire event, but the fruitiness dies off. There is a large
cinnamon aftertaste in the finish that becomes noticeable after a few sips. Although
the Ardmore doesn’t take on the most complex finish, it finishes strong and
thick. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">As the
whisky gets water, it does not contribute much more to the nose. It is still
extremely dense and smoky on the nose. The intensity of the smoke to the whisky
is still very prominent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">After
adding water, the arrival is very malty
and vanilla-dominant. The wood notes are still very dominant in this whisky,
which shows off the intensity of the quarter cask. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body is downplayed a lot after the water was added (it was probably a little
too much water). Overall, this acts as a bridge between the arrival and the
finish. It is slightly vegetal, and mostly smoky. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The vanilla and peat are really on display in
the finish. That being said, after adding water the whisky finishes a little
cleaner with just a little hint of bitterness that wasn’t present before. It is
a botanical-like flavor that is coming out more. The vegetal notes from the
body start to become prevalent in the finish as well. There is also just a tad
of maple-syrupy aftertaste. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This
whisky is a very similar story to Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve in terms of
value per dollar. The whisky is good on its own accord, but when you see the
price and presentation, it is a hard one to pass up. This isn’t necessarily a
personal favorite, but I would NEVER turn down a glass of this. If you buy this
thinking it will be an Islay whisky from the Highlands, you are sorely
mistaken. In fact, why would you want that? This offers a much different
experience for a much better price. The KCM recommendation is get at least one
bottle of this. In terms of the whisky’s flavor? It is a gorgeously earthy,
smoky, tobacco forward malt with some interesting contrasting flavors to it. It
does not have the complexity to really make everybody happy, but I’m willing to
look over that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
understand economics and good taste.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You are
an avid Islay peat-head<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 8.5/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-5678882260123364102014-03-15T09:33:00.001-04:002014-03-15T09:38:12.733-04:00KCM Spirit Reviews Podcast # 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEb5MAME4EBEwp4rH7Iur2LfSG6zqtndBXpCTGzdo5xVN_MtNZ76Rqp2gA_kdWDG_LQn-MgW-cUwEEe8IrSs58FyPVm19NkF_NmEmmjru3oy8ApNoK9lO5aQ38YkPMZuGHTogycc9YYQ/s1600/1621759_10202641028261192_1696356939_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEb5MAME4EBEwp4rH7Iur2LfSG6zqtndBXpCTGzdo5xVN_MtNZ76Rqp2gA_kdWDG_LQn-MgW-cUwEEe8IrSs58FyPVm19NkF_NmEmmjru3oy8ApNoK9lO5aQ38YkPMZuGHTogycc9YYQ/s1600/1621759_10202641028261192_1696356939_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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https://soundcloud.com/kcm-spirit-reviews/kcm-podcast-1-3-2-14<br />
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Check out the first KCM podcast.KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-29932906100734363262014-03-14T14:39:00.000-04:002014-04-05T14:40:42.460-04:00Review 206: Highland Park Loki 15 Year<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWHd7N8ItY5pnmF-wSDR_S5yMQAK4hb1c8GEjsx7fd2q_n0qJ9Jtum3LSttol-Cxv6-QmzZGL5Mq_Amt3VXONeHnPDEXZAyxpoE3gcaSZp9wL-jUkgQR_OdkdLzZ9Rgu2egoaybgGTsU/s1600/Highland+Park+Loki.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWHd7N8ItY5pnmF-wSDR_S5yMQAK4hb1c8GEjsx7fd2q_n0qJ9Jtum3LSttol-Cxv6-QmzZGL5Mq_Amt3VXONeHnPDEXZAyxpoE3gcaSZp9wL-jUkgQR_OdkdLzZ9Rgu2egoaybgGTsU/s1600/Highland+Park+Loki.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
206<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">3/14/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Highland
Park Loki 15 Year: 48.7% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This is
a pretty special review for the KCM crew here. This is the first time we’re
reviewing a truly limited edition bottling, albeit this is limited edition in
the sense that there was a bottle of whisky that came before it and one that’ll
come after it, and they’ll be presented the same, but they’ll be
different…somehow. So you might call this a “vintage release without the
vintage”. Highland Park Loki is part of their Valhalla collection. The whisky
is at least 15 Years old, and bottled at almost 49%, which is a nice thing
considering how much you pay for the whisky. Highland Park spends their time
telling you about Loki in Norse mythology and how it relates to the whisky, but
I’m not going to do that. What I’ll do is tell you how this is a 15 Year whisky
at $275 a bottle. Obviously you’ll be wondering, why would I pay that kind of
money for such a young whisky?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
Highland Park Loki starts off in the nose with a battle between a huge
fruitiness and a coastal saltiness. The fruitiness is consistent of HP classic
orange marmalade, citrus, green grapes, blueberry, dark cherry and other
tropical fruits like bananas. There is a complex oak and malt, coupled with
creamy vanilla and custard. This whisky also brings out spicy notes of chai
tea, clove and allspice. The whisky also has a profound, deep floral smell to
it. In additional, cinnamon apple contributes to a smell of both spiciness and
sweet fruitiness. There is a very green, earthly aroma that presents itself in
the nose as well. It is almost a mossy type aroma that comes through. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> There
is a lot of malt in the arrival, along with a tart cherry sweetness. Plenty of
oak can be found in the arrival, along with a substantial amount of spiciness.
The whisky is pretty coastal in the arrival, with a slight amount of saltiness
and tropical fruits as well. There is a lot of spiciness in the arrival, with
mild black pepper, cinnamon, allspice, and gingerbread coming through. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body is very strongly herbal, with a
large amount of cilantro and mint coming through, along with an earthy
presence as well. There is a strong maltiness, along with green apple, lime
citrus, green melon, and body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish contains the same amount of herbal presence as the rest of the whisky,
including the mint and cilantro seen before. There is a lot more of an herbal
quality to the finish than in the body. There is also a leathery quality to the
whisky in the finish, that would be associated with a much older whisky. The
finish is absolutely medicinal, and contains a bitter green tea flavor as well.
There is a small amount of malt that fades off with the finish. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
herbal and citrus notes are very dominant after adding water. The whisky starts
off with a much more potent nose. There is a change of balance, as some of the
vanilla sweetness gets lost, and is replaced with an increase in bitter floral
notes and coastal saltiness. There is a little bit of graham cracker in the
nose as well now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
arrival stills contains some beautiful spiciness, along with some maltiness and
herbal notes. The arrival is more mild than before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body becomes intensely more herbal than before adding water, with bold flavors.
There is also more maltiness, with the sweetness from the whisky becoming more
dormant. There is a vanilla wafer flavor that comes through in the body as well
now. There is a good amount of woodiness in the body, that bleeds into the
finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The finish is woody, with some old notes of
leather and wood polish. It still is hugely herbal. There is a high dominance
of woodiness in the finish that seems more prevalent than before adding water. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Wow…this
is a whisky which raises the bar. This is complex, balanced, unique, and all
around a beautiful statement by Highland Park. The KCM crew believes this
whisky has some older whiskies in it by its taste profile, and it contributes
to a more mature, complex flavor than you would expect from a 15 Year. Now, let’s be clear. I’m not going to spend
the next few minutes telling you about how this whisky is worth $275, because
it really isn’t. The reason it isn’t is because for $200 less you could buy
something of marginally worse quality and still have an undoubtedly fantastic
whisky. So this bottle is for people who have the money to spend; and if you
do, this HP will not disappoint. If you were going to buy a bottle of Johnnie
Walker Blue Label, this would be a better alternative and you wouldn’t look
like an ass. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
have a lot of money and want something you can appreciate and use to decorate
your mantle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You’re
like most people and don’t want to spend almost $300 on a consumable bottle of
liquid that actually does more to dehydrate you than offer sustenance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 10/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-66143089186409569922014-03-07T20:32:00.000-05:002014-03-27T20:34:41.356-04:00Review 205: anCnoc 16 Year<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1KFM_UheNBOaX3_E_VmE_bOGySVUMylFNY9ihEL2QLhodVDjxsSLUmLnRDfmFZ8He5kD5EQ4-CtbpkoVyO071JWo1upFQ6P9tDL0Uz9Wzk2uWNW4fDyEP5A6OpbYyU0hVLAJR2B-ses/s1600/anCnoc+16+Year.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1KFM_UheNBOaX3_E_VmE_bOGySVUMylFNY9ihEL2QLhodVDjxsSLUmLnRDfmFZ8He5kD5EQ4-CtbpkoVyO071JWo1upFQ6P9tDL0Uz9Wzk2uWNW4fDyEP5A6OpbYyU0hVLAJR2B-ses/s1600/anCnoc+16+Year.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
205<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">3/7/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">anCnoc
16 Year: 46% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In
Review 167, we raved about the affordably reasonable anCnoc 12 Year, and how it
made a case as the new staple whisky in your cabinet. Next in line in the
anCnoc range is their 16 Year. KCM views this whisky as part of a dying breed,
which is why this review is so important to us. At a very reasonable price of
about $65 and being 16 Years old, not to mention being 46%, non chill-filtered
and natural color, this whisky is truly a phenomenal offering. It is a
Bourbon-barrel aged single malt from Heaven. We are wondering if whiskies like
this will even exist in the next 5 years. Distilleries are driving up prices
and tearing the age statements off of their whiskies for more preferable NAS
ambiguity. It starts as limited releases with whimsical names, but distilleries
like Macallan have taken it a step further, replacing their standard range with
these mysterious no-age whiskies. anCnoc should be praised for offering a Scotch
like this. Next step is to review what makes this whisky such a gem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
nose on this whisky is undoubtedly fresh and crisp. There is a similar,
beautiful maltiness in the aroma as is present in the 12 Year. That being said,
the 16 Year is much more coastal, with a prominent salty seaweed smell layering
into the whisky. Interestingly, you can also find a sweet, honeydew and
watermelon fruitiness in this whisky, mixed in with some clove and cumin
spiciness. Additionally, dry wheat and marzipan also complement the slurry of
smells present in this Scotch. The nose is well diversified, complex, and
dense. It displays a wide spectrum of aromas that evoke images of tropical
paradise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts light and soft, portraying a subtle vanilla bean and malt
flavor. A slight spiciness will creep into the flavor as the whisky opens up.
There is a creamy, buttery flavor in the arrival, with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg
coming through later. There is slight fruitiness, with succulent apples and
sweet melon that carries into the body. After a few sips, a more salty, peppery
flavor becomes pronounced. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body takes on a blend of salty coastal character and a sweet, fruity flavor.
The maltiness is lost in the body and the whisky takes a more bitter, vegetal
personality. There is a sound dosage of spices that comes through in the body,
with warm cinnamon and cloves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish ends with a mixture of spices, saltiness, and sweet fruits. It balances
well with all of these characteristics, and none seem to over-dominate. The 46%
is most pronounced here. The melon character is more prevalent here than in the
body, but seems to battle with a peppery, dry finish. There is a dry malty,
oak-like character in the finish, with hot spices layering on top. There is an
ashy, oak char flavor that works its way into the whisky pretty successfully
after a few sips as well. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">After
adding some water, the nose brings out a more custard-like, fruit-yogurt smell,
while letting the intense spiciness get a little more bold. There is a little
more harsh grain in the whisky at this point as well. Some of the vanilla is
pulling through now as well. The whisky is still pleasantly balanced, but the
nose seems more harsh now, with a bit more tart sourness in the fruit flavors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There
is a much more bold malt flavor in the arrival now, which suits the anCnoc
character very well. There is still some spice, and the melon has backed off in
the arrival. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body shows off some beautiful lime flavor (maybe like a key lime pie?), but not
in an uncomfortably tart way. This plays along with the gorgeous malty flavor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
coastal flavor in the whisky is really coming out now, with the intense spiciness
backing off. Between the melon and tart fruits and the sea salt flavors, the
balance of this whisky is more enjoyable and the alcohol less noticeable. There
is a little bit of smoke that plays into the finish, but it isn’t horribly
dominant. It is also a fairly herbal, vegetal finish, containing some fresh
mint and parsley. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This
is another wallop of a whisky from anCnoc. There is really an enjoyable,
complex whisky with a great spectrum of flavors. It also provides a substantial
amount of contrast from the 12 Year. If you get the opportunity to try this, we
would recommend it. On the other side of the coin, this can be an intense
whisky if you aren’t used to the high content. Again, it is a shame that we
feel like teenage whiskies at an affordable price and going extinct, when stuff
like this is affordable and amazing. Hopefully we are wrong in that projection,
but while this is still available, find it and love it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
like a good well-rounded Highland malt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You are
willing to go for an Old Pulteney 17 Year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 9.25/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-65990676259120457442014-03-06T20:28:00.000-05:002014-04-09T13:21:33.015-04:00Review 204: Glen Garioch Founder's Reserve<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-I3JcsNbW2PORcqM4fVwsbrElzRGwf-KJOdoAqsZ8AeZ9AyXZyYTRfnPY_zBtQs5WBBk-xOBTXpXZ7YAziy-i3CLYTot3_K3CsRVmAAcKKQulGszITi_3m3_ob-ndfZL4CGi2nld4zk/s1600/Glen+Garioch+Founder's+Reserve.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-I3JcsNbW2PORcqM4fVwsbrElzRGwf-KJOdoAqsZ8AeZ9AyXZyYTRfnPY_zBtQs5WBBk-xOBTXpXZ7YAziy-i3CLYTot3_K3CsRVmAAcKKQulGszITi_3m3_ob-ndfZL4CGi2nld4zk/s1600/Glen+Garioch+Founder's+Reserve.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
204<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">3/6/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Glen
Garioch Founder's Reserve: 48% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Glen
Garioch (Pronounced “Geery”) is a Highland Single Malt Scotch distillery in
Aberdeenshire. These guys have been around a while, having been with us since
1797. That being said, here in Michigan, we don’t see a whole lot of them on
our shelves. Although Glen Garioch offers a number of “small batch” releases,
and what looks to be a standard 12 Year offering, the most common evidence of
this Distillery is the Founder’s Reserve No Age Statement whisky. Of all of the
statements seen of Glen Garioch, none of them appear to be below 48%. Why don’t
we see more of this stuff?! A few observations: at 48% and Non
Chill-filtration, this is not a whisky to look away from, not to mention the
fact that it is a really affordable buy. Don’t be deterred by the fact that you
might not have heard of this whisky. And we’re about to tell you why. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This
Highland malt displays a very fresh, grainy smell up front, with a very mossy,
green smell mixed with the aroma of malt carrying through. Slight vanilla and
cookie dough layers on top of the intense grain smell, but is mostly
overpowered by a rose water floral scent. The fresh grain and floral scent
over-dominates the nose, but pear skin is also noticeable after the whisky
opens up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts sweet, and then opens up with some intense spiciness. The
spiciness includes cinnamon and nutmeg, before leading into a gingery and
grassy flavor. There is a slight hint of malt in the arrival, with some herbal
flavors as well. After a few sips, the alcohol content of this whisky neat
starts to overpower the flavor slightly. There is still some slightly fruity
flavor, with grape and pear rind being most prevalent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">As the
body progresses, a very green flavor unfolds. There is a some bitter greens and
black pepper notes that contribute to a spicy character. The whisky seems young
and intense in the body, with some slight citrus zest and mild pear rind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish becomes malty and contains sweet flavors of vanilla and sugar cookies.
There is also some bitter greens and very subtle peat smoke and wood smoke
coming through at the end. The finish is dry and fairly complex, contributing a
very pure grainy flavor to the whisky. There is an amount of black peppercorn
and other spices in the finish, but the higher alcohol content makes it
difficult to pick out the complexities. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">With
just a little bit of water, this whisky starts to open up quite a bit. There is
a more open fruitiness, with slight lemon and stronger pear notes coming
through. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
arrival brings on the spiciness a little bit earlier now, with a brilliant mix
of sweetness and spice. This plays a perfect balance, and with a bit less of
the vegetal greenness that was dominating the whisky beforehand. The whisky
still demonstrates a lovely complexity, but balances the whole ensemble a bit
better. Some caramel is noticeable after water as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
spice in the body is really dominant now, with an almost salty presence. There
is still the sugar cookie sweetness in the body, contradicting the spiciness,
but it still balances really well. It isn’t as ideal as in the beginning,
albeit it maintains an enjoyable status. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
finish maintains the grainy, vegetal quality from before, while leaving a trail
of intense, hot spiciness to enjoy. There is still a major peppercorn and
classic Highland malt grain, with a tinge of wood smoke and oak char. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> In
general, this is what I would describe as a great entry level Scotch for the
more mature Scotch drinker. This is the opposite end of the spectrum from your
sweet Speyside Glenlivet 12 Year, having earthy, vegetal flavors aplenty and a
warm, strong spiciness to enjoy. Although this whisky isn’t necessarily for the
faint of heart, it is a very good offering. I think it would be a treat for
anybody who had a more eclectic pallet for Scotches. If we ever see another
bottle of Glen Garioch in Michigan, there is no doubt we will want to try that
one too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You are
looking for the complexity and quality of an affordable Highland malt with earthy
flavors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
still haven’t realized that Glenlivet and Glenfiddich aren’t the only Scotch
whiskies out there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 8.5/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-78516262586428013012014-01-25T15:35:00.000-05:002014-02-28T15:40:24.684-05:00Review 202: Glendronach 15 Year Revival<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUP66cear9wkDuOx5lbtftsSs9V2l2wrrRXcZwMbUOXfno6ADu3s3VS4eJygVkDDiMH7A6IzCezmkiBMOttBpjiRmgMxuWASY7b8zMq74aWPU72FQk8UgdbH0gLiDtIsrHcW44Z4P7Rw/s1600/Glendronach+15+Year+Revival.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUP66cear9wkDuOx5lbtftsSs9V2l2wrrRXcZwMbUOXfno6ADu3s3VS4eJygVkDDiMH7A6IzCezmkiBMOttBpjiRmgMxuWASY7b8zMq74aWPU72FQk8UgdbH0gLiDtIsrHcW44Z4P7Rw/s1600/Glendronach+15+Year+Revival.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
202<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1/25/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Glendronach
15 Year Revival: 46% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This
whisky just recently made it into Michigan. At a good price and a good
presentation, KCM is more than excited to have this whisky in Michigan. Earlier
last year, we reviewed Glendronach 12 Year (Review # 162, 5/25/13), and found
it to be a decent alternative at a reasonable price. The 12 Year, as a
reminder, is aged with PX and Oloroso sherry casks. The 15 Year, at 46%, is
aged in Oloroso sherry casks exclusively. As a result, this is one of the
darkest looking whiskies we’ve ever reviewed, but it is natural color. This
whisky is rather pricy, so the question is: does this compete well with the
other sherry Scotches we can buy on the shelf today, like Aberlour, Balvenie,
and Macallan? Let’s find out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This
whisky starts off with an unsurprising portion of sherry prominence and a
healthy portion of raison smell, which is rich and flavorful right off of the
bat. Contributing to the sweetness is a rich smell of vanilla and caramel, with
a dry cocoa in the back. There is some woodiness in it, close to oak and
catalpa. To add contrast, some floral aromas add overtones of bitterness to the
nose. There is a little bit of rich cherry and apple flavor in the nose, with a
subtlety of malt and wheat graininess helping contributing to the aroma. There
is some sweet marmalade that accentuates the sweetness of the nose. There is a
mild saltiness in the whisky, but it certainly doesn’t present itself as overly
dominant. An additional spiciness of clove and cinnamon are noticeable. Finally,
a small hint of earthiness is present in smell. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival starts off with a really syrupy mouthfeel, a thick sherry taste, with a
hot spiciness. There are rich fruits of apple and raisons, along with hot
cinnamon and clove. There is a big presence of maple and molasses on the
arrival. There is also a confectionary sweetness in the arrival, almost like
cookie dough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body is where the spiciness kicks into overdrive. There is a note of apple and
sweet sherry, with tart huckleberry adding to the thickness. There is a lot of
earthiness and greenness in the body. There is a taste of Angostura Bitters in
the body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish provides a blast of sherry after it resides from the body. There is a
large amount of spiciness in the finish, with cinnamon, gingerbread and clove
most prevalent. There is a very malty presence here in the finish. A fresh
mintiness is noticeable as the whisky fades down. There is a surprising vegetal
quality in the finish. The barrel really comes out in this whisky. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There
is a lot more oakiness in the whisky from before. The spiciness is getting a
lot bigger here than before, with clove being the distinguishing smell. A
slightly more vegetal note is coming through, with a little bit of burning
tobacco on the nose as well. In addition, there is a note of brown sugar
available. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
arrival is much more grain forward than before, with the maltiness being more
forward than before. The spice is in perfect play with the sweetness, with the
sherry being in perfect proportion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body lends itself to a good blend of grain, spiciness, and sherry. This has a
lot going on, and is in perfect distribution. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
finish is a perfect blend of different flavors, dialing in the medley of
spiciness, grain, sherry and saltiness. This whole thing has become much more
balanced. The dry spiciness is what tends to last through the finish the most. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This
is absolutely what it should be. This is a beautiful blend of spiciness,
maltiness, and the fantastic sherry flavor that contribute to a perfect
balance. When you first see this spirit, you might be wary that this will be
overly sweet and syrupy up front, but it is absolutely not that at all. This is
one of the finest examples of sherried Scotch we have yet to try (there are
still plenty to be tried, mind you). The complexity is there, and with just a
little bit of water, it was hard for us to even focus on tasting notes. My
recommendation is if you get a chance to try this Scotch, don’t hesitate. It is
worth the money, and we will be trying to make this last. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
don’t like the color green. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
don’t like sherried Scotch, and therefore you’re probably a bad person. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 9.75 /10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-82453376056173586412014-01-19T15:32:00.000-05:002014-02-28T15:34:17.707-05:00Review 201: Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_viIvk6pXay5W-4qJ__i8lH_d8M89pMk4muUG0haR23kEWqrDIfwlUQ40mJ3wU-Cc5KyOE4kHsetaj8TIePmkWFZLV2bVsSjFTOXaIw_d9HpSoQIPxaFFK2vb8v4sCjuQZzlMqymIXyA/s1600/Blanton's+Single+Barrel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_viIvk6pXay5W-4qJ__i8lH_d8M89pMk4muUG0haR23kEWqrDIfwlUQ40mJ3wU-Cc5KyOE4kHsetaj8TIePmkWFZLV2bVsSjFTOXaIw_d9HpSoQIPxaFFK2vb8v4sCjuQZzlMqymIXyA/s1600/Blanton's+Single+Barrel.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />Review
201<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1/19/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Blanton’s
Single Barrel: 46.5% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Blanton’s
is a bourbon that is distilled at Buffalo Trace distillery. It is owned by
Sazerac Company and was launched in 1984. With the very popular Kentucky Derby
rooted in the traditions of many distilleries, a nifty horse figurine is placed
on every bottle of Blanton’s, with 8 different figurines available (each
representing a letter of BLANTONS). Collect them all (or don’t)! This is a high
rye bourbon, made from mash bill #2. It is advertised as the first single
barrel bourbon bottled, which really offers very little relevance to what this
tastes like or if it’s worth your time…so we’ll focus on that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This
bourbon starts off with a blend of elegant, sweet, creamy flavors. A medley of
berries and cherries, cream and vanilla are huge right off the bat. There is
almost a sense of cheesecake in here. A nice smooth custard flavor is
noticeable. A subtle oak layers in the nose, with rye coming out more as the
whiskey opens up. Along with the rye, more apple and vinegar are showing up in
the whiskey as well. The apple is a lot like stewed apples with cinnamon. To
contrast the big sweet notes, floral notes are also present in the whisky. There
is some brown sugar and cinnamon contributing more to the whisky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival is spicy and rye-forward. There is honey on the arrival with a bit of
clove adding to the spicy zing. There are notes of brown sugar, cinnamon,
ginger, and nutmeg present. There is a definite oak, with some grain. The
mouth-feel starts syrupy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body is much busier than the arrival, with leather, rye, and wood tannins up
front. There is a cherry syrup flavor, followed by apples and cinnamon. There
is a lot of spice in the body too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish is spicy and well rounded, with plenty of rye, oak, and fruit. There is
clove, cinnamon, ginger, mint and pepper present in the finish, with some
cherry sweetness to close out the rye-driven spice. The finish also contains a
bit of the leather character from before. There is a little earthy char flavor
in the finish.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">After
adding water, there is much more leather and grain flavor coming through. Along
with a slight increase in vanilla smell, a small amount of acetone can be detected
in the aroma. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
arrival dulls out a lot, containing just a bit of additional spiciness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
addition of water really kills this whiskey in the body. There is not much to
speak of. The whiskey even starts to taste a little young after adding water,
getting back to the new-make taste. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
finish is a little more well-rounded than before, with a slightly noticeable
malt flavor becoming evident. A little bit of that new make carries through
into the finish, with a residual spiciness but less presence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Blanton’s
fits into a very specific niche. Although Blanton’s isn’t the end all, be all,
it is a really solid offering. If you are looking for an easy to drink Bourbon
that isn’t as sweet as some of the alternatives, then this is a great alternative.
It doesn’t have the complexity to skyrocket it into our top ranks, but it does
offer something in balance that can be hard to find in bourbons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
want a nice sipping whisky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You are
looking for something to sit down and think about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 8.5/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-20996031786971966912014-01-18T16:00:00.000-05:002014-01-19T16:07:57.787-05:00Review 200: Port Charlotte PC7<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKLmyly30mEnW5X3QHjTvavDPmDzQ4EnxyJm60BJbndz-u_MFzXc9N8_WK7X1oNasYl4_LRdXzsL9LR69ut9XQn3LHP-4gMuS9o-67rKW8ziVk-5m334H-CcJggg9HsGAyCOkOQgRL-0/s1600/Port+Charlotte+PC7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKLmyly30mEnW5X3QHjTvavDPmDzQ4EnxyJm60BJbndz-u_MFzXc9N8_WK7X1oNasYl4_LRdXzsL9LR69ut9XQn3LHP-4gMuS9o-67rKW8ziVk-5m334H-CcJggg9HsGAyCOkOQgRL-0/s1600/Port+Charlotte+PC7.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review
200<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1/18/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Port
Charlotte PC7: 61% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Port
Charlotte is the “branch” of Bruichladdich that focuses on the heavily peated
Scotch of their range. Don’t be confused; Port Charlotte is still distilled at
Bruichladdich. It just differentiates their heavily peated products from the rest
of them. Even more confusing is the existence of Octomore, another peated
Bruichladdich made with extremely high levels of peat smoking, which is
normally measured in PPMs (parts per million) of phenol content in the barley
grain. But enough about that; more on this specimen. In Review 180, we talked
about PC6 and the PC series. This is the next in line, being aged in
traditional oak casks for 7 years. It is bottled at a monster 61%. This is
bottle 23,717 out of 24,000. Let’s give this whisky a good look. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This
whisky starts off with a greatly earthy, grassy peat smoke. The smell of fresh
cut grass, wood smoke, and mossiness is prominent in the aroma, with a hint of
sawdust. There is a large amount of savory flavor and vanilla, with a huge
spiciness to it. An almost sweet and tangy meat sauce smell is present here. A
notable floral rose note is also noticeable. To add to the complexity, a
slightly powdery cocoa smell layers into the aroma. There is a coastal,
saltiness involved with a bit of nuttiness and sweet, fresh maltiness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
whisky, as expected starts off with a hot, spicy arrival. It is surprisingly
smooth at first, with a peat and spice coming in later. There is a very salty,
seaweed-like flavored feel in there. Because of the high alcohol content, there
is not a lot that can be observed here before flavor is lost and taking over by
the hot alcohol influence. The arrival also has a significantly bready flavor
to it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body contains a lot of malt, peat, caramel and oakiness to it. There is some
chocolatey flavor in here, with some nuttiness so far. The saltiness becomes
very big here, in a pleasant way. There is a lot of crispness in the body as well.
Tea and tobacco are noticeable in the body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The finish has a significant
amount of malt and peat to it, while continuing the coastal, salty theme. There
is a bitter, herbal taste present in the finish. Tea tree oil and tobacco are
present in the finish, with some spices as well, including peppercorn. There is
a little yeast that carries over from the arrival. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There
is a lot of woodiness after adding water, including dry pine wood. There is
some vanilla and honey present. The grain flavor is starting to open up in the
aroma now. The alcohol has broken loose in the aroma now, making the smell burn
much more than before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There
is more sweetness in the arrival than before, with some dry, bitter wood. A lot
of honey and vanilla is present. The wood is huge in the arrival. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body presented a lot more malt and nuttiness. The saltiness and tobacco is
still big in the body. There is some tannic flavor in the body, with some oak
flavor as well. Astringent citrus is present in the body much more now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
finish has become very phenolic and medicinal. It is malty and nutty, but ends
on a dry, coastal note that is complex and lasting. There is a strong, minty
flavor in the finish. It has a fresh, cooling sensation as the whisky
dissipates. The peat and phenol last an incredibly long time in the finish. An
interesting presence of corn is also present in the finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Port
Charlotte PC7 is not an outstanding peated Scotch. It is young and brash,
displaying angry fists like a drunken sailor might. It lacks the finesse and
complexity we’ve seen with other malts, and for that reason it doesn’t jump
forward as exceptional. That being said, what it lacks in complexity and
tactfulness, it makes up for in pure, unadulterated bravado and presence. It is
truly a big malt and a high strength. It is salty and briny, peaty and savory,
and is not afraid to strut its stuff. We’ve enjoyed the many glasses of PC7 we’ve
had, even if it isn’t what you’d consider “worth the money”. This is where you
might cue the montage with sappy music, I suppose. In any case, it should be
interesting to see where the Port Charlotte range evolves and how long it will
live. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You
like the big bold peaty stuff and don’t care about the details<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Something
like Caol Ila or Lagavulin has just the right amount of finesse</span></div>
</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: 8.75/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453027961370897.post-56347025518285963402014-01-12T15:56:00.000-05:002014-01-19T15:57:43.334-05:00Review 199: Bruichladdich 12 Year 2nd Edition<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdALKDrz9vdLA9t4ZaCpYixxqdmFZCZzhCTE2-lrbYQkH2uLDKNKlt-5XtnwsSrZ0AIEpSG96BEvaAbfchgcdfrXbkhitcYP_qLgM-_i1kp_rJ7Bfwk3mCC53v5p-o2NUuDchJSUXGGyM/s1600/Bruichladdich+12+Year.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdALKDrz9vdLA9t4ZaCpYixxqdmFZCZzhCTE2-lrbYQkH2uLDKNKlt-5XtnwsSrZ0AIEpSG96BEvaAbfchgcdfrXbkhitcYP_qLgM-_i1kp_rJ7Bfwk3mCC53v5p-o2NUuDchJSUXGGyM/s1600/Bruichladdich+12+Year.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Review 199 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1/12/13<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Bruichladdich
12 Year 2<sup>nd</sup> Edition: 46% abv<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Well,
so long as we are doing Bruichladdich, we might as well move on to the next
standard offering from them. First, a little more on Bruichladdich. Pronounced
Brook-laddie, the name is Gaelic for “raised beach”. Bruichladdich sits on the
west side of Islay, and is one of the less publicized malts of the island. You
will come to expect that with Bruichladdich, you will see craft presentation.
The 12 Year is no exception, with explicit writing on the bottle telling you
that it is 46%, non-chill filtered, and natural color. That’s a great sign.
Bruichladdich’s 12 Year old whisky is lightly peated, aged in Bourbon oak
casks, and made by Master Distiller Jim McEwan. This whisky is sort of an
anomaly to me, but we’ll get to that later in the review. Now, some notes!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Straight<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
nose starts off in a very odd way. Despite being a bourbon barrel-aged whisky,
there is something remarkably “sherried” smelling to this. Starting off with a
rich smell of caramel, vanilla bean, chocolate, raisons, honey, and sweet malt,
you would be convinced that this was a Sherry monster. The whisky is also
distinctively floral in its aroma. The amount of fruitiness in here is
incredible, with a succulent, rich aroma of berries and other juicy delights.
There is a slightly acidic Champagne flavor that also coats the top of the
glass. There is some smoky oak char and light peat to be enjoyed in this
whisky. Sporadically, a little bit of campfire marshmellows is noticeable, sort
of like a burnt sugar smell. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
arrival is definitely thick, chocolately, and sweet. There was a front of
acidity in the arrival, that transformed into a wave of sweetness. There is a
very juicy, beautiful mixture of cherries, strawberries, and raspberries in the
arrival. The arrival is definitely succulent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
body has the mysteriously raison-esque Sherry character to it. There is a lot
of chocolate and caramel that add to a rich, thick body. The mouth-feel here is
just incredible and thick. The body becomes quite acidic and salty as it leads
into the finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The
finish closes off with a mixture of tart fruits, dry maltiness, and coastal
saltiness. It really closes the whisky reminding you that you’re dealing with a
unique Islay. It has tart cranberry, fresh maltiness, cinnamon and pepper that
help add to the complexity, not to mention slight traces of pecan. You will
find most of the peatiness here as well. The salt becomes quite strong here in
the finish. A bit of oak is also noticeable here. As the finish concludes, a
grainy graham cracker flavor closes the whole event. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With Water<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nose: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And to
add to our craziness, the sherry flavor we’ve been accounting for all over
comes out dominantly after adding water. Vanilla bean becomes more prevalent.
It is also interesting how there is more of a raw grain flavor than before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Arrival: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
arrival has settled down substantially, with less attacking flavor. It seems
that there is less complexity as well though. The sherry is still very
dominant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Body: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There
is a more confectionary, sugary flavor that comes through in the body. There is
some tartness, but it is mostly sweetness and fruitiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finish: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
finish has brought out the darker flavors of chocolate and caramel, with an
added subtle coffee to it. The finish has a bit less coastal flavor to it, with
a good amount malt and more vegetal flavor, similar to the ten year. This still
has a big, juicy fruitiness to it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Final Comments:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Back
to the anomaly that I referenced earlier today. I just cannot believe that this
whisky is not sherried! We have had a number of experiences with sherry barrel
aged whiskies, and if I was blindfolded, I would have said it was one.
None-the-less, this is a fantastic, balanced whisky, and Bruichladdich proves
itself again. In general, this takes the other end of the spectrum from the 10
year, offering up succulent, delicious fruit notes to couple the Islay coastal
style. This is just such an enjoyable whisky to sit down and sip on, we can’t
help but swoon over it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you’d buy it: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It will
put you in your happy place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why you wouldn’t: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It
doesn’t have that Islay peat style to it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Score</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">: 9.5/10</span>KCM Spirit Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16054175002656322696noreply@blogger.com0