Review 222: GlenDronach 17 Year PX Sherry Single Cask

Review 222

9/19/2014

GlenDronach 17 Year PX Sherry Single Cask: 53.2% abv

Background: 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.

Straight

Nose:  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.

Arrival: 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.

Body: 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.

Finish: 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.

With Water

Nose: 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.

Arrival: 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.

Body: 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.

Finish: 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.

Final Comments: 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.

Why you’d buy it: You are looking for something that evolves, changes metaphorical colors, and offers up an engaging drinking experience with a sherry flavor.

                                                                                                          

Why you wouldn’t: The first time you open up a bottle is the last judgment you make on a whisky.

Score: 9.25/10

Review 201: Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon

Review 201

1/19/14

Blanton’s Single Barrel: 46.5% abv

Background: 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.

Straight

Nose: 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.

Arrival: 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.

Body: 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.

Finish: 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.

With Water

Nose: 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.

Arrival: The arrival dulls out a lot, containing just a bit of additional spiciness.

Body: 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.

Finish: 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.

Final Comments: 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.

 

Why you’d buy it: You want a nice sipping whisky.

                                                                                                          

Why you wouldn’t: You are looking for something to sit down and think about.

Score: 8.5/10

Review 185: Milagro Single Barrel Anejo

Review 185

11/23/13

Milagro Single Barrel Anejo: 40% abv

Background: We’ve already done a review of Milagro Silver tequila, so now we’re interested in looking at what Milagro is like with some age under its belt. This little beauty is one that I picked up in a shop on the east side of Michigan, and it was a limited production bottling. It is still very young at 18 months old, but it is fairly unique, and it does speak to what Milagro tequila can be with a little bit of craftsmanship. Milagro’s tequila is roasted in clay ovens in Jalisco, made from the “volcanic-rich” soil that is found there, as they put it. This is a triple-distilled tequila as well, and like all Milagro products, they’ve made the barrel too pretty to throw away (I’ll be throwing it away anyway). With all of that being said, let’s look at how this tequila actually performs.

Straight

Nose: The nose starts off fairly untraditional from tequilas we’ve had in the past. There is definitely a strong influence of agave in the nose, but along with this is a strong nuttiness; a mixture of peanuts and chestnuts. There is also a fruity sweetness to it coupled with vanilla extract, which is soft and mild. There is a slight anise aroma becoming apparent, but it is not over-dominant. A brininess is noticeable, which is strangely coupled with a slight vinegary pickle smell. This isn’t horribly prevalent, so don’t cringe at the thought. Some spices and herbs are in the nose as well, with subtle fresh mint and cloves.

Arrival: The arrival very smoothly starts off with a light, mouse-like entrance. There is definitely nuttiness, vanilla, and some weak salt flavor up front. There is some agave in the arrival, with a zesty spice as it goes into the body. There is some mint in the arrival, but it is relatively weak and more like a toothpaste fluoride. There is also a Laffy Taffy banana flavor to it. The arrival is relatively simple, but it does present some very interesting flavors to it.  

Body: The body has a lot of saltiness to it, with strong agave flavor, and a prominent amount of nuttiness. There is some strong lime tartness in the body, with some slight vanilla and dry wood that sits in the background and adds some character. There is a little bit of pineapple tartness and bitterness that sticks through the later part of the body into the finish.

           

Finish: The finish does contain a little bit agave left over. The unique banana presence is now more creamy, like banana cream pie. The fluoride mint flavor is actually prevalent here, but it starts to taste more like natural spearmint as the finish continues forward. There is some roasted almonds in the finish as well. There is some light floral notes in the later part of the finish, which contains jasmine and lavender flavors. There is a little bit of dry wood that lingers as well. Finally, there is a spicy gingerbread and allspice mixture that can be found as well.

With Water

Nose: The nose, after add a small amount of water, starts to take on a little bit more grain flavor, with citrus notes like grapefruit and lime becoming more dominant. The spice is a little more noticeable, and the agave backs off a little bit. There is a bit of pine that comes through in the nose now as well. There is less chestnut, and more peanut in the nose after adding water.

Arrival: The arrival has more vanilla, and a little bit of barley malt flavor now. There is still some nice spice and smooth agave flavor as well. The arrival is also slightly savory at this point, although it is so subtle, it is hard to pinpoint.

Body: The body is still predominantly the same as before. The difference here is that the body has a slightly bigger tartness, almost like black cherry. The body is more dry and astringent, with some pepper-like bitterness running in the finish.

Finish: After adding water, the finish is really floral and woody, with dominant earthiness to it. There is some bitter rose flavor, with some more raw grassy notes. The agave is still here, but there is less sweetness and tartness. The nut is still noticeable. It is also significantly more dry than before. The vanilla now is sticking around a bit longer than before.

Final Comments:  This is definitely a unique, fun tequila to try. It is prominently nutty and salty, with a variety of light complexities. Unlike a whisky, the complexities don’t scream at you, but they are still there. It isn’t hugely boozy or heavy, but it still has some flavor to speak of. It is an easy sipper, and it has a lot to offer, but it isn’t the most complex spirit in the world.

 

Why you’d buy it: For a fun, different tequila experience at an affordable price.

Why you wouldn’t: You don’t like salty nuts.

Score: 8.75/10