KCM Spirit Reviews Podcast #2

Check out the second KCM Spirit Reviews Podcast at:

https://soundcloud.com/kcm-spirit-reviews/kcm-spirit-reviews-podcast-2-3

Review 182: Smokehead Scotch Whisky

Review 182

11/11/13

Smokehead: 43% abv

Background: After a most certainly disappointing experience on the last review (which I didn't bother posting), I decided to start fresh again and to a Single Malt Scotch that I knew wouldn’t disappoint. This is Smokehead, and what an ominous title for a whisky to hold, not to mention the packaging. This bad boy was one of the two peated Islay malts that KCM tried last year. You might be asking yourself about the “Smokehead” Distillery, so let me clarify. This is actually an independent bottling, branded as its own Scotch and distilled in Scotland. Smokehead doesn’t divulge where it hails from, but I get the distinct impression it is Argbeg’s dirty work. It is a smoky one, as you might have guessed. The next question you might ask is “But K, tons of marketing, little information, and fancy packaging, isn’t this just another marketing gimmick then?”. Not exactly. Unlike Pumpkin Face Rum *shudder*, this Scotch actually offers something in terms of value. I’m about to prove it to you.

Straight

Nose:  As soon as you bring the glass to your nose, you will believe. The smell is immediately smoky, rich, and intense, delivering on every promise the title of this whisky has implied to you. The nose is almost chocolatey, it is so rich, with a dark, deep peat smell to it. It is, without a question of a doubt, a beautiful smell. The smell is full of wood smoke, saltiness, and savory notes is prominent. There is smooth, vanilla flavor as well. Specific flavors are not as exposed in the nose, but the whole experience is huge.

Arrival: The arrival is relatively dry, with a slight peppery spice, and some zesty peat coming through. Unfortunately, the thick flavor doesn’t come through true and strong in the arrival. That being said, there is a still a complexity of spice and saltiness. There is some molasses and honey coming through, but a relatively youthful barley spirit taste.

Body: This is where the whisky really shines. The spiciness, saltiness and peat come to full fruition at this point. There is a definite fruity sweetness that comes through, which seems to really differentiate this from Kilchoman, although the two have some commonalities (minus the intense tobacco which you don’t find nearly as much). There is even some peppercorn bitterness in the body, which is not overwhelming, but adds dimension to the whole event.

           

Finish: The finish is an interesting, intense moment with Smokehead. It lasts a long time, and truly brings out a cluster of flavors. The peatiness is there, but the seaweed and salt flavors, with a dark, smoky chocolate are the stars of this show. There is some molasses adding richness, with cloves and allspice adding zest. There is just a little bit of mint as well. This isn’t the most complex whisky, but it is really bold, and it’s quite enjoyable.  

With Water

Nose: With water, the nose brings out intensity of vanilla and sweetness, which starts to balance with the peat quite well.

Arrival: With water, the arrival becomes much sweeter, with some amount of agave and honey coming through, as well as some sugar. Interestingly, as the whisky sits, more wood smoke becomes apparent.

Body: The body mellows out with water, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. The spicy intensity backs off and more vanilla comes to the front. There is still a good amount of peat, but there is a berry fruitiness that comes through.

Finish: The finish is very interesting with water added. There is a different sweetness becoming apparent. There is definitely some fruit sweetness, akin to pears and apples, with smoky caramel and slight tobacco. It is a light smokiness, with heavy overtones at the very end. It becomes nicely savory after a while, like some spicy bacon. This is very subtle though.

Final Comments: Smokehead is inconsistent, to say the least. It is dark and rich in the nose, light and somewhat diluted in the arrival, and then massive in the body. Somebody who doesn’t drink peated whisky might not feel the same way, but in comparison to some of the Laphroaigs and Ardbegs, this lacks some of the intensity. That being said, this is a very decent whisky for the money, and it is something different from your standard offerings. I think what would set this Scotch over the edge would be bottling it at a higher proof. This could even stand to be at 48%. In any case, there is plenty of room for growth, but it is a good start as it is.  

 

Why you’d buy it: You’ve tried the big dogs, and want variety

Why you wouldn’t: It is really hard to compete with Laphroaig 18 Yr

Score: 8.25/10

Review 144: Edradour 10 Yr

Review 144

2/23/13

Edradour 10 Yr: 43% abv

Background: Edradour makes their mark by calling themselves the smallest distillery in Scotland. That sounds like a silly little marketing thing until you hear the facts. Currently two people work at the distillery, and three people founded it. They produce 95K liters a year, and if they were any smaller they would be considered a portable distillery with implicit capacity for illegal distillation. If that isn’t enough for you, they produce only 12 casks a week. This makes Edradour quite a tiny little operation. Edradour is placed in Perthshire, and is a Highland distillery. I bet you’re curious about how this one turns out.

Nose: New make spirit, mellow spice, honey, caramel, barley, agave, slightly harsh

            A/W: Not much different

Arrival: Sweet, honey and caramel, candied almonds, slight bitterness, big vanilla

            A/W: Big almond, nutty

Body: dark, rich, sweet, almonds, honey, vanilla, sugar

            A/W: Almond, sweet caramel

Finish: Nutty, dry, slight sherry, powdered sugar, honey, grain, barley, rye, dry spice, hot cinnamon, maple

A/W: Powdered sugar, more almond, sherry backs off

Final Comments: So you might have guessed, but this is pretty much like mixing Amaretto and Highland Scotch together. Is that a good or bad thing? It is up to you, but there is a certain lack of balance and the huge nutty quality to the Scotch seems to steal some of the complexity from the spirit. After adding water, we noticed that there was a huge jump in the presence of the almond character, and suggest staying away from the addition of water. This still has some interesting characteristics to it, but it certainly isn’t the highlight of the Scotch world.

Why you’d buy it: You like Amaretto and you like Scotch

Why you wouldn’t: You’re afraid of having an allergic reaction to almonds

Score: 8.25/10

Review 143: Glen Grant 10 Yr

Review 143

2/23/13

Glen Grant 10 Yr: 40% abv

Background: Glen Grant is one of those distilleries I tend to overlook, but don’t be fooled. This Speyside whisky distillery is one of the biggest in Scotland. It is the third biggest whisky producer in Scotland, below Glenfiddich and Macallan, and just barely above Glenlivet. This gets to be a very scary statistic to publish, partially because there are two metrics “Produced whisky”, and “sold whisky”. In any case, Glen Grant is big. They have capacity to produce a measly 5.9 million liters a year. That being said, we are looking at their bottom statement, the 10 year. This whisky sits at around $40 a bottle, so it is very reasonably priced.

Nose: Light, fresh grain, vanilla, vegetable oil, malt, wheat, subtle spice, minimal heat

            A/W: Not much different

Arrival: Sweet, malty arrival, honey

            A/W: Honey and vanilla

Body: Sweet malt, vanilla, wheat, nutty

            A/W: Slightly vegetal, caramel

Finish: Dry, malt, straw, wheat, vanilla, lemon, citrus, cinnamon, subtle pepper, hot, spice, honey

A/W: Pear, nutty, vanilla, slightly vegetal, agave

Final Comments: This whisky should be competing as a Speyside with the likes of Macallan 10, Glenfiddich 12, Glenlivet 12, and so on. To be honest, I don’t think it does. Although it is a good whisky, it doesn’t have the fruity nature of Glenlivet 12, it doesn’t have the sherried nature of Macallan, and it doesn’t have the combined balance of Glenfiddich. If KCM were going to compare this to anything, we would compare this to Glengoyne 10 . This is a simple, straight forward, whisky, without the influence of sherry or peat to weigh it down. Its light and grainy, with a dry sweetness to it.

Why you’d buy it: You want a simple, gentle starter whisky for an affordable price

Why you wouldn’t: You want to go for something a little more advanced like Glengoyne

Score: 7.75/10

Review 131: Dogfish Head Immort Ale

Review 131

1/11/13

Dogfish Head Immort Ale: 11% abv

Background: This is an unique ale from Dogfish Head, those craft brewers from out of state that do a great job of making some awesome brews. This particular ale is brewed with maple from Red Brook Farm in Massachusetts, peat-smoked barley, juniper berries, vanilla, and English and Belgian yeasts. Obviously, this is a long list of “customizations” that Dogfish Head has applied to this particular beer, so we absolutely couldn’t pass it up. Plus, we love us some peated whisky, and there is simply not enough use of peat-smoked barley in alcoholic beverages. We wanted to see how this guy fared.

Nose: Brown sugar, malt, sweet melon, tart apple, slight anise, vanilla, soy beans, juniper berries, yeast, soft berry notes (blueberry/raspberry), pear (Reminiscent of Dragonmead Final Absolution)

Arrival: Creamy, yeast, molasses, caramel, cocoa, sweetness, Rock N’ Rye soda, sweet berries, big arrival

Body: Sweet, light tartness, yeast, almonds, slightly nutty, apple, anise, Rock N’ Rye, tangy citrus, maple

Finish: Vanilla, creamy, grain, barley, slight meatiness, subtle peat, more smokey, yeast, cocoa, medium w/lasting after taste, spicy smoke, fruit, mixed berries, grapefruit (light), slight woodiness

Final Comments: This is a greatly complex beer, and hits a ton of points of interest. Every single element of it screams for you to take a closer look, and we’re sure you could spend several nights trying to figure this one out. The nose is inviting, and the yeasty trippel-style ale character in the initial impression certainly doesn’t hurt the beers presentation. The beer is a high alcohol content beer, and you’ll want to sip this one, but it is relatively easy to drink.  

Why you’d buy it: You want to drink an engaging ale, you want to encourage good craft brewing, and it is pretty damn amazing.

Why you wouldn’t: You are still stuck on how drunk you can get on Miller High Life, or you’re still drunk on Miller High Life

Score: 9.5/10

Review 130: Basil Hayden's 8 Yr Bourbon

Review 130

1/10/13

Basil Hayden’s: 40% abv

Background: Basil Hayden’s is one of the four bourbons in the Jim Beam Small Batch family, and sits at 8 years old. This one is known as the lightest of the four bourbons, as is indicated by the proof of the whiskey, being at a modest 80 proof (40%). The Basil Hayden’s bourbon is named from Basil Hayden, Sr. who was a Maryland Catholic who led 25 Catholic families into Kentucky. Turns out, Hayden was also a distiller (who would have thunk?) who used a large amount of rye in his batches. His grandson Raymond Hayden founded a distillery known as Old Grand-Dad, which we still see bottling bourbon today. Here’s the deal: this bourbon is made by Jim Beam. All this history just tells you where it came from. Let’s see what it turns out to be like. 

Nose: Oak, corn, subtle rye, wheat, honey, cinnamon sugar, mint, allspice

A/W: More Floral

Arrival: Light honey, oak, caramel, vanilla, sweet, thin

A/W: Same

Body: Sweet, light, honey, mint, ginger, corn, caramel

A/W: Big oak, sweet, lightly floral

Finish: Herbal, mint, cherry sweetness, wheat, hot cinnamon, rye, oak, vanilla, dry, medium length

A/W: Same

Final Comments: Basil Hayden’s is clearly not the most complex bourbon on the market, and you pay quite a penny for it. It starts to beg the question, then, if it is worth the money. The positive part is that it has a good balance of flavors, it is a sweet bourbon, and it is certainly a quality whiskey. The bad news is that it is expensive and it isn’t an engaging whiskey. 

Why you’d buy it: It’s a smooth alternative to regular bourbon and you like having a nice social status.

Why you wouldn’t: You want to pay less for more, and Buffalo Trace exists.

Score: 7.5/10

Review 129: Woodford Reserve Doubled Oaked

Review 129

1/7/13

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked: 45.2% abv

Background: Woodford Reserve is a distillery we’ve discussed before, so there isn’t much sense in rehashing information. The idea behind this particular bottling is that a batch of bourbon is put into a fresh oak cask (remember, no bourbon can be aged in refill casks), and ages for a number of year (since this is deemed “straight” bourbon, we known it is at least 4 years), and then is thrown into a second bourbon cask which is toasted, for extra maturing. This exposes the bourbon to all new American oak with which to interact. We’re foreshadowing...

Nose: Cherry, wood intensity, oak, hot, alcohol (pure alcohol, rubbing alcohol, light nail polish), burnt sugar, molasses, honey, wheat, subtle leather, cinnamon, grain (corn, rye), grapes, rum sweetness. 

A/W: More Floral, balanced

Body: Spice, oak, cherry, ginger, cinnamon, cumin

A/W: Caramel, more dominance from cherry

Finish: Oak, cherry, wheat, cinnamon, gingerbread, spice, caramel, molasses, pepper, ginger, rye, cumin

A/W: Lingering cherry, hot

Final Comments: Woodford Reserve presents a more premium offering to their original Distiller’s Select, which we were particular to. The end result isn’t what you’d necessarily expect though. There is a lack of brilliance to this, and a horrible lack of balance which screams the oak is over-dominant. The trick with bourbon is that the fresh casks are such powerful flavor-enhancers, that adding a second one certainly changes the impact of the oak on the overall balance of the whiskey. This isn’t a bad whiskey, but we think they took a large step backwards. We also enjoy making the occasional crack at marketers. Woodford comments “How do you make the best bourbon in the world better?” (I’m paraphrasing), and we would respond “Not like that”

Score: 7.75/10

Review 128: John Henry West Indies Pale Ale

Review 128

1/6/13

John Henry West Indies Pale Ale: 9.4% abv

Here’s a look at a unique pale ale made by a brewery in Minnesota. To be honest, we can’t tell you a whole lot about them, but we can tell you they’re out there. We can also give you a guess on whether or not you should buy a bottle. I don’t believe to any degree that one should ever stop looking for a new, better craft brew or spirit or wine to try. The adventure on its own is an extremely rewarding experience. 

So why did we pick this one? There is a simple reason: this particular pale ale was aged in dark rum oak spirals. They also have a beer aged with bourbon, and one with brandy. There is debate about whether oak spirals or oak casks impart better flavor, but we don’t think that those anorak discussions are worth spending time on when exploring. There is not a large amount of experimentation done with rum-aged beers, and especially dark rum as far as we can tell. Bourbon tends to dominate in these parts. Innis and Gunn does it with great success, so can this company pull it off too? 

Let’s start with the nose and find out. The aroma is dark, but maybe not overly-potent. There is a unique mixture of flavors, but it starts with light roasted malt, oak, molasses, caramel, gentle hops, light coffee and chocolate in dark flavors. There is another aspect in fruit smells, including pear, black berries, strawberry, and pineapple. The nose is a very satisfactory start to the beer. From here, the taste becomes a little different. 

The arrival is empty in mouth-feel, but has some contributing flavors of spice, sweetness, slight tartiness and some citrus. One can experience aggressive molasses which can only be assumed to be from the dark rum, toffee, and orange peel. This isn’t a complex arrival, but does introduce the beer adequately. Now that the red carpet has been rolled forth, the taste comes out. The body is sugary, with the same molasses character as the arrival. There is the addition of caramel, orange-like citrus, toffee, and some raisons. The body does a good job of building off of the arrival without overdoing it. 

The finish is going to have the same effect though. Molasses. You might notice a common note here, and we’ll comment on that soon. The finish contains grainy notes including barley, wheat, and yeast, but is complemented by vanilla, toffee, raisons, hops, and even a distinct soda water taste. The finish is medium short, so it doesn’t stick around too much. 

The end of this tune is that there is a definite presence of dark rum, which is both good and bad. We think that it over-dominates the taste profile, and does not leave room for complexity. This shouldn’t be a surprise, but we’d like to see a little less rum balance. This company could learn from the whisky industry and mix this rum-casked beer with some 2nd or 3rd fill cask beer, or some fresh beer to balance the flavors. This is a decent beer, and we’d like to see more experimentation with these non-traditional aging spirits. 

Score: 7.75/10

Review 127: Terra d'Oro Moscato

Review 127

12/30/12

Terra d’Oro Moscato

We’re back with Terra d’Oro. This is a California wine maker that does a multitude of different wines. The original Terra d’Oro review was their Zinfandel Port, but now we’re moving to another sweet wine. Their Moscato, as part of the Heritage collection, sits along side their Pinot Grigio, Barbera, and Sangiovese wines. What’s next is naturally a quick lesson on moscatos. 

Moscato comes from a variety of grape known as Muscat, which is grown around the world and wildly grown for table grapes, wine, and raisons. Moscato is generally a lightly “sparkling” wine, with a naturally sweeter type of style. Muscats are a family of grapes, and Moscato Bianco is a member of that family that is used to produce Moscato. 

Terra d’Oro gives us a splendid list of details regarding this wine, so if you are curious about learning more about the winemaking process, there is a place to start. We’re going to tell you about our second wine review. This moscato starts on the nose with a light acidy nose, vanilla, wood, and light grape aromas. There is also pink grapefruit note, anise, slight cream, citrus, and even some strawberry. There is a good balance of fruit and sweetness on the nose, and some minimal spice. 

Once you taste this, you’ll be greeted by...sweetness. This isn’t a shock with a Moscato. The arrival starts sweet and short, with raisons, sugar, and grape. The body comes in not much bigger with white grape, cream and custard, raisons, slight acidity, and grapefruits. Finally, there is a simple finish. It remains to be short, but there is a slight wood note, sweet grape, apple, and slight tartness. The finish is clean and fresh, but simple. 

In general, this is a simple wine. There is no complexity to this, but it does a good job of simply stating the sweetness of a wine. As we get deeper into the world of wines, we’ll start to tell you more about the differences between wines in different areas. For this one, it’s hard to go wrong with a cheap, simple wine. 

Score: 7.5/10

Review 126: Aberlour 12 Year Double Cask

Review 126

12/23/12

Aberlour 12 Year Double Cask: 43% abv

Another review for your liking, and we’re taking a look at another single malt Scotch. This one is done by Aberlour Distillery, in Strathspey, Scotland. They produce a Speyside single malt, and generally have affiliations with making a good “sherried” whisky. Aberlour A’bunadh is a great example of such a whisky. It makes sense that one would consider them to be a producer of sherried single malts, as the 12 and 16 also have very obvious sherry notes in them. Aberlour is currently owned by Pernod Ricard, and was initially founded in 1879 (wikipedia says differently) , so there is some history to the distillery. 

Here’s a little bit about the whisky in question. The most important first fact to note about the Aberlour 12 Year, is that it isn’t alone. If you look around, you can find an Aberlour 12 Year Non-Chill Filtered variant. This individual bottling has a 48% abv and obviously no chill-filtration, but you are paying nearly the same price as the 16 year for that treatment. It seems like a bold move by Aberlour, but let’s focus on our friend here. This will run you around the same price as a Glenlivet 12, Glenfiddich 12, or Macallan 10, plus some change, but it really competes with the likes of Macallan 10, Macallan 12, Glenfarclas 12, Balvenie 12, and others. 

So how does it hold up in the stiff $40 base single malt range? Well we’re here to tell you. The nose gives you a nice blast of oak right off the bat, with the barley malt as a close second. There is a slightly vegetal quality to the nose, and retains a nice mixture of grain, sherry, slight bourbon influence, vanilla, and fruits. There is wheat on the nose, maple, molasses, raisons, light spice, a subtle lemon and grape presence, and just a general fruit sweetness. The nose provides some level of complexity, but you have to reach for it to truly grasp it. 

The arrival provides a decent introduction into the flavor, with barley, slight spice, caramel, and weak wine grape flavors. Not much is added in the body with oak, vanilla, malted barley, white grape, and some grape-like acidity. The body remains quite disappointing, due to the lack of complexity. After a little bit of water, the body becomes more wine-like and there is the addition of small spicy notes. 

The finish begins to introduce a large sherry character to the malt, and both cask influences become evident. There is oak, vanilla, raisons, cinnamon, ginger, molasses, maple, hot pepper, slight cherry, caramel, and powdered sugar. After adding water, the finish becomes more peppery. The finish is probably the most prominent part of the malt, and we didn’t find it mind-blowing by any means. 

This malt is generally an okay buy, but it lacks the overall complexity to shred with the big boys. Perhaps that 12 Year Non-Chill Filtered version might come into play here, but by no means is this a bad whisky. The problem is it doesn’t really spark any sort of excitement. As a casual sipper, though, it sure is a smooth Scotch to enjoy. It seems that Macallan 10 year has more depth, but not quite the same sherry impact as Aberlour presents here. Either way, not one you’ll spit out in disgust, so try it and see if it fits the bill for your taste. 

Score: 7.75/10

Review 125: Founders Bolt Cutter

Review 125

12/19/12

Founders Bolt Cutter: 15% abv

Well, it has been a while, Founders, but we’re back with another review, and hopefully it isn’t a roast. We have high expectations for Founders because they produce a high quality product consistently. This should be no different, and unfortunately for Founders, there has been a lot of hype around this particular beer. Almost to the point of it being annoying, we’ve heard about the 15th anniversary of Founders. We are happy for you, we baked you a cake, but my understanding was that there were TICKETS for buying this beer. TICKETS. This beer is not going to see the London Symphony Orchestra, here. Now it is time to see if Founders did it right for their 15th birthday, or if all the hype was just the usual marketing nonsense. 

Founders Bolt Cutter is a barleywine. As we have said in the past, barleywines are heavy in alcohol content, which gives them the “wine” designation, but they are definitely beers. Most barleywines will sit at about 10-15%, with beers rarely exceeding the 15% limit. This one certainly does its best to be up there at 15%. Don’t be afraid my friends. Just as Devil Dancer could be tamed, so too can the Bolt Cutter. Also, for your information, pouring this over any type of metal will effectively do nothing, despite the name. 

This beer, as soon as you start to smell it, will come off with big fruitiness and sweetness. Notes include honey, grapefruit, cantaloupe, strawberry, kiwi, pineapple, lime, green apple, barley, wheat, green grape, oak, and even some vegetal notes. This is a very sweet, complex nose, and gives us a huge variety of smells that you would expect and enjoy out of a barleywine style ale. 

When you taste the beer, the arrival contains a lot of the same sweet flavors that the nose has. This includes honey, vanilla, barley, molasses, toffee, lemon, melon, and some cream. It’s a relatively satisfactory arrival, which leads into a relatively satisfactory body. The body has more sweetness, with caramel, butterscotch, honey, maple, grain, barley, wheat, cream and melon. Finally, in the finish there is slightly more hoppy, piney bitterness that accompanies the sweetness. There is definitely grapefruit and pine, but there is also cream, honey, caramel, toffee, barley, orange, apple skins, and allspice. The finish is medium in length, but admittedly not totally impressive. 

This is not an unworthy beer. Let’s be honest though: if you don’t have this one by now, you’re probably never getting it. We were very excited to do this review, but paid a hefty price to try this beer. The end result is a good, enjoyable experience that will get you drunk, breaks the bank, and is virtually impossible to procure. We still think it is good quality and we will score it based off of our standard criteria. Nonetheless, if you want a good barleywine, visit some of the standards  first and see if they treat you better. 

Score: 8.75/10

Review 124: El Dorado 12 Year

Review 124

12/18/12

El Dorado 12 Year: 40% abv

“Aged”, “Anejo”, “Old” rums, turns out, sort of carry their own category. The reason I provided several monikers for these kinds of rums is because the term “aged” can be misleading. Although rums don’t have to be aged (some countries require at least 1 year of aging), a lot of them are. This is a different kind of thing from an “aged” rum, you see. This one, in particular, is 12 years old. This sounds like a bottom shelf single malt Scotch age, but don’t think of this anything but very good. And not many rum producers tag an age statement on their bottles, and we really like this practice: it encourages quality. 

On to El Dorado. If you’re looking for a rum producer to provide you with a good variety of rums, this could be the place to look. El Dorado, from Demerara, produce a multitude of rums. Their ranges are the luxury cask aged, fine cask aged, connoisseur range, superior standards and specialty products. We are reviewing the 12 Year Luxury Cask Edition, which means the cask itself owned a Maserati before being filled with rum. The more you know. If you want to go older, El Dorado even has a 25 year old rum but you might need to sell your car to buy it. 

Okay, all this talk about the distiller, and not the rum. But let’s just take ONE more second to discuss the finer details of this rum. The 12 Year is aged in bourbon casks for 12 years, but even more interesting is the blends that make it. There are three stills where this rum hails from and one of them is called the Port Mourant Double Wooden Still. Yes, this rum was distilled from one of the last two remaining original wooden stills in the world. So that is an interesting fact. Let’s move on. 

El Dorado 12 year is a fantastic rum, but let’s find out more about it. On the nose, there is a balanced composition of sweetness and spiciness. There is a fresh sugarcane smell, coupled with sweet molasses, and includes more smells of oak, honey, caramel, apple, cinnamon, vanilla, slight grain, banana and coconut. This is a different, rather complex smelling rum, and if all you have been drinking is Captain Morgan, this will throw you off of your seat. This smell does have a slightly alcohol-like presence to it. There is no doubt to it, although this strikes as some surprise given its mile, if not disappointing alcohol content. 

The arrival begins with a simple, gentle, sweet arrival of vanilla, caramel, molasses and even some melon. It’s probably the most disappointing, eventless part of the rum. But don’t worry, the body comes to the rescue with complexity. There is a big raisony note in the body, with sweetness attributed to honey and agave, and plenty of notes further. These include grapes, mint, fresh herbs, molasses, vanilla, orange, honeydew, and nutmeg. After adding some water, there is an oaky presence adding in mild spices and ginger, with a better blend of flavors.

The finish closes with that same raisony, honey-like flavor, but there is more of a sherry-like presence. There is confectioner’s sugar, grapefruit, ginger, mild pepper, agave, orange, peark skin, citrus, and slight dryness. This changes slightly in balance after water, and there is the addition of enhanced apple and tropical fruits.

So this is a relatively complex spirit. If you are asking if it is worth what it demands in cost, then we’d quickly say without a doubt. The problem is that Appleton Estate 12 Year still exists, and we think Appleton has outdone themselves, and outdone El Dorado. That does not make these two rums the same, and it is easy to tell how one would enjoy them both, or prefer the contrasting flavors. This rum is not overly dominant in any particular fashion and even goes so far to become better balanced after some water. Next time you see it, give it a try and see what we mean. 

Score: 9.0/10

Review 123: Pampero Aniversario

Review 123

12/17/12

Pampero Aniversario Reserva Exclusiva: 40% abv

We are talking another quick look at rums today, and for that we have all the way from Venezuela, Pampero. Now, these marketing folks always like to piss me off with their stupid marketing nonsense, but I guess we’ll start with the facts. Venezuelan rums tend to be rich rums, and this little guy is no exception. This rum was bought purely because it comes in a leather satchel, and we’re always suckers for packaging. Now Pampero might not be a big player in the world of rums, but it certainly is unique, and at a reasonable price, deserves a second look. Unfortunately for it, it is shredding against the big dogs like Appleton Estate, Mount Gay, and El Dorado. 

It appears as if some marketing monkeys have compared this rum to having better complexity as a sipper than Cognac or Scotch, so here’s my five minute rant. Complexity is not defined by what the spirit is, but rather the quality of the spirit and the craftsmanship involved. Pampero does have some things to be said for it, but I can think of a number of Scotches that would leave it to the dust. Therefore, let’s not compare apples to oranges, and stick with the fact that this is indeed a good rum. 

And it is. Let’s look at what we found in it: On the nose, there is a huge creamy molasses note right up front, with cocoa, maple wood, nutmeg, gingerbread, banana, apple, strawberry, caramel, powdered sugar, honey and vanilla all being present. This is a relatively complex nose, but the theme here is sweet. It certainly contrasts the rums we’ve had in the past, so that’s good. 

When you start tasting this thing, you realize that the sweetness in the nose isn’t just made up. And rich it is. This is certainly a sipping rum, because there’s nothing else you could do with it. Interestingly, the arrival is big, and provides you with cinnamon, molasses, caramel, sugar, cream, mint and even some raisons. It is complex and up front, and it doesn’t make you wait. The body contains a big sherry raison taste, and keeps up with the molasses. The dark sweet notes of caramel, nutmeg, maple, and vanilla keep the body full, with additional notes of cherry, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, banana, coconut, and mint. 

The body is busy, but not impossibly complex. The finish is dark, and has the most prominent presence of raisons and sherry, but keeps most of the notes of the body, with some powdered sugar and honey to add. And granted, this is not a bad thing. This rum is different and unique and, if enjoyed slowly, is an easy smooth sipper for anybody who enjoys a sweeter rum. As we reviewed this one, we grew into it a little more. It takes understanding, but even for those who don’t particularly seek the sweeter of rums, this can be enjoyed. 

Score: 8.5/10

Review 122: Dogfish Head Bitches Brew

Review 122

12/16/12

Dogfish Head Miles Davis Bitches Brew: 9% abv

Back with another Dogfish Head review. And this one is one of the more limited edition Dogfish Heads. This is a dark ale brewed with honey and gesho. So you might not know what gesho is like we didn’t, or maybe you’re more intelligent than us. Gesho is formally known as Rhamnus prinoides if you’re going to look it up, and it is used in Ethiopia like hops is used here. The stems are collected from the plant and boiled, and the extract is mixed with honey to make mead. That’s an interesting little fact for us all, and it gives some context to this beer, and maybe the bottle art too. 

So this is a dark ale, but this is a dark ale like Cabin Fever is a brown ale. In other words, it is kind of a stout. The nose confirms this for you with notes of coffee, vanilla, caramel, roasted barley, chocolate, toffee and some wheat. This is a pretty typical nose. The arrival is coffee-like, with some small lemon-lime influence, vanilla, and even soft cream. 

The body contains coffee, toffee, grain, barley, wheat, cream, raisons, and even almonds. This is turning out to be pretty typical of a stout, with a little bit of nuttiness to change things up. The finish is big in the barley flavor, with wheat and chocolate on the back end, coupled with some small hops notes, coffee, toffee, cream, and almonds. The finish is long and big, and very enjoyable. 

So this isn’t really a terribly complex ale, and it is pretty typical for the stout/dark ale character. This doesn’t make it good, but it isn’t cutting edge. And frankly, we like to see our expensive beers in smaller bottles, because drinking a full fifth of a 9% beer in a night doesn’t lead to appreciation, it leads to drooling. None the less, this is a nice beer and we think you’d enjoy it, but I wouldn’t break my legs to get another bottle of it. 

Score: 8.25/10

Review 121: Jolly Pumpkin La Roja

Review 121

12/16/12

Jolly Pumpkin La Roja: 7.2% abv

Jolly Pumpkin is something else. A brewery around several areas in Michigan including Traverse City and Ann Arbor, JP specializes in sour beers. The last time we did a sour beer, the result wasn’t the best in our minds. Despite this, we aren’t going to be deterred and wanted to try another one. Remember, KCM uses three main criteria for scoring their reviews: uniqueness, complexity, and quality. A second tier of qualifiers includes drinkability, price, and personal preference if the panel isn’t decisive enough. I say that because I need to preface this review. The idea of a sour beer is that while the mash is being created, the beer is allowed to be infected by bacteria (science can be gross, folks) and this bacteria produces a sour biproduct. This is the core concept behind a sour mash, for you Jim Beam/Jack Daniels fans. 

La Roja is an amber ale which uses this ideology and barrel aging to give it a distinct flavor. Spoiler alert, we don’t think it worked. The nose is the first encouraging part. The nose contains a decent number of fruity flavors like strawberry daquiri, grape, sweet red wine, pear, floral notes, acidity, lemon, light pine, tangerine, nutmeg and even some subtle raison. We were content with this, and it foreshadowed to a good complex beer. Here ends the encouraging part. 

The arrival contained very concentrated fruit flavors of red grape juice, cranberry, grapefruit, slight oak, and some acidity. We are getting more hardcore with the cran/grape juice as we push into the flavor, with no sign of bitterness, but rather citrus notes like tart lemon and grapefruit. There is a SLIGHT hint of grain here, but you probably won’t notice it unless you’re looking for it. The finish....is the same. There is an addition of slight yeast is all. Okay. So this beer doesn’t taste like beer, and doesn’t taste like there is alcohol in it. If you handed this to a five year old, they probably wouldn’t know you replaced their Juicy Juice. This would be okay if we felt there was a greater complexity to it, but it wasn’t found in this bottle. Jolly Pumpkin may have some great beers, and we have experienced them, but KCM doesn’t recommend this one. 

Score: 5.0/10

Review 118: Kilchoman Machir Bay

Review 118

12/14/12

Kilchoman Machir Bay: 46% abv

First of all, the “c” in Kilchoman is silent, so you can wipe the sweat off of your brow, Choman. Stupid jokes. Secondly, here’s a little bit about Kilchoman: This is our second Islay Scotch review, and it is a particularly interesting one. You’ll be amazed to know that Kilchoman as a distillery started producing whisky in 2005. If that doesn’t make you more interested, then let me put this in perspective. Laphroaig Distillery, the Islay Scotch maker we reviewed last, was founded in 1815. Kilchoman is hardly even a toddler in the world of Scotch. So you’re probably asking yourself, what could that possibly mean for how old the Scotch is? This particular statement is a mixture of three, four, and five year old whisky, with the four year old whisky being aged in Oloroso Sherry butts. That makes this the youngest Scotch we’ve reviewed on KCM by 7 years. 

Does that mean it will be harsh, horrible whisky? Well we’re here to tell you more about how Machir Bay tastes. Here’s some tasting notes for you. On the nose, there is a large number of flavors to taste. Included in those flavors is a bready grain smell, with wheat, rye, and even a yeast scent. There is salt and fresh peat smell, earthy notes, seaweed, and green, vegetal notes including grass. One can catch black pepper, smoke, and tobacco on the nose. 

In the arrival, there is big flavors of tobacco and peat right off the bat, but also the additions of salt, dry rye and wheat, and even some slight honey. In the body, one can find ginger spice, nutmeg, bread notes, tobacco, yeast, wheat, salt, rye, and a little barley. The finish is what will overload your senses. It starts with that big peat you know, some tobacco, salt, dry grain notes of rye and wheat, big black pepper notes, ginger, earthy and vegetal notes, big salt, more tobacco, a mild red pepper flavor, ashy wood, slight berry fruitiness, and some bitterness carried on by the black pepper flavor. 

After adding water to the whisky, it generally takes down the intensity and calms the bitterness just slightly, but the tobacco flavor in this malt is still a big player in the flavor. So to give you an idea of the difference between this and Laphroaig on a general level, it’s pretty easy to outline. Laphroaig has a much more woody, ashy flavor with some prominent fruit notes, adding some sweetness to it. Kilchoman takes on that big tobacco flavor with dry grain notes, and has a fresh, peaty taste which outlines less woodiness or campfire type flavors, but rather a subtler, more refined smoke. It is complex and pleasant, and you probably wouldn’t guess it was less than 12 years old. Either way, it is, and if you can find it, it’s worth a buy. We can’t wait for older statements from Kilchoman.

Score: 9.0/10