Penny For Your Thoughts - Haig Club, Larceny, Talisker Storm
Another week, another round of interesting whiskies.
Haig Club (40% ABV) - Wow, what a strange one. I bought a bottle of this runaway train of marketing hype because it was deeply discounted at my local liquor store (perhaps that should have been a warning sign). On the plus side . . . it only cost $30. I normally do full reviews, not these shorter blurbs, for bottles I own, but I just can't be bothered with Haig Club.
The nose is faint and sickly sweet, with a lot of acetone or ethanol, which is indicative of a young spirit and also at times a feature of single grain scotches.* The taste is so thin and depleted of the usual scotch flavors that it feels a little more like a flavored vodka or a barrel-aged gin, particularly in the finish, which is botanical and a little soapy in nature.
Having said some mean things, I'll now add a few (kind of) nice points. I tried a pour with a cigar, and the nose transformed into a dead ringer for chocolate ice cream. That was a pleasant surprise. In addition, because its flavors are quite mild, Haig Club isn't undrinkable, and it plays friendly in cocktails. D
*For those unfamiliar with the idiosyncratic terminology of whisky, a "single grain" scotch is a scotch from a single distillery (hence the "single") made from multiple grains (wow, that is misleading). A "single malt," in contrast, is a single distillery's product made from 100% malted barley.
Larceny (46%) - Larceny is Heaven Hill's wheated bourbon in the mid-range or entry-level premium category of about $30 a bottle. As a wheated bourbon, it has a different flavor profile than the medium- to high-rye bourbons that are my wheelhouse (Four Roses, Elijah Craig, Blanton's). Credit to Heaven Hill for bottling this at 46% (same as their Elijah Craig Small Batch), which is a great proof for any bourbon. And credit to them for sponsoring the recent Miami New Times Best of Miami party, where I got to try a pour. Smooth and uncomplicated, Larceny reminds me a lot of its fellow (more famous) wheated bourbon, Maker's Mark. The nose is all sweet maple syrup and a hint of that marker scent I often get from wheaters. The taste is light, sweet, with a slightly thin texture -- honey, vanilla, cream, and another hit of that not entirely pleasant marker note. The finish is mild and not particularly remarkable, although it has a little more bitterness than I like. Not much to contemplate as a sipping whiskey, but also not much to dislike either. I haven't yet found a wheated bourbon that has knocked me back, but if anyone wants to donate some Pappy or William Larue Weller for me to sample, I'm happy to accept! C+
And now for a blast from the past . . .
Talisker Storm (45.8%) - I haven't had this recently, but from 2013 to 2016 we almost constantly had a bottle of this smoky scotch from Skye (say it three times fast) because our go-to liquor store in DC discounted it to about $35-40 a bottle. As my introduction to Talisker, I'll always be fond of it, although I would prefer the distillery's 10-year standard bearer in a head-to-head matchup. Storm is a slightly rougher around the edges, higher intensity version of Talisker 10 in many ways, with the distillery's signature smoke and brine combination coming through immediately on the nose. The palate is flavorful and rich, and there the smoke is well balanced with the fullness of the malt, which takes on a savory character. The finish is moderate in length but has some pepper and smoke. This one goes great with a cigar! In terms of value-for-money, retailers are all over the place. For some reason, I've seen this priced at both a significant premium above, and a significant discount below, Talisker 10. At $50 or under, this is a spectacular value.
10/15/17 Update: I acquired another sample of this whisky recently and was happy to find it as enjoyable as I remembered. The nose features smoke and pronounced caramel, like a peated bourbon, with just a hint of brininess. The palate again has dark caramel, malt, smoke, brine, and a little hay. The finish is peppery and features that ashy, tea-like peat. I also get some leather and more caramel. B+