Penny for Your Thoughts - Laphroaig PX Cask, Elijah Craig Small Batch, Suntory Toki, Sazerac, John D
My wife and I went back to Taurus this weekend after watching War for the Planet of the Apes (a great movie!). I chose to go with a few ryes, which I don't normally drink, and I'm starting to realize I'm just not the biggest fan of rye whiskey. Nor am I all that familiar with it, so I'm not very good at picking out its flavors. With those caveats in mind, here are a few quick-hit reviews.
Sample of PX Cask provided by a kind friend -- notice the hand-executed wax seal!
Laphroaig PX Cask (48% ABV) - PX Cask strikes me as Laphroaig's answer to Ardbeg's ultra-popular and critically acclaimed Uigeadail. The ABV is a few percentage points lower, so it's a milder dram, but otherwise my notes are very similar. The nose is replete with sticky sweet sherry notes, cherry cordial, and fruitcake to complement some beeswax and floral peat. The palate is strawberry sweetness, a really mild peat, and honey. It is simpler and less complex than Uigeadail, but it also doesn't suffer from the young spirit hint I detect in that Ardbeg. The finish is sherry-forward again, but with a strong swirl of spices on top of hot chocolate. Laphroaig PX is an ideal scotch for someone who likes Uigeadail but finds it too intense. PX Cask is a travel retail exclusive, where it's priced reasonably at about $75 for a 1L bottle. A-
Suntory Toki (43%) - Suntory Toki strikes me as the Japanese answer to Glenmorangie Original or Chivas Regal. It hits the core whiskey profile well, but is a classic "jack of all trades, master of none" whiskey. There is a tiny bit of smoke on the nose, along with oats and honey. The palate is sweet and a little savory, with a thin but refreshing texture. The finish is fruity and sweet, but not particularly memorable. It's a good whiskey that highlights the resemblances between Japanese whiskey and Scotch whisky, which are (arguably) the closest kin in the whiskey world. B-
Elijah Craig Small Batch (47%) - I revered the 12-year edition of Elijah Craig that has since gone the way of the dodo. A year or two ago, Heaven Hill killed the age statement on this release, and now identifies it as a mix of 8- to 12-year old bourbons. The toasted oak and vanilla nose retains much of what I loved about Elijah Craig and is its strongest feature. The palate is a pleasant combination of butterscotch, toffee, a bit of apple, and pepper. The finish, however, is shorter than I remember from the 12-year and is where the drop in age probably hurts the most. It's now a little astringent and acidic, although the caramel and rye spice combination remains. I'd still pick this by a hair over Evan Williams Single Barrel, and it remains a solid value purchase at around $30. B+
Sazerac Rye (45%) - I'm starting to realize, after having had some universally well-reviewed ryes, that I might just not be a rye guy. On the nose, I get chocolate, some baking spices, and a big dose of sweetness in the tropical fruit vein. The palate is syrupy sweet, but with another healthy dose of rye spice. The finish is long, floral, spicy, and a bit medicinal. Unfortunately for me, I experience one of the core rye flavors as an offputting antiseptic or cleaning-fluid sensation, in both smell and taste. I noticed it in Lot No. 40, and have since picked up on it in several ryes I've tried. My palate is a bit biased against rye, it seems. That being said, it doesn't have any glaring weaknesses like a short finish or excessive ethanol aroma or heat. Leaving aside my universal bias against rye, Sazerac is a good value at $35-40 a bottle (if you can find it, as it's quite coveted). B
John David Albert's Taos Lightning (45%) - This rye seems like hipster catnip. It's a single barrel rye from a small distillery in New Mexico, under a revived brand from the early 19th century whose founder was killed during the Taos Revolt of 1847, and named after a distillery worker (Albert) who fought in a siege during that revolt. This rye is five years old, so similar in age to Sazerac. I also get a very similar profile to Sazerac in the nose and palate: scents of coffee along with a clear rye base; pears, pineapple, plenty of rye spice, and that cleaning solution impression; and a smooth finish that is mostly sweet and not as spicy, with a rich mouthful of bread and grain. It's $60 a bottle, so not cheap for a rye, but worth trying. B-