Penny for Your Thoughts - Highland Park Magnus, Yamazaki 12, Wild Turkey 101 Rye
Here's my weekly batch of short-form reviews. No stunners this week, but no major letdowns, either.
Highland Park Magnus (40% ABV) - I love to rag on Highland Park's no-age-statement expressions, as the distillery releases them in wave after wave, rapidly diluting the value of the brand name in favor of today's profits. That being said, sometimes, one encounters a pleasant surprise in the NAS world. Magnus is one of the newer members of this genre, and is positioned to be the true entry-level single malt in the Highland Park lineup, at an affordable, Glenlivet/Glenlivet 12-esque price of $35 or so. I wasn't expecting much, but I got plenty. This is not a sophisticated dram by any means, but it's kind of like the fun, trashy Netflix show that you end up clicking instead of the nuanced, prestige drama that you wish you could tell your friends you were watching. The nose smells exactly like green apple Jolly Ranchers. The palate, while understandably thin at this minimum ABV, also has plenty of that green apple, honey, and perhaps a wisp of that characteristic Highland Park roast coffee. The finish is malty and honey-sweet. What a fun, vibrant, youthful dram, and my favorite among the Highland Parks without an age statement. B+
Yamazaki 12 (43% ABV) - Yamazaki, I hardly knew thee. I'd just been introduced to this Japanese whisky around the time of its explosion in popularity and price around 2014 or so, so I had a chance to enjoy a few drams for reasonable prices before this become a much scarcer and dearer pour. The Mizunara oak definitely adds something unique to this drink, although I'm not sure if I actually like it more than the more conventional Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve, which has more standard, sherry-finished liquid. The aromas of this whisky are unusual to say the least: there's a spiciness and pungency that reminds me of Le Labo's Oud scent. The taste is much closer to Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve, with notes of peach and vanilla wrapped together in a sweet, enticing package. The finish tastes like honey-drizzled pecan biscuits. Look, if this whisky was still $80, I'd be more inclined to give it an A-range score, but at the $150 or so that it generally fetches, it's hard to recommend without a reservation. B+
Wild Turkey 101 Rye (50.5%) - Wild Turkey 101 is one of my favorite bourbons, and, to be honest, I didn't even realize that they made a rye version until I ordered this whiskey at a bar thinking that it was the bourbon. What did I get out of this mistake? A pretty decent, but very mellow, bourbon-like rye! This is something of a chameleon, actually, with a nose that reads more like a spicy scotch than a rye whiskey. There's much more honey and faint fruit than the strange, hoppy scents I associate with most ryes. On the palate, however, it stays truer to its genre, plenty of spice (cinnamon, clove) without many distinguishing notes. This also drinks under-proof. At $40, it's a worthwhile alternative to Bulleit rye. B