Penny for Your Thoughts - March Madness
The reviews today come from a random assortment of whiskies that we've tried recently and whiskies we've been enjoying as we root for Duke in the tournament.
George Dickel No. 12 (45% ABV) - Dickel 12 (a recipe number, not the age, akin to Jack Daniel's No. 7) is the less famous of the two major Tennessee whiskey houses (take a wild guess at the other one). It's also the better one, albeit one with a more unique profile that might not suit all drinkers. As you'd expect from what essentially is a bourbon, the dominant mix of flavors are vanilla, caramel, and some citrus fruit. However, there is a chalky or vitamin-like quality to Dickel's spirit which reminds me of Springbank in the scotch world. This expression also features some unusual spice qualia, particularly in the finish. My wife identified cardamom as one of the last notes, so all credit to her for that one. Hard to complain about something this good that costs around $25 a bottle. As someone stuck in the shadow of a more famous name might say, "They'll forget they ever heard about Jack Daniels." B+
Laphroaig Cairdeas Origin (51.2%) - This is the oldest of the Cairdeas series that I've tried so far, so old that it dates back to my graduation from law school, in the dark ages when the only scotch I drank was Black Label. While the more recent iterations of this annual series have become a paean to different finishing techniques, particularly various sweet wine or dessert wine finishes, this Cairdeas seems very different. It hones in on the core Laphroaig flavors, while also adding a unique twist. The nose's strongest note is, of course, smoke, but there is a lingering air of sweet honey-roasted peanuts, reminiscent of the nut carts that line the broadways of New York. The palate is briny, has a sharp, cutting lemon note, and also features some creamy, nutty flavors. Pine nuts may be what I'm getting here. The finish is warming, smoky, long as any Laphroaig, and has a glimmer of tropical fruits. This is a nice one, worthy of the line as a whole. Am I ever going to find a Cairdeas that I don't love? It's Laphroaig, so probably not. A-
Compass Box Spice Tree Extravaganza (46%) - Spice Tree, which I reviewed a few months ago, is the best of Compass Box's regular lineup of blended scotches, and is a better scotch at around $60 a bottle than Johnnie Walker Green Label or Blue Label, two much more expensive and well-known blends. Extravaganza is the company's "upscale" version of Spice Tree, which means that the components are older and presumably more expensive to acquire than those that make up the original. At about $130 a bottle, this is squarely in the middle of the high end or limited edition Compass Box blends. It is also an excellent whisky, although not without flaws. The nose features some graham cracker, oats, orange, sherry, and spice. That spice, the whisky's namesake, grows in influence in its taste, which features pepper, all-spice, and honey in addition to those grain notes and sherry. The finish is where the age reveals itself, as it's much oakier than standard Spice Tree and quite long. I found this scotch to be a little hot, which was a surprise for an older blend. B+
Wild Turkey Forgiven (45.5%) - I didn't realize what this was when I first sipped it, expecting a variation on the distillery's bourbon. To my surprise, this tasted like a rye; in fact, more like a rye than Wild Turkey 101 Rye, which has more of a chameleon quality to its flavor. Then I googled it and found out that this is a blend of bourbon and rye, along the lines of other maverick whiskies like High West's well-regarded Bourye. To be honest, I thought this one was a little boring mostly because the bourbon is getting its ass kicked in this blend. Sure, there's a little vanilla and cherry that's more reminiscent of bourbon in the nose and at times in the palate, but this reads like a rye: heavy on the spice, dill, and sesame seed. Perhaps because I was signing up for a more bourbon-like experience, this one left me a little cold. B-
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B516 (69.7%) - Jesus Christ, this is a five-alarm fire of a whiskey, and close to the ideal bourbon to have exactly when I had it: in the middle of a mid-February snow storm in DC. This is intense, and perhaps a little too intense. The nose is tremendously oaky and luxurious, although there's a volatile edge of turpentine and heat that takes a while to blow over. The palate makes me worried that, if I open my mouth, I'd spontaneously combust. Yes, I may have finally found a whiskey that's too hot for my liking. There is such an intense, flavorful molasses or syrup fighting through that heat, but the heat never really diminishes to the level where I can pick out more flavors. The heat basically chases me out of the building. Of all the Barrel Proof releases that I've tried, this one is undoubtedly the most intense. I suspect I'd give this a higher rating with water, but I didn't add any to my single dram, so I'm reviewing this as a neat pour. B+