I got into Japanese whisky at exactly the wrong time: just early enough to come to love it at the pre-craze prices but just late enough to not have stocked up or tried the really good stuff. For example the day Suntory announced that Hakushu 12 was being discontinued I was able to buy out the remaining stock at a local shop but I’d not had the chance to try any of their older expressions.

Anyways that brings us to a blind taste off between the pre-craze Yamazaki 12, which is now expensive and hard to find, and the post-craze NAS Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve to see if these replacement bottles really hold up!

Yamazaki 12 Year

Age: 12 years

Abv: 86 proof

Color: A medium amber

Price: $119.99

Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve

Age: NAS

Abv: 86 proof

Color: A medium gold

Price: N/A (Local open bottle trade)

Sample 1 Notes

Nose: Rich,sweet and sticky with dark fruity and some floral notes.

Taste: The sherry influence is clear with it’s predominantly dark fruit notes. It also had a great, viscous mouthfeel for the proof.

Finish: Medium length with rich dark fruit and warm spice.

Reveal: Yamazaki 12 Year

Sample 2 Notes

Nose: Light and fruity with bright cherry and malt notes.

Taste: More malt and bright cherry notes.

Finish: Medium length malty finish without much else going on. A bit disappointing.

Reveal: Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve

Conclusion

As far as the blind portion goes I honestly had no idea which was which and optimistically guessed that my preferred one, #1, was the Distiller’s Reserve which was wrong.

These were both very good whiskies but the Yamazaki 12 got downgraded from 8 due to the crazy price spike while the Distiller’s Reserve was weighed down by the sub par finish. Before the finish I was about to declare that the Distiller’s Reserve was a worthy successor in world without age statements but alas it wasn’t to be. In a world where an excellent 18 year old scotch wasn’t cheaper than Yamazaki 12 it would definitely have a place on my shelf but the Distiller’s Reserve didn’t quite make that cut.

As an aside, I’ve been comparing mouthfeels of single malts vs bourbons lately and these are both better than Buffalo Trace or Eagle Rare (the closest proof bourbons I had on hand)

Yamazaki 12 Year

2 Stars - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle

Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve

1 Star - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies

This is the second in a 3 part series comparing some of Glenfiddich’s mid range solera vat single malts: the Select Cask, the Reserve Cask and the 15 year Solera Reserve. I tasted all 3 of them together but not blindly.

The second entry is the single malt that started it all for me. While Johnnie Walker Black got me into scotch it was Glenfiddich 15 that brought me over to single malts way back in my college days. This excellent expression is aged in sherry, bourbon and new oak casks before being married in the solera vat.

Review

Age: 15 years

Abv: 80 proof

Color: A medium gold

Price: $62.99

Neat

Nose: Rich dark fruit(not quite cherry or grapes), honey and oak notes dominate the nose though a couple drops of water tone them down a touch

Taste: More rich dark fruit and oak alongside a touch of spice that starts to pick up at the end. A couple drops of water brings the spice forward and uncovers a malt note. Surprisingly viscous mouthfeel for an 80 proofer.

Finish: A short to medium length finish with a nice balance of sweet honey and spice notes

1 Star - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies

Conclusion

This old favorite is still delicious even if it has been ousted by their 18 year since I can afford better booze now. I still really enjoy the progression on this one from the sweet nose to the balanced finish and the oakiness with no bitterness. Overall this is a great bottle and an excellent entry point to single malt scotches. I’d love to try a higher proof bottling of this.

I also sipped on some Basil Hayden’s 10 year(the only other open 80 proof bottle I had) at the end to get a comparison on mouthfeel and this was way better. All three of these had a better mouthfeel in fact.

I ended up in possession of these two tater ten year bourbons via a questionable purchase and a trade. The Basil Hayden’s 10 Year is the same high rye mash bill and low proof as the regular Basil Hayden’s bourbon just aged a little longer while the Heaven’s Door is a low rye mashbill and bottled at 100 proof instead of the 90 proof of their regular expression. I couldn’t resist doing a little blind tasting to see if either one of them lived up to the hype!

Heaven’s Door 10 Year Tennessee Straight Bourbon

Age: 10 years

Abv: 100 proof

Color: A medium amber

Price: $119.99

Basil Hayden’s 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Age: 10 years

Abv: 80 proof

Color: A dark amber

Price: $69.99

Sample #1

Nose: Strong toasted marshmallow, chocolate, a touch of nuts

Taste: Decent mouthfeel with more marshmallow, chocolate milk powder, nuts and a tobacco

Finish: Medium to long finish with the chocolate and tobacco fading to just tobacco

Reveal: Heaven’s Door

0 Stars - Fine: I would not specifically choose to drink this over other readily available options

Sample #2

Nose: Cherry and sweet honey notes with a touch of spice.

Taste: More cherries and honey but the spice is missing for me. Unfortunately thin, watery mouthfeel though.

Finish: Ah the baking spice note come back in the short finish along side more cherries and honey.

Reveal: Basil Hayden’s

0 Stars - Fine: I would not specifically choose to drink this over other readily available options

Conclusion

The blind portion of this was pretty easy thanks to those classic Dickel notes and that equally classic thin Basil Hayden’s mouthfeel.

I really enjoyed the Heaven’s Door 10 year would rank it somewhere between the Dickel 9 year and a good Dickel sourced Barrell pick but it’s nontrivially more expensive than either so I can’t see myself buying a bottle. If this was priced a little more favorably I would have given it an 8.

The Basil Hayden’s was fine, just fine. It is a step up from the current NAS bottling but not enough to really make a difference. The notes were all pleasent and based on my taste for Booker’s and Knob Creek I’m curious what a barrel proof or at least 100-110 proof version of Basil Hayden’s would be like.

The Heaven’s Door was the clear winner here but neither was a triumph, or worth the money. That said I could see grabbing the Basil Hayden’s 10 Year as a nice gift for someone who likes Basil Hayden’s like my dad for example.

This is the first in a 3 part series comparing some of Glenfiddich’s mid range solera vat single malts: the Select Cask, the Reserve Cask and the 15 year Solera Reserve. I tasted all 3 of them together but not blindly.

We’re starting with the Select Cask which is a combination of European, bourbon and red wine casks. This is a duty free exclusive that I picked up on my way back from Mexico.

Review

Age: NAS

Abv: 80 proof

Color: A light, pale gold

Price: $50

Neat

Nose: Bright sweet notes of floral honey, citrus peel, malt and a vanilla note when a couple drops of water were added

Taste: Neat it was significantly muted from the nose with more honey and a bit of citrus but not much else thankfully a couple drops of water brought out a vanilla note and a touch of spice. Unfortunately thin mouthfeel though even with the water.

Finish: Short and simple with vanilla and honey notes.

Conclusion

The European oak and bourbon cask influences were clear; I didn’t get any notes I associate with red wine casks though. Overall this was a decent pour but nothing really stood out either. Given the limited availability, duty free only, and the price I’d just stick with the 14 year bourbon cask or spring for the 15 year.

7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar

Poor - Overpriced, not worth the money

Scale

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This is a NAS cask strength rye from Sagamore Spirits. It ironically is loaded with marketing language about Maryland and insists that there are “no shortcuts here” when it is sourced from MGP. I was hoping we were getting away from this sort of thing in the craft spirits scene but alas we are not. Well let’s see if the taste makes up for it!

Review

Age: NAS

Abv: 112.2 proof

Color: A reddish copper

Price: $64.99

Batch 2e

Neat

Nose: A little hot with cinnamon and baking spice notes

Taste: Also a little hot with more herbal notes at the front leading to cinnamon and baking spice with just a hint of something sweeter. Vanilla maybe? Decent mouthfeel.

Finish: Long and hot with mostly cinnamon notes here as well

On a rock

Nose: Significantly mellowed by the ice bringing the cinnamon way down and bring forward the vanilla and herbal notes from the neat taste.

Taste: The ice helps here too by greatly improving the mouthfeel to something nice and viscous, taming the heat and again bringing the vanilla out alongside a bit of honey. The baking spice and herbal notes are still there and slightly subdued.

Finish: The honey and vanilla fade back to a shorter cinnamon finish.

Conclusion

I wouldn’t drink this neat and was ready to give it a harsh review but the ice really saved it for me. That said I still won’t be looking for a backup bottle but I’d be willing to drink it on the rocks at a bar or at a cookout. It was too pricey for what it is too me and I’d take a nice Willet 4 year or High West Rendezvous Rye over it and save a few bucks.

I’d be interested to taste that 2017 batch that won Double Gold at the SF Spirits Competition and their Port Finish though.

0 Stars - Poor to Fine: I would not specifically choose to drink this

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So I’m slowly making my way through the Whiskey Advocate Top 20 Whiskies of 2018 this year and reviewing them as I go and just got to my first Canadian whiskey on the list which will also be my first Canadian whiskey review unless you count Whistle Pig 10 Year as Canadian. I figured I needed something to baseline the fancy Crown with so I grabbed a mini bottle of their ‘Deluxe’ to sample alongside it.

Crown Royal 13 year Bourbon Mash

Age: 13 years

Abv: 90 proof

Color: A deep gold

Price: $64.99

Mash Bill: 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley

Neat

Nose: Very bourbon style nose with oak, vanilla and floral honey notes.

Taste: Bright, floral note forward with some vanilla, oak and herbal notes in the background. Unfortunately he mouthfeel was a bit thin for me though that’s not unexpected with 90 proof.

Finish: Very long, which was a nice treat, with floral, herbal and honey notes.

On a rock

Nose: Improved by the ice with a nice balance of vanilla, honey and oak with hints of floral notes.

Taste: The ice improves the mouthfeel significantly and really brings out the herbal notes while subduing the oak.

Finish: Much shorter, unfortunately, with predominantly herbal and honey notes.

Crown Royal Deluxe

Age: NAS

Abv: 80 proof

Color: a pale, light gold

Price: $2.99 for the 50ml bottle

Neat

Nose: Acetone, green apples and maybe a bit of vanilla

Taste: Not good, more acetone and sweet vanilla with a very thin mouthfeel

Finish: Longer than I would have liked for the flavor profile, just more of the notes from the taste.

On a rock

Nose: Very subdued, hard to pick out clear notes.

Taste: Also very subdued but ‘smooth’ with some vanilla notes coming through. Still a thin mouthfeel.

Finish: Short and simple with a dash of vanilla.

With Coke Zero on a rock

Nose: Strong cola notes, with some vanilla and a hint of oak.

Taste: Surprisingly nice with a balance of cola and vanilla and a touch of oak much like the nose.

Finish: The Crown notes don’t really carry into the finish leaving this a mostly just cola.

Conclusion

As I nosed and tasted the Crown bourbon mash I was a bit disappointed, especially given the cost, but then that finish kicked in and saved the day for me. I wouldn’t want to drink this all the time but it would be great for evenings where I just want to sip on one dram for a long time. The floral and herbal notes reminded me a bit of some MGP ryes. It was also quite good on a rock so it would be a good pick for drinking outside during a cookout for example.

The Crown Deluxe was pretty bad neat, tolerable on ice but quite good as a mixer. I could see myself ordering this over Evan Williams for a whiskey and Coke from time to time as a change up.

While the 13 year bourbon mash was quite good overall I still think rye is the way to go for Canadian whiskey.

Crown Royal 13 year Bourbon Mash

1 Star - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies

Crown Royal Deluxe

0 Stars - Poor to Fine: I would not specifically choose to drink this

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Today my raffle prize Moonshine Elijah Craig pick came in and Oak Liquor Cabinet got their Elijah Craig pick in so I knew what I had to do! Oak was doing a tasting so I swung by JJs to get my Moonshine bottle and then headed to Oak with the Moonshine bottle to do a preliminary side by side there(this is what happens when my wife goes out of town btw) and finally settled in tonight to do a proper write up. Since my wife is gone I was not able to do this blind but it was a good chance to break in my new blue glencairns!

Elijah Craig Small Batch Oak Liquor Cabinet Pick

Age: 11 years

Abv: 94 proof

Color: A medium gold

Price: $34.99

Barrel: #5105190

Barreled: 2007

Warehouse: EE

Floor: 5

Neat

Nose: A subtler nose than the default expression or the Moonshine with baking spice, oak and vanilla notes with a hint of smokiness

Taste: Warm spice and sweet dark cherry notes dominate the taste with a bit smoke and oak in the background. Sweeter and spicier with less tannic oak the than regular expression and with a slightly improved mouthfeel. Definitely a step up.

Finish: A long finish that starts sweet and oak and then lingers with spice and oak

Elijah Craig Moonshine Pick

Age: 9 years

Abv: 94 proof

Color: A medium gold

Price: $39.99

Barrel: #5575836

Warehouse: S

Floor: 6

Neat

Nose: The richest nose of the three with brown sugar, vanilla, baking spice and smokey notes in a brilliant proportion.

Taste: Somewhat similar to the default expression but the oak is less bitter and the sweet and spice notes from the nose carry on into the taste. The smokey notes are still there but hiding in the background.

Finish: A bit short compared to the OLC pick but on par with the default with a nice balance of vanilla, oak and baking spices.

Conclusion

I stand by my notes from my original tasting of Elijah Craig Small Batch with the exception that I was able to pick up some smokey notes in it this time; I’d probably give it a 6 instead of a 7 these days though.

Overall the Moonshine pick had the best nose and was just like an upgraded version of the default expression. It’s a great bottle though it felt a little bad that it was more expensive than the OLC pick and I had to win a raffle to get it!

The Oak Liquor Cabinet pick brought in a nice dark cherry note that I quite enjoyed and had the best finish by far even if the nose was a little underwhelming compared to the other two.

For me the OLC pick was the winner but I can easily see someone with different tastes, ie less sweet tooth or fondness for cherry, preferring the Moonshine. I’ll be picking up a bunker bottle of the Oak and I’d be surprised if I didn’t order a dram or two of the Moonshine at brunch once I polish my bottle so that made picking the ratings easy!

I haven’t had the chance to try a dusty 12 year Elijah Craig to weigh in on how it compares to the new stuff or these picks but I’m out there looking for a sample or if possible a bottle to see how it stacks up. I’ll be sure to post an update :)

Elijah Craig Small Batch Oak Liquor Cabinet Pick

2 Stars - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle

Elijah Craig Moonshine Pick

2 Stars - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle

A local whiskey bar/restaurant, Moonshine Grill, does a ton of barrel picks and they have a system where each time you order a pour of one of their barrels you get a raffle ticket to be able to buy a bottle at retail(lpt: you can also order your wife a whiskey sour with their cheapest barrel pick to get extra tickets). So I got super lucky tonight(or drank way too much over the last few weeks to stack the deck) and won the raffle for their latest Russel’s Reserve single barrel. I went down there after work to pick it up and couldn’t wait to do a blind side by side with the Tejas Liquor Russel’s Reserve pick I had at home and my thankfully my wife could tell how excited I was an went along with my antics. Moonshine and Wild Turkey named this pick “Cheesy Gold Foil” after the original Wild Turkey 12 year bottles with their distinct gold foil label.

Glass Number 1 - Tejas Liquor by Prince

Age: NAS

Abv: 110 proof

Color: Deep copper

Price: $55.99

Barrel: 18-0801

Rickhouse: F

Floor: 5

Neat

Nose: Mostly sweet with a touch of spice. Strong vanilla and caramel notes with some oak and baking spice in the background.

Taste: It starts with all sweet caramel and vanilla but has a slightly too tannic, bitter oak note at the end.

Finish: The medium length finish recovers from the brief bitter note with warm spice notes and oak and just a bit of caramel.

Glass Number 2 - Moonshine Grill 15th Anniversary Cheesy Gold

Age: 12+ years

Abv: 110 proof

Color: Also a deep copper

Price: $58.99

Barrel: 14-2772

Rickhouse: A

Floor: 4

Neat

Nose: It’s all goodness with brown sugar and rich oak notes

Taste: More brown sugar is joined by warm baking spice notes and hints of oak

Finish: Medium to long finish with warm spice and brown sugar notes throughout

Conclusion

I was nervous going into my first blind bourbon review(side note my first blind review was scotch) with two Russel’s Reserve picks but I did manage to correctly identify them mostly thanks to that slightly bitter note in the Tejas pick. When I nosed the first glass I definitely thought it was going to be the better dram but that bit of bitterness knocked it down a peg for me. It wasn’t a bad note necessarily but it didn’t fit the rest of the palate for me. The second dram reminded me of Old Rip Van Winkle, one of my favorite bourbons, with the rich brown sugar and oak notes and definitely outclassed the first pour. Overall Russel’s Reserve picks are a great value this crazy bourbon market and the Moonshine pick was a standout among those picks. I’ve previously reviewed Oak Liquor Cabinet’s pick and it was a little hot for taste but still quite good especially with an ice cube.

Tejas Liquor by Prince

2 Stars - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle

Moonshine Grill 15th Anniversary Cheesy Gold

4 Stars - Extraordinary whiskey: An all time favorite

I’ve also managed to track down a sample of an actual Wild Turkey 12 year and will be doing a side by side with the Moonshine pick in the near future.

During my recent exploration of the new, single barrel offerings from Jack Daniel’s Oak Liquor Cabinet happened to get in store of the Select; naturally I couldn’t wait to do a side by side comparison of the store pick and a regular bottle. Without further ado let’s get to the review

Single Barrel Select #17-3241

Age: NAS

Abv: 94 proof

Color: A red tinged amber

Price: $43.99

Neat

Nose: A balance nose with sweet bananas, caramel, warm spice and oak

Taste: Weaker notes than the nose with mostly caramel and oak notes. Nice mouthfeel, viscous for being sub 100 proof.

Finish: The flavors pick back up in the medium length finish with vanilla, spice and oak notes

On a rock

Nose: Muted by the ice but still sweet with predominantly caramel notes

Taste: Caramel and vanilla

Finish: Shorter but not short, no spice, nice vanilla

OLC Pick Barrel #17-0657

Age: 5 years

Abv: 94 proof

Color: A shade lighter than the normal offering

Price: $47.99

Neat

Nose: Sweet with caramel, banana, vanilla and oak notes but not nearly as much spice

Taste: All bananas and oak Mouth felt a bit thinner than the normal offering

Finish: Significantly longer finish with strong sweet bananas, vanilla and oak alongside a touch of warm spice

On a rock

Nose: Also a bit muted by the ice but with clear banana and caramel notes

Taste: The taste held up better to the ice with that banana note shining through

Finish: The finish is again more powerful than the normal offering with more banana and oak

Conclusion

Leaning in on the signature JD banana notes and the better finish put the OLC pick up a notch over the Select for me but not enough to get to an 8. These bottles don’t live up to the very high bar the Heritage Barrel set for me but as a significant step up over previous JD releases. I could see myself occasionally grabbing one of these bottles as an alternative to a Four Roses SiB or OF 1920 as change up.

Single Barrel Select #17-3241

7 - a solid whiskey I’d happily order at bar if they don’t have something 8+

OLC Pick Barrel #17-0657

7 - a solid whiskey I’d happily order at bar if they don’t have something 8+

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Scale

My reviews are mostly about taste but occasionally take price into consideration generally dropping a point from whiskies in the 8-9 range that seem significantly more expensive than similar quality bottles.

10 - an all time favorite, must buy

9 - a favorite that I almost always have a bottle of on my shelf

8 - an excellent bottle I’d be happy to buy

7 - a solid whiskey I’d happily order at bar if they don’t have something 8+

6 - a decent whiskey that I don’t prefer but don’t avoid and would be fine having as a mixer or in a pinch somewhere with a poor selection

5 - I would drink it if offered and I didn’t have to pay for it

4 - Fine as a mixer, bring on the Coke Zero

3 - Maybe a mixer if I’m in pinch

2 - no thanks

1 - pouring out the bottle

The unfortunate weather in Austin this last week has a little silver lining in that it has given me plenty of time to drink whiskey and write about it! I’ve been holding off on the last couple ounces of my bottle of Murray Hill Club to write a review and since I am all about side by sides now I decied to grab a mini of Joesph Magnus bourbon to review with it. I’ve had the Magnus once or twice at a bar and drank a good about the Moonshine barrel select Magnus so I am looking forward to drinking in a more tasting friendly setting. So let’s see how these pricey, sourced bourbons stack up!

Joseph Magnus Straight Bourbon

Age: NAS

Abv: 100 proof

Color: Deeper amber

Price: $99.99 (21.99 for this 100ml bottle I bought)

Neat

Nose: Slightly harsh with citrus and oak then vanilla and baking spice.

Taste: A nice mouthfeel with more citrus and oak with caramel, warm spice and vanilla notes.

Finish: Short to medium finish that its a bit hot with cinnamon, oak and baking spice notes.

On a rock

Nose: Subdued with soft citrus and vanilla notes.

Taste: This ice really opens this up with the bright citrus note in the forefront with vanilla and oak supporting. Sort of like a woody orange creamsicle. The mouthfeel is also improved with a bit of ice.

Finish: Short, soft and sweet finish with more fading citrus and vanilla.

Murray Hill Club Batch 11 Bottle No 179

Age: A blend of 10 year light whiskey and 13 year and 20 year bourbon

Abv: 103 proof

Color: Slightly less deep amber

Price: $99.99

Neat

Nose: Surprisingly soft with brown sugar, honey, vanilla and toasted oak notes.

Taste: An excellent mouthfeel with rich notes of honey, vanilla, brown sugar, and toasted oak with milder vanilla and warm spice notes.

Finish: Long, warm and sweet with honey and vanilla notes that fade to warm spices.

On a rock

Nose: Subdued with honey and faint oak notes

Taste: The mouthfeel holds up well with the ice. The ice sort of brightens up the whiskey bringing down the toasted oak and spice notes and bringing out a slightly fruity note, green apple perhaps?

Finish: Still long warm and sweet with honey and vanilla and less of a fade to spice than neat.

Conclusion

It looks like an unpopular opinion but I am huge fan of the Murray Hill Club and will definitely be picking up the next batch and keeping an eye out for the special release. The Joseph Magnus bourbon on the other hand was underwhelming, though good, and I am very glad I bought the 100ml instead of picking up a full bottle as I just can’t justify the price point. The citrus and vanilla notes were nice for sure but it a little hot for me neat and if I am drinking it over ice there are so many cheaper and delicious options.

On a side note I want to try blending some of my High West 14 year Light Whiskey with an extra aged bourbon now to see if I can approximate the Murray Hill Club.

Joseph Magnus Straight Bourbon

7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar

Murray Hill Club Batch 11 Bottle No 179

9 - a favorite I’d like to keep on my shelf

You can also follow me on Instagram(@atxbourbon) or reddit to keep up with these reviews and my other whiskey-centric adventures.

Scale

You can also follow me on Instagram(@atxbourbon) or reddit to keep up with these reviews and my other whiskey-centric adventures.