The nose reflects the 58.5% ABV; at first the immediate sharp prick of alcohol and then with a little time (and caution) in second place there are a few traditional bourbon notes. The mouth feel is sharp and spiky as well, with sweet notes, then orange peel, vanilla toffee and some tobacco. The finish is spicy with chilli and burnt sugar. Water helps smooth feel but also brings some the bitter oaky notes as well as bringing out more spices like cinnamon and pepper. Not a bourbon for beginners.  As is often the case with barrel and cask strength whiskies, it is too much, it is like bringng a gun to a knife fight.

It has been a while since I visited a distillery. In fact the last blog entry on a distillery visit was back in 2017 when I visited the site of the not yet open Dartmoor Distillery. The last time I was actually in one, excluding The London Distillery, was the Anchorage Distillery in February 2017. So I thought I would take advantage of the COVID quarantine to conduct some virtual distillery tours after I saw an article online about virtual tours in Imbibe (link below). As I have been to three of them before (Four Roses, Buffalo Trace and Glenturret) I will start with the ones I have not yet visited physically which include a Tequila Distillery, a Japanese distillery and three in the UK; Sipsmith, Laphroaig and Talisker.

I am sure some of you will point out that as I didn’t actually visit the site I can’t count these visits in my official list. To those people I say, in the words of The Pub Landlord … My Blog, My Rules.

So yes, they count. 

https://imbibe.com/news/8-virtual-distillery-tours-to-entertain-you-during-coronavirus-lockdown/

This is 40% abv Tennessee whiskey. The nose has corn with a little pepper and some fresh cut fruit notes. The taste has caramel and other sweet candy notes like marshmallow, balanced with bitter oak notes. The finish is spicy and warm.

I really like rum influenced whisky (I also like rum) so was interested to try this 40% abv Total Wines in-house single malt. The nose was very fruity and rum forward which was exciting and a great introduction. The taste had the sweetness from the rum cask balanced with the spicy malty notes. Bold, rich and complex and hard to pick apart. The finish had pepper, dark chocolate and cigar notes. With water gets smoother in mouth feel, sweeter and more pepper in finish.

This is pretty good. Not Balvenie Rum Cask good or Glenfiddich 21 year old great, but still good value for price point.

This is a 40% ABV, private label I picked up at Total Wines and More in Houston. The nose is malty with some floral honey notes. The taste has more honey, sugar and lemon. Like a hot toddy, but cold. Is there is a such a thing cold toddy? The finish is strong tea and warming spices like cloves and cinnamon. With water it is a little spicier with oak, tannin and even hints of smoke. Overall nothing offensive and considering this a value priced whisky I think it is pretty good.

It appears to be Total Wines and More in-house Irish brand, bottled at 40% abv but with no indication of provenance.   It must be special because it says “handcrafted” on the label as opposed to the usual stuff made by Irish Cyborg-Robot distillers. The nose is floral and light, some fruit and hints of oak. The taste is creamy and smooth with toffee, vanilla and even hints of peach. The finish gets spicier with some heat, chilli and tobacco. With a little water there is a sweet Juicy Fruit gum note as well.

Overall a nicely balanced – spicier than your average – Irish whiskey.

Location: Georgia James, Houston, TX

Date: March 2020

Price: $11.00 USD (22 x 2)

Recipe: Menu says "Rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, angostura"

Garnish: None

Served: Rocks

Comments: First "to go" Manhattan under relaxed TX laws due to COVID 19 was great one

What is this about? Check out  http://www.somanywhiskies.com/item/749-the-manhattan-project-ii

According to most sources… an accident. The story goes that Wild Turkey mistakenly blended small batch bourbon with high proof rye whiskey. Bottled at 45.5% ABV and this bottle came from Batch 303. The nose has a nutty, corn sweetness and grassy herbal notes. The taste is corn, sawdust and caramel. Very chewy, complex and good. Rye spice and cinnamon notes begin to push through and stay in the slightly hot finish along with peppermint.

It tastes exactly like you might expect a bourbon and rye blend to taste. Funny that. Must try in a Manhattan.

Avid readers of my blog (that means me, and to be honest I don’t even read this shit) will know that I loved the Bowmore 15 year Darkest expression and it often made my “must have” list. This is the replacement and bottled at same ABV%. The nose is sweet and malty with lemon peel. The taste is dried fruit cake, black treacle, chilli dark chocolate and sherry. The finish has black pepper, a light smokiness and damp oak wood. With water some more sugary notes and lemon marmalade.

Still a very good example of smoke and sherry – maybe nostalgia - but I think I preferred the Darkest.

At 35% ABV and sweeter than your grandmother (not mine, yours) this is a liqueur and not a whiskey but is getting some traction in market the way Fireball did. The nose has ballpark crackerjacks, cough syrup, the inside of a candy store. The taste is sweet with more syrup and marshmallow notes. The peanut butter shows up a bit late but strong in finish along with barley sugar and finally some grainy alcohol notes.

This is not whiskey. You may like it.