The World Whisky Calendar tasting notes PT1

My lovely wife got me a whiskey advent calendar for Christmas.

https://thespiritco.com/collections/advent-calendars/products/world-whisky-advent-calendar?variant=31962740916339

 

So here are my notes on the first 7 days.  Man, I love the holidays😉

 

 

Whistle Pig Single Barrel 10-Year-Old

This is an excellent rye with the usual spicey flavor.  I’ve had this before, though not aged ten years.  When I think American Rye, I default to this product line.  It is quite good, though at ten years you start running into diminishing returns on the price point.  Anything over $50 for 750ml has to bring a good ‘A’ game to be worth that cash.

 

·       Kavalan Distillery Select

https://flaviar.com/kavalan/kavalan-distillery-select

This is a Scotch archetype made in Taiwan.  While I enjoy the history and identity backing a bourbon made in Kentucky, there are distilleries making bourbon in other states and countries.  Absent the obvious “made in Taiwan” joke, the country of origin doesn’t change my opinion.  These two sentences say it all though:

 

“approachable, softer spirit that would stand up when sipped neat while also being ideal for craft cocktails — all at an exceptional price point…[and]…The softness comes from using refill casks, so the character of their signature style is fully maintained with gentle notes of vanilla with floral aromas while allowing the natural fruitiness of the core spirit shine out at 43% ABV.”

 

I’m all for introducing new drinkers to classic whisky expressions.  For this purpose, it’s useful to try scotches like Macallan in the beginning.  As preferences form you move on to bottles with more peat and smoke, highland and isle, shorter and longer aging periods in different kinds of barrels.  Scotch in particular comprises a range of flavor profiles, each with their own character.

But this, this is a watered-down Scotch.  Maybe the maker is trying to ease people into whiskey and maybe they’re trying to get a cheaper product out the door.  You usually use refill wood so that the whiskey can mellow over a longer time while taking on many of the same flavors as liquid aged in new wood.  If, however you age it for shorter periods in refill wood, it looks kind of like you’re cutting corners and trying to sell the imperfections as features.  Regardless, this is not a $50 whiskey.  I’m not even sure I’d put it as a $20 whiskey.  It’s not “bad” it’s just so inoffensive as to barely catch my notice.

 

• Amrut Single Malt Whisky

https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/amrut-single-malt-whisky/

A Scotch analog made in India?  This I have to try.  This was good enough that I’m going to ask my local drink store if they can carry it.  It is a Scotch but one with a quixotic character.  Each sip was a little different.  As the finish of one sip mixed with the nose of the next, I had a wonderful evolving taste.  It isn’t aggressive but doesn’t lose anything for that fact.

 

Cotswolds 3-Year-Old (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)

https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/cotswolds/cotswolds-that-boutiquey-whisky-company-whisky/

This was another Scotch analog.  Bourbon has spoiled me in ways I hadn’t realized till I came back to Scotch after years of single-minded Kentucky dedication.  Having read books like bourbon empire and listened to a couple great courses audio books on whiskey, I tend to hesitate at words like “3 year” and “bottled by.”  Most whiskey isn’t worth much under four years…assuming it’s being aged in new barrels.  That’s not to say there aren’t good young whiskeys but I tend to be suspicious of anything under the bottled and bond limit.  Bottled by usually means someone bought the liquid, came up with a catchy label, and marketed it with a questionable back story.  The more a vendor focuses on the distillery’s aesthetics and the less they give me about the actual mash bill and aging statement the less reputable they sound.

I was happy to be proven wrong about this one.  It was a nice young whiskey with more character than its age statement would suggest.  I’m not running out the door to buy more but I’d be happy to be seen drinking it in public and I’d enjoy the experience too.

 

• Brenne Cuvée Spéciale French Single Malt Whisky

https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/brenne/brenne-french-single-malt-whisky/

I’m pretty sure I’ve had this before.  It isn’t like my normal Scotches and bourbons.  It has a lighter character without sacrificing body.  There are definite maple and light brown sugar notes to it—sweet but without the darker notes of molasses found in dark rum.  I enjoyed it greatly but would relegate it to an interesting conversation piece for gatherings.  It is absolutely worth checking out.

 

• Sonoma Distilling Co. Rye Single Barrel

https://www.sonomadistillingcompany.com/product/Single-Barrel-Rye

A California Rye?  Why don’t mind if I do.  This had all the right spice notes with a lighter base than I’m used to.  That’s probably due to the 5-year age statement.  I’d love to try this at 8 years.  As it stands it’s a solid young rye.

 

• Sonoma Distilling Co. Bourbon Single Barrel

https://www.sonomadistillingcompany.com/Shop

This was my second favorite of the bottles I’ve opened so far.  It is a nice bourbon with the sweet wheat notes I love and the traditional bourbon foundation.  I’m going to call them later and see if there’s a way to get some of their more unusual expressions in MD.

 

So that's the first 7 days.  I’ll post more as the bottles are opened.