Springbank Palo Cortado Cask Matured 10 Year Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky

VITALS:

- $200

- 110 Proof

- 10 Years

- Campbeltown

I feel like every time I review a Springbank I profess my love for anything coming out of Campbeltown. But, I'm all for consistency, so once again allow me to profess my love for anything and everything coming out of Campbeltown. I don't know what it is about this tiny region of Scotland, but they just seem to be able to do no wrong in my book when it comes to making whisky.

So, of course when I got the chance to grab this 10 year matured in Palo Cortado casks, I had to jump at it! Afterall, I can't say I've ever had anything matured in Palo Cortado casks, let alone a Springbank. It was about one of the easiest decisions I've ever made.

Right away on the nose I got a rich dark cherry note. Interestingly, that was immediately followed by a sort of mustiness, like walking through the woods after the rain. It was kind of mossy smelling. I did get a bit of light smoke and there was also a bright citrus note, giving it a sort of a burnt orange quality.

The peat smoke wasn't big on the nose, but it was significantly more prominent on the palate, hitting my tongue immediately upon my first sip. The cherry note was also there, kind of like a Maraschino cherry but with tempered sweetness.

I definitely got that same mossy or musty note, but oddly I found myself really enjoying it. It added a sort of an earthy note to the cherry and smoke, keeping either one from being overpowering. It also seemed to make that cherry note lean more toward blackberry or even fig on later pours.

There was also a distinct dark chocolate note that I really enjoyed, and that note seemed to really shine on the finish. This had a great, oily mouthfeel allowing for a long-lived finish. A light bit of smoke lingered a bit as well leaving me with an interesting smokey dark chocolate dessert like flavor.

This was somewhat different from other sherry matured peated Scotches, but I really liked the nuance here as well as its uniqueness.  I found myself frequently grabbing this bottle over other sherry-finished peated single malts because of what set it apart.

Grade: A-

Jim Beam Lineage Limited Batch Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $250

- 111 Proof

- 15 Years

- Kentucky

I really don't like paying this much for bourbon. However, not only is this one nearly impossible to find (it's travel retail exclusive and I just don't get out of the country that often, let alone to go somewhere that I can actually find this), but it was released three years ago.

And, in the end, it's a 15 year Jim Beam, which I knew going in was going to be great. That aged Beam seems to land right in my wheelhouse of what I love. This is a blend created by Fred Noe and his son, Freddie Noe.  It comes in a solid wood box, which I managed to break within minutes of getting this bottle, and a great bottle design. Not that any of that really matters, but it is worth noting the very nice presentation.

The nose was rich and spicy, with notes of dark chocolate and cherry, followed by a slightly sweet but spicy cinnamon note.  I did get a bit of oak, but not nearly as much as you might expect given the age. There was also a bit of a black pepper spice to it as well, but it all seemed to be rounded out by a rich amaretto note that I couldn't get enough of.

As to flavor, right up front I got that rich cherry note, kind of like a maraschino cherry. But, that was accompanied by a wheat note that I wasn't necessarily expecting. It kind of caught me by surprise and gave this bourbon a bit of a bread-like quality. But, it was a sweeter quality, as it was accompanied by a smooth caramel note up front that seemed to linger consistently throughout.

That wheat note seemed to transform a bit into more of a sweet pastry note, kind of like a cinnamon and vanilla coffee cake.  I also got a bit of brown sugar at times that gave a bit of a chocolate chip cookie note. I was surprised a bit how sweet it leaned given that the nose did not betray such notes.

However, the finish kept it from getting too sweet. That's where the oak notes really came through, adding a touch of earthiness as well as a slight bitterness to temper the pastry notes. I also got a good amount of chocolate on the finish, which just seemed to round off and balance everything out. 

This was a complex, roller coaster of a bourbon, but in a good way. It never went too far on one end of either spectrum, and the differences I got from the front end to the back end seemed to just play off one another in a way that made this one of the more fun bourbons I've had in a long time.  

Grade: A