Ardbeg Heavy Vapours 2023 Committee Release Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

VITALS:

- $160

- 100.4 proof

- NAS

- Islay

Fair warning, this is probably a very biased review.  As of late, Ardbeg has been able to do no wrong in my book.  I have loved release after release from them, and I assure you this Heavy Vapours release is no exception.  Well, perhaps it is a bit of an exception, as explained below.

Nonetheless, this was one of the more expensive committee releases, and that price tag is a lot to ask given there's no age statement. But, again, I'm a sucker for everything Ardbeg, and like a sucker, I ponied up the money to make sure I had the newest committee release at the time.  But, that first pour took away any doubt, what little I may have had.

On the nose I get breakfast pastry with caramel.  It was like a traditional Danish, but rather than top it with fruit or cheese, it was topped with caramel.  And smoked caramel at that! It also had this sweet yeasty or bready note that gave it that pastry quality. The smoke, interestingly, didn't contract but rather complemented all of these notes, making for a smoky, slightly sweet dessert-like note.

The flavor, on the first sip, was amazing. Right up front I got this blend of smoke, salted caramel and dark chocolate that was rich, sweet (but not overly sweet) and absolutely amazing. It also had a strong malt backbone that provided a lightly sweet bready note, or, perhaps even better, a waffle batter note that I absolutely loved.

The smoke was a sweet and salty smoke, somewhat like a campfire smoke with more earthy tones. But that smoke seemed to work perfectly with those caramel and dark chocolate notes, adding an incredible additional layer, kind of like what makes s'mores so good when the marshmallow is roasted over a fire.  In fact, s'mores is not too far off here as far as tasting notes go.

The finish, despite the not-too-high proof, lingered for a long time. This whisky had a viscosity that I don't usually get around 100 proof, and it coated my mouth with a rich smoky salted caramel that I never wanted to go away.

I'm unapologetically an Ardbeg stan, and I've loved every committee release. But, this one stands above all the rest for me. I thought this was an absolutely amazing pour, and is one of my favorite whiskies ever.  I held onto the last pour in my bottle for far too long, only because I didn't want it to go away, and now I may find myself on a mission to track another one down.

Grade: A+

Jack Daniel's 2023 Special Release Twice Barreled Heritage Barrel Tennessee Rye Whiskey

VITALS:

- $70

- 100 Proof

- 8 years, 4 mos.

- Tennessee

While Jack Daniel's has seemingly shifted focus towards its age stated Tennessee Whiskey (and for good reason, those are incredible!), we'd all be remiss if we forgot about these initial Heritage Barrel limited releases that seemed to open a lot of people's eyes to just how amazing some of the stuff coming out of Jack Daniel's really is.

This was the second rye that Jack released as part of the Heritage Barrel series. It's "twice barreled," but now days that would be more readily recognized as a "toasted barrel," as its second maturation was in "heavy-toast, low-char heritage barrels."  Given that I've had other toasted barrel ryes that I've loved (Michter's and Elijah Craig, to name two), I didn't think twice about picking this bottle up. 

On the nose I got some of those great notes that made me love rye -- a sort of wintergreen mintyness, along with a light licorice note and a spicy cinnamon note. These are the kinds of flavors that made me fall in love with rye in the first place. It had a rich molasses sweetness on the nose as well, along with a hint of unsweetened vanilla.

I couldn't wait to dive in after pouring my first glass.  After smelling this from the bottle, I anticipated a certain level of sweetness that was never really there. Rather, it was full of rich and earthy flavors. I got licorice or anise almost right away, along with that spicy cinnamon hitting the tip of my tongue. It was also very vanilla forward, but, again, that unsweetened vanilla.

While this rye didn't sit in the barrel long, it was double barreled, and the oak certainly came through. It wasn't bitter or drying, but just added another layer of earthy notes. That oak was complemented by a pine note as well, a bit resin-like, but which seemed to go great with the unsweetened vanilla.

I really did miss the minty note that I got off the nose. I was excited when that aroma first hit, but then a bit disappointed when I didn't get that note on the palate. However, I did get a sweet walnut note that was a very pleasant surprise. It kept with the earthy notes, but added a sweet, almost candied element that was very welcome. As a result, this really seemed to sweeten up on the finish, completing the ride in a way.

Although I wanted that mint, this was still a very fun whiskey, and I really couldn't put my glass down. It was earthy and punchy and yet softly lowered you to the ground with a sweet finish. 

Grade: B+

Glenglassaugh Rare Cask Release 2012 9 year Highland Single Malt Scotch

VITALS:

- $60

- 116.8 Proof

- 9 Years

- Cask No. 521

- Highlands

I have to admit that I didn't have much experience with Glenglassaugh prior to buying this bottle. This was just one of those where a friend of mine told me this was delicious, and the price tag told me that, for a cask strength bottling, I'd be a fool not to at least try it.

This particular single cask was matured in American Wine Hogshead (that could be anything, right??) for 9 years, though given its distillation date of May 9, 2012, and bottling date of sometime in 2022, it had to be pushing those double digits. This barrel was hand selected by Master Blender Rachel Barrie, whom I was already familiar with from her work with Brown-Forman and specifically Benriach. Pretty much everything about this bottle, including my buddy who had already purchased one, told me I needed to get one.

The nose was soft and pillowy (I know, kind of a weird way to describe the way something smells, but that's what it was).  It was definitely fruit forward, indicating that it was a sweeter American wine cask that was used for maturation.  But, the fruit was more like baked fruit with cinnamon and other spices.  I got baked pear and plum, along with a bit of a brown sugar sweetness and a malty backbone that gave off serious fruit pie vibes.

As to flavor, while similar, it was a bit different in that it led with more of a spiced or mulled wine note. It was sweet, but also had notes of cinnamon and anise, coupled with dark fruit notes like plum and cherry. There was also a sweet tobacco leaf note that added to those dark, rich notes, but added a sort of sweet earthy quality to it.

The malt backbone was certainly making itself known as well, as I got a significant wheat bread note that seemed as though it were sweetened by butterscotch.  It was almost like a good, hearty bread with butterscotch drizzled over top. It was incredibly delicious, particularly paired with the baked fruit notes.

On the finish, it was all fruit pie! I got the baked pear and plum, and even a bit of that cherry, all of which was sweetened by a brown sugar note and even a hint of that butterscotch. And, of course, the crackery pie crust was there as well.

If there are "dessert" whiskeys, this is without question one of them. It was never over the top sweet, but it definitely found those various flavors that all complemented each other so well it ended up being almost one cohesive fruit pie note with all the individual notes that entails. This was a gem of a whiskey, and I'm so glad my buddy told me to grab one.

Grade: A

Wild Turkey 70th Anniversary Release 8 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $75

- 101 Proof

- 8 Years

- Kentucky

It wasn't that long ago that age statements on Wild Turkey products just weren't a thing.  At least not here in the United States.  You could find 8 year and 12 year (and probably some others) in various other parts of the world.  I know I've had a couple of each muled back from Japan for me a few times.  But, here in the United States, age statements on Wild Turkey bottles were saved for their special releases.

I've had the 8-year 101 brought back to me from Japan. I always found it to be quite tasty, and at about $35, I loved the price.  So, I was excited to see this 8 year get released here--much closer in proximity and I did not need to rely on the generosity of others to get it. However, what I wasn't a fan of was the more than double price for what is likely the same whiskey.  I wrote it off to this being a special release, however, and threw caution (and $75) to the wind.

The nose gave off many of those traditional notes I associate with Turkey products.  I got a bit of cherry and some light oak. There was also a great combination of peanut and caramel in the aroma that I loved. It also had a bit of a peppery spice tingling my nose and just a light amount of that Wild Turkey "funk," kind of mossy or dusty. 

The palate hit a lot of these same notes. Right up front this hit on the spicier end of the sweet vs. spice spectrum of bourbons, with an unsweetened cinnamon spice leading the way, as well as a bit of a black pepper spice. It was also very crackery up front, kind of like a wheat cracker.

Behind all that, though, the cherry notes from the nose came through, almost like a cherry cola note, with notes of dark caramel and even root beer at times.  There was a slight vegetal note as well, kind of like that mossy note I got on the nose.

On the finish, that root beer note seemed to come through a bit more heavily, especially after each swallow.  At the back of my throat lingered this root beer and wheat cracker combination that, while it sounds odd, actually really worked and I found the finish to be more enjoyable than expected, particularly given the relatively thin mouthfeel on this whiskey.

Wild Turkey 8 year is good whiskey, whether it comes from Japan or is released here in the states.  I only hope that it becomes more of a mainstay on the shelves and at a cheaper price, and not just some limited release simply because they slapped an age statement on it.

Grade: B