Archives Binny's Handpicked Heaven Hill 10 Year American Whiskey - No. 00185

VITALS:

- $120

- 129.0 proof

- 10 years

- No. 00185

- Kentucky/Netherlands

It has certainly been a while since my last post. Quite frankly, keeping up with reviewing everything I finished got to feel a bit like a chore. I'd get busy with work, and the next thing I knew I had four or five bottles sitting on my table waiting for me to write up a new post. And, the last thing I want is for this "hobby" to be tedious -- kind of defeats the point.

But, after take a break from writing reviews for a few months (sadly there will be a number of bottles that just won't be part of my own personal whiskey blog journal), the itch came back and I find myself wanting to write about one of my favorite things in this world, that sweet liquid sunshine!

So, for my first foray back into my whiskey musings, I've chosen to take on one of three bottles sitting on my shelf of Heaven Hill 10 Year single barrels bottled by Archives and handpicked by Binny's. I'm not going to lie, I had to grab three of these because, after all, each bottle had a different butterfly on it, and I kind of dug the design. Dumb reason to buy a whiskey, I know, but I've certainly made poorer decisions in my life!

Released in 2020, from my understanding these were selected by Archives, but then exported to the Netherlands where they were then aged for 10 years, only to be re-imported to the United States for such thirsty whiskey enthusiasts such as myself to try.

The nose had just a little bit of oak to it, along with a rich nuttiness, like walnut. However, it didn't allow itself to be bitter, even though it seemed to teeter on that edge. I also got a decent dark chocolate note, again lending to that rich, but not sweet, quality to the nose.

As far as flavor, friends of mine who had also picked these bottles up when they were released told me that these drank very "hot," with the alcohol burn taking over much of the flavor. One of them even likened to a high-proof corn whiskey. So, I was not optimistic going in. Yet, I first cracked this bottle open at a tasting among friends, and of the seven or eight bottles in the line-up (some of which were very nice bottles), this was the favorite by a majority decision.

This was actually on the sweeter end of the spectrum for Heaven Hill products. It certainly had heat given its proof, but it did not drink "hot" such that the heat took away from the flavor. Rather, there were sweet coffee notes, with that sweetness coming from a burnt sugar profile. It had more of that rich toffee note than a sweet caramel note, but it was still certainly a sweeter whiskey.

It had a great oily mouthfeel to it, and that viscous quality seemed to lend to a butterscotch note that really seemed to come forward on the backend and particularly on the finish. Interestingly, I got a bread note, but, to get somewhat hyperspecific, it was like the crunch crust of a good, hearty bread. I don't know that I've ever considered putting butterscotch on bread crust before, but perhaps I need to try it, as it really worked here.

This was a very unique and interesting, and at the same time delicious bottle of Heaven Hill. It was different than any other I can recall having, and yet it was really good. And, it made for a fun bottle to share with other bourbon drinkers.

Grade: A-

Mortlach Signatory Vintage Binny's Private Select 10 Year Oloroso Sherry Matured Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

VITALS:

- $100

- 118.2 Proof

- 10 Years

- Cask No. 7

- 2023

- Speyside

There are two primary reasons I picked up this bottle.  First, it came highly recommended from a Binny's manager who, while we don't necessarily share the same palate when it comes to bourbon, has certainly served me well with his Scotch recommendations. Given that it's a private pick bottled at cask strength, his recommendation was really all that was necessary to convince me to grab a bottle.

However, this bottle certainly stood out on the shelf for one particular reason -- its color!!  I'm not one typically swayed by color. I've had some incredibly flavorful whiskeys that were just a shade above clear. But, this particular whiskey was so incredibly dark, I just knew that the force of the 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt was going to be strong with this one! It looked like a completely different type of liquor next to all the other bottles on the shelf.

One thing that was consistent on both the nose and the palate is that to call this "jammy" is an understatement.  As soon as I popped the cork, the room was filled with black raspberry and black currants. There was also a sort of toast note, making it seem a bit breakfast-ish. While it was hard to get past those rich, dark fruit notes, I also got something a bit herbal, kind of like a sage or an oregano note.

Upon my first sip, though, I was absolutely in love with this whisky! My mouth was flooded with notes of currant, black cherry and fig. It was rich and very jammy, and the 10 years spent in the Oloroso cask really allowed those fortified wine notes to take hold.  It also had a sort of syrupy quality, with that rich sweetness to it.

It also had a bit of a pie crust note, perhaps the toast I got on the nose. It was bit crackery, but also light and almost buttery. There was also a bit of balance thanks to a fresh black pepper note to add a little spice and pull from the sweetness. 

The finish is what absolutely sold me, though. I mentioned "syrupy" above, and this had a viscosity that reminded me of syrup from a jar of maraschino cherries. It absolutely coated the mouth in wonderful flavors of rich, dark fruit notes, but also that black pepper spice. There was a bit of an umami note on the finish as well, and it all kind of came together like really well-done barbecue. 

This was a sherry bomb, for sure, but it was a really, really good sherry bomb!!  I absolutely loved this bottle, and as I'm sitting here typing this I'm wishing I just had more and more of it.

Grade: A+

The Whisky Exchange A Toast To Christmas 19 Year Blended Malt Scotch

VITALS:

- $120

- 88.6 Proof

- 19 years

- Scotland

This is certainly my favorite gifted whiskey ever. This past Christmas, my family gave this bottle to me. It's a Christmas exclusive release from the Whisky Exchange, complete with personalized, dated label informing me, "Congratulations, you made the nice list!"  If I knew this was the reward for making the nice list, I would have been trying a whole lot harder this whole time!

This bottle is a 19 year blended malt matured in a sherry butt.  There is no indication as to the source of the whisky, with the only indication on the bottle being that it was "Obtained from a Private Collection."  Not really sure what that means. In fact, it doesn't even identify the region(s).  It does, however, indicate that this bottling was limited to only 520 bottles.  So, a review of this particular bottle might be pointless. But, I finished the bottle, so now I'm reviewing it.

As would be expected from a whiskey matured for 19 years in a sherry butt, the nose was very fruit forward. It was full of bright and fresh berries, including raspberry and strawberry. There was also some dark cherry mixed in as well. That was all accompanied by a sweet honey note, along with some light cereal notes, and even a hint of vanilla. This was, however, very fruit forward.

The flavor followed suit for the most part. Those berries all came through, with the raspberry note being the most notable. What I loved, though, is that these fruit-forward notes were always bright and fresh, rather than being rich and dark and heavy, as is so often the case from sherry cask whiskies. 

There was a layer of vanilla, as well as a very welcome and rich butterscotch note that seemed to underscore everything. The honey sweetness I got on the nose was also there.  I also got some darker fruit notes, like raisin or fig.

On the finish that raisin note seemed to actually linger a bit longer than the bright berry notes.  The vanilla also seemed to stick around as well. It was also on the finish that a black pepper spice creeped in, adding a bit of an unexpected but welcome surprise to it all.  

I don't know where this whisky came from, but I enjoyed every drop of it. Hopefully this becomes some sort of family tradition!!

Grade: B+

Caol Ila Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice 13 Year Single Malt Scotch

VITALS:

- $100

- 90 Proof

- 13 Years

- Batch 18/002

- Islay

I really do love all things peat and sweet. I have yet to find a wine barrel matured or finished single malt that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed. There's something about that fruity and smoky combination that just hits right. So when this bottle popped up on Binny's shelves, it wasn't much of a decision to be made. I knew I'd have to give it a try.

This particular bottle was initially matured in first fill bourbon and refill American casks. After that, it was finished in Hermitage casks for an additional 3 years. I had to look it up, but Hermitage is a French red wine made from Syrah grapes, which notably tend to be a bit more earthy and tannic. I could only hope that would mingle well with delicious Caol Ila peat.

On the nose I immediately got char notes mixed with spicy dark fruit, like blackberry and pepper.  Of course I got a health amount of smoke from the peat, as well as a sweet brown sugar note. This all really reminded me of a sweet and spicy barbecue, the kind that makes your mouth water just smelling it.

The flavor was absolutely bursting with the dark fruit notes from the wine finish. I was immediately hit with a ton of dark cherry, blackberry, fig and even raisin. It was vibrant and rich, and even managed to overtake the peat. This was one of the "juicier" whiskies I can recall ever having.

Those dark fruits were accompanied by the same brown sugar and black pepper that I got on the nose, offering a nice sweet and spicy background to go with those fruit forward notes. Of course the peaty notes made their way in eventually (they can't really be denied), and it again leaned towards a delicious barbecue flavor.

On the finish the pepper spice really stuck around, including at the back of my throat. There as also this soft vanilla note that came through, which seemed to balance out a lingering cherry note that had coated my mouth. 

This was a fantastic bottle, and two friends and I killed half the bottle just the first night opening it. I wanted to slow myself down, but I couldn't help but go back, and that bottle was killed within a couple weeks, which is always a mark of a great whisky!

Grade: A