Doc Swinson's Exploratory Cask L'esprit Straight Bourbon Finished in Cognac Casks

VITALS:

- $70

- 114 Proof

- NAS

- Release No. 21-003

- Indiana

I wasn't sure when the next time I picked up a bottle of Doc Swinson's would be. I'm not casting aspersions or anything. I've only had one of their products before, their Triple Cask Bourbon Finished in Sherry & Cognac Casks. That was a somewhat weird experience, though, as I really enjoyed that bourbon up until the finish, at which point I didn't. That one literally and figuratively left a bad taste in my mouth.

But, when I saw this Cognac finished bourbon sitting on the shelf, I once again considered it, and in my cart it went.  What can I say, I'm a sucker for those Cognac and Armagnac finishes. As an added note, I looked at the back label and it had this note set off in red text: "Easy-Cracking Wax, Simply Twist to Open."  Had I not already made the decision to buy this bottle, that alone might have persuaded me. My interest was even further piqued!

I cracked this bottle open (yes, with just a simple twist of the wax top--why don't more brands have this?!?!), I got notes of raisin and brown sugar. It was like a rich dessert, perhaps even like baklava.  The nose was soft, but buried in there were also notes of orange and burnt sugar. On later pours I could swear I was getting waffle batter. 

The flavor was where this whisky shone. The texture was nice and viscous, really coating the mouth in flavor. More significantly, though, was that the alcohol burn was nowhere to be found. This was dangerously easy to drink, and it was all flavor. Right away I got rich candied pear and brown sugar, all on top of a healthy amount of vanilla.  Again, it was like a rich dessert in many ways, but it managed to never get too sweet.

It always kept some of those more savory qualities, at times reminding me of fig newtons or candied pecans, pairing a bit of earthiness with the sweetness.  It also had a slight oakiness to it as well that help keep the sweetness from taking over. The one thing I'd say was missing was any real spice, but given how well everything else worked, I certainly didn't miss it.

The finish was long and just carried forward those rich dessert notes, but perhaps with the pecan notes taking more of a center stage. If anything it finished with less sweetness which kind of made me love it even more. It also had a bit of tea note that lingered and just the slightest amount of cinnamon spice was left on my tongue.

This bottle certainly renewed my interest in other things Doc Swinson's may be doing. I loved this bottle and I'm glad I took a chance on it. And that easy-crack was still impresses me!

Grade: A

Kilchoman Binny's Private Select 9 Year STR Finish Single Cask Islay Single Malt Scotch

VITALS:
- $130

- 11 Proof

- 9 Years

- Cask No. 153/2012

- Islay

I do love me a good, peated Scotch, particularly one finished in a wine cask. I've also found that I'm not the biggest fan of toasted barrel finished bourbons. They just haven't done it for me. Nonetheless, I was intrigued at the idea of a toasted finish on a peated Scotch. This Kilchoman private pick from Binny's gave me the chance to quash that intrigue. 

This single malt is labeled as an "STR" finish. What that means is that Kilchoman took this peated single malt that had been matured in ex Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels and finished it in red wine cask that had been scraped or shaved, toasted and then re-charred--hence the "STR."  It was finished in this STR barrel for 18 months. So, whatever influence that barrel was going to have should certainly be prevalent and noticeable.

As expected, the nose is very smoke forward. I didn't get very much bright fruit or any wine notes as I had hoped for. But I did get something more earthy, along the lines of fig or maybe even raisin. It also had a bit of a resin note, along with something meaty, almost bacon-like.  This all sounds weird, I realize, but it all kind of worked together in a sort of sweet barbecue sauce kind of way.

As to flavor, right up front I got that great mix of sweet and peat that I absolutely can't get enough of. Here the bright fruits did come through, as I got red raspberry and some dark cherry. I even got a bit of currant adding just a touch of tartness.

There was also a caramel note, though richer. Perhaps more like a toffee note with a touch of dark chocolate. The peat smoke, of course, carried through out, but was always complementary rather than overpowering. It never slapped me in the face but always took a back seat.  There was also a certain spice to it, almost like cloves but not as strong, that provided a great balance to the smoky sweetness.

What made this bottle an absolute stand-out, though, was the finish. After each sip my mouth was coated with flavors of cherry pie filling, along with this sweet dessert-like note of brown sugar and butterscotch. That butterscotch note seemed to almost come out of nowhere and it just stuck to the back of my throat like I had just eaten a butterscotch candy. On the finish the peat continued to be there but again more in the background, letting all these other delicious flavors linger around seemingly forever. 

Up until the finish, this was a very good whisky. As soon as that finish hit, though, even on my very first sip, I knew this was an outstanding single malt! If you can still find it on the shelf, grab it!

Grade: A+

Traverse City Whiskey Co. Binny's Private Select Single Barrel 8 Year Straight Rye

VITALS:

- $80

- 115.4 Proof

- 8 years

- Indiana/Michigan

I really haven't had much experience with Traverse City Whiskey. In fact, including this bottle, all I've had have been MGP-sourced store picks. Just over a year ago I was able to get my hands on a 10-year single barrel selected by Pride Stores. And more recently, I made sure to get a bottle of this 8-year single barrel rye picked by Binny's.

The price seemed to be right in line with what I've been seeing recently for cask strength, single barrel MGP rye in the 6-9 year range. Of course some bottles are a bit pricier, and they get passed on for that reason. But this one at 8 years and 115.4 proof seemed right in my wheelhouse. Sure, it's more than I'd like to pay, but at this point it seems the market is what it is.

The aroma is soft, but very cinnamon and vanilla forward. In fact, it was so sweet and soft and delicious smelling, I noted that I would love to make a candle out of this. There was also a light saw dust note and a touch of that pickle note I sometimes get from MGP rye. There was also something herbal, but I couldn't quite place it. Perhaps something between basil and mint.

The flavor was likewise soft and sweet and spicy. Despite being cask strength, this wasn't one of those slap you in the face with spice ryes. Rather, it was more nuanced and subtle, and it leaned a bit more on the sweeter side. Notes of caramel, vanilla and cinnamon were prevalent from start to finish, providing for an absolutely delicious base.

On top of that I got interesting notes of honey and sweet tobacco leaf. There was also something nutty and woody, perhaps like a walnut. In addition to the cinnamon spice, I also got a bit of black pepper spice. There was even a light smokiness to it that I loved, perhaps a flavor picked up from the time with the barrel.

The finish was almost all cinnamon and caramel, but the cinnamon spice seemed to really come forward. In fact, it left a taste in my mouth not unlike a good Manhattan. That sweet and heat at the end just made me want that next sip right away. While not necessarily unexpected, this bottle turned out to be very delicious, and I couldn't help but keep pouring it into my glass.

Grade: A-

Buffalo Trace Binny's Single Barrel Select Batch #29 Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $25

- 90 Proof

- NAS

- Batch #29

- Kentucky

Over the years as I've picked up various private picks of Buffalo Trace products, I've noticed that some are labeled "Small Batch Select" and some "Single Barrel Select."  The distinction would seem a bit obvious.  Those labeled as "Small Batch Select" are from a larger batch of multiple selected barrels.  This would theoretically mean that the store has more bottles of this to offer.  "Single Barrel Select" would seem to indicate that it is just that, a single barrel, and thus a small yield than a "batch."

This particular bottle made me question just how obvious a distinction that is. After all, this has the best of both world. While it's got the "Single Barrel Select" sticker, it's identified as "Batch #29." So, which is it?  Of course, if this were a real blog and I were a real whiskey writer, I might actually ask the hard-hitting questions and get to the bottom of it. But, rather than go through all that, I just decided to drink it and see if I like it, regardless of whether it's a single barrel or small batch (sorry for the cliff-hanger).

The nose was predominantly caramel, perhaps a slightly burnt caramel. There was also a distinct wood note to it, though not like an oak barrel that you'd associate with an older whiskey. Rather, it was more of a sawdust type note. It also had a kind of milk chocolate and raisin note to it. Over all it was sweet, but with an attempt at providing some earthy balance.

Right up front I got those traditional Buffalo Trace notes of caramel and cinnamon. However, there was a bit more there, including a great hazelnut and chocolate note. It was like a less sweet Nutella flavor mixed with some cinnamon. This all seemed to mix so well together.

But, there were some other outlying flavors as well. I got a sort of a wheat bread note. It was a sweet note, but yeast and grain forward. There was also a nutty note, again sweet, perhaps like a cashew. It also had a slight bitter note that reminded me of that white stuff you peel off an orange. I think it's called pith.  That's yet another thing I'm not going to investigate, so if I'm wrong, then just go with the white stuff on an orange.

The finish started off pretty good, with a distinct cola note, and hints of that caramel and cinnamon. However, that bitter orange note also seemed to linger a bit, and that was a bit off-putting. That sweet, nutty note seemed to ride along with that bitter orange note as well, and all of it seemed to leave a weird taste in my mouth.

I've certainly had better Buffalo Trace picks. This one wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as others I've had. At $25, though, you'd be a fool not to continue picking these up as you find them.

Grade: B-

Elijah Craig Small Batch Tuscan/Hammar's Private Selection Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $32

- 94 Proof

- NAS

- Barrel NO. 6194298

- Kentucky

On some of these store picks I feel like a broken record when I say, I buy them when I find them. That's the case for Buffalo Trace picks, Eagle Rare picks and, of course, Elijah Craig picks, among others. For the price I have gotten a very good whiskey every single time. Despite all the changes in the industry, new distilleries, new products, new gimmicks, etc, this remains a solid buy.

This particular bottle was selected by the group that owns an unassuming but solid liquor store near me called Hammar's Liquors. It is absolutely one of the best places around to get the fresh drops of craft beer, and while their whiskey selection isn't what you'll find at Binny's, it's still pretty decent and from time to time you can find some of the more hard to find bottles there. And, of course, they do get store picks such as this bottle from time to time.

The nose was great, even if it didn't stray to far from what I typically expect out of Elijah Craig. I got a sweet but slightly toasted note, like a toasted (but not charred) marshmallow. It also had a sweet cinnamon spice to it, as well as a sweeter chocolate note, somewhere between milk chocolate and dark chocolate. 

The flavor did, however, give me a little bit of variation from standard Elijah Craig. Right up front I got the sweet cinnamon, but that was paired with a sweet and rich and tangy amaretto note that I was a big fan of.  Those flavors were also met with a dark chocolate note that gave this a sort of rich and lightly sweet dessert flavor.

There was also something crackery. It was still sweet, perhaps like a graham cracker, but with a bit more of a grain forward note, if that makes any sense. While the more savory, grain-forward part of it seemed to stick out a bit, it still played really well with the marshmallow, chocolate and cinnamon.

The finish was slightly spicy, but here it strayed from the cinnamon to more of a chili pepper note. That, paired with the chocolate note on the finish reminded me a bit of Mexican chocolate. There was also a sort of caramel pastry note, kind of like a caramel iced donut but with the sugar levels tempered way down. 

This was a whiskey that wanted to be a sweeter, dessert-like whiskey, but just didn't have the needed sugar to get there. In that sense I kind of liked it, and I found I really enjoyed this in an Old Fashioned, even if I typically like to use a little higher proof whiskey.

Grade: B

The Yamazaki 12 Year Single Malt Japanese Whisky

VITALS:

- 90

- 86 Proof

- 12 Years

- Japan

Usually I'll have a quick story to start off these posts, talking about how I managed across a particular bottle, why I happened to buy a particular bottle, or something about the bottle in general. With this one, though, I've sat on it so long I'm not really sure when I got it or where.  I think it might have been at a liquor store connected to a gas station, but even that's a little fuzzy.

I do know that, in my various tasting notes that I keep in my Notes App on my iPhone, this was the very first entry. That means it's the bottle in my collection that has been open the longest. I looked and was able to find a laser code on the bottle, but that gave no indication of the year that it was bottled.  My best guess is I bought it around 2017, maybe 2018. Sadly, for a long time it's been the only Japanese whisky sitting on my shelves, and now I have none.  I may need to remedy that soon.

The nose was bright and vibrant. I got sweet notes of candied orange as well as a distinct lemon note, almost like citronella. It was sweetened by a honey aroma, and it also had a crackery note, even with a little bit of wheat flavor. Other sweet notes like butterscotch and caramel came through as well, and there was even a light black pepper spice to it. 

The flavor of this one was interesting in that I could almost separate them into three categories. The first category, and what I noticed first when I took my first sip, was the sweet, candy-like notes. I got honey and butterscotch mingled with a bit of vanilla. That butterscotch flavor seemed to become increasingly prominent from pour to pour.

The second category is the more earthy and grain-forward type notes. I got that crackery note from the nose, a bit buttery kind of like a Ritz cracker. There was also a sweet tobacco note that seemed to go right along with it.  While crackery and tobacco leaf aren't exactly in the same category, here they seemed to fit together and separate from the other flavors.

Finally, there was a certain fruity note to this. I absolutely got the citrus that I was getting on the nose. Thankfully it wasn't that citronella flavor. Rather, it was a bright and sweet orange note.  I also got notes of peach and apricot. In fact, the apricot note really came out in later pours, and it took on an almost sweet and jammy quality that I really enjoyed.

At first this was just a good bottle. The last few pours, however, I thought were fantastic with that apricot note coming forward. It was interesting how I was able to almost compartmentalize the different flavors, and I found I did so almost naturally. This was a tough one to grade, but in the end it's a very good whisky, and one that any whisky connoisseur should give a try.

Grade: B

Bulleit Mega Liquor & Crocker P/A Private Selection Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Whiskey

VITALS:

- $50

- 104 Proof

- NAS

- Barrel No. 1-B3-0636

- Kentucky

Anyone who is a bourbon hunter in even the slightest of ways probably has had a similar experience. You're away from home in another state for a few days, so of course you make a field trip to the local liquor store, or perhaps a few different stores, just to see what you might find.  I find myself in this situation every time I'm out of town, whether for work or pleasure.

I'm not looking for unicorns or the highly sought after stuff, but rather simply looking for stuff I can't get every day back home. Sometimes that's local craft whiskey, and sometimes it's whiskeys that don't get distribution in Illinois. More often than not, though, I find myself asking about store picks. And so, that was exactly the case when I was at a hockey tournament staying a weekend at a hotel in Niles, Michigan, just a one-block walk from Mega Liquor. The selection was decent, but mostly everything I see in Illinois. So, I took a shot at their Bulleit Single Barrel pick. What did I have to lose?

The nose was rich and sweet on this one. I got a good amount of dark caramel, perhaps closer to toffee. It had a mix of dark chocolate and hazelnut, however, to add a layer of richness and to temper the sweetness. I also got a tangy note of amaretto off the nose that I really enjoyed. 

The flavor seemed to turn in a bit of a different direction. Right away I got a lot of sweet cinnamon and vanilla. It was kind of like a frosted sugar cookie that was made with cinnamon. However, it had a bit of spice to it that I didn't attribute to the cinnamon. Rather, it was more of a black pepper spice.

The vanilla layer seemed to be pretty constant throughout, but I also got a sweet cloves flavor, perhaps a transformation of the cinnamon I got earlier on. It also seemed to sweeten up a bit with a brown sugar note, along with the cinnamon stick and black pepper notes

The finish was vanilla and peppery spice, primarily. That pepper seemed to stick at the back of my throat. The sweetness seemed to relax a bit, and in its place I got a light black licorice note that seemed to linger on my tongue. I'm not the biggest fan of black licorice, but I didn't find this too offensive.

I don't know if this is indicative of other picks that Mega Liquor has done, but I think if I find myself in Niles, Michigan again in the near future, I'd be willing to take a flyer on another store pick of their's.

Grade: B