Reviews

Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 4 Rye Whisky Review

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Autumn means one thing for High West: the release of their annual A Midwinter Nights Dram.  Joy!

A Midwinter Nights Dram is basically High West’s Rendezvous Rye (a blend of 6-year-old rye whisky from MGP and 16-year-old rye whisky from Barton) that’s finished in French oak and port casks.  In essence, the rye whisky should deliver big spicy notes while the port barrel finish adds a nice fruitiness.  It’s bottled at 98.6 proof and runs close to $80.

Compared to last year’s release, this Act 4, Scene 5 edition features slightly more influence from the port casks.  Upfront on the nose is that familiar dill note, which most likely comes from the MGP-distilled rye whiskey.  There’s also dark toffee, mulled wine, cinnamon bark & clove, and some vanilla.  Taste-wise, MWND Act 4 plays a nice balance of sweet and spicy, with hints of cinnamon,  caramel, rye spice, red wine, plums and vanilla cream.  The finish is long and leaves behind a spiced fruit note.

Fantastic stuff.  If you’re already a fan of MWND, Act 4 is another great batch full of those familiar fruity and spicy notes.  If you’ve never tried this whiskey, you’re in for a treat.  Though it’s a limited release, it’s not AS hard to find as other fall favorites.  Pick up a bottle if you see it on a shelf, pour a glass and enjoy.  Recommended!

Thanks to High West for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Blanton’s Bourbon Review (Acquistapace’s Barrel 39)


Earlier this year I was thrilled to have been asked to help with some barrel selections for Aquistapace’s Covington Supermarket.  Adam Acquistapace and I tasted our way through some barrel samples for private bottlings of Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare and Blanton’s.  In the case of Blanton’s, we ended up choosing two barrels.  The first barrel was delivered a couple of months ago and flew off the shelves before I had a chance to review it.

Adam Acquistapace pouring some samples.

Luckily, Adam has stocked his newly opened store in Mandeville with the second barrel.  Since the store opened this past week, I thought I’d go ahead and post some tasting notes for it.  Like all Blanton’s releases, this whisky was matured in Buffalo Trace’s Warehouse H.  This particular barrel (no. 39) rested on Rick No. 14.

Onto the bourbon…

The nose is full of big butterscotch notes, along with hints of maraschino cherries, wood spice, and vanilla bean.  Taste-wise, there’s an initial light hit of spice followed by big waves of light brown sugar and butterscotch.  Some red fruit develops in the midpalate alongside spiced corn and sweet oak.  The medium-long finish leaves behind a sweet caramel followed by slightly astringent oak and a touch of mint.

A pour of Buffalo Trace bourbon from a barrel sample. For each private barrel, Buffalo Trace Distillery sends a sample from three different barrels for you to choose.

This was my favorite of the two Blanton’s barrels we picked.  I love the way the fruit, butterscotch and spice compliment each other here.  Acquistapace’s is selling these for $51.99 each. Great price if you ask me. At the rate folks are buying this bourbon, I don’t expect this to be on shelves long after Thanksgiving weekend.

Thanks to Adam for asking me to help him with these barrel selections.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Laphroaig 30-Year-Old Single Malt (2016) Review 


My love for Laphroaig is no secret, but the levels of admiration vary between malts.  For instance, I thoroughly enjoy the new Laphroaig Lore with its sherried richness. On the other hand, Laphroaig Select comes across as a touch anemic for my tastes.  Its signature peaty character didnt shine through.

Does that mean I won’t like older Laphroaig expressions?  After all, and I’m painting in broad strokes here, the peat component tends to calm down the older a whisky becomes.  Not necessarily.  I generally find that well made whiskies full of character like Laphroaig age well, and their bold nature is refined as the years pass by.

This is certainly true of the 2016 bottling of Laphroaig 30 year, as you’ll read in my tasting notes below.  According to press material, this limited edition bottling had a “double maturation in first and second-fill ex-bourbon casks.”  It’s bottled at 53.5% abv and retails for $1000.  So, what does a 30-year-old, bourbon barrel-matured Laphroaig taste like?

A refined nose of vanilla creme brûlée overwhelms at first. Once it settles in the glass, wood spice and ripe mango emerge alongside hints of earthy mushroom, briny peat, and orange. A soft entry for such a high proof 30 year old whisky. Lots going on here: dark toffee, freshly grated ginger, orange, and vanilla hit the palate first, followed by seaweed, tobacco and a whisp of lingering peat smoke. Some oak-driven baking spices hit the back palate, as well as a touch of astringency. The finish is long and a little warm, with orange candy, herbs and old oak.

What a zinger of a whisky!  Definitely one of the more complex Islay whiskies I’ve come across, and a completely different beast than last year’s 32-year-old Laphroaig, which was matured exclusively in sherry casks.  Both are refined and delicious, but this 30-year-old lacks the overt dried fruit notes provided by sherry casks.  This is pure, spicy and sweet bourbon barrel maturation that really allows Laphroaig’s bold character to come through.  Though it’s not as lively as the slightly younger 25-year-old bottling also being offered this year, Laphroaig 30 year is the elegant, refined, and complex peated whisky I dream about.   9.5/10

Thanks to Laphroaig for the sample!  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.