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The limestone aquifer |
Friday, May 16, 2025
Kentucky, Day 2: Frankfort
Thursday, May 15, 2025
Kentucky, Day 1: Cincinnati
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Kentucky is happy to see me |
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
That one time I went to Kentucky
Friday, May 2, 2025
Three Macallan single malts from ...... Macallan
Macallan Rich Cacao 44.0%abv | Macallan Edition No. 2 48.2%abv | Macallan Classic Cut 2023 Edition 50.3%abv |
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Toasted oak, hazelnuts, and Brazil nuts hit the nose right up front, while Chambord, Luxardo syrup, and turpentine stay behind. | The nose starts off slightly paint-y and floral. Semi-sweet chocolate, actual Oloroso, and brine arrive next, followed by cantaloupe and cologne. | The rawest nose of the three, and the fruitiest, with lots of apple skins and port-like berry notes. An even mix of vanilla and barley fill out the edges. |
This palate starts off quite similar to the nose, with lots of toasted oak spice, dried blueberries, and something PX-ish. Sweet little oranges tingle in the background. | Toffee, semi-sweet chocolate, and sea salt start the palate. The Oloroso note appears here too, getting drier with time. Hints of marzipan and tart oranges provide additional character. | This very malty, toasty palate reminds me of digestive biscuits (always reliable), with Brazil nuts, tangy limes, and sweet oranges in the back. |
It finishes floral and PXy with subtle notes of dried blueberries and sea salt. | The finish is all toffee, toasted almonds, and dried cranberries. | All the maltiness stays through the finish, with a balance of tart and sweet running through the middle. |
Comments: This one is a struggle at times. I don't mind the missing chocolate, in fact the whisky's lack of chocolate may make it a better pairing with some nice slabs of the darkest stuff. Instead there's a lot of fortified wine in this mix, resulting in a sweet unbalanced thing. But the salt and oranges do help a bit. | Comments: THIS is the chocolatey one. The spot-on bottling strength helps deliver a bigger whisky than the standard range can offer. It is, of course, all-cask, making it one of countless contemporary whiskies that could have come from nearly any Scottish distillery. | Comments: Though this is probably the youngest of the three, I like it the best. The casks show lots of restraint, something one doesn't often find in this distillery's official releases. Then again, I like the old Fine Oak series more than most folks, so your mileage may vary here. |
Rating: 81 | Rating: 84 | Rating: 85 |
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Three Macallan single malts from Signatory Vintage
Macallan, or rather "Speyside (M)", has become hot stuff in the indie bottler scene with specific thanks to Signatory Vintage. At some point the Symington squad scored many casks from Edrington's cash cow. As of today, Signatory has released at least 45 different Speyside (M)s across three different ranges — Cask Strength Collection, 100 Proof Edition, and Small Batch Edition — in less than two years, all (or most) of which had sherry cask maturation.
This will be the first time I have reviewed a Signatory 100 Proof Edition, a range that instantly created its own rung on the single malt pricing ladder, offering age-stated (usually over 10yrs) high-strength, oft-sherried, very small batch single malts at less than 60 euros. They beat everyone to it. And the quality is there, I can attest to that.
Signatory has also expanded their Small Batch Edition range which offers single malts older than the 100 Proofers, with a less fiery ABV, at a slightly higher price.
The Cask Strength Collection continues to soar, though many of the range's whiskies have had secondary maturations.
Today I will indulge in three Speyside (M)s, one from each of these ranges. The first is an official "Things I Really Drink", a 14 year old 2010 (1st and 2nd fill oloroso butts) from the Small Batch range, a bottle I split halfsies with the Doctors Springbank. The second is a 13yo (1st and refill oloroso butts) from the 100 Proof Edition range. And the third, an 18 year old first-fill oloroso butt, comes from the classic Cask Strength Collection.
I probably have not tried three Macallans in one night in nearly 15 years. Things were different then.
THREE MACALLAN MATES
Speyside (M) 14-year-old 2010 Signatory Small Batch #16 48.2%abv | Speyside (M) 13-year-old 2011 Signatory 100 Proof #27 57.1%abv | Speyside (M) 18-year-old 2005 Signatory Cask Strength cask DRU17/A106#5 57.7%abv |
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The nose offers mint, chocolate, and walnuts up top; dried cherries, dried raspberries, and a hint of dunnage underneath. It gets more milk chocolatey with time. It picks up more dunnage funk once diluted to 43%abv. Dark chocolate and coal mix with dried raspberries and vanilla bean. | The nose, very different than the 14's, dishes out carob, dried blueberries, baklava, cherry bubblegum, toffee pudding, and a whiff of gunpowder. The gunpowder expands once the whisky is dropped to 43%abv. The nose gets more leathery, briny, and meaty. | The deepest nose of the three. Raw cocoa, asphalt, dried cherries, and black currant jam up front, freshly polished leather shoes in the middle, toffee pudding in the back. At 43%abv, it feels darker (if that makes sense) with dunnage, steel wool, pine sap, and orange oil. |
This palate goes a direction different than the nose. Savory dried herbs, metal, and cocoa appear first, followed bitterer herbs, toasty oak, dusty smoke. At 43%abv mixed nuts take over, followed by fresher berries and a touch of soot. | No gunpowder on the neat palate. It's actually quite plummy at first, but then shifts gears: tobacco, raw walnut, raw almonds, salt, pepper, and very dry sherry. Diluted to 43%abv, the whisky takes on a gentle honeyed sweetness, with Cow Tales candy and a hint of gunpowder. | Loads of tobacco, metal, and earth arrive in the palate first, followed by blood oranges, dried leaves, and a wormwood bitterness. This palate also gets sweeter at 43%abv, with banana pudding, sugar cookies, toffee pudding, and mint leaf. |
The finish follows the un-sweet path with raw walnuts, dried herbs, and tart limes. When dropped to 43%abv, the whisky gets slightly sweeter, with fresh berries being balanced out with salt and pepper. | Raw nuts, salt, pepper, and that very dry sherry finish it off. It switches to honey, salt, and ash once diluted to 50%abv. | It finishes smoky, leafy, earthy, with raw walnuts and herbal bitterness. The 43%abv finish matches the palate, then adds a vibrant peppery zing. |
Comments: I am enjoying my 350mL! The whisky has the right bottling strength, though slight dilution doesn't hurt a thing. The prettier nose and grittier palate offer a great contrast, with neither besting the other. Gimme a little dunnage and soot in my Macallan anytime. | Comments: Slightly dirty, slightly wild, with an impressive dryness (when neat) this Macallan has more fight to it than Edrington would ever allow in their standard releases. As noted above, this reads like the cask was seasoned with something closer to Manzanilla than Oloroso, which is a good thing. | Comments: It's a heavy one, a beast that only shows its sensitive side once doused with water. The surprising earthiness gives the neat finish some Kilkerran vibes. The fruits' cameo appearances push this whisky to the big 9-0. |
Rating: 86 | Rating: 87 | Rating: 90 (when neat) |
Monday, April 14, 2025
Dalwhinnie 30 year old 1989 Diageo Special Releases 2020
Region: Highlands (Central-ish)
(from a bottle split)
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Dalwhinnie Distillery Exclusive, batch 1
Region: Highlands (Central-ish)
Bottling year: 2022
(from a bottle split)
Rating - 83