This is a decent rye that checks all the boxes required of an American rye whiskey, but it needs more time in the barrel to gain complexity and character to make it worth its $69 price. Only a few drops of water blunted the whole presentation, which also shows its youth (Perhaps 2-3 years.) Overall, it lacks complexity and needs time in the barrel.
Chicken Cock Kentucky Straight Bourbon Review
This is a good but unremarkable bourbon. It is a pleasant, easy drinker that is best savored neat. Even a few drops of water softened it appreciably, making rocks pretty much out of the question. A cocktail? Not for me.
Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Rye Review – 2020 Release
This is a bottle full of goodness all around; silken yet full bodied; lush in texture but busily spicy with fruit notes. If you can make rye whiskey candy, solidify this. It’s a delight to hold in your mouth and roll around as the honeyed texture gives way to tingly spice and slightly drying oak. I mentioned in my review of the 2020 Michter’s 10 year bourbon release that it was my favorite bottling of that product ever. I’ll declare the same about this 10-year rye. It’s brilliant, bright, inviting and wide-open delicious. It’s as good a Kentucky rye as I’ve ever enjoyed.
Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon Review – 2020 Release
Michter’s has treated me to the past several releases of this 10-year bourbon, and all were good, well-mannered and delicious. Crucial to my preferences, each also paired amazingly well with food. But the 2020 release is something truly special, my favorite of the lot so far. Warm chocolate gives way to supple oak blending with corn sweetness and softness. Yet this is more robust than in releases past and reminds me of a straight-from-the-barrel glass fill I had at Michter’s Distillery two years ago with a press group. The mouthfeel is amazing: an adult candy bar in a glass; fully creamy and mouth coating. This is supremely delicious liquid deserving quiet contemplation or sharing with deserving whiskey buddies.
Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Japanese Mizunara Oak Casks Review
For 10 years Angel’s Envy has produced delicate, rounded and balanced bourbons finished in second-use casks—port, tawny port, sherry and rum (for its rye). Now we have a first-use mizunara oak barrel from Japan, which makes this bourbon markedly different from its predecessors.
The Glendronach Revival Aged 15 Years Scotch Whisky Review
This is a delightful and intriguing whisky. It never stops giving new aromas, which makes it a lot of fun just to nose. Few flavors in this Scotch jump out at you; there’s a bit of seek and find with it. It demands to be savored slowly and carefully, which was convenient amid the COVID-19 quarantine when WAY TOO FEW PEOPLE WERE AROUND TO INTERRUPT ME! It’s become haggard to see reviewers write, “This whiskey would be best enjoyed by a fire” when too few of us are ever around an actual wood fire. So I’ll speak to the truth of my tasting: This whisky is damn fine enjoyed on a hand-me-down couch with a computer in my lap.
Legent Bourbon Review
If you like bourbon neat, this is for you. If you’re a Scotch drinker used to low-proof and wine-cask finishes, this is for you. If you like flavorful cocktails that aren’t in-your-face bold, this is a versatile whiskey that’ll do the job. Instead of stirring to dilute like you normally would to chill an old fashioned or Manhattan, place this in the fridge to maintain its fuller flavor.
Old Fitzgerald 9 Year Old Bottled In Bond Bourbon Review (Spring 2020)
This Old Fitzgerald 9 Year Old Bottled In Bond Bourbon is a glassful of goodness all around. If you’re fond of fruit-forward whiskeys, this is your jam—without being jammy. The mouthfeel is unusually fatty and weighty for a 100 proof wheated bourbon, and that’s a plus. For anyone who hoped I’d add water and report back, too bad. That ain’t happening. There is zero need to alter this whiskey. It’s perfect as is.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B519 Review
This is an all-around solid whiskey that won’t disappoint. But to violate an iron-clad rule of multi-sibling parenting, I’m saying its older brother, A119, this year’s first ECBP release, is better in every respect. A119 is headed for Harvard while B519 is good state school material. To strain the sibling metaphor further, the A119 is the charismatic kid, attractively assertive in every respect (perhaps helped some by its 135 proof), and its boldness presents as complexity rather than a brute punch in the face. Still, Elijah Craig fans will find the B519 completely likeable. Its EC DNA is as pure and recognizable as its sibling’s; it’s just packaged in a softer, gentler version.